The prob is that Amare and Melo are too similar. They both like to attack the basket but their favorite zones are the same space. So Melo takes up all of Amare's attacking lanes. Then when the offense bogs down Melo takes a 20 foot fadeaway. They need a PG in the worst way. I mean, D'Antoni even made Chris Duhon look good. Douglas, Shumpert, and Fields must truly be horrible.
^ you sir are correct on joe Johnson his best years was 06 and he was a Hawk at the time. As for Amare I never said Nash made him better I always thought he brought out the best in him. I don't think Amare is a scrub but those knees and his contract are scary. I think Lowry would be a great feed for him. Getting some wins , feeds will get dudes confidence back.
I completely agree. What has been exposed in NY is not Amare's game but D'Antoni's system. Nash is basically the Peyton Manning of basketball, it's like having your offensive coordinator running your offense. But his system is a joke without someone of Nash's caliber running the decison making (and the fast break). You cannot rely on outscoring your opponent every night in the NBA. You eventually have to stop them.
On the Nash issue, there's more to just having Nash as his PG. Amare went Nash(top passer) to Felton/Billups(average starting PGs) to Douglas(so bad Knicks fans want to see more of Jeremy Lin). So there is something to be said about lack of PG support. But in addition to that, there are some problems with Amare that can be remedied with a better team. Aging badly, injury issues, huge contract. These would be things that would also happen if he had been a Rocket. Knicks fans right now are thinking it might be better to trade Amare for a bag of chips just to get him off their books. That's how little they think of his trade value right now.
(time travel back to 2002) ten years from now he'll be taking the knicks lotto pick straight to the rockets. J -train!
He's damaged goods with a bad contract. Haven't we seen enough of these type of players/ salary cap leaches on our team?
No. Amare was scoring very efficiently last year. His production has taken a nosedive this year though. I still wouldn't have him on the Rockets though even for a 2nd round pick. Not with his contract and Patterson/Scola/Motiejunas being much more attractive options at their prices and ages.
I think this is coming down to a matter of semantics... Amare is athletic but he does need someone to put him in better scoring situations cause he cant do it himself...therefore, Nash DID make him better. The only part that Nash does is give him the ball??? Youre exactly right, but he gives him the ball in the right place at the right time so that he can go and dunk it. It sounds like youre saying Nash didnt make Amare better because he didnt give him the athleticism to finish..and if thats the case..well, then thats just dumb.
Fact is that Nash plays great point guard regardless of the players around him. He elevates his teammates. His personnel has changed a lot througout the years. However, his personal production remains at a very high level (all-star / MVP level).
Amare's worse production is not a result of not having a PG, it's more the fact that he lost his athleticism that would overpower defenders. Amare would have put up numbers no matter where played without a great PG. Right now his athleticism isn't there and won't get easy buckets based on point guard play.
Nash didn't make him better at all. Giving someone easier shots is not making him better, it just gives him easier shots. Whether Amare had athleticism or not I don't think that has been the problem. He can't dunk like he used to obviously but he still is very agile and finishing around the rim doesn't have much to do with how high you jump but more about awareness...just look at Scola compare to Jordan Hill who will get the ball in the post then act like he's not sure what to do with it. Look, what I'm saying is this. Saying Nash makes Amare a better player is like saying Matt Schaub makes Andre Johnson better. Schaub makes it easier but not necessarily better. Amare isn't Kenyon Martin. He's shown more than enough times that you can give him the ball and he'll face up and score on his own. This guy won ROY completely without Nash. But it goes without saying that Nash made it easier for him, that's why you get great players and pair them together. I think Amare would come here and if he stays healthy (which is the big if) would make things a lot more easier for the entire team. He'd take a bunch of pressure off of Martin to score later in games and would be an easy assist to Lowry.
"I can't BELIEVE we didn't trade a prime Yao for a guy with a broken eye and a broken leg!" -All of CF
Is he $10M a year better than Scola? Naw, I dont think so.... I love how people proclaim this guy to be great or gotta get that guy, while ragging on our players, with no regard for the price tags that accompany either.... I have no interest in acquirig Amare's fat contract and bum knees! As one poster put it... the need a stud - not a mare! lol
dont sleep on amare. he is a beast indeed, its just the knicks have no PG and no shooters to space the floor. thats why they are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, while their defense has actually been solid.
It's dissappointing how Scola looked tonight against Kevin Love... he looked like Yao Ming his rookie year. McHale just took him out and sat him the whole second half. Scola effort, hustle and focus was questionable. Screw a contract do what it takes to win now without hoping/waiting in the future because the future has screwed us ask David Stern.