Knicks1969 wrote:I know what Some of player this dude is, but I am curious to see how he fits in this system. So far, we are all pleasantly surprised with the FAs Phil amassed. I can't wait to see how Aflalo will do playing next to Carmelo. Will DWiliam continue to be aggressive? We will see tonight. I don't know about you guys, but I am excited

Is he starting? His defense (compared to Sasha) will be an upgrade to the starting unit. I'm guessing his outside shooting will be the same, but Aflalo has some lost post skills, so he's not just a jump shooter.

crzymdups wrote:I'm very much looking forward to adding Afflalo. He was a great player before going into a deteriorating situation in Portland mid-season last year. At the time, I thought that was a trade that might help Portland, third seed at the time, win the West. But they had some injuries and I wonder if something weird happened behind the scenes that caused LMA, Rolo, Batum, Wes all to leave. Losing FOUR starters to Free Agency is not something you see every day - especially from a 50+ win team.

So, I thin Afflalo is another guy who can really benefit from a fresh start and playing with Melo again. Again, this is a guy who chose to be here and wants the challenge and wants to play with Melo.

Moreover, he's a guy Melo trusts - a guy Melo will trust to pass out to if the clock is winding down and Melo doesn't have a shot.

I'm excited to see what Afflalo can do.

Though I think tonight is more about just getting his feet wet and making sure he doesn't reinjure anything with the hamstring.

Knicks seem to be overly cautious with their injuries these days, which is a good thing, IMO. He's nearing 30, and you figure he's not going to heal as quickly if there is a re-injury, so you hope that he plays with a reduced intensity tonight.

I would not play him more than 15-20 minutes.

Thank you, Phil!

Knicks1969 wrote:Knowing how Aflalo is, he is going to go all out tonight; which in my opinion is not a bad thing. His ability to guard the perimeter and RoLo's presence in the interior will transform the Knicks into the team we had in the 90s. Aflalo will be the John Starks of the 90s; except that Aflalo is a much better all around athlete and taller. Look for KOQ to play a lot more of the Oakley role.

For the first time in a long time I believe we have a well balanced roster

I don't see Afflalo as a Starks... the game is so different now. But he's the most well-rounded SG we've had since... maybe... hmm... it's been a while since we've had a SG that could just do a lot of different things well.

I really hope he can improve the perimeter D. Closing out on shooters is going to be a big issue for this team. We lack speed on the perimeter. I think our interior D is finally going to be solid, so it's more a matter of getting the P&R defensive scheme right and closing out on shooters and not having guys get lost on their assignments. The team defense is one area we will see how good Fish is, in my opinion.

But I do agree that this is our most balanced roster in a LONG time. Even that 2012-3 team felt really shallow on talent, since we had so many vets on the roster who really couldn't play that much.

WaltLongmire wrote:
Knicks seem to be overly cautious with their injuries these days, which is a good thing, IMO. He's nearing 30, and you figure he's not going to heal as quickly if there is a re-injury, so you hope that he plays with a reduced intensity tonight.

I would not play him more than 15-20 minutes.

I agree, looks like the Knicks are finally starting to wise up about resting players. Was very happy to hear they rested Porzingis even though he was supposed to be 100 percent. Thats more forward thinking than rushing him back.

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:I'm very much looking forward to adding Afflalo. He was a great player before going into a deteriorating situation in Portland mid-season last year. At the time, I thought that was a trade that might help Portland, third seed at the time, win the West. But they had some injuries and I wonder if something weird happened behind the scenes that caused LMA, Rolo, Batum, Wes all to leave. Losing FOUR starters to Free Agency is not something you see every day - especially from a 50+ win team.

So, I thin Afflalo is another guy who can really benefit from a fresh start and playing with Melo again. Again, this is a guy who chose to be here and wants the challenge and wants to play with Melo.

Moreover, he's a guy Melo trusts - a guy Melo will trust to pass out to if the clock is winding down and Melo doesn't have a shot.

I'm excited to see what Afflalo can do.

Though I think tonight is more about just getting his feet wet and making sure he doesn't reinjure anything with the hamstring.

he was never close to a great player. Borderline good at best.

yea i agree, great was never the case with him, but he definetly killed us in the past with some back breaking clutch 3's especially with denver and the magic, the one thing i don't like about these highlights..no assists

yellowboy90 wrote:

To add: it wasn't just about Portland, he was sucking in his return to Denver too. Analytic fans do not like AA because he is a media mirage. They call him a defensive player or two way player when in reality he is a strictly offensive player who maybe in decline. I hope/think most of his offensive woes was due to health nd he bounces back on offense this year. All I want from Afflalo is him being a consistent version of JR.

A consistent version of JR would be very very good.

Also, Afflalo will definitely benefit from the pressence of Melo on the floor - Melo getting double-teamed will create a ton of open looks for Afflalo.

yellowboy90 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:I'm very much looking forward to adding Afflalo. He was a great player before going into a deteriorating situation in Portland mid-season last year. At the time, I thought that was a trade that might help Portland, third seed at the time, win the West. But they had some injuries and I wonder if something weird happened behind the scenes that caused LMA, Rolo, Batum, Wes all to leave. Losing FOUR starters to Free Agency is not something you see every day - especially from a 50+ win team.

So, I thin Afflalo is another guy who can really benefit from a fresh start and playing with Melo again. Again, this is a guy who chose to be here and wants the challenge and wants to play with Melo.

Moreover, he's a guy Melo trusts - a guy Melo will trust to pass out to if the clock is winding down and Melo doesn't have a shot.

I'm excited to see what Afflalo can do.

Though I think tonight is more about just getting his feet wet and making sure he doesn't reinjure anything with the hamstring.

he was never close to a great player. Borderline good at best.

yea i agree, great was never the case with him, but he definetly killed us in the past with some back breaking clutch 3's especially with denver and the magic, the one thing i don't like about these highlights..no assists

To add: it wasn't just about Portland, he was sucking in his return to Denver too. Analytic fans do not like AA because he is a media mirage. They call him a defensive player or two way player when in reality he is a strictly offensive player who maybe in decline. I hope/think most of his offensive woes was due to health nd he bounces back on offense this year. All I want from Afflalo is him being a consistent version of JR.

To be fair, everyone on denver took a dip in overall play which is why the coach got fired, by the time he got to portland he just never look comfortable, and seem to be getting touches as a last resort after lillard, batum, aldridge.

Knicks1969 wrote:Knowing how Aflalo is, he is going to go all out tonight; which in my opinion is not a bad thing. His ability to guard the perimeter and RoLo's presence in the interior will transform the Knicks into the team we had in the 90s. Aflalo will be the John Starks of the 90s; except that Aflalo is a much better all around athlete and taller. Look for KOQ to play a lot more of the Oakley role.

For the first time in a long time I believe we have a well balanced roster

Don't ever disrespect my favorite player of all time, with that Aflalo comparison.