WaltLongmire wrote:I see him as a direct competitor to Thanasis. He can do some of the same things athletically, but he is a much better offensive player- especially as a shooter.

Did not do that well in the Portsmouth Tournament, though, for what it is worth,

Will be interesting to see how hd does with us.

Freakish wingspan for a guy his height.

I think it was reported that he would spend a year overseas but was working out with the Knicks and would sign with them next year. If not I agree that he is similar and maybe better than Thanasis. I am not sure what will happen to Thanasis. I think he showed loyalty by playing in Westchester last year but I don't know if he will be one of the best 15 guys when it comes time to pick the roster. I think he probably is on the team. He has been doing some pr stuff for the Knicks.

CrushAlot wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:I see him as a direct competitor to Thanasis. He can do some of the same things athletically, but he is a much better offensive player- especially as a shooter.

Did not do that well in the Portsmouth Tournament, though, for what it is worth,

Will be interesting to see how hd does with us.

Freakish wingspan for a guy his height.

I think it was reported that he would spend a year overseas but was working out with the Knicks and would sign with them next year. If not I agree that he is similar and maybe better than Thanasis. I am not sure what will happen to Thanasis. I think he showed loyalty by playing in Westchester last year but I don't know if he will be one of the best 15 guys when it comes time to pick the roster. I think he probably is on the team. He has been doing some pr stuff for the Knicks.

Yeah i'm worried for Thanasis making the team. He's so green that i'm not sure he's gonna make the team unless he makes it just cause of him showing his loyalty for us by playing for our D-League team and taking so much less money for it. I agree that this Ndour kid seems just like thanasis in that he looks very green.

joec32033 wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:I see him as a direct competitor to Thanasis. He can do some of the same things athletically, but he is a much better offensive player- especially as a shooter.

Did not do that well in the Portsmouth Tournament, though, for what it is worth,

Will be interesting to see how hd does with us.

Freakish wingspan for a guy his height.

I think it was reported that he would spend a year overseas but was working out with the Knicks and would sign with them next year. If not I agree that he is similar and maybe better than Thanasis. I am not sure what will happen to Thanasis. I think he showed loyalty by playing in Westchester last year but I don't know if he will be one of the best 15 guys when it comes time to pick the roster. I think he probably is on the team. He has been doing some pr stuff for the Knicks.

Awkward situation for the team if they don't sign him, since he's been a "good citizen," and stayed around even though he could have made more money overseas, I would think. Just wish we had seen significant improvement in his outside shooting.

Hopefully he shows enough to warrant a contract.

Just curious, do we know for certain it was a Knicks/Thanasis wink-wink-nudge-nudge joint decision of sacrifice now for later or was it just Thanasis thinking the best way make it to the big league is to stay in the d league instead of going over seas.

All I'm asking is do the Knicks really "owe" him anything based on his decision making process?

I was pretty sure last year that there was a verbal agreement with Galloway after SL AND training camp that they would eventually move him up the next step.

Galloway had one good game in SL, but he was always the one out there trying to run the Triangle and not looking to impress by doing the kind of things Hardaway did last year in SL, and what I see a lot of guys doing in SL now.

I have no similar feelings with Thanasis. He fits the off the court profile that Jackson likes-good kid, hard worker, great family support group, but I never thought his on court skills were what Jackson was looking for- specifically an ability to shoot the ball when given the opportunity. Thanasis is an unselfish player who gives you the proverbial 110%, but he showed minimal progress last year as a shooter.

Folks get on me about this, as if the other things he can do completely compensate for his offensive limitations, but at this point if he makes the team with the skills he has shown so far, at best he will be a 5-10 MPG/every other game energy player, and not a regular rotation guy.

Again, I hope he proves me wrong and shows some new wrinkles to his offensive game, because he does so many others things you like to see and can help a team.

N'Dour and Galdikas are the two players we really need to find out more about. I hope these two in particular get the most minutes out of all our SL players.

There are few players that we could consider to choose from on our Summer League, was on our D League roster, other D League rosters, as well undrafted FA's, UFA's, and players that played on our roster to choose from to bring back on our Knicks to either sign, bring to our training camp, and bring in to our D League roster
However, which players if NOT signed right after our Summer League could draw interest to other teams that may not make it on another teams roster if they do not commit to our training camp roster?
Then there are other players that are unlikely to make it to a NBA team that we could consider to bring to training camp and to the D League Knicks but would make more money in Europe
Players like Jimmy Baron (who has a younger brother, Billy Baron, that just finished college and is more skilled than him, both of which are SHARPSHOOTERS like Steve Kerr but would have trouble defending a position in the NBA even as rotation players, along with TJ Bray (I personally think both Baron brothers are better than Bray)

Also which players are unlikely to play with 0years experience and play for the minimum with a starting salary of about 500k with the high cost of living in New York?
Providing a house/transportation with low rent could help their decisions....
However, how many projects can we sign in one year?

We could have our 2.8m room exemption and anywhere from about 2m - 3m in cap space (depending on how we structure the contracts and the 2-3m extra cap space) to use with 4 spots (not including Ledo and Thanasis)
Already with committed salaries/roster spots as rookies of KP and Grant, along with some 2nd years players (basically still young/developing like Ledo/Early), how many projects can we hold on one roster?
However, with 4 roster spots without making possible trades or other moves

1- Maurice Ndoure 23years of age, SF/PF 6-8 to 6-9, 200pds, not sure if he can play PF like he did in college however, his STATS are GREAT as Briggs has pointed out, and might not be available if we do not sign him
2- Louis Labeyrie 23years of age, PF, 6-10 to 6-11, 200pds, we own his rights as we drafted him last year, not sure if he would sign a deal if we didn't offer him more money than the vet min, with part of the room exemption or cap space, has a young poor mans Pau Gasol type potential though not as skilled,

are both 200pds with Ndoure being a SF/PF
Louis Labeyrie, the Frenchman, Rudy Gobert's team mate and had good things to say about him, was draft as our last 2nd rounder last year

D League/Knick's roster

3- Thanasis 22 years of age, G/F 6-7 ,215pds, raw but with lock down defensive potential with HIGH MOTOR/WORK ETHIC/ and very good athleticism/length/ lock down defender potential

4- Ricky Ledo 22 years of age, G/F 6-7, 195pds, he wasn't in NBA shape last season but unlike Jeremy Tyler, he has worked hard since then as he knows he can be in the bubble with a partial/unguaranteed deal this year, with good upside, will need further evaluation, but think we will have to decide between Early/Thanasis/Ledo, especially if we bring in another PG/SG like Shved/Hacket, with JR Smith - poor mans/smaller Durant for scoring/shooting and could be a 6th man potential

5- Ben Strong is about 30years of age, 6-11, 230pds, and not sure if he can play PF/C in the NBA unless he gains weight but can play PF/C if he does in which he was solid on our D League, he is about 230pds, good shoot for a BIG and rebound/block shots/ post a bit, and shoot the midrange/ baseline 3pter if open, likely stays in the D League to help develop the Triangle but could get training camp invite
I question his age and his weight/strength to play in the NBA until he gets stronger/bigger with more weight, he would help our farm system to develop players/system on our D League

6- Orlando Sanchez a older player but is versatile and can play the high post, hit the 3pter, and post up/facilitate, with Jared Sullinger comparisons

7- Doran Lamb SG, 6-4, he could shoot very well, with NBA experience, and played a NBA role a couple years ago in The Bucks/Orlando

8- Jordan Bachynski - would rather have Thabeet who I think could be a player ready to break out on DEFENSE/REBOUNDING, this year's Hassan Whiteside but for DEFENSE
9- Alex Kirk - would rather have Justin Hamilton who is a UFA

10 to 17- Shved, AB *with basically 3m that we can offer*, Cleantony Early *unguaranteed deal*, Cole Aldrich, Lou Amundson, Lance Thomas, Acy, Travis Wear

Remember Thanasis took 500k less to play in the D League to learn to Triangle, if we do not offer him more money on a 3year deal, he likely will not be very happy
Ben Strong 6-10 235pds, though almost 29years of age, and Orlando Sanchez 27 years of age, 6-9, 235pds (playing for Toronto for Summer League and was unhappy that Phil Jackson didn't call him up late in the season as many other D League players were called up, so he would be eligible to get 1year experience if he was brought up for the final season games as a loophole to start his salary higher next season

18- Ovidijus Galdikas C 7-1 ,220pds

19/20- Jimmy Baron 6-3, 195pds, both brothers could really shoot and father is a coach that coached Billy Baron, should invite his brother to training camp and if we feel they can defend a position, sign them to unguaranteed deals but until we become LEGIT contenders and with multiple TOP TIER talents that could draw double teams consistently their ability to be snipers could be deadly along with Nate Walters(though not invited to our Summer League, his brother Billy Baron 6-1 to 6-2 ,190pds) Like Kerr, they are SNIPERS for anyone that wants to youtube them

31- TJ Bray IMO lacks speed/quickness/athleticism to defend a position in the NBA, though has high IQ, I would rather have the Baron brothers and Nate Walters/Jared Cunningham

21- Daniel Hackett PG/SG 6-6, 210pds, not sure what happened to him, he was suppose to audition for The Knicks, while many thought he was play on our Summer League, though could still get a training camp invite
I think he is an upgrade over Larkin and would fit in with our team, also is good friends with Gallanari and Derozan, both of which are players that we can target next year as UFA, along with Wilson Chandler/MosGoV, David Lee, and Randy Foye/Hickson/Speights

IMO, players that should get consideration to develop on our roster along with our D League like Galloway/Thanasis/Travis Wear, highlighted in bold
Players that I think we should consider using our cap space 2-3m and our 2.8m exemption (that we could divide or use ALL for AB/Shved)

To prevent future poison pills, especially for Thanasis (players that have high upside/potential, or waste resources/roster spot/time on developing, even if deals are unguaranteed)
For our BOTTOM tier players such as Lou Amundson, we will need unguaranteed deals for potential signings, amnestied targets, waivers, we should stay under the cap for the advantages but sign them officially late

IMO, Players to consider use cap space (about 2-3m)/room exemption's (could break it up to 2-3) on

Daniel Hackett think he would really help and fit in our system for both OFFENSE and DEFENSE, ready to contribute right away

Thanasis, Ledo *has a contract already though partial/unguaranteed) and Early (unguaranteed deal) but are unlikely to keep 3 raw players at the same position while Thanasis has the highest defensive potential, Ledo with the highest OFFENSIVE potential, and Early with the most NBA experience last season and NBA ready body that lacks skills to play SG

Ovidijus Galdikas *might need to get a little weight, similar body to KP* He has good length, mobility, agility to go with size, and was a double double with some blocks/steals with his length in a mans league in Europe, playing with Jonas Valanciunas's, Lith national team, think he can contribute right away

Louis Labeyrie/Maurice Ndoure *like both players but we own Louis Labeyrie's rights, while Maurice Ndoure is quite skilled/versatile, both being 200pds, probably could only sign one at best*
For Labeyrie, bringing him to training camp to continue to allow him to have more Triangle experience and how to work on his game to best fit the system and play vs NBA competition to know how he needs to get stronger and hopefully next year we can sign him if he gets stronger and could even get considerations this year

Orlando Sanchez not sure if he burnt a bridge as he wanted to be called up late last season, which he was very unhappy about, he fits in the Triangle and could contribute right away, I compare his game to Jared Sullinger, as PF, maybe PF/C that could hit wide open 3's, mid range game, post abilities/facilitating, think he can contribute right away on our 2nd/3rd unit

For AB and Shved, I wouldn't mind using the 3m in cap space or room exemption on, however, wouldn't lose sleep over them with others available
Though Shved and AB played well last season in the system, we simply lacked talent on our roster to compete every day, they would be cap friendly deals with what we have left

While most Summer League teams/players do not use that time to execute/learn a system but rather use it to analyze if they think the players could contribute vs NBA talents
Many play very hard, as they are auditioning their skills to ALL NBA teams, for a possible camp invite, while most will not make it
Along with giving the 1st, 2nd round talents, younger talents with 2nd/3rd year players to get some minutes

So to evaluate the individual talent on our roster could be a little tough, as we are looking to use this time to learn a system, with a system that needs EVERYONE on the floor to understand it and be able to execute it with precise timing TOGETHER, Fisher will be coaching this roster to probably look to develop certain skill set and gain more experience with his players for possible roster spots or training camp invites for further evaluations
Generally, assistant coaches or 1st year coaches only coach the Summer League, so these players will have to showcase their skill sets and ability to execute the Triangle with their skill sets to impress Fisher/Phil Jackson for a role on a team with 4 roster spots available

BRIGGS wrote:

Finestrg wrote:N'Dour and Galdikas are the two players we really need to find out more about. I hope these two in particular get the most minutes out of all our SL players.

Im not high at all on Thansis or Labeyerie?. Alex Kirk has been awful this summer league with Orlando--just regressing terribly. Im looking at our two picks Ledo Galdikas and Ndour(and he needs to prove something after his awful showing at PIT) Thansis has had a great deal of time to improve but hes just very raw. I saw no improvement statistically or body wise from Loius L nor do I kn ow any position he can play here--hes not a 5 hes a 4 who cant shoot. I dont really see what they like about Bray if they didnt sign Wolters who is a highly superior defender and likely better from almost every angle with perhaps a small division from deep. He does have size hes smart and he got a year experience in Argetina. I guess Travis Wear would have a small shot at roster spot 15 but my guess is they move on. Jimmy Baron is an older player who was a legend in the Rhode Island area(his dad was a coach there) and while he was a great shooter I dont see much of a chance to make the NBA. Id like to see a line up of

C-Galdikas
F Porzingis
G Early
G Ledo
G Grant

6 Ndour
7 Thansis
8 Galloway(we really dont need him to play here)
9 Bray
10 Strong(has very little to no chance to make the NBA)

3 of these guys were in Westchester

Barron minimal
Kirk Minimal
l

Give the top line up 30 minutes each 3 games and than flip the units so the other guys get 25-30 minutes to give everyone fair minutes to get something done.

Galloway is here to set a tone, and to also establish him in the pecking order. He probably knows the Triangle better than anyone but Fisher. He'll be a kind of player coach, IMO. Maybe you sit him out or give him diminished minutes if other guys look like they can handle things on their own.

Hard to know anything about Labeyerie at this point until we see him for extended minutes. Seems like you can't make a judgement on him until you see him play.

Galdikas is a wildcard. Wonder how he plays in system offense such as ours.

I'm intrigued by Bray, enough to have done a thread on him a couple of days ago. Would like to see him on our DL team if he shows anything in SL. I'm looking at him as this years Galloway, but who knows. He played a full season of 52 games in Italy, and in the team highlights I saw he seems athletic enough to hold his own here, but we will see.

I don't think he over-dribbles as much as Wolters does at times, Briggs, and he looks like he can play lead guard or off guard.

I think you'll know what they think of Bray, or any other guy in SL camp, if they give them significant minutes. There is stuff going on in practice which none of us see, obviously, and except for Grant, KP, and maybe Early, guys will probably get playing time based on what they show in practice, IMO.