hometheaterguy
Knicks Guru
As the season has progressed and I have had a chance to really watch STAT, Felton and the rest of the team get to know each other and start to play their game, I'm not sure the "plan" is the really going to be as successful as we think or hope.
It has become sheik to have multiple "stars" on a team to edge out your opponents but just putting stars together doesn't necessarily mean you will have a recipe for success!
Let's look at why Boston, L.A. and Miami look so strong with their star studded teams and why N.Y. will fail if they follow suit with their current targeted players.
Miami:
Miami was able to put together 3 players that compliment each other because not only are they stars at their position they are not 1 dimensional players. Out of these 3 they have an anchor in James.
King James - James, in my book is a clone of Magic Johnson. I know people like to compare him to Jordan but James is far more diverse than Jordan ever was. Like Johnson, James has phenomenal court vision and precision passing to compliment his dominance at his position. James, like Magic, is able to play multiple positions and dominate at them. In my time, Magic Johnson was the greatest player I have ever seen step foot on the court... And yes, better than Jordan all though Jordan was the most dominate position player I have ever seen. James is inching his way into the Magic Johnson stratosphere. While Wade, like Jordan, is a dominate position player. Wade is not at Jordan's level but if Jordan was an A++ player, Wade is a strong A. Like Jordan, Wade is an incredible finisher and can find his shot anywhere on the court. especially in crunch time. For the record, Jordon was a better passer than Wade but Wade has drastically improved his passing over the years. And finally Bosh... Bosh is not at the level of the other 2 but he is a solid shooting, versatile big man. While he is not the dominate player at his position, he is in the top 5; but more importantly is a perfect compliment to the other 2 on the court. He can distribute the ball like Wade and James and most of all, he is a TEAM player. That is the key to the success of the big three for Miami; they compliment each other, understand their roles and can work within a team concept.
Same can be said for L.A. and Boston... All these teams have players that, while dominate at their position(s), they can play along side other stars and blend their games together to form an alliance and create a massive force.
So, the Knicks feel in order to win they have to have 2-3 stars on the team. OK, maybe so but will they be able to blend together to create a single dominant entity?
STAT, Melo and C3PO.... I say a resounding NO! The problem with this threesome is that they are exactly the same identical player in different bodies; nothing in their games that compliments or enhances the other guy. I can understand the lure of the three but when you really think about it, does their games blend together? Is the court big enough for them? All 3 players are at their best when they have the ball in their hands, creating their own shot and only distributing the ball when they feel like their is no other option, even though they will still try to get their shot when they are double and triple teamed.
STAT is a dominate position player, Melo and Paul is as well but they are also dominate scorers that shoot first, second, third then maybe looks to pass... The exception is Paul, he will shoot first and second then pass.... Maybe the Tandem of STAT and Paul might be a fit but I just don't see these 3 guys blending together and forming the cohesion that James, Wade and Bosh Or Kobe and Gasol or Pierce, Garnett and Allen has...
Do you?
It has become sheik to have multiple "stars" on a team to edge out your opponents but just putting stars together doesn't necessarily mean you will have a recipe for success!
Let's look at why Boston, L.A. and Miami look so strong with their star studded teams and why N.Y. will fail if they follow suit with their current targeted players.
Miami:
Miami was able to put together 3 players that compliment each other because not only are they stars at their position they are not 1 dimensional players. Out of these 3 they have an anchor in James.
King James - James, in my book is a clone of Magic Johnson. I know people like to compare him to Jordan but James is far more diverse than Jordan ever was. Like Johnson, James has phenomenal court vision and precision passing to compliment his dominance at his position. James, like Magic, is able to play multiple positions and dominate at them. In my time, Magic Johnson was the greatest player I have ever seen step foot on the court... And yes, better than Jordan all though Jordan was the most dominate position player I have ever seen. James is inching his way into the Magic Johnson stratosphere. While Wade, like Jordan, is a dominate position player. Wade is not at Jordan's level but if Jordan was an A++ player, Wade is a strong A. Like Jordan, Wade is an incredible finisher and can find his shot anywhere on the court. especially in crunch time. For the record, Jordon was a better passer than Wade but Wade has drastically improved his passing over the years. And finally Bosh... Bosh is not at the level of the other 2 but he is a solid shooting, versatile big man. While he is not the dominate player at his position, he is in the top 5; but more importantly is a perfect compliment to the other 2 on the court. He can distribute the ball like Wade and James and most of all, he is a TEAM player. That is the key to the success of the big three for Miami; they compliment each other, understand their roles and can work within a team concept.
Same can be said for L.A. and Boston... All these teams have players that, while dominate at their position(s), they can play along side other stars and blend their games together to form an alliance and create a massive force.
So, the Knicks feel in order to win they have to have 2-3 stars on the team. OK, maybe so but will they be able to blend together to create a single dominant entity?
STAT, Melo and C3PO.... I say a resounding NO! The problem with this threesome is that they are exactly the same identical player in different bodies; nothing in their games that compliments or enhances the other guy. I can understand the lure of the three but when you really think about it, does their games blend together? Is the court big enough for them? All 3 players are at their best when they have the ball in their hands, creating their own shot and only distributing the ball when they feel like their is no other option, even though they will still try to get their shot when they are double and triple teamed.
STAT is a dominate position player, Melo and Paul is as well but they are also dominate scorers that shoot first, second, third then maybe looks to pass... The exception is Paul, he will shoot first and second then pass.... Maybe the Tandem of STAT and Paul might be a fit but I just don't see these 3 guys blending together and forming the cohesion that James, Wade and Bosh Or Kobe and Gasol or Pierce, Garnett and Allen has...
Do you?
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