Agreed! Plenty of promise for us. We'll be very dependent on the health of our frontline - STAT, Tyson, Melo, frankly because we need at least half a season to formulate some continuity and the cognitive plays required to optimize the 3 offensively.
Shump is a concern for me. Yes, he's young, but he's proven to be rather weak below the thigh as we all know.
Lin's contract's structure plays in to our favor as far as he alone is concerned. I'm fully convinced that Colan will pay the 2nd tier luxury tax once it's implemented. On the flip-side of that situation however, the league holds our nuts in its hand as far as the ruling for or against players being picked up off of waivers goes in our favor.
That's massive for us.
I think, albeit an assumption, Odom's yet another player using the NY media to keep himself at the forefront of GM's minds whilst out of work.
Fields has proven he's no more than a 7-8 spot bench player. I'm frustrated as **** with him. We'll only get the best out of him with a facilitating bench PG that likes to run. I'd really like to see us bring in a 2nd unit that runs, BTW, and we need a reliable backup to Chandler to throw in to that mix. Jorts has proven he has the mind to do so, but not the body.
I'd love to keep Novak, but he tends to only play best when other legitimate threats are on the floor, again adding to the mounting pressure of this facking league ruling, and also adding to the import of building a dependable second unit, starting at the 1. Extending Douglas' $2M contract was a spaz move, seriously, and we could have let him walk and add someone who can see peripherally.
I don't see us adding Odom, as I said, and am a little concerned about Jorts fitness, but you're right. He is a heady player and an offensive threat in a well spaced offense. His defense is surprising as you wouldn't expect someone as lumbering as him to move well laterally. That timing is indicative of his defensive IQ, the end where we'll need him the most.
How much does Jefferies have left in the tank?
Unfortunately, we may not have a choice in the matter. The league allegedly froze an envelope for us to help sway the future of the NBA toward one of the bigger markets in 1985. Will they help us out again this off-season?
I think the only disparity, excluding Barkely who's a freak, between the players you mentioned is Melo's weight. I can't claim to know too much about it, but I think some upper body strength and 5 KGs off will help him absolutely. He's bottom heavy and exploits it, I think some added muscle up top will help him with his somewhat limited explosiveness.
86 points out of our starting line up would be very nice!!! 20 off the bench and we'd be doing extremely well. Under Woody, however, and the fact that we're less of a running team than the Hawks were, I think stopping opponents will take preference over all other strategies.
Woody still has a lot of offensive trials ahead for the coming season. I wonder if he'll tweak his supporting cast to help get it done? As far as I know Darrell Walker is no offensive expert.
Absolutely. He made it abundantly clear in his speech at Chandler's DPOY award ceremony that defense will be the M.O, and Chandler will be the anchor of that.
Offensively, I think we all know what's required across the board, and it's encouraging to see that STAT and TC will be under Olajuwon's tutelage in the offseason. Melo will be playing team ball with USA, Lin is off to compete as a member of the select squad taking on the Olympians, Shump can only rest.
Thus far, they're the only guaranteed Knicks, IMO, for a season that is so, so f'ing far away!