Stephen A. Smith: Knicks Working on Big 3 For Next Season

Well, someone should start a thread on this on our very slow forum for the moment. Stephen A. Smith recently reported on ESPN that Melo is recruiting a big 3 for the Knicks for next season. Who would be in this big 3 according to SAS? Well, wait for it...fart sound...wait for it...Melo, Kobe, and Durant.

Will Knicks fans always be subject to these kinds of rumors? Yeah, probably. Do we deserve stuff like this? Who knows, maybe. Long story short, we now have potentially our annoying rumor to hear about for the next season.

Well why should we believe SAS remember he can't even get "Melo in his Feelings" stories straight in regards to our team?

If Kobe and Durant want out, why would they choose the Knicks? Not being pessimistic, there's just nothing, as of right now, that makes any sense for them to join our team. Also Durant is already in a good situation. If Westbrook continues to do what he did last season alongside Durant, I can't imagine why, outside of the market, Durant is gonna choose the Knicks unless he's not happy with Westbrook's game. And is a max contract superstar with endorsements gonna be enticed by that? You think Kobe is gonna leave for a market when he already plays for a team in LA? This is not me hating on Kobe's and Melo's game, but do you think they'll be ok with ALL THREE being on the same team? And IF Durant has any problem whatsoever with Westbrook's game, he might think this possibility is ridiculous.

Could this team work? Maybe, but if I was President/GM I wouldn't even be giving this scenario much thought unless I thought it could actually happen.

SAS justified the Kobe part of it by saying the Lakers don't seem to want him back for next season. The Durant part of the story is the usual 'Hey, who's the top free agent for next offseason? Durant? Okay, let's go ahead and start linking him to the Knicks for no good reason to get views on our website/channel'. Usual bull. I still think odds are better that Melo doesn't finish the season as a Knick than another star joining our roster by next year.

The salary implications have already been discussed for next season. We couldn't even fit Durant's max deal of 26M with who we have now. Phil said it himself the Knicks need to start winning to become an attractive place to play. Let's take one step at a time and make the playoffs before putting together a big 3 team to go to the NBA Finals.

htr10 said:

SAS justified the Kobe part of it by saying the Lakers don't seem to want him back for next season. The Durant part of the story is the usual 'Hey, who's the top free agent for next offseason? Durant? Okay, let's go ahead and start linking him to the Knicks for no good reason to get views on our website/channel'. Usual bull. I still think odds are better that Melo doesn't finish the season as a Knick than another star joining our roster by next year.

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I just read that Jim Buss was talking about re-signing Kobe after this year and wasn't Kobe talking about retirement. I think it will depend on how he plays, a good year may encourage him to play.

Melo asks for a trade and you can bet its been a crappy season. Bleacher Report predicted a 28 win season for the Knicks along with ESPN's 27 win prediction but the Knicks could prove the experts wrong we hope.

Well, the 2015-16 season hasn't started yet, and Steven A. Smith already wrote the Knicks off to another poor season from looking at all the Knicks moves in the 2015 offseason. So the best thing SAS could mention about the Knicks are what the Knicks could do in the 2016 offseason to become a winning team. Yes, SAS are indirectly mentioning Phil Jackson incompetence as a president/GM.

As for the top-10 non-defensive players Kobe, Durant, and Melo, whom teammates behind close doors consider them ball-hogger-nuts, the Knicks never went far in the playoffs with ball-hoggers that never defend their man.
A winning Knicks team could do without any of the 3 high scorer players highlighted above on the Knicks roster. If the Knicks are going to build a winning team all the players must have confidence in each other to perform on the same-page on both sides of the court.

unless Durant is a total fukin idiot, why would he come to new York... to play with Me-Lo?? he already has his Me-Lo in okc... and his Me-Lo is a lot better then our Me-Lo....

paris401 said:

unless Durant is a total fukin idiot, why would he come to new York... to play with Me-Lo?? he already has his Me-Lo in okc... and his Me-Lo is a lot better then our Me-Lo....

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Plus his Melo fits better than our Melo who plays the same position, shoots from the same spots, a KD clone. You would have to move Melo to the 4 for this to work.

I don't consider sports journalism journalism at all. I suspect many of these stories are manufactured or conjecture at best. That's harsh but this is a forum and I can pretty much say whatever I want so there it is....

Durant to NY seems like a pipe dream but the relationships are there (with Fisher and Melo) so anything is possible depending on a number of factors. How will OKC do this season? How will the Knicks do this season? If the Knicks fail to make the playoffs (which is likely) than forget about Durant to NYC. I just can't see it.

Kobe to NYC for what? The vets exemption? His bride wont allow him to do that. It's a bullsh^t story.

donchris said:

I don't consider sports journalism journalism at all. I suspect many of these stories are manufactured or conjecture at best. That's harsh but this is a forum and I can pretty much say whatever I want so there it is....

Durant to NY seems like a pipe dream but the relationships are there (with Fisher and Melo) so anything is possible depending on a number of factors. How will OKC do this season? How will the Knicks do this season? If the Knicks fail to make the playoffs (which is likely) than forget about Durant to NYC. I just can't see it.

Kobe to NYC for what? The vets exemption? His bride wont allow him to do that. It's a bullsh^t story.

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So true .. Journalism on the Knicks has become "Suspect" .. we have to many journalist with more luv than hate for Phil Jackson. Charles Barkley says the Knicks r going to make the playoffs!

The Knicks don't have huge expectations this year, which may actually be a good thing because the spotlight and pressure is off them. The Knicks have a lot of things to improve upon, and this upcoming season should be filled with surprises.

The Western Conference offseason moves already has the Top-3 teams in the league ..
1-Clippers, 2-Rockets, 3-Spurs .. three above 50 win teams where 2 out of the 3 will be in the WCF in 2016.
Will OKC Keven Durant jump ship from the WC to go play on one of the EC Top-3 teams in the 2016 offseason? Maybe yes.
Will it be the Melo Knicks? Hell No!
Will it be Pat Riley & D.Wade Miami Heats, or Derick Rose Chicago Bulls? Maybe Yes!
Kobe Bryant has always been a uncoachable ball-hogger to me .. I would take Allen Iverson over Kobe everyday of the week. Kobe need to retire from the NBA, and go play overseas lol

Kiyaman said:

So true .. Journalism on the Knicks has become "Suspect" .. we have to many journalist with more luv than hate for Phil Jackson. Charles Barkley says the Knicks r going to make the playoffs!

The Knicks don't have huge expectations this year, which may actually be a good thing because the spotlight and pressure is off them. The Knicks have a lot of things to improve upon, and this upcoming season should be filled with surprises.

The Western Conference offseason moves already has the Top-3 teams in the league ..
1-Clippers, 2-Rockets, 3-Spurs .. three above 50 win teams where 2 out of the 3 will be in the WCF in 2016.
Will OKC Keven Durant jump ship from the WC to go play on one of the EC Top-3 teams in the 2016 offseason? Maybe yes.
Will it be the Melo Knicks? Hell No!
Will it be Pat Riley & D.Wade Miami Heats, or Derick Rose Chicago Bulls? Maybe Yes!
Kobe Bryant has always been a uncoachable ball-hogger to me .. I would take Allen Iverson over Kobe everyday of the week. Kobe need to retire from the NBA, and go play overseas lol

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That's certainly true, zero expectations from the media with both ESPN and Bleacher Reports predicting 20 win seasons for the Knicks. I've said it before but I was more excited about last years team than this bunch but I think the consensus of the fans is this team has a higher collective bball IQ and is going to be a much better defensive team.

PJ is predicting the Knicks may struggle early because it's going to take time to build chemistry but I'm looking for immediate improvement on the defensive end in limiting other teams points in the paint and the 3 ball even if the Knicks struggle scoring points while they build chemistry. If the Knicks D allows 100ppg the first couple of months I think you can write off the season by January because no one PJ brought in changed a damn thing.