Nalod wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

blkexec wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:I asked a buddy of mine who's a Cs fan about this... His take:

He said that he's a typical Brad Stevens player. Said he's really strong and athletic. He has no jumper though. If he can develop his shot he should be a player

Looking at some of his combine measurements and athletic testing.

6'1" without shoes but a 6'9.5" wingspan. Verticals looked good at 33" Stand Vert and I believe 35.5" Max Vert

His shot form looks pretty solid to me -- read a Schmitz piece where he noted he struggles with his confidence but kid put up 46 in D-League last year and was 1st team all D-League defender I believe. He was JUCO player of year before moving onto AZ -- if you watch some of his tape -- he really is a solid strong defender who moves his feet and contests shot with long reach. Reach is longer than 6'6" tall Terrence Ferguson for example.

Schmitz referred to him as a 3D player because his on ball skills and instincts were limited but I think D-League time has helped this kid considerable.

I actually have some hope for this player and at a minimum love this type of hard nosed player to bring into camp and make things a dog fight.

If we put all the players Fiz and the FO picked, compared to the players that were here b4 Fiz. I think since our new coaching arrival, we've added more positionless players with some dog in them. Exactly what Fiz said in his press conference. At a minimum, those players will bring it in practice. And it's going to be very telling to see the different contrast with these new long athletes we have at the end of the bench.....Because you know they are hungry, which will give Frank and Burke plenty of work during practice. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys are called up a lot and part of the main rotation. We are also primed for a trade. Very nice low risk additions this off season.

This exactly what Miami has done. I like this approach. The only thing you have to worry about is that you have to pay these guys if they ever blow up. A Tyler Johnson contract here, a Josh Richardson contract there...all of a sudden you're treadmill team with little cap flexibility. We're a long way from that, but it's something to think about if guys like Mario and Vonleh ever put it together this season.

Its ok if some players do well because others won't.
ANd if we get shorted like we did ATL with Hardaway (He is going to blossom this year), then so be it.
We become a place for players will come to succeed. Some stick, some suck, some move on to bigger paychecks. Not a bad gig.
The best teams castoffs are often good players! We can't worry about keeping them all.
Somewhere Baker is staring at his bank statement and counting his lucky stars! He likely gets a chance because of his deal but the competition will be a much larger pool than in the past.
Do I see Baker in a Celtic uniform because he is a big strong kid and would do well on a more advanced team, or cuz white guys are history Celtic player?
Remember when Marbury was a celtic? Weird, not cuz he is black, but its Marbury!

“It bothers me when all people automatically generalize all black people are African-American. There are a million other places they could be coming from, just like white people. They put us in a box,” says 22-year-old Candice Green, a black student born and raised in Netherlands."

To refer to all black people as such is America’s way of putting us all in a box. It’s not about black being a statement, although, it is one; it's about the recognition that, as people of color, we are more than just what we have been depicted as in the past.

In a utopian society, we would all just be people with no race, no nationality and no concept of what makes us externally different.

This isn’t Utopia, though; this is the United States of America. There are labels here. However, if labels must absolutely be placed on people, the least we can do is strive to label people in the most accurate and respectful way possible.

https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/im-not-african-american-im-black-racial-labels-matter/1008819

LivingLegend wrote:I am not ready to write Baker off yet..IMO he is the toughest player on the Knicks.

If Ron could somehow find confidence in his perimeter shot he is a legit 3 and D rotation player.

Baker plays hard but is there anything he does that is special. Plus, he really is not a point guard. But I would keep Baker over Mudiay. If Allen beats out Mudiay, then I would happily cut that guy.

blkexec wrote:

TheGame wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:I am not ready to write Baker off yet..IMO he is the toughest player on the Knicks.

If Ron could somehow find confidence in his perimeter shot he is a legit 3 and D rotation player.

Baker plays hard but is there anything he does that is special. Plus, he really is not a point guard. But I would keep Baker over Mudiay. If Allen beats out Mudiay, then I would happily cut that guy.

I think its healthy competition. And if Baker is the guy that comes out on top.....Good. This internal competition is good for the roll players and player rotation schemes.

My personal feeling is long athletic players. ..especially coming from the Arizona basketball programs.... they have a solid track record for producing NBA pros. Plus they will be hungrier than baker.... and will use bakers salary to justify their own. So again....if Baker still comes out on top....eventhough he has a target on his back....same with mudiay and others.

Healthy competition from the inside is the kind of internal pressure our players need to find a gem. Pressure bust pipes.....Pressure also creates diamonds. And thats what Kentucky and now NYC will do for kevinKnox and KP.

I agree. It's good to have a good competition heading to camp. It would be nice if there were more combo forwards in the mix, but that's an argument for another day. I expect Trier, Allen,Hicks and, possibly Dotson, to spend some time in the G-League. That's assuming the roster pretty much stays as it is after we make another cut or trade. I remember seeing reports that teams were interested in Dotson at the second half of last season. I'm hopeful Lee gets traded, but Dotson will be easier to deal with/o taking back salary.

I am a fan of guys like Baker, Allen....defensive first hard nosed players who play hungry