What I can extract from my thoughts is that last year, we were at a total disadvantage at the center position. Now with Lopez, there are no more free pass for the opponent. The other thing is that Calderon should not start. He will get destroyed against most teams. Galloway at the beginning of the season and then Grant later on should start on defense alone. I see Calderon flourish here with the same role as Kidd and Prig 3 seasons ago as a 3 pt shooter and facilitator shooting guard comming from the bench.

MIL 4 games
C: I think Lopez can absolutely hold his ground against monroe. Verdict : Tie
PF: I don't know if who are they gonna start. If Parker => Verdict : Tie
SF: Middleton will guard Melo whatever his position. He is a good defender. Melo will be less efficient but will come out on top. Verdict: NYK
SG: Antetokounmpo against Afflalo should be an interesting match up. Verdict: Tie
PG: MCW against Calderon will get by him all night long. Verdict: MIL
Bench: They have a nice bench but so do we. I'm probably a bit biased but I would say slight advantage for NYK
Predictions: 2 wins out of 4

ATL 4 games
PF/C : Our interior presence should match up ok despite being a bit less quick than atlanta front court. Verdict: ATL
SG: Afflalo can cover Korver. Verdict: Tie
SF: There won't be anyone except maybe sefolosha to cover melo this year. Verdict: NYK
PG: Teague is match up nightmare against calderon. Schröder as well. Verdict: ATL
Bench: I don't know very well atlanta's bench but I would say advantage NYK
Predictions: 1 win out of 4

WAS 3 games
PF/C: Our front court should hold their ground against theirs. Verdict: Tie
SF: Melo will eat up Dudley. Verdict: NYK
SG: Beal against Afflalo will be a tough match up. Verdict: WAS (slight advantage)
PG: Wall will have a career night against Calderon. Verdict: WAS
Bench: Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 1 wins out of 3

CLE 4 games
C: Lopez vs Mozgov. Verdict: Tie
PF: O quinn wil have his hands full with K Love. Verdict: CLE
SF: I think (don't go for the throat please ;)) James will decline a lot faster than Melo barring injuries but Lebron is still the better player by far. Verdict: CLE
SG: Afflalo vs Shumpert. Verdict: Afflalo
PG: Irving is gonna crush Calderon, Grant and Galloway. Verdict: CLE
Bench: They paid a fortune to have a deep bench. Verdict: CLE
Predictions: 0 win

TOR 4 games
C: I'm not impressed with Valanciunas. He's gifted offensively but that's it. Verdict: NYK(slight advantage)
PF: I think they're gonna start Carrol at 4, maybe scola. If Carrol Verdict: TOR
SF: Terrence ross would match up against Melo. Melo all day. Verdict: NYK
SG: DeRozan will make Afflalo earn his payday. Verdict: TOR
PG: Verdict : TOR
Bench: I would have loved Joseph in a NYK jersey. Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 2 out of 2

CHA 4 games
C: Jefferson will make Lopez work hard. Verdict: CHA(slight advantage)
PF: Kaminsky will start? If so O Quinn has the advantage with experience alone. Verdict: NYK
SF: . Melo is really tough to guard. Verdict: NYK
SG: Batum is not a typical SG but who else is fitted for the job? I love Batum for his all around game and it's not because i'm french but he struggles to score consistently. Verdict: Tie
PG: Kemba walker is not a good shooter but he's quick. The nemesis feature of Calderon. Verdict: CHA
Bench: They don't have much except for Lin. Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 3 wins out of 4

MIA 4 games
C: I'm not sold on Whiteside. He played well for half a season and some are seeing him as the next Shaq or something. Verdict: Tie
PF: Bosh all day. Verdict: MIA
SF: Deng is still tired from his days in Chicago. Melo will hurt him. Verdict: NYK
SG: Wade is still a good player but on his last legs. Afflalo can guard him. Verdict: Tie
PG: Calderon will sweat his *** off running after Dragic. Verdict: MIA
Bench: They have Chalmers, Winslow, Amare, Mc Roberts, Green. We have KP, Grant, Seraphin, DK. Honestly I pick NYK.
Predictions: 2 out of 2

ORL 3 games
C: Vucevic is a good rebounder and scorer but Lopez is a good rebounder and defender. Verdict: Tie
PF: I think tey start Frye. If O Quinn can keep up with him moving on the perimeter. Verdict: Tie
SF: Melo will school Harris. Verdict: NYK
SG: Oladipo is a nice upcoming player but Afflalo has experience on his side. Verdict: NYK
PG: I d'ont know Payton's game very much. I would say Tie
Bench: They have a young and talented bench. Verdict: Tie
Predictions: 2 out of 1

PHI 4 games
C: Okafor is impressive on the block but so is Duncan, Monroe, Randolph Jefferson and Lopez has played against all of them. Verdict: NYK
PF: Noel is a beast on defense. If O Quinn pound on him, he 'll suffer. Verdict: Tie
SF: No debate. Verdict: NYK
SG: Verdict: NYK
PG: Calderon will score but will get scored on. Verdict : Tie
Bench: NYK
Predictions: 4 out of 4

BKN 4 games
C: Interesting trash talking is to be expected between the 2 twins. Verdict: BKN(slight advantage)
PF: I think Young will top O Quinn. Verdict: BKN(slight advantage)
SF: Melo is a younger, better version than Johnson. Verdict: NYK
SG: Ellington is the only true SG. I don't know anything about him. Verdict: let's say NYK
PG: Jack is a nice back up PG. Calderon is a nice back up SG/PG. Verdict: Tie
Bench: NYK
Predictions: 3 out of 4

CHI 4 games
C: Noah is a better rebounder and defender than Lopez. Verdict: CHI
PF: Gasol had a terrific season last year. Even if he does not repeat last season performance, he's better than any PF we have. Verdict: CHI
SF: Mike dunleavy is good serviceable player but Melo is a top scorer and doesn't have to be an elite defender to guard Dunleavy. Verdict: NYK
SG: Afflalo will struggle mightily against Butler. Verdict: CHI
PG: D Rose is unequivocally gonna run by Calderon every possession. Verdict: CHI
Bench: Chicago has a good bench with youth and vets. Our bench is more athletic. Maybe a slight advantage for NYK
Predictions : 1 out 4

BOS 4 games
C: David lee against Lopez. Offense against Defense. Verdict: Tie
PF: I would think Sullinger is better than O Quinn for now. Verdict: BOS
SF: Crowder is a good defender and an improving 3 pt shooter if I recall what I read. Melo can guard a 3 pt shooter if he doesn't slack and can score on anybody. Verdict: NYK
SG: Turner is not a good defender and won't be smiling much when he's gonna be guarded by Afflalo. Verdict: NYK
PG: Smart is a quick PG that will pass by Calderon. Verdict : BOS
Bench: Some nice bench players on both sides. Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 3 out of 4

DET 3 games
C: Drummond is a beast physically. Verdict: DET
PF: IT depends if O Quinn is quick enough to guard stretch 4 effectively. Verdict: Tie
SF: If Johnson starts, Melo will have a field day. Verdict: NYK
SG: Pope is only a shooter? Afflalo will come out on top. Verdict: NYK
PG: Detroit is stacked on the PG position. With Jackson and Jennings, they are gonna have a good night against us. Verdict: DET
Bench: their bench doesn't seem very deep except for Jennings. Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 2 out of 3

IND 3 games
C: Bird said he wanted Georges to start af pf. Myles Turner seemed like a good find during SL but SL is no NBA grown up players. Verdict: NYK
PF: Georges will guard Melo. Who 's gonna guard O Quinn. How O Quinn can guard Georges. Verdict: I don't know
SF: Solomon Hill? Melo will be guarded by Georges. Verdict: Tie
SG: Monta Ellis is an offense specialist. I have faith in Afflalo to make him shoot bricks. Verdict: NYK
PG: Hill found himself confident on offense last year. If he can reiterate his performance, verdict: IND
Bench: Their bench is not very deep. Verdict: NYK
Predictions: 2 out of 3

StarksEwing1 wrote:

nixluva wrote:It would be a mistake IMO to assume that Jose would be such a major detriment. For one thing he's not the only PG we have and secondly we have a lot more rim protection now. Jose was just as bad defensively with Dallas and they won 50 games and took San Antonio to 7 games. The focus on Jose is a bit overstated IMO. It's a legit concern but there's a way to deal with that.

Phil has talked about using pressure and traps on the opposing PG and also using some zone defense this year. We have to see how it is applied but using different tactics could mitigate some of the defensive weakness of Jose.

i think the concern about jose has been pretty fair considering his age, cap hit, and injuries. Look i want him to be better but getting rid of that salary will help get more talent next summer

How do you think Dallas was able to win games with Jose playing major minutes and starting? He's not any slower than he was then. He was never really fast to begin with. Yet the Mavs went 49-33 with Jose playing 30 mpg and starting 81 games!!! Last year without Jose they one 1 more game but only won 1 playoff game as opposed to 3 wins with Jose. Doesn't seem like Jose was the limiting factor that some want to make him out to be.

nixluva wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:

nixluva wrote:It would be a mistake IMO to assume that Jose would be such a major detriment. For one thing he's not the only PG we have and secondly we have a lot more rim protection now. Jose was just as bad defensively with Dallas and they won 50 games and took San Antonio to 7 games. The focus on Jose is a bit overstated IMO. It's a legit concern but there's a way to deal with that.

Phil has talked about using pressure and traps on the opposing PG and also using some zone defense this year. We have to see how it is applied but using different tactics could mitigate some of the defensive weakness of Jose.

i think the concern about jose has been pretty fair considering his age, cap hit, and injuries. Look i want him to be better but getting rid of that salary will help get more talent next summer

Of course Jose is a liability on D. I think we are overlooking the presence of Jerian, Gallo and Afflalo tho. Jose doesn't have to be a starter nor play a ton of minutes. For all we know he could be coming off the bench. It's not going to be a situation where we just leave Jose out there to get killed when we have younger and better defenders on the roster. Also this is very much going to be about TEAM defense and not just Jose out on an Island all the time. That's why I brought up the use of pressure, traps and zones.

How do you think Dallas was able to win games with Jose playing major minutes and starting? He's not any slower than he was then. He was never really fast to begin with. Yet the Mavs went 49-33 with Jose playing 30 mpg and starting 81 games!!! Last year without Jose they one 1 more game but only won 1 playoff game as opposed to 3 wins with Jose. Doesn't seem like Jose was the limiting factor that some want to make him out to be.

I think everybody is confused and brain washed by Mike Woodson's ISO system. His system was all about idividual talent. Phil / Fishers system is about team defense. Also, during Mike Woodson, we never had a healthy rim protector. Even when Chandler was healthy, he was on an island. Now we have KP, and other rugged PF's....along with Lopez to protect the paint. So Jose's defense will not be as much of an impact as before. Along with the young guys and perimeter defenders in Galo, Jerian, Aflalo and the Greek.

blkexec wrote:

nixluva wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:

nixluva wrote:It would be a mistake IMO to assume that Jose would be such a major detriment. For one thing he's not the only PG we have and secondly we have a lot more rim protection now. Jose was just as bad defensively with Dallas and they won 50 games and took San Antonio to 7 games. The focus on Jose is a bit overstated IMO. It's a legit concern but there's a way to deal with that.

Phil has talked about using pressure and traps on the opposing PG and also using some zone defense this year. We have to see how it is applied but using different tactics could mitigate some of the defensive weakness of Jose.

i think the concern about jose has been pretty fair considering his age, cap hit, and injuries. Look i want him to be better but getting rid of that salary will help get more talent next summer

Of course Jose is a liability on D. I think we are overlooking the presence of Jerian, Gallo and Afflalo tho. Jose doesn't have to be a starter nor play a ton of minutes. For all we know he could be coming off the bench. It's not going to be a situation where we just leave Jose out there to get killed when we have younger and better defenders on the roster. Also this is very much going to be about TEAM defense and not just Jose out on an Island all the time. That's why I brought up the use of pressure, traps and zones.

How do you think Dallas was able to win games with Jose playing major minutes and starting? He's not any slower than he was then. He was never really fast to begin with. Yet the Mavs went 49-33 with Jose playing 30 mpg and starting 81 games!!! Last year without Jose they one 1 more game but only won 1 playoff game as opposed to 3 wins with Jose. Doesn't seem like Jose was the limiting factor that some want to make him out to be.

I think everybody is confused and brain washed by Mike Woodson's ISO system. His system was all about idividual talent. Phil / Fishers system is about team defense. Also, during Mike Woodson, we never had a healthy rim protector. Even when Chandler was healthy, he was on an island. Now we have KP, and other rugged PF's....along with Lopez to protect the paint. So Jose's defense will not be as much of an impact as before. Along with the young guys and perimeter defenders in Galo, Jerian, Aflalo and the Greek.

My personal starting lineup is Melo, Jerian, Afflalo, RoLo and KP. I think that group has the most offense and defense. I think that is the future SL of the team right there. It may not happen on opening night but I do think eventually that is where the Knicks will end up. Jerian provides that PG play we need on both ends. He can defend, make plays and also get to the basket. KP adds length at the rim but also on offense he can space the floor as well. It's his ability to score from anywhere on the floor that will make it hard for teams to defend the Knicks. It puts 4 shooters on the floor with RoLo near the basket where he can score of dump offs or offensive rebounds, which is his specialty.

nixluva wrote:

blkexec wrote:

nixluva wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:

nixluva wrote:It would be a mistake IMO to assume that Jose would be such a major detriment. For one thing he's not the only PG we have and secondly we have a lot more rim protection now. Jose was just as bad defensively with Dallas and they won 50 games and took San Antonio to 7 games. The focus on Jose is a bit overstated IMO. It's a legit concern but there's a way to deal with that.

Phil has talked about using pressure and traps on the opposing PG and also using some zone defense this year. We have to see how it is applied but using different tactics could mitigate some of the defensive weakness of Jose.

i think the concern about jose has been pretty fair considering his age, cap hit, and injuries. Look i want him to be better but getting rid of that salary will help get more talent next summer

Of course Jose is a liability on D. I think we are overlooking the presence of Jerian, Gallo and Afflalo tho. Jose doesn't have to be a starter nor play a ton of minutes. For all we know he could be coming off the bench. It's not going to be a situation where we just leave Jose out there to get killed when we have younger and better defenders on the roster. Also this is very much going to be about TEAM defense and not just Jose out on an Island all the time. That's why I brought up the use of pressure, traps and zones.

How do you think Dallas was able to win games with Jose playing major minutes and starting? He's not any slower than he was then. He was never really fast to begin with. Yet the Mavs went 49-33 with Jose playing 30 mpg and starting 81 games!!! Last year without Jose they one 1 more game but only won 1 playoff game as opposed to 3 wins with Jose. Doesn't seem like Jose was the limiting factor that some want to make him out to be.

I think everybody is confused and brain washed by Mike Woodson's ISO system. His system was all about idividual talent. Phil / Fishers system is about team defense. Also, during Mike Woodson, we never had a healthy rim protector. Even when Chandler was healthy, he was on an island. Now we have KP, and other rugged PF's....along with Lopez to protect the paint. So Jose's defense will not be as much of an impact as before. Along with the young guys and perimeter defenders in Galo, Jerian, Aflalo and the Greek.

My personal starting lineup is Melo, Jerian, Afflalo, RoLo and KP. I think that group has the most offense and defense. I think that is the future SL of the team right there. It may not happen on opening night but I do think eventually that is where the Knicks will end up. Jerian provides that PG play we need on both ends. He can defend, make plays and also get to the basket. KP adds length at the rim but also on offense he can space the floor as well. It's his ability to score from anywhere on the floor that will make it hard for teams to defend the Knicks. It puts 4 shooters on the floor with RoLo near the basket where he can score of dump offs or offensive rebounds, which is his specialty.

That starting 5 would be exciting to see and root for. The team would well balanced. However, I feel like we (I do it too) overlook too often that our rookies have not played a single game in NBA. I have no doubt that both Jerian and KP will be at least very good players. However, when last year Jerian was one the best PG in the nation, this year he's maybe the 30th best PG in the league. The strengh, speed needed to play in the big league is no joke. Experience is an important factor and only time can help. That's why however talented both are, they will need to adjust to the game. That's why they should not start at the beginning of the season.

Cartman718 wrote:28 wins against east. how many against west @ shinmen?

Prob 14 at best... making it 42...
This is not even optimistic but pure fantasy...

yellowboy90 wrote:Giannis is the sf for the bucks and he is suspended for the first game. I don't think Parker will play either so this should be a way to get off to a good start.

nixluva wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:Giannis is the sf for the bucks and he is suspended for the first game. I don't think Parker will play either so this should be a way to get off to a good start.

That would be great for the team and Fisher.

One game won't do it as we learned last year. I'm hoping for a good opening 10 games. The better they look over that early 10 game stretch it can set up the next 10 games and their confidence for the season. It won't be easy. If they put their focus on D and the boards they should be very competitive.