I don't think there'll be much minutes for a lock down perimeter defender with Harden-Parsons taking the bulk of the available minutes in the perimeter positions. Harden = 38 mins (10 mins available) Parsons = 36 mins (12 mins available) Even if he gets all the 22 to 25 mins available from SG and SF I don't think he'll make a difference on the court or play the end game minutes because Harden and Parsons will surely close the game.
Keep in mind, Parsons gets some minutes at 4 + there could be some point guard-less lineups, especially if that "lock down defender" is someone like Iguodala. This team could easily find 35 minutes for Iguodala.
I honestly think he can't be a defensive stopper is because he is too tall, it's hard to move his feet against athletic guys that are 6ft5 6ft6, harden doesn't have lateral quickness but he needs to atleast try and give more effort, he is spending his energy on offense I understand but still a little more effort would be good.
Not overly concerned with a lockdown perimeter defender, more concerned with post defense. A good scheme can cover bad perimeter defenders if you are really good inside. All you need on the perimeter are disciplined defenders. Harden, Lin, Parsons and Beverley are all capable.
Harden has the lateral quickness. He was a go to defender in OKC and at different times this season done very well defending elite players.
Shumpert is too much of a negative on offense to be worth any amount of defense. He's probably the worst offensive player in the NBA who actually plays meaningful minutes. He's a 30% shooter, for crying out loud. His PER is 8.3.
Shump is agreat defender, but a liability on the offensive end. He'll only work if you have a few elite scorers on the floor to compensate for it. During the Linsanity run it wasn't as much about the team scoring tons of points but about keeping the other team from scoring (Chandler and Shump provided defense) while Lin, Novak, and Smith provide enough points to win.
The Linsanity Knicks sans Melo and Amare reminded me of the 2003 Florida Marlins. It's a shame they had to break them up.
Toney Allen especially with a 3 point shot would be incredible, but he might command too much money. Other free agents will be Corey Brewer and Dahntay Jones. Mickael Pietrus is another guy, but injuries have slowed him down.
Knicks were the least deserving franchise to luck into that well-liked team. Bad karma finally caught up with them and left them with JR Smith and Raymond "cupcakes" Felton.
I think everybody is forgetting how good Parson's was last year, his rookie year. He has the potential to be a lot better defender than he has been this year but right now he is spending a lot of energy developing his offensive game. I think next year you will see him round out more and his D will pick back up. I like Parson's play and I think it would be a mistake to give his minutes going to somebody else.
I'm all for landing an elite wing defender but I'm starting to believe that filling that need is not a priority. In fact, with the talent of today's players and the rules benefitting them, I'm not sure lock down defenders are even possible anymore. Watch any series with Kobe, Lebron, Durant etc. They get their's no matter who is guarding them with little change in efficiency. Having a rim-protecting front line is the key.
This. More than having perimeter D, this team needs to have 4s who can rotate when Asik moves up to contest. A back-up big to protect the rim wouldn't be bad either. I'd give up Smith, TJones, T-Rob, German guy, and my left arm for Tiago Splitter.
