Ted: I agree the Knicks should be patient. And they need to be kind of quiet about their trade discussions in my view because you don’t want to disrupt they team you have while your looking for better things. There’s always a chance you don’t get him and then you have a few disgruntled folks on your team who feel slighted.
And Melo is not one of the top five guys in the league, although he will be one of the to FAs.
I think if you can get him sooner, you should, but not in a way that you give up the house.
—
Regarding Fields, I agree that I’m out there a bit with Grant Hill. But they are similar in size, Hill has him by an inch. Hill also plays small forward. He has played one game afterall. But this kid has something.
Both guys come from great schools. Both played in college for four years. Both come into the league with high basketball IQ.
Hill’s senior year at duke he averqged 17 ppg, 1.9 steals, 7 rpg, and 5 assists.
Field’s line: 22 ppg, 1.6 steals, 9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
Of course PAC-10 isn’t the ACC, especially in the years Hill played, but we’ve already seen people underrate Fields because of the PAC-10.

It’s a reach right now, Ted, I know, but the similarities are worth nothing.

BTW, Grant Hill is one of my very favorite players of all time. Silky smooth, classy and smart. Really a great player.

Sparks with Starks:
How about some gear that doesn’t rip on LeBron? The ‘Bron-bashing’s getting old, imo.

I couldn’t agree more. *cough* *cough*

Mike Kurylo: I have something I’m working on…  (Quote)

How about some gear that doesn’t rip on LeBron? The ‘Bron-bashing’s getting old, imo. The guy was a free agent and decided to go somewhere else. Big deal. Happens all the time.

By the way, I think he’ll show very soon that he’s the Alpha Dog of that team.

kburt8: Completely unrelated to the thread, but I was just browsing through the store and there’s not much Knick related gear in there.Any chance of a Knickerblogger T-shirt design contest to kick off the new season and get some fresh merchandise in there?What are your thoughts Mike et al.?  

I have something I’m working on…

danvt: Wouldn’t you say this is a small yet significant upgrade for the team? Amar’e’s adaptability?

I agree that Amare is better, at least IMO. I just take exception to people saying that Amare is way better or that his “clutch” “finishing” is going to save the franchise because other grown men are “scared” of him.

danvt: I also think you can see the difference between players with the naked eye.

Often yes, but there are a lot of errors your brain (or mine) will make in terms of selective memory and it’s just really hard to tell the different between, say, a 30% and 40% 3P shooter (1 make every 10 attempts… that might span 3-5 games even for a decent shooter) let alone a 55% TS% guy v. a 60% TS% guy. The subtleties are often impossible to catch, and even sometimes really huge differences (a 40% 3P shooter is a great shooter, a 30% 3P shooter should refrain from taking more than the occasional 3, for example). Basketball is in a lot of ways a game played on the margin, where a 100+ possession game can be determined by 1 point. In that case .01 pts/possession basically determines the game. Most games aren’t 1 pt games, but there’s still a lot of subtlety.

When I watch a game with no reference to the box score it’s really hard for me to quantify how many shots a guy has taken, let alone made let alone other more obscure stats. I think Kevin’s feelings about 9 TOs being a surprise are totally normal and the same thing happens to me all the time…

danvt: it’s just that all it takes is a black and white TV and that sinking feeling of watching your team get beat to know who the better player is.  

Who the better team is…

I think there are other similar upgrades on the team. Also related to the Lee trade, we have two big long defensive oriented centers as opposed to one undersized player. Felton will improve us over Duhon, not as dramatically as Chris Paul, but significantly.

So I don’t think anyone really thinks Amar’e makes Lee look like Najera. I also think you can see the difference between players with the naked eye. I do appreciate the reality checks that you provide because sometimes a players athleticism (or style), or lack thereof, belies their true importance. However, a lot of times what you see is what you get. I remember thinking the Knicks got the better player when they drafted Bill Cartwright in the same draft as Bird and Magic. It didn’t take advanced stats for me to realize that, though Mr. Bill was pretty good, he did not measure up. Not that that’s analogous to Lee, it’s just that all it takes is a black and white TV and that sinking feeling of watching your team get beat to know who the better player is.

When we first got Felton, someone posted that he’s one of the fastest PG’s end to end in the NBA, which I found hard to believe based on his build. But there were a few times last night where he really burned it and got all the way to the rim from one end to the other blowing past 3 or 4 Raptors. I feel good about Felton as our PG; sure there are others in the NBA I’d prefer, but I think he knows his role and in D’Antoni’s offense, can push the ball quickly up the court after misses and make things happen.

Frank O.: who could just wait Denver out and get Melo in free agency.

***If*** Melo makes it “public” (as in a credible leak to NBA GMs, or at least Walsh) that he’s planning on going to NY only then this may be the best course of action. Why trade even a small asset if you can just sign the guy in the offseason, and especially if you think the new CBA will be a better time to sign him? It would be nice to get him sooner and lock him up, I can see that. I’d probably be patient, though. I mean if it’s LeBron or Howard… I’m all in right now. If it’s Melo… I’m more inclined to wait it out.

Frank O.: But don’t be surprised if the kid in two years is putting up 18 or better and 7 or 8 rebounds, plus 6 assists, which, if I’m not mistaken, are Grant Hill-like numbers. IN fact, Hill may be a better comparison for Fields. He’s that talented. I think Fields is for real.  

I like Fields and the Lee comparison makes some sense, but comparing him to Grant Hill is about like comparing AR to KG or Cito Culver to Derek Jeter… it’s quite frankly unfair to the kid as well as Grant Hill. Grant Hill was amazing before injury. He was All-NBA 1st or 2nd team every single season for 5 years after his rookie year, and won ROY that year. It’s really tough to say “don’t be surprised if Rookie X is All-NBA first or 2nd Team every season… Even if you’re looking at a #1 pick.