Yes! and the Foul

Finally on Team Carmelo

Bill Simmons: Unlikely source of reason for Knicks fans!

Feb 25

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, NBA Talk at 2:41 pm | No Comments Tags: ,

After a weeks of hearing that the Knicks didn’t have any desirable assets to give up in a Carmelo trade, all of the sudden Donnie gave up too many assets.  WHAT?!  You can’t make it up, really.  Any chance the media has to kick the Knicks and Jim Dolan, they are going to do it, even if there is no consistency, rhyme or reason to it.  We have to hear how Carmelo is only a top 20 player now, when before the trade he was a top 5 talent.  We have to hear all about Isiah Thomas conspiracy theories.  We have to hear that Deron Williams is a better player than Carmelo, and that finding an elite point guard – what Donnie really should’ve been doing – is the toughest thing to do in this league…  even if I can rattle off ten ‘elite’ point guards (or soon to be ‘elite’) off the top of my head: 1. Williams, 2. Paul, 3. Nash, 4. Rondo, 5. Rose, 6. Westbrook, 7. Parker, 8. Wall, 9. Steph Curry, 10. Billups (Oh yeah, we also got him in this trade in a MAJOR upgrade over Felton for the next season and a half). If you’re keeping count, that means a third of the teams in the league have ‘elite’ point guards.

There’s no talk about how the Knicks struggled all season in fourth quarters, but now have one of the most clutch players in the league in Melo, and a steady closer in Billups whose free throw ability may as well make him basketball’s equivalent of Mariano Rivera.   Add that to Amare who was leading the league in 4th quarter scoring this season, and the Knicks should have the ability to close out a lot of close games that they couldn’t before.  There’s also little talk about how Carmelo will open up the floor for Amare (and the rest of the Knicks) and make scoring a lot easier for the team.  Before teams double and tripled on Amare and forced the rest of the inconsistent Knicks cast to beat them.  Can’t do that anymore.

Anyway, as a Knicks fan, there a lot of reason to love this trade.  A lot of reason to be a happy camper, even if there isn’t much love from ESPN, TNT and the rest of the national media.  But, in case you need reassurance about the trade, go on and read Bill Simmons write up on the trade deadline.  Only love for the Knicks and what they did.  Celebrate!!

 

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Will an inconsistent season force the Knicks hand on Carmelo?

Feb 15

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Hypotheticals, Knicks Banter at 10:52 am | No Comments Tags: ,

The Knicks are on pace for a .500 season.  Maybe.  They might be on the verge of winning 9 of 10 and making a strong run for the rest of the season.  Or they might only win only 2 of their next 10 games, struggle to make the playoffs, and I wouldn’t be surprised.  It’s been that kind of season.

But inconsistency was expected.  When you are starting two rookies on some nights (Fields and Mozgov), and/or two young players (Chandler and Gallo) who still have a difficult time asserting themselves in games, AND you can’t rebound and give other teams numerous second chances, our sense of how good this team really is blows wildly between pessimism and optimism.

During the latest downturn it’s easy to feel like Gallo, Chandler and Fields are worth giving up for that one legit superstar in Melo — a player who can take over games when it’s on the line.  But Donnie is a big picture kind of guy.  He has patience.  He’s seen players slowly and gradually improve.  He has a better sense than any of us what Gallo’s ceiling is, what Fields potential is, etc.  But, after 10 years of Knicks frustration and a unpredictable team owner, can Donnie afford to not strike a deal, even if it means selling the farm?

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Is Prokhorov cocky enough to trade for Melo without his signing off on an extension?

Jan 10

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Hypotheticals, NBA Talk at 12:34 pm | No Comments Tags: ,

That to me is the most pressing question. Proko might be so immensely confident he can persuade Carmelo that the Nets are his future, that he would pull the trigger on a deal without Carmelo’s blessing.  And even as a Knicks fan, I kinda love it.  What a high rolling nut job!  I get this image in my mind of the dude’s putting all his chips on 15 and acting like it ain’t no big thing.  He knows the roulette ball is going to magically hit.  It might even impress Carmelo that there is an owner out there willing to roll the dice on him.  But, is this just a fantasy?

From all accounts, the Nuggets new ownership is making a serious mess of this situation and are a big reason for the hold up on the deal.  Additionally, Carmelo certainly doesn’t seem happy about what is going on and hasn’t signed off on a Nets trade (or else it probably would’ve happened months ago).  Additionally, as brought up in Chris Sheridan’s excellent breakdown, it’s clear Carmelo’s new agents want this trade to go down.  After all they stand to lose money, too, if the new CBA negatively impacts how much Melo can get in a new contract.

But despite all of this, no one seems to have confidence in the fact that Carmelo will okay a trade to the Nets.  And, certainly, Carmelo can’t appreciate his reputation being sullied by all of these details being made public.  It might be putting pressure on him, but it also might make him all the more resolved to get what he wants: New York.

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Say What?! (v.2, Chris Broussard on Lebron, now…)

Dec 2

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, NBA Talk at 12:22 pm | No Comments Tags: ,

He championed Lebron taking his talents to South Beach, and was the first to guess report that’s where Lebron would go, but now Chris Broussard of ESPN is changing his tune.  He’d just like to clarify that Lebron would’ve been a better fit in New York with Amar’e.  He’d also like to clarify that Amar’e is a better player than Bosh.  And, he’d also like to mention “no one was saying any of this” when it happened (nevermind his own colleagues, or most of the partial New York media).  [ ESPN New York ]

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The Knicks through 18 games

Nov 30

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter at 3:54 pm | No Comments Tags: , ,

They’re 9-9, and pretty much as advertised.  The Knicks have shown themselves to be an entertaining, competitive team that desperately needs to find some consistency and a steady third option.  But, what do we know now that we didn’t know about the Knicks before the season started?

Amar’e really is good enough to carry a team. At the beginning of the season, Amar’e was extremely turnover prone and being asked to run isolation plays that seemed to expose his flaws.  He was missing free throws.  He simply seemed out of rhythm and perhaps not ready for the role he was being thrust in.  But, as the season has gone on, he’s learned when not to force the issue, his post moves and abilities are coming along rapidly, he’s hitting big late game free throws (and threes), and he’s even making big defensive plays.  He’s a willing leader and team spokesman, and he has an unwavering confidence that the rest of the team is riding on.

This team needs Turiaf in the lineup. Without him, the defense struggles immensely as both Amar’e and Chandler are forced to play and defend out of position.  On offense, Turiaf plays within the system and moves the ball really well.  He’s probably the smartest player on the team and brings much needed energy to the starting unit.

Gallo’s early struggles have helped him develop the rest of his game. Gallo hasn’t been inconsistent as much as just really bad for the first 8 or so games, and much, much better as the season has gone on.  Gallo finally heard the demands that he start taking the ball to the basket more, and to use his mid-range game.  As he’s done this he’s developed an incredible ability to draw fouls, rely less on the three, and become remarkably efficient on the offensive end.

Randolph looks like he’s never been coached. And maybe he never really has.  It’s just bizarre.  Hopefully he’ll get his chance and take advantage of whatever minutes come his way.  I think most, including myself, penciled in a bigger contribution from AR.

Felton isn’t who we want him to be, but you know, he’s actually pretty darn good. Yeah, he has a really difficult time threading passes in the pick and roll, and considering Amar’e is an incredible PnR finisher in traffic, it’s really troubling.  But Felton finally looks like a guy who is playing within himself and his strengths.  He’s been aggressive and brings effort every night.  He’s attacking and shooting well, and is proving to lead with his effort.

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