BigDaddyG wrote:

stanleybostitch wrote:

fitzfarm wrote:

People are all mimicking the "no defense" label, but look at his blocks. He brings a lot more than an injured player or piece of office furniture, as some posters are intimating.

His per minute blocks averages are a little less than Willy and Willy is no Mutumbo. I agree, he's better than some injured players. An injured Noah from last year is still probably a better defender, tho.

fitzfarm wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/Enes_Kanter/status/911972809475284992

Man kanter looks like a PF now that he lost 40 lbs he looks to be in great shape!! Now that melo/drama is gone I haven’t been this excited for a knicks season, in a long time. KP,Kanter,Willy,Frankie,Baker,Beasley,McDermott,Timmy,Dotson,jack

Even if we don’t win much its going to be fun to watch.

Kanter does look GREAT. I am also excited about the Growth Potential of the young talent we have. There are guys just on the edge of taking the next step. That's why i'm very optimistic about this team. Sure they're gonna have their struggles but there should also be some very exciting examples of growth as well.

The East is not this gauntlet that the Pro Analysts seem to be making it seem like. The Knicks should be able to compete with a good amount of teams outside of the top 10 in the league. That's a lot of winnable games if they push and play together. They go into this with very few expectations so they can play loose.

Markji wrote:I give Perry an "A" for the way he handled this. He came into a very toxic situation and handled it like a pro. He didn't cave; he didn't publicly put down Melo; he didn't give into Melo and trade him to Houston for Ryan Anderson. That would have been a terrible trade for the Knicks.

He got the most value he could for Melo under the circumstances. Trading with Oklahoma, the only way to make salaries work was to get Kanter. While Kanter didn't address our immediate "need" for a PG or a SF, or a defensive player, he was the "best player available" and had a salary large enough to help provide a salary match for Melo.

Don't look at the negative. Look at the positive. Kanter is a beast offensively. He is also a beast under the boards, especially offensive rebounds. His per 36 numbers are off the chart offensively. McDermott is also very good offensively. He has an excellent shot and 3 pt shooters have become more valuable in today's game and should fit in nicely in Hornacek's offensive schemes. I'd rate the players we received a B.

If someone says we should build via the draft....Kanter was a #3 selection in the 2011 draft. McDermott was a #11 selection in the 2014 draft. Beasley was a #2 pick in the 2008 draft. Not all lottery picks, or even top lottery picks, become All-Stars. It is difficult to get ALL-Star plays thru the draft. A team has to get lucky as we did with Porzingis. But we just got 3 lottery picks/players who are very good offensively. Not great 2 way players but they will contribute and add to the Knicks team if Horny utilizes their strengths wisely.

I am very pleased that this trade was done and now we can move on.

As you so rightfully said Perry handled the situation like pro as he did not panic or cave. Instead he waited Carmelo out until he opened up his list of teams and got a palatable deal.

In Kanter the Knicks got a player with value who they can trade if need be. It is also possible though unlikely Kanter will be gone after the season as he has player option. Conversely Kanter he is a talented player off the bench or even a starter should they decide to keep him.

Mcdermott is also a player who could be a throw in in a deal and his contract is fairly cap friendl, Again just like you said A+ handling of the situation by Perry.

Finally, the other important point no one is talking about: with this trade the Knicks really have a chance to be one of the worse teams in 2018 giving them a legitimate shot at Michael Porter or Luca Doncic in the draft. For that Perry deserves an A+++.

stanleybostitch wrote:Now it's time to bring Isiah back and trade half the core for an aging "superstar".

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-trade-rumors-carmelo-anthony-210209569.html

With Carmelo Anthony gone, Knicks finally free Kristaps Porzingis

Sporting News Sporting NewsSeptember 24, 2017
For big man Kristaps Porzingis, subtraction was the goal for this offseason. The Knicks had to do two things before the start of the coming season to pave the way for a Porzingis takeover in New York, and though it took a good bit longer than expected, the team completed the mission this weekend with the trade of Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder.

That got the Knicks free, on the floor, to make Porzingis their man for the foreseeable future. No longer will they need to run isolation plays for Anthony, and no longer will the team be expected to find the 18-20 shots per game that were going to Anthony over the past two years. Porzingis averaged 14.9 shots per game last year, which was third on the team — behind Anthony and Derrick Rose.

Anthony was one thing, but having Rose play a bigger offensive role than Porzingis was like a season-long thumb in the eye to Knicks rooters. Breathe deep. That’s all behind us. This organization is putting its stock into its baby-faced, crew-cutted Latvian, and none too soon.

There’s some irony in that the very man responsible for bringing Porzingis to New York — Phil Jackson — was also on the list of the two men who needed to be jettisoned to allow Porzingis to thrive. Jackson is gone. While Anthony kept a lid on Porzingis’ blossoming in his first two years, it was hardly Anthony’s fault. He just played the game the way he always has, and though there’s some question as to whether Anthony’s style of play has a place in today’s NBA at all, it certainly has no place next to a budding 7-3 power forward who just needs some polish.

Jackson is a different story. After having the guts to take a chance on Porzingis with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Jackson proceeded to do just about everything he could to hinder his development. If you want to be astonished, go back to March 2014 when Jackson took over the Knicks, and check out his quotes on the need for patience in the organization, his desire to build slowly and methodically with high-character, injury-free players.

Imagine if Jackson had listened to his own advice. For years, Knicks front-office types have been patient for about their first 15 or 20 minutes on the job, then felt pressure to make the playoffs and signed whatever gimpy star they could get to take their millions. When he picked a long-term project like Porzingis, it sure looked like Jackson was going to buck that trend and willingly accept missing the postseason in the short term if it boosted the long-term goal of making Porzingis a player around whom the franchise could build a contender.

Jackson signed Joakim Noah and Rose last summer, then appeared to tinker with Porzingis’ noggin by running his name through the trade-rumor mill at last year’s draft. Yeah, Porzingis missed a season-ending meeting, but after a season like the Knicks had last year, can you blame Porzingis for not really wanting to chat with the organization elders about it.

But Jackson is gone now. Anthony is gone, too. The Knicks have an interesting rookie point guard, Frank Ntilikina, who stands 6-5 with freakish potential. They have a young center who could be a starter, Willy Hernangomez, and are getting Thunder center Enes Kanter. Neither can play much defense, and that’s an issue, but each gives the Knicks a different look next to Porzingis’ all-around offensive game. The team overpaid for Tim Hardaway Jr., but they’re going to need a perimeter scorer to go with Porzingis — Hardaway is 25 and should be able to chip in 15-17 points per game.

The Knicks are not going anywhere, not this year. They’re too young, and they’re not all that talented. But they should come away with a high pick in next year’s loaded draft (so we are told, at least), and they’re in position to mold a roster around Porzingis’ varied skills.

Porzingis has been the future in New York since June 2015. The Knicks should have been acting that way for the past two years. Now that Anthony and Jackson are gone, they will.

reub wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Kanter is in the same group as OK4 and Monroe- their value has plummeted in the league and they seem to have become 20min bench guys. I still think there will be a place for them in the game and they'll come back in fashion (I do like watching their post games), but I do wonder if it makes Kanter more likely to opt into his last year after this one.

Okafor's WS48 for the past 2 seasons is a terrible .043 while Kanter's is an amazing .204 so no comparison between the two of them.
For comparison, James Harden's WS48 over the last two seasons was .225.

Makes me suspicious of these stats, to some extent.

You have to look at who he was playing with.

He's a good offensive big man...but these stats must still be looked at critically.

smackeddog wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

reub wrote:

Welpee wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

stanleybostitch wrote:

fitzfarm wrote:

People are all mimicking the "no defense" label, but look at his blocks. He brings a lot more than an injured player or piece of office furniture, as some posters are intimating.

His per minute blocks averages are a little less than Willy and Willy is no Mutumbo. I agree, he's better than some injured players. An injured Noah from last year is still probably a better defender, tho.

Not statistically. Noah's defensive ranking and defensive fg% were worst than Kanter's last year.

Noah's defense was absolutely terrible last year. And that's when he was healthy. He was slower than molasses. He'd still be contesting the shot even after the points against him were being put up on the scoreboard.

Noah was slow as molasses because he showed up, and looked visibly out of shape. I have no idea whats going to happen, but this isnt like last season. Noah is in shape, apparently recovered from all his injuries, surgeries. I expect him to be at least a little better on D since he also has been playing ball all summer.

I think Noah did what Amare did when he started to break down- became over obsessed with lifting weights in the hope it would halt the physical decline.just ended up making him heavier, slower and lacking in fitness.

smackeddog wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

reub wrote:

Welpee wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

stanleybostitch wrote:

fitzfarm wrote:

People are all mimicking the "no defense" label, but look at his blocks. He brings a lot more than an injured player or piece of office furniture, as some posters are intimating.

His per minute blocks averages are a little less than Willy and Willy is no Mutumbo. I agree, he's better than some injured players. An injured Noah from last year is still probably a better defender, tho.

Not statistically. Noah's defensive ranking and defensive fg% were worst than Kanter's last year.

Noah's defense was absolutely terrible last year. And that's when he was healthy. He was slower than molasses. He'd still be contesting the shot even after the points against him were being put up on the scoreboard.

Noah was slow as molasses because he showed up, and looked visibly out of shape. I have no idea whats going to happen, but this isnt like last season. Noah is in shape, apparently recovered from all his injuries, surgeries. I expect him to be at least a little better on D since he also has been playing ball all summer.

I think Noah did what Amare did when he started to break down- became over obsessed with lifting weights in the hope it would halt the physical decline.just ended up making him heavier, slower and lacking in fitness.

He might have done that after his shoulder issues started. Noah looked like he was packing some pounds in the middle. I remember that picture of him early in the summer, looked in great shape. But a few months later, when he was in uniform and playing, IDK.

Noah also was nursing a hamstring injury wasn't he? You may be right that he hit the gym, and maybe wasn't playing enough Bball in the offseason. Looks like he decided to change his offseason workout.