Either Melo or Lin has to go! The two can't co-exist

The Knicks would be smart to sell high on Lin and Novak versus selling low on Melo and Amare.

Lin and Novak for Gasol.

 

Not really--it's like buying the parts and hiring the people to build 3, 4, 5 Lamborghinis but you're not sure if they can pull it off, and you might wind up with hunks of garbage instead. Melo and Chandler are finished products and they're not good enough to helm a whole franchise.

 

I agree, it'll never work

he'll be shipped soon with some other assets

 

IMHO, any team w/ either or both melo or amare will never amount to anything. With their trade value, you can def add one or two stars, as well as some very good players.

But NY is stupid, so why bother speculating?

 

Amare is ok, he does his job and doesn't disrupt the O too much. Melo needs to go, in return the Knicks can get some great SF/ PG depth, and Lin can play as SG or a semi backup PG.

 

that or a huge Harvard basketball fan.

 

Humphries? Is on the Nets.

 

That's wishful thinking. Too much hypotheticals. Name 3-5 players on the current Rockets squad that would be legit 3-5 players on a Championship team.

Give me a realistic trade scenario where we can offer a better package than Melo and Chandler.

 

Was Melo a "team killer" in Denver? Syracuse?

Hmmm...

 

Valid points.

I don't think the issue is as much Melo vs. Lin as Melo vs. D'Antoni. D'Antoni's system is what it is. It's clear he isn't capable of being successful with a different system.

I don't think Melo is a great fit for that system personally. He is a half court player that dominates the ball. Doesn't mean he isn't a great player, but he's not a D'Antoni player.

Seperately, there's the question of Lin's effectiveness in a half court system vs. D'Antoni's system. Unfortunately for NY, the sample size is way too small to make any serious judgement, but it at least feels like Lin played a lot better in games with higher pace, the ball in his hands some more and less of a half court grind.

Combine the two and I think it's a fair argument to be made to trade Melo.

Salaries aside, a Kevin Martin for Carmelo swap, for example, could probably benefit both teams. One would think Martin would thrive in D'Antoni's system. However, NY would then have the problem of what to do in close games against good competition down the stretch. Clearly you can't rely on KMart. Rely on Lin? Rely on Amare?

I understand not moving Melo if his trade value is at a low. But I think GM's around the league know what he can do in the right system (see Syracuse and Denver, as mentioned), and you could get fair return for him.

 

lin off the bench with the second unit is the way to go.

 

^^
JayZ750, Your take makes an equal argument for firing D'Antoni. If he is so rigid in his offensive style that he can't adjust it to suit his best players most effectively, then maybe it is his problem.

 

I would imagine D'Antoni will be working as an analyst or coaching in Europe after this season. Look for the knicks to bring in someone who will run a more half-court centered offense.

 

Lin does not even need to be in the equation. Knicks need to get rid of Melo if they ever want to contend.

Melo and any team cant co-exist.

One of the most selfish players I have ever seen.

 

Melo's trade value is at all time low right now. He has shown this year that his presence on the court is a negative to a team's win/loss total. The Knicks would be stupid to trade him now because they'd get nothing valueable back for him.

On the other hand, Lin's trade value is probably as high as it can go at the moment. Linsanity is already losing steam. However, for the Knicks organization, it simple does not make business sense to trade Lin. They'd alienate many fans by doing that.

NY has a tough schedule going forward. It's interesting to see how things turn out.

 

no doubt.

However, while i don't see how the Knicks win a championship with D'Antoni, I think keeping him and trading Melo is their best path to consistent playoff births, and potential deep playoff runs. Mind you, this is again assuming they can get "fair" value for Melo.

If they can convince Phil to come out of retirement again and work his magic again (which you could see happening), then I reserve the right to change my mind. But while I don't find D'Antoni to be an awesome coach, I also think he isn't given a fair shake at times. He was VERY VERY close to Finals appearances in Phoenix - great players, sure, but coaching plays a role (it's not like all championship teams don't have great players). And while he may be rigid in his system, aren't a lot of coaches? Even some of the best? It's not like Adelman was super flexible (though moreso, I'd agree). It's not like JVG was super flexible. It's not like Pop has changed his offense ever. Even Phil Jackson always went with the triangle. The deal with their success, though, is they've typically had players, ESPECIALLY their best player, fit their system.

Moreover, D'Antoni's specific system may be more of an outlier than any of the others. It's pretty unique. Not super complex or complicated, but I guess I'm saying a number of great players historically, in their prime, might have had problems with D'Antoni's system where they could otherwise fit into any number of others. I don't think TMac would be a great D'Antoni player in his prime, but he could play in most other systems, imo, just as an example.

 

fab five > melo

 

Man can the rockets get melo?