I agree that Lee has always been an efficient scorer, but I think you may be underestimating the significance of adding the mid range game to his arsenal. Not only has the mid range game allowed him to raise his usage and retain his efficiency, it has allowed him to use his other skills to greater advantage.

In the past, when Lee got the ball on the outside, his defender sagged off him and clogged the middle. That left Lee with two options. Throw up a brick (which he refrained from doing) or pass the ball to another player on the perimiter (like Chandler) who threw up a brick.

Now, when his defender sags off, he can knock down the open shot. When his defender comes out, he’s able to use his ball handling and finishing skills (which he always had) to get past the defender and score. He couldn’t do that before. Those two things add efficient usage. In some cases, he now actually becomes the focus of the defense and can use his passing skills (which he always had) to find Chandler for an open dunk under the basket because the inside is clear (unlike the past). That’s why his assists also seem to be rising.

I think Clyde and Chandler summed it nicely in the post game discussion.

Clyde was his usual flowery self, but when they asked Wilson why he’s having so much more success on the inside lately, he gave all the credit to Lee for drawing away the defense by being aggressive and knocking down open shots.

You can’t do those things if you can’t score from lots of places and in lots of ways.

IMO Lee has gone from a highly valuable medium usage efficient scorer to a higher usage and budding elite player primarily because he has both increased and broadened his skills.

But even if we don’t agree on all this, we can at least agree that he’s playing great.

I’d rather have a decent team with players I like than a great team with players I don’t.

How about the Larry Brown Pistons? The only rotation guys they drafted were Prince and Okur. Given how few teams have actually won championships in the past 20 or so years, 4 franchises and 6 teams that did not draft their top guy seems like a lot.

“Yes, free agency is important, but it is incredibly rare to pick up a superstar who isn’t either past his prime or seriously flawed through free agency.”

Which is why LeBron represents such an incredibly unique opportunity if he leaves Cleveland: he’s the best player in the game, theoretically entering his prime. You’re entitled to your opinion on who you will or will not root for, I just hope you realize that purposely passing on LeBron to sign Joe-freaking-Johnson to a max contract instead is an incredibly stupid basketball move.

I don’t totally disagree with you about LeBron’s personality/rootability. He’s good enough to believe in his ability, though, and if he didn’t believe so strongly in himself he might not be anywhere near where he is. He’s also celebrating his 25th birthday tomorrow. At the same age Jordan was seen as a selfish punk and 2 plus seasons shy of his first finals/championship: LeBron’s got room to grow/mature as a person.

“If the knicks find a few other really good young players through free agency, they could be a very strong team.”

Or if they sign LeBron they will be a very strong team.

LeBron is the best player available this summer, and he probably gives the knicks the best chance to be a great team. Furthermore, of all the big name free agents, he and Bosh seem the most likely to bail on their current teams. The only thing that would make it impossible for LeBron to leave is if Cleveland wins a championship.

All that said, I don’t want LeBron on the knicks, and if he comes here I would become much less interested in them. I don’t like him, and it’s not the same way I didn’t like Jordan. I hated Jordan because he was so fastidious about his image, about getting the right sponsorships, saying the appropriate things, but the one thing that overshadowed Jordan’s interest in his image was his competitiveness. LeBron, on the other hand, seems to love his image more than anything. What motivates him to win is not simply winning, but fulfilling the image he desires to fulfill, becoming someone that others will see as the greatest basketball player ever. Here are some LeBron quotes to give you a sense of what I mean:

“I was ahead of my time.”

“A LeBron James team is never desperate.”

“In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I’ll be the richest man in the world. That’s one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire.”

Before being announced a part of the USA olympic team: “It looks positive at this point. I haven’t talked with Mr. Colangelo, but we should be making this announcement within a week or so.”

Add to that all the garbage with him and his teammates dancing on the sidelines during games… He’s just so pompous. I could never root for a guy like him, and I would hate to be his teammate.

So, what would I like the knicks to do?

free agents for 2010-11

These players are going to get max/near max contracts

Dwayne Wade (27 y/o)
Amare Stoudemire (27 y/o w/ 2 knee surgeries)
Lebron James (25 y/o)
Chris Bosh (25 y/o)
Carlos Boozer (29 y/o)
Joe Johnson (29 y/o)

these players will likely still be signable if the knicks re-sign Lee

Tyrus Thomas
Rudy Gay
Roger Mason
Travis Outlaw

I’d have them try for Bosh, Johnson or Wade. If that doesn’t fly, resign Lee and add one of the above four players for a reasonable price, or make a play for a decent point guard. Calderon has been playing poorly in Toronto and could become available. Use the big boost cap space that they’ll get after 2011 to make a play for Kevin Durant. If they can’t pry Durant from OKC, two or three of these five could probably be had for the same total $: Al Horford, JR Smith, DeAndre Jordan, Barbosa and Andre Kirilenko.

Other than Shaq’s Lakers and Heat, and the 07-08 Celtics, no team has won a championship with a top player that they did not draft. Robinson/Duncan on the spurs, Jordan/pippen on the bulls, Olajuwon on the Rockets, Thomas/Dumars on the Pistons. Yes, free agency is important, but it is incredibly rare to pick up a superstar who isn’t either past his prime or seriously flawed through free agency. In two years, Gallinari may be the star that the knicks need to be real competitors. Lee will still be in his prime. If the knicks find a few other really good young players through free agency, they could be a very strong team.

Below is a list of players who will be available in 2010 that the knicks might be interested in:

free agents for 2011-12

kevin durant (restricted)
Al Horford (restricted)
Yao Ming
Joakim Noah (restricted)
JR Smith
Tony Parker
Caron Butler
Andre Kirilenko
DeAndre Jordan
Leandro Barbosa

“Would you rather have Lee at $12M or Bosh at $14M or $15M? Doesn’t seem Bosh produces more wins and one might argue he has better talent around him.”

Not an easy call. Both may be having career years (at least to date, both are young). I love Lee about as much as anyone, but Bosh has been really good this season: he’s 25 and he’s the best player on the 4th best offense in the NBA. His scoring volume is significantly higher, and he doesn’t give up much to Lee in efficiency (though he does give up something). A few surprises: Bosh is out-rebounding Lee (barely) and Lee is out-assisting Bosh (pretty sizable advantage). Lee has the edge in steals and Bosh in blocks, and Bosh turns it over a lot less. For whatever these numbers are worth, a terrible Toronto defense is 3.6 pts/100 possessions better defensively with Bosh out there while a mediocre Knicks D is 2.8 pts/100 worse defensively with Lee out there. Lee’s opponent’s PER is 21.7 at C, while Bosh’s is 17.4 (again, whatever that’s worth). If you look at Win Share to see how many wins someone is generating, than Bosh is significantly better.

I think I take Bosh at max $ over Lee at $12 mill, personally, as much as it pains me to say that. Bosh at 15 vs. Lee at 10 or anything below that is probably a different story, though.

I am still strongly in favor of LeBron AND Wade as Option A by a mile if the Knicks can shed Jeffries and/or work out sign-and-trade(s). That makes you an instant favorite, whereas just LeBron and Lee makes you an instant contender. Of course, the chances of LeBron OR Wade, let alone LeBron AND Wade, coming are not that great, so a lot of back-up plans (many involving Lee) are a must.

Finger roll.

I say “best” as well as worst only because I wandered onto the playground, shell-shocked, to shoot some hoop and get over it, and it seemed like there were eight or nine of us out there all just muttering, finger roll. It was awful, but oddly comforting to realize I was part of a community of sufferers.

Just like here!

Also very disappointing that in Hollinger’s chat today he too also called Gallo a 1-trick pony. I guess 34 FTA in last 4 games aint enough proof that he doesnt just shoot 3’s all the time anymore.

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Not really suprised. These guys want us to believe they watch every game but no they don’t. Gallo will keep it up and by the end of the year they’ll get it.

I truly think we can be a 50 win team next year with one star wing player added to the core of Gallo and Lee and to a lesser degree Douglas and Wilson and maybe Hill.

Lee is a great Knick and fun to root for. He has improved his game every year and should be highly considered as an All Star (especially if he keeps the level of production from the last few weeks.) I agree with those who say Lee is the #2 priority.

Would you rather have Lee at $12M or Bosh at $14M or $15M? Doesn’t seem Bosh produces more wins and one might argue he has better talent around him.