nixluva wrote:I love this kid. I was so happy when they announced we got him in the draft. Now watching him play it just makes me even more happy cuz we really needed a guard for our future. No more TD or Felton types. A real guard that can do the things this team needs. I could kiss Phil for giving us what we've needed for so long. I'm pulling for him to win the starting job cuz I think he's our best option, even as a rookie.

I was with you till the kissing part. Eeeesh

nixluva wrote:I love this kid. I was so happy when they announced we got him in the draft. Now watching him play it just makes me even more happy cuz we really needed a guard for our future. No more TD or Felton types. A real guard that can do the things this team needs. I could kiss Phil for giving us what we've needed for so long. I'm pulling for him to win the starting job cuz I think he's our best option, even as a rookie.

Fish made a comment after the game last night about how much he likes having Grant and Gallo playing together in the back court but i have to think he means for roles off the bench. I love everything that i'm seeing from Grant and love that he's gonna be our PG for a long time but i still think it will be Calderon starting with Grant getting plenty of time off the bench. D.Casey absolutely loves Calderon if you guys saw the interview with him during the game last night. He might end up a Raptor if he has a good first half of the year next year.

newyorker4ever wrote:

nixluva wrote:

blkexec wrote:

nixluva wrote:

H1AND1 wrote:It would be so amazing to have a NBA starting caliber point guard.

OH I think we've got one now. The entire point was to land a big in KP and a legit PG and Jerian has shown he is a legit PG and the right guard for this team IMO. It's not easy to look good in the Triangle as a guard. You have to be smart and skilled. Jerian also has the speed to get in the paint and create for himself and others and we REALLY needed that.

Nix....i dont get why people hate your optimism but you ate spot on......Phil deserves more credit than hes givin. And got two defensive SF / PF types to protect melos weakness.....with a PG on top. SWEET

Man the haters don't bother me. I'm too strong willed for that. Phil is doing what his basketball instincts tell him is right. I tried to tell people that we had some capable basketball minds and talent evaluators on staff. Guys like Clarence Gaines who know what Phil is looking for. He knows Phil wanted a legit big guard who could do a little of everything and that had leadership qualities. There's more to it than just raw talent which some people don't understand.

Phil wasn't going after only a big name in FA. He was looking for the right combo of character, talent, hard work, BB IQ and sacrifice for the team. It's not a quick fix. This is the building blocks of a winning team that you can build on. It's just the beginning of the process. Besides NY fans love hard working players that are not about the glitz but grinding and that's the kind of team Phil is giving us.

Well said Nix. We've always agreed on pretty much everything Phil has done so far and it's all coming together quite well so far. Phil had a great draft and i think a great free agency of players that will do their jobs to make people around them better. I'm excited about our future for the first time in a long time.

Take for instance Fisher. This was a guy that really didn't have a big chance at making it in the NBA. He worked hard on his body, his game and gave Max effort. He was a vocal leader and even stood up to Kobe. He kept his body in prime shape for his entire career. All of those things are a sign of his dedication to the game and it wasn't lost on Phil. This is the kind of team Phil has built. It's not sexy but they should be a tough bunch that will give Max effort, bond and play for each other.

TripleThreat wrote:

TPercy wrote:No way should Calderon start. He is a good pg and has always had a solid cheer but we need someone who can penetrate as well as distributing the ball and play plus defense.

Then Galloway should start at PG.

The reality is rookies are going to hit a rookie wall, also they will struggle to get clean calls from the refs and are still acclimating to the league in general.

I like Grant and his prospects, but if the Knicks and Knicks fandom want him to make those critical developmental leaps between Year 1 and Year 2, then again from Year 2 to Year 3, they are going to have to resist the urge to burn his candle on both ends too soon and exert that much pressure on him.

I realize it's been some hard years, and fans want to see the new rookie shine, but the consideration has to be long term, not short term, in that regard.

Let the kid work his way into the rotation, then at the All Star break, if he's earned it, let him run with the starting job.

Good point.

newyorker4ever wrote:

nixluva wrote:I love this kid. I was so happy when they announced we got him in the draft. Now watching him play it just makes me even more happy cuz we really needed a guard for our future. No more TD or Felton types. A real guard that can do the things this team needs. I could kiss Phil for giving us what we've needed for so long. I'm pulling for him to win the starting job cuz I think he's our best option, even as a rookie.

Fish made a comment after the game last night about how much he likes having Grant and Gallo playing together in the back court but i have to think he means for roles off the bench. I love everything that i'm seeing from Grant and love that he's gonna be our PG for a long time but i still think it will be Calderon starting with Grant getting plenty of time off the bench. D.Casey absolutely loves Calderon if you guys saw the interview with him during the game last night. He might end up a Raptor if he has a good first half of the year next year.

There have been whispers regarding Afflalo coming off the bench - given Fisher's comments it sounds like he has plans for Grant/Gallo playing together. Maybe they are thinking about Calderon and AA off the bench for better balance.

TPercy wrote:No way should Calderon start. He is a good pg and has always had a solid cheer but we need someone who can penetrate as well as distributing the ball and play plus defense.

Calderon does not deserve a spot on this team IMO. He is too slow as a PG and terrible on defense. If Phil decides to keep him around, I pray to God he is not the starting PG

LivingLegend wrote:

misterearl wrote:

His bloodlines are solid. He will do Harvey and Horace proud. His basketball DNA is intelligent and intuitive. As Bill Bradley describes basketball comprehension as, "having a sense of where you are on the floor". Jerian Grant fits that narrative better than anyone in our backcourt.

No reason to defer his development by not giving him the responsibility to run the team. He will make his share of rookie errors but he is ready. He is also a quick study. He will not make the same mistake twice. We dig that about him.

Book It.

I really didn't watch Grant much in college and always thought he looked smaller than he measured.

He reminds me a bit of one of my favorite all-time PGs - Mo Cheeks.

Cheeks wasn't a spectacular player, he wasn't flashy, he wasn't super long or super skilled offensively but he was an absolute gamer and an extremely solid NBA player. He had just enough offense, he was a great on ball defender and made big shots. Hoping Grant can play a little like Mo.

Knicks1969 wrote:

EnySpree wrote:The old school way is you have to earn your spot. We all have the confidence in Grant, but Calderón deserves his respect. Jerian has to prove that he's worthy and show up to training camp to show and prove. Calderón is still a respected pg in this league and internationally. Calderón isn't going to give up on his career just yet. I'm sure he's working hard to make sure Jerian doesn't take his spot....

anyway you look at it, it's great for our franchise. We need a rookie to cross that bridge. His day will come but he has to earn it

After winning just 17 games,change is needed. Calderon can't guard any of the PGs in the East nor West. Start Grant and allow him to develop. He is a matured young dude, he will be ok

What does it mean to develop? Giving a player a job workout earning it or making them prove they deserve the title?

TripleThreat wrote:

Knicks1969 wrote:Calderon does not deserve a spot on this team IMO. He is too slow as a PG and terrible on defense. If Phil decides to keep him around, I pray to God he is not the starting PG...Start Grant and allow him to develop. He is a matured young dude, he will be ok

If Knicks1969 says Grant should start, to me, that's almost proof positive evidence that he should not start, at least not at the beginning of the season. Actually, I think if that rule applies to just about anything Knicks1969 says, it would be a good litmus test ( Wasn't that an episode of Seinfeld, where George did everything different/backwards one day and everything started to work out for him?)

I've been hard on Calderon since he's the core subject of so much trade rape ( ok trade gang rape to be fair) speculation and his contract is so brutal. But to say he can't help an NBA team at all, I think that's taking it too far.

To pace him, he needs to do what Jason Kidd did at the end, run only from three point line to three point line and find a nice balance with one of the wings in a drive and kick game and the Knicks have to commit to get him going to space the floor. Last year, Melo and STAT were black holes with the ball, and Bargs just didn't care.

He can be a useful weapon in specific spots, when certain matchups emerge on the floor.

Veteran saavy counts when the shot clock is running down, when time, experience and grit start to play out well in terms of decision making, esp when Melo sits and no other player on the floor will able to create hi own shot consistently. In order to take advantage of this, the Knicks need much more crisp ball movement and they need some semblance of a low post game by someone who has at least league average passing skills.

He's overpaid, he's old, he has limited utility, he's not useless. There's a difference.

calderon is one of the worst defenders at the position. we need enthusiastic defenders at every position, for as you know that is contagious and galvanizing. calderon defending the point of attack is going to be a demoralizing influence. can't have two inept or unenthusiastic defenders out there, meaning both melo and calderon. that is not a recipe for success.

i'd rather see a young squad with grant undergo growing pains since the knicks are not going anywhere this season.

newyorker4ever wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

misterearl wrote:

His bloodlines are solid. He will do Harvey and Horace proud. His basketball DNA is intelligent and intuitive. As Bill Bradley describes basketball comprehension as, "having a sense of where you are on the floor". Jerian Grant fits that narrative better than anyone in our backcourt.

No reason to defer his development by not giving him the responsibility to run the team. He will make his share of rookie errors but he is ready. He is also a quick study. He will not make the same mistake twice. We dig that about him.

Book It.

I really didn't watch Grant much in college and always thought he looked smaller than he measured.

He reminds me a bit of one of my favorite all-time PGs - Mo Cheeks.

Cheeks wasn't a spectacular player, he wasn't flashy, he wasn't super long or super skilled offensively but he was an absolute gamer and an extremely solid NBA player. He had just enough offense, he was a great on ball defender and made big shots. Hoping Grant can play a little like Mo.

Mo Cheeks was a alright player but Grant will be a better player than Cheeks was.

Alright?!

Hope you're right, but Cheeks was a great player in his prime, and one of the most unselfish, dependable and steady guards I've ever seen- you know that Phil would love having him run his offensive.

Get back to me 10 years from now and we can talk.