I like the article for a couple of reasons: (1) it shows Dinwiddie is working hard, improving his stock and proving his worth after being told he'll be playing in the DL for the remainder of the year and (2) it demonstrates the soundness of developing an already-signed youngster full-time in the DL. The Knicks should take note -- I think Jerian Grant would benefit greatly from this same method.

Watching the Warriors last night, Shaun Livingston continues to impress. He's a big part of that impressive guard rotation they feature. Big, smooth/heady guard that can score, handle the ball and make plays for others. That's exactly what I see in Spencer Dinwiddie -- he's got a very similar game to Shaun Livingston; Livingston with a much better 3-pt shot. A big-time underrated/under-the-radar guard we could definitely use, both right now and for the future. I wonder if Phil's eyeing this kid. He seems like a guard that's right up his alley. I think he could be had. Look at the situation: barely played when he was with the Pistons even with all their backcourt injuries, SVG appeared to sour on him to a degree, just recently banished him to the DL for the rest of the year, and now, despite not putting up overly-gaudy numbers, he's playing well with the extra PT (really bringing it on both ends). Again, I not sure what we'll be able to do in the draft with no pick, what big-name FAs we'll be able to get in the off-season or what big-name players we might be able to trade for from now 'til the deadline. A ton of uncertainty here...Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Phil turn his attention to more realistic secondary routes to improve -- 10-day contracts and smaller-scale/sensible trades. To me, there's a ton of value out there if he really took the time to evaluate this particular pool of players, guys that are all eager, hungry and available for nothing or a discount cost.

Dinwiddie's a guy I'd have all of my assets on the table for sans Melo (on the table just not in this deal), Kristaps and probably Willy Hernangomez (KP's guy plus I actually think he's a good player): Grant, Seraphin, Galloway, KOQ, etc.., either in a 1 for 1 swap or possibly a 2 for 1...Detroit's probably a playoff team--these are assets they could use. As for us, we're probably not a playoff team. Maybe we could swoop in and steal a very promising young player that I feel has a good shot at becoming an even better player than Shaun Livingston/Alexey Shved and not before long either -- he might be at that level right now. I think he's that good and I love the fit. Gun to my head, Dinwiddie will be a better player in the long run than both Grant and Galloway. Heck, I'd take him over both of those guys right now.

It would take a little roster maneuvering but I think we would be a much better, much more exciting team if we adding Russ Smith and Elliot Williams from the DL and executed a small trade for Spencer Dinwiddie. Even adding 1 or 2 of the 3 would help us greatly.. I wouldn't even view these guys as stopgaps: I think they could each be long-term players here. When considering what we should be looking for in terms of backcourt enhancements and the discounted price, everything we really need is right here with these 3 players: a much quicker/much more dynamic PG than anything we've had in years; a quick/athletic lefty scoring guard that's also very versatile (EW > Tony Wroten imo); and a big, cerebral guard that's EXTEMELY versatile--a guy that could play 3 NBA positions effectively--1, 2 & 3. To me, everything we should be looking for is right here under Phil's nose.

we already have one of those large guards who cant shoot consistently - his name is Jerian Grant. The question is should the knicks give up on him and look for others to replace him? I'm a fan of grant in the long run - despite his early inevitable rookie struggles. In my opinion, obtaining a guard that duplicates his skills and takes up his time isn't in his best interest (or the team's).

There are no doubt some very good talent that needs a "Break" to get into the NBA. ALso needs to have a high "Triangle IQ".
What about our guys in the D-league?

We got 30 games to go. we can't assume the concept of someone playing well in the Dleague can assimilate into the NBA and make an impact. Does not mean we can't consider them for summer league and a solid tryout. We are commited to Galloway and Grant this season. Grant is struggling at some levels but its in the NBA and with that invested I don't want to give that up.

Naturally this all hypothetical babble from us as it don't matter what we think.

Personally its fun to think about "What if's" but there is so much more to it. WE have to remember we got guys struggling with the Triangle and from what I have read not all players get it the first season under it. But they do.

I mean look at D-Will. This dude's no "triangle player" but he's been effective for much of the season playing to his strengths, no? Surprised Phil even picked him up, but he's worked out well for the most part. Why can't we look at him and say you know what, we CAN go outside the box a little bit--maybe now we take it a step further and target another exciting/athletic player or two, or three, that would mesh well with him and his style of play. And believe me--I'm not dismissing the triangle--I'm still thinking about versatility. To me, Spencer Dinwiddie & Elliot Williams bring a ton of versatility to the game--I would think they'd perform well in this system...We started off the season by raving about the 2nd unit and the possibilities of getting more scoring, more opportunities in transition, etc.. Now outside of a few isolated opportunities here and there, it hasn't really worked out that way though, right? Nothing consistent... I'd like to try and improve that somewhat. Why couldn't we try to build up the bench even more than it is now? There's plenty of people saying we need this, we need that -- a PG upgrade, more scoring, etc.. I agree. All for it and I think a lot of us are in unison here. But how, if we're gonna dismiss every single player that's not a textbook triangle player???

And let me ask--what type of PG upgrade are we looking for anyway? A Steve Blake, a Jordan Famar?? Don't we already have players like that in Jose and Galloway? Is that what we're narrowing the search down to? And what about Jeff Teague -- it would take quite a package to get him, would probably need a 3rd team involved because we simply don't have the pieces. What if we got him (subtracting D-Will, Lance at a minimum--it'll take more than that) and he struggles within the triangle like a lot of the other players we're dismissing? Then what? And then look at the salary that we'll be adding -- $8mm for next yr. We could then forget all about KD or any other max/near max player--all a reach anyway. My friend's holding out hope for KD but I can't see it--he's not leaving OKC, no way. I'd be shocked). Also, what is Teague really? About 15 & 7 on a good year, somewhere around there, right? Is that enough to get it done then--an aging Melo, a still evolving KP (who's struggling right now and has been for awhile), Teague and a bunch of role players, some on the expensive side like RoLo etc.? That's nowhere near the same roster quality as ones spearheaded by Jordan/Pippen and Kobe/Shaq, right? So if we don't have that now, won't have that with Teague and probably won't get that in FA (KD's not coming here. Mike Conley Jr is turning this thing around? And at what cost? More than Teague will make next yr, I can tell you that) or via major trade (what assets do we really have to pull off a major trade?), and then most of the in-between players may not fit the triangle, what have we got here? What's the plan? Legit questions, no?

Here's my plan which involves adding quality young talent along with little to no risk --

Bring in Russ Smith and let's see if he could be a better player than Ish Smith/Pat Beverley. I mean those are some decent pro PGs. Beverley's a guy a lot of people around here were hot to trade for at one point. What if Russ Smith turns out to be even better? Is that so inconceivable? We already know Grant and Galloway aren't on that level. Is it not worth taking a flier on a guy who has a chance to develop quickly into a better player than Ish Smith and Beverley? And then outside chance--what if Smith developed into a steady 15 & 7 type PG production-wise eventually and took over the starting role? Wouldn't that be a safer bet than trading for Jeff Teague and possibly facing the questions I had about him? This is a guy who could improve the bench, improve scoring, improve the transition play (actually spearhead it), distribute the ball and even contribute on D. I think he fits quite well with D-Will, LT, etc. too.

Bring in Elliot Williams. He's 100% a SG upgrade over Vujacic, maybe someone who could overtake AA eventually. He'd cost nothing. Another guy that could function quite well next to D-Will and, along with Russ Smith, could really amp up the excitement and form a strong 2nd unit.

Call SVG and see if Spencer Dinwiddie could be had for one or 2 of our minor assets. Could be looking at Shaun Livingston/Alexey Shved 2.0 here, a big combo guard with the versatility to play 3 positions--1, 2 & 3. How does he not fit the triangle? Here's a guy that could work well with any combination of our current players.

crzymdups wrote:Detroit assigned him to the D-League - but they still own his rights. And based on that article, it sounds like they want to hold on to him for when Jennings inevitably leaves them this off-season.

Understand, that's why I've been talking about a small trade to get him. Unlike trading for a Jeff Teague, I think we might have the pieces for something like this. As far as DET keeping him, it's just speculation by the author of the article. Who knows? Maybe Stan wants to keep him; maybe he'd been open to dealing him. Wouldn't hurt to call and find out.

reub wrote:We're competing with Detroit for a playoff spot so why would they help us?

Well, Fisher just came out and said making the playoffs isn't a priority, right? Now I disagree with him (I mean how can he say such a thing? Dude's waving the white flag but isn't there a lot of basketball left to be played this yr?) but if we take him at his word, then I guess building and amassing/developing talent that'll work here is more important. Dinwiddie would help in both regards--he's a young piece to build with and also a guy that could help us right now. DET obviously doesn't think he's a guy who can help them right now. What if we traded them Grant/Seraphin for Dinwiddie? Maybe they're higher on Grant than Dinwiddie (I feel the opposite), and perceive Seraphin as an upgrade over Aron Baynes/Anthony Tolliver/Joel Anthony? Maybe we could get him for just Grant by himself, or just Seraphin...I mean if Jeff Teague is really available and we have a shot, I guess you gotta go for it but at what cost? You figure it'll cost Grant, D-Will, LT, future pick(s).. F that man--NO MORE PICKS! I don't care for getting fleeced by anyone anymore...I'd rather look at smaller/shrewder moves like adding some good young talent on 10-day contracts (I think Russ Smith and/or Elliot Williams would be PERFECT for us) and/or a trade for someone like Dinwiddie to play with guys like D-Will and LT. And you know what -- imo, this is a plan that should've been set in motion already, days ago. Would've known by now whether or not guys like Russ Smith/Elliot Williams were keepers or not, then we could've turned our attention to something bigger like Jeff Teague.