How Linsanity disrupted Carmelo Anthony's long-term vision in New York

[Whitey23]

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION: JEREMY LIN


Long look at the issues with the Knicks, Lin and Melo.

 

[Knicks411]

The spin coming from all sides out of this thing is going to be absurd.

 

[qdawgg]

With or without Lin - the Knicks are going to be terrible next year and for many years in the future. Or we could just say, "in the future" and leave that open-ended.

 

[strumpfasaurus]

People seem to forget that when Lin and Amare went down and Woodson became the coach the knicks went 18-6 and Carmelo was playing like the MVP of the league.

 

[qdawgg]

Doesn't matter, this team does not have enough cohesive pieces to compete against at least 4 teams just in the east. Will they make the playoffs? Most likely but was that the point of getting Amare, Melo, and Chandler?

 

[Knicks411]

Well Lin was there for part of the 18-6 but you are right. Knicks were 12-5 in the regular season after Lin went down.

The best ball they played all year was probably the stretch right after Woodson took over, when Lin and Amare were healthy along with Melo. They killed Portland (who was in full on tank mode), spanked Indy in a home and home, beat Philly @Philly. They were blowing teams out.

 

[orangefog]

Chandler seems to fit in well with either of the other two, but Amare and Carmelo are not a great fit, unless one of them changes their game. But, at this stage of their careers, neither of them is going to change much. Carmelo needs the ball in his hands, he is not a selfless player. Amare is not going to focus on rebounding and defense. And, from what people have talked about on here, because I certainly don't care to know much about contracts, Amare is not easily traded. How do you make this work? Maybe Phil Jackson can talk sense in to them, but I think strategic injuries will allow the Knicks to excel. Amare punches the wall, out for a couple of weeks and the team wins games. Carmelo's groin starts aching, the team goes on a run. They can take turns getting injured, you know, to benefit the team.

 

[qdawgg]

Well Lin was there for part of the 18-6 but you are right. Knicks were 12-5 in the regular season after Lin went down.

The best ball they played all year was probably the stretch right after Woodson took over, when Lin and Amare were healthy along with Melo. They killed Portland (who was in full on tank mode), spanked Indy in a home and home, beat Philly @Philly. They were blowing teams out.

The problem is they never play like that consistently. Regardless of who is or isn't injured, who is or isn't the coach, the GM, etc. I think with as long as the NBA season is, most average and better teams show glimpses of how good they can be. With the Knicks you start to think things are turning around and then they will go on a 10 - 15 game stretch where they look completely lifeless.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The problem is they never play like that consistently. Regardless of who is or isn't injured, who is or isn't the coach, the GM, etc. I think with as long as the NBA season is, most average and better teams show glimpses of how good they can be. With the Knicks you start to think things are turning around and then they will go on a 10 - 15 game stretch where they look completely lifeless.

If you just look at their lineup on paper (when they had Lin), they are about the equal of anyone else in the East. It's simply their inability to play well together that gets in the way. There is plenty of talent on the roster, although they could use a 2 guard shooter to spread the floor a little better than Landry Fields or JR Smith could give them. But if you just look at the talent, they are right there with everybody else. There is no excuse for this team not being top 4 in the east (if 4th).

 

[orangefog]

If you just look at their lineup on paper (when they had Lin), they are about the equal of anyone else in the East. It's simply their inability to play well together that gets in the way. There is plenty of talent on the roster, although they could use a 2 guard shooter to spread the floor a little better than Landry Fields or JR Smith could give them. But if you just look at the talent, they are right there with everybody else. There is no excuse for this team not being top 4 in the east (if 4th).

That's true, they have a bunch of mismatched pieces. In order to get some shooting on the floor, they either have to have JR Smith out there, which isn't always bad, but he is so hot and cold and needs so many shots that he can shoot you out of games. Or, they can put Novak in, but now you have to take one of your marquee forwards out, or slide Amare to center and take out your defensive stopper, thus killing your defense because Novak can't cover anyone and Amare, despite his athleticism and physical tools, is a dissinterested defender. They don't need a star at shooting guard, they need a Bruce Bowen type who defends and hits open shots and doesn't need a ton of shots to be productive.

 

[Knicks411]

Courtney Lee might've been a nice fit for the Knicks.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Contract or no contract...losing Lin was a BIG mistake.
1973 and counting....

 

[strumpfasaurus]

I think this year is the make it or break it year for the knicks.

PG felton
SG smith/shumpert when healthy
SF melo
PF amare
C chandler

That's a really good line up and now they have the head coach they want there is no reason why they should not finish top four. The knicks this year were 1 cleveland cavalier loss away from facing the pacers in the first round and having a legitimate shot at advancing to the conference semi finals. The thunder in the finals lost to the heat in five games so I do not think its fair to use that series as a bench mark for the knicks. Keep in mind the heat won a championship in 2006 and the knicks hadn't won a play off game since 1999, baby steps I think the future is bright for he Knicks. This is the year for the knicks to show if they are legitimate or not. No reason why 50-32 and at least the conference semi finals next year.

 

[orangefog]

I think this year is the make it or break it year for the knicks.

PG felton
SG smith/shumpert when healthy
SF melo
PF amare
C chandler

That's a really good line up and now they have the head coach they want there is no reason why they should not finish top four. The knicks this year were 1 cleveland cavalier loss away from facing the pacers in the first round and having a legitimate shot at advancing to the conference semi finals. The thunder in the finals lost to the heat in five games so I do not think its fair to use that series as a bench mark for the knicks. Keep in mind the heat won a championship in 2006 and the knicks hadn't won a play off game since 1999, baby steps I think the future is bright for he Knicks. This is the year for the knicks to show if they are legitimate or not. No reason why 50-32 and at least the conference semi finals next year.

Is Felton a decent shooter? I honestly don't know. If not, Smith better have a good year. I like Shumpert, but he isn't an outside shooter.

 

[Knicks411]

Felton is not a good shooter.

 

[rrlbees]

I think this year is the make it or break it year for the knicks.

PG felton
SG smith/shumpert when healthy
SF melo
PF amare
C chandler

That's a really good line up and now they have the head coach they want there is no reason why they should not finish top four. The knicks this year were 1 cleveland cavalier loss away from facing the pacers in the first round and having a legitimate shot at advancing to the conference semi finals. The thunder in the finals lost to the heat in five games so I do not think its fair to use that series as a bench mark for the knicks. Keep in mind the heat won a championship in 2006 and the knicks hadn't won a play off game since 1999, baby steps I think the future is bright for he Knicks. This is the year for the knicks to show if they are legitimate or not. No reason why 50-32 and at least the conference semi finals next year.

How many teams have a worse back court than Felton/Smith?

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[Ghost]

How many teams have a worse back court than Felton/Smith?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

If we count college teams, probably some do. Not us though.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Btw- that ESPN article might be the worst I've ever read. The author goes cosmic-like and spiritual and relates Melo's "anti-Lin" motives to "family" and... blah blah blah, all backed up by the proverbial "sources close to Melo/Lin/Knicks/Dolan/the situation", etc. The speculative garbage in the piece is astounding.:blah:

 

[IthacaMatt]

Felton is not a good shooter.

Felton won't spread the floor, but he can score. It's not like you're playing 4 on 5 when he's out there. If he's not overweight, he's a pretty good pick & roll player, and he had a nice thing going w/ Stoudamire before he was traded.

 

[qdawgg]

Felton won't spread the floor, but he can score. It's not like you're playing 4 on 5 when he's out there. If he's not overweight, he's a pretty good pick & roll player, and he had a nice thing going w/ Stoudamire before he was traded.

He can score but he also disappears for large chunks of the season too. Against the right team with the right defense he looks like a pretty good pg and I genuinely didn't mind him when he was on the team the 1st time. But he's not going to be a factor in beating any of the top 4 eastern teams in the playoffs. He doesn't need to dominate with the other players on the team - obviously but he does have to be a factor to make all of those pieces work efficiently. The goal is to win and go deep in the playoffs, he's not going to help the team do that.

 

[Madbiker]

The blizzard of negative stuff being released about Lin is all coming from Dolan's PR guys to cover up the huge mistake Son of Cablevision made by throwing a temper tantrum about Lin seeking more $$$ and "punishing" him by letting him go. The Knicks will never win anything as long as Dolan is calling the shots.

 

[longislandcuse]

I cant wait for the Knicks to prove all the haters wrong. They have as talented a team on paper as anyone in the NBA and now they will finally have a full training camp and season to play together. This is the year we see if they are real or not. I think they are.

 

[cuserulesall]

Chandler seems to fit in well with either of the other two, but Amare and Carmelo are not a great fit, unless one of them changes their game. But, at this stage of their careers, neither of them is going to change much. Carmelo needs the ball in his hands, he is not a selfless player. Amare is not going to focus on rebounding and defense. And, from what people have talked about on here, because I certainly don't care to know much about contracts, Amare is not easily traded. How do you make this work? Maybe Phil Jackson can talk sense in to them, but I think strategic injuries will allow the Knicks to excel. Amare punches the wall, out for a couple of weeks and the team wins games. Carmelo's groin starts aching, the team goes on a run. They can take turns getting injured, you know, to benefit the team.

If this team is very hungery for a Ring , they will drop there tubes and get a ring . Lets hope for the best .

 

[Knicks411]

I cant wait for the Knicks to prove all the haters wrong. They have as talented a team on paper as anyone in the NBA and now they will finally have a full training camp and season to play together. This is the year we see if they are real or not. I think they are.

Prediction for the season? I'm thinking right around 50 wins. Think I said 48-34 to a buddy of mine.

That could be on the low side, I admit. The backcourt is gonna be scary though.

 

[qdawgg]

I cant wait for the Knicks to prove all the haters wrong. They have as talented a team on paper as anyone in the NBA and now they will finally have a full training camp and season to play together. This is the year we see if they are real or not. I think they are.

Your joking, right? I mean, your just trying to convince yourself that this is the year they turn things around. Just for your own sanity? There are no haters, everybody knows that they are a discombobulated mess.

And I'm a knicks fan; I watched 80% - 90% of their games through thick and thin. EVERY SINGLE YEAR. They are not a top 3 team in the East, not even close.