First let me say I feel that Russell will be the best player in this draft when it is all said and done. My dream and never going to happen off-season is to move Melo to LA for pick 2 and Randle.

PG - Russell (pick 2)
SG - KJ McDaniels
SF - Tobias Harris
PF - Randle
C - WCS (pick 4)

Now here are the questions.

1. How do you build around signing Monroe ?
I think it is inevitable that Phil signs him as his big off season FA move. I am not in favor of it, because I don't think he is a great fit in how the NBA is played today. On the offensive side he is an old school center which is what Phil sees for the triangle but defensively he does not fit as a center and you need to compliment him with a rim protector. But a rim protector who can space the floor on the offensive end so you don't have two guys clogging the lane.
A perfect fit would be Towns but he will not be in play for the Knicks. Aldridge fits on the offensvie end but I don't see him coming to NY, Kaminsky is another fit on the offensive end but defensively when you factor in Melo can you give up that much, definitely would need a backcourt that stays in front of their men.
So through FA or draft who do you put next to Monroe to make him and the team succesful?
My guess is WCS and you hope he develops something offensively to space the floor.

2. I have seen a few places rumoring that Charlotte is offering pick 9 to anyone willing to take Lance Stephenson. Is the risk worth the reward. In my opinion I definitely think it is. I know Lance in NY could be a disaster worse than Marbury but long term to add another potential star I feel is worth it. Worst case Lance is the nightmare everyone fears. You have so suffer through 2 years and hopefully he doesn't corrupt the young talent and they develop and are ready to take off in year 3.
Best case Phil controls Lance and gets the best out of him ala 90s Rodman and you have a strong 2 way player that thrives and two cornerstones for the future.

PG - Mudiay (pick 4)
SG - Stephenson
SF - Melo
PF - Monroe ( I prefer Harris as the FA signing and playing Melo at the 4)
C - WCS (pick 9)

There are no guarantees WCS last to 9, but you can still be looking at some combination of Mudiay, Payne, WCS, Winslow, Kaminsky, Proz.

Interested to see the thoughts of the site.

1. Melo isnt going anywhere. lol. hes a "god" here so DONT say anything bad

2. in regards to Monroe, i agree with you. hes not the best player in the world but hes not bad and hes only 24.

3. i dont think the knicks should outsmart themselves. lol. just get the BPA at #4 - either mudiay or russel

4. try to add a wing to go with monroe - d. green or carrol

5. fill the rest of the roster with cheap young role players/2nd rders/Dleaguers

that would be my plan

ButchMcrae wrote:I am new to the board and had two questions I wanted to see what response they got.

First let me say I feel that Russell will be the best player in this draft when it is all said and done. My dream and never going to happen off-season is to move Melo to LA for pick 2 and Randle.

PG - Russell (pick 2)
SG - KJ McDaniels
SF - Tobias Harris
PF - Randle
C - WCS (pick 4)

Now here are the questions.

1. How do you build around signing Monroe ?
I think it is inevitable that Phil signs him as his big off season FA move. I am not in favor of it, because I don't think he is a great fit in how the NBA is played today. On the offensive side he is an old school center which is what Phil sees for the triangle but defensively he does not fit as a center and you need to compliment him with a rim protector. But a rim protector who can space the floor on the offensive end so you don't have two guys clogging the lane.
A perfect fit would be Towns but he will not be in play for the Knicks. Aldridge fits on the offensvie end but I don't see him coming to NY, Kaminsky is another fit on the offensive end but defensively when you factor in Melo can you give up that much, definitely would need a backcourt that stays in front of their men.
So through FA or draft who do you put next to Monroe to make him and the team succesful?
My guess is WCS and you hope he develops something offensively to space the floor.

2. I have seen a few places rumoring that Charlotte is offering pick 9 to anyone willing to take Lance Stephenson. Is the risk worth the reward. In my opinion I definitely think it is. I know Lance in NY could be a disaster worse than Marbury but long term to add another potential star I feel is worth it. Worst case Lance is the nightmare everyone fears. You have so suffer through 2 years and hopefully he doesn't corrupt the young talent and they develop and are ready to take off in year 3.
Best case Phil controls Lance and gets the best out of him ala 90s Rodman and you have a strong 2 way player that thrives and two cornerstones for the future.

PG - Mudiay (pick 4)
SG - Stephenson
SF - Melo
PF - Monroe ( I prefer Harris as the FA signing and playing Melo at the 4)
C - WCS (pick 9)

There are no guarantees WCS last to 9, but you can still be looking at some combination of Mudiay, Payne, WCS, Winslow, Kaminsky, Proz.

Interested to see the thoughts of the site.

I don't believe the charlotte rumour at all, because the Pacers (plus many other teams would have jumped on it straight away.

Uptown wrote:Welcome,

I actually think Lance can flourish in the triangle offense. Lance is a lead guard by nature. Since HS, and @ Rucker in summer leagues, he flourishes with the ball in his hands. He has similar size to Ron Harper and can play that role in the triangle as he plays tenacious defense aswell.

Lance is a dog who is not afraid to mix it and is just the type of player we need. Outside of shooting, he impacts the game all over the court; he's a tremendous rebounder for a guard, will get very good assist numbers, and can score the ball some. He will peg at least a half dozen triple-doubles next year if given the minutes. I would trade for him in an instant, but the question is, what do we have that Charlotte would want?

callmened wrote:

nixluva wrote:Welcome ButchMcrae! It's a great 1st post by the way.

1. As others have said. Melo isn't going anywhere. He loves it here and has his No Trade Clause.

2. Monroe is actually almost Perfect for the Triangle. He's not a Rim Protector, but actually he's been showing improvement on D. Don't let his numbers in Detroit fool you. Once the waived Josh Smith, Monroe's number increased. He's big young and actually runs the floor very well. He posts and passes well.

3. Also the Triangle is designed to run with 2 bigs. There isn't going to be any congestion. In other offenses it could be a problem but the Triangle is designed to function with 2 post players. There are even "big 2 big" passing plays in the offense.

4. Draft wise I think we can get scoring guards without much trouble. Either in Free Agency or later in the draft. I don't think it's the biggest area of need nor the hardest thing to get for this team.

5. Knicks need defense and WCS would make the biggest impact on how they defend. Not a lot of people agree with me, but I say don't fear the Monroe and WCS pairing. WCS is the man we need to improve the team defense and he's not totally devoid of offensive ability. Just work with him and get him to the point where he's a functional part of the offense. WCS has a basic Jump Hook and he can hit the Mid Range Jumper just enough right now and should improve as he gains confidence. He hit his Mid Range Jumper at about 37% which was an improvement for him.

6. I'm a little scared of a deal for Stephenson, but really he might find his game in the Triangle. He could get back to attacking the basket. The value of the deal you suggest would be too good to pass up IMO.

nixluva and i are on the same page. i dont mind WCS but id rather take Mudiay. its just a gut feeling that he will be an impact player thats all

I agree. With a clean slate I believe Mudiay is the better talent. Last year this guy was the consensus #1 pick and Larry Brown raves about him. The predicament though is if you go with a roster including Melo and Monroe (assuming Phil is 100% assured he is signing July 1) and running the triangle is WCS more valuable? I know it's dangerous getting too cute and missing out on a potential superstar.

ButchMcrae wrote:

callmened wrote:

nixluva wrote:Welcome ButchMcrae! It's a great 1st post by the way.

1. As others have said. Melo isn't going anywhere. He loves it here and has his No Trade Clause.

2. Monroe is actually almost Perfect for the Triangle. He's not a Rim Protector, but actually he's been showing improvement on D. Don't let his numbers in Detroit fool you. Once the waived Josh Smith, Monroe's number increased. He's big young and actually runs the floor very well. He posts and passes well.

3. Also the Triangle is designed to run with 2 bigs. There isn't going to be any congestion. In other offenses it could be a problem but the Triangle is designed to function with 2 post players. There are even "big 2 big" passing plays in the offense.

4. Draft wise I think we can get scoring guards without much trouble. Either in Free Agency or later in the draft. I don't think it's the biggest area of need nor the hardest thing to get for this team.

5. Knicks need defense and WCS would make the biggest impact on how they defend. Not a lot of people agree with me, but I say don't fear the Monroe and WCS pairing. WCS is the man we need to improve the team defense and he's not totally devoid of offensive ability. Just work with him and get him to the point where he's a functional part of the offense. WCS has a basic Jump Hook and he can hit the Mid Range Jumper just enough right now and should improve as he gains confidence. He hit his Mid Range Jumper at about 37% which was an improvement for him.

6. I'm a little scared of a deal for Stephenson, but really he might find his game in the Triangle. He could get back to attacking the basket. The value of the deal you suggest would be too good to pass up IMO.

nixluva and i are on the same page. i dont mind WCS but id rather take Mudiay. its just a gut feeling that he will be an impact player thats all

I agree. With a clean slate I believe Mudiay is the better talent. Last year this guy was the consensus #1 pick and Larry Brown raves about him. The predicament though is if you go with a roster including Melo and Monroe (assuming Phil is 100% assured he is signing July 1) and running the triangle is WCS more valuable? I know it's dangerous getting too cute and missing out on a potential superstar.

Uptown wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Uptown wrote:Welcome,

I actually think Lance can flourish in the triangle offense. Lance is a lead guard by nature. Since HS, and @ Rucker in summer leagues, he flourishes with the ball in his hands. He has similar size to Ron Harper and can play that role in the triangle as he plays tenacious defense aswell.

Lance is a dog who is not afraid to mix it and is just the type of player we need. Outside of shooting, he impacts the game all over the court; he's a tremendous rebounder for a guard, will get very good assist numbers, and can score the ball some. He will peg at least a half dozen triple-doubles next year if given the minutes. I would trade for him in an instant, but the question is, what do we have that Charlotte would want?

I have read where the Knicks trade 4 for 9 and Lance or 4 for 9 with Calderon going to Charlotte and Lance coming to NY. I agree about Lance. If a deal happened that involved Calderon the Knicks would retain almost all of their cap space.

Swapping 4 for 9 is a tough decision. You have to figure, Stein and Winslow would be gone before 9. If we get word that its a strong possibility that Prozingis would be there @ 9 and we come away with him and Lance, plus a FA or 2...that wont be bad at all....We get the skilled front court player we need plus we strengthen our backcourt...Have to think about it though.