hoolahoop:
Anyone who OVER-relies on stats (HCJ) simply does not understand basketball.

What if I told you I was the coach of a travelling team that has a win percentage of .800 over the last five years?

Juany8: +1

I often disagree with you hoolahoop, but I can at least respect the way you form your opinions and the fact that you don’t feel the need to insult everyone who doesn’t agree with you.

If you’re trying to use psychology to make me act like a better person, it’s working.

Juany8:
Also for the statistical point I made earlier, here’s a link to the 82games.com page and the on/off +/- numbers for the Knicks. Looking around a few teams, the Lakers in particular have similar problems to ours, that they’re a pretty good team with Kobe in the lineup, ball hogging and all, and a horrendous team when he’s off the court. He’s also the only person on that team that can realistically dribble under pressure, so the team utterly collapses without him, and their role players also have a fascinating inability to hit 3?s.

http://www.82games.com/1112/1112NYK.HTM

For comparison, here’s the pages for the Bulls, Lakers, and Heat.

http://www.82games.com/1112/1112CHI.HTM

http://www.82games.com/1112/1112LAL.HTM

http://www.82games.com/1112/1112MIA.HTM

Another variable to consider – when a team usually plays with a ball hogging, iso player, it’s not like the team can just turn on another system of playing whenever their chucker is on the bench. . . and expect to execute as well as if they were playing that style all the time.
Anyone who OVER-relies on stats (HCJ) simply does not understand basketball.

Juany8:
I totally messed up earlier, I should have clarified that I meant he’s by far the most important player on our team purely because of his skill set (dribbling is kind of important when running a pick and roll), I honestly didn’t mean he’s even close to MVP contention, or will be at any point this season. Just that this team is totally broken without him, mostly because the front office gave the Knicks the most awful players 4-9 in the league. Maybe he shouldn’t be payed a max contract or make all star teams or whatever, but who else can actually handle the ball on this team? Freaking Mo Williams would have an enormous impact on this team, even with Melo out.

I’m glad you got your KB account back.

Frank O.:
I’m not a D’Antoni hater, nor am I an apologist.
In the case of Melo, D’Antoni should have made the call to shut him down several games ago when it was apparent he was not playing nearly as well as he could. The Knicks suffered through several games, terrible losses, with Melo limping around. Now they will have to wait a period of time before he is healthy enough to go.
Meanwhile, team confidence – not to mention Melo’s – is trashed.
You know, baseball managers make decisions to hold out hurt players all the time. In this case, Mike D. needed to see something was off.

Not only that, he often leaves the big guns in during garbage time, even when they’re hampered with injuries. It’s dumbfounding.

hoolahoop: The new basketball metric system
Gather statistics as you see fit. Regardless of how ridiculous the conclusions you come to may be, stick to the results. Under no circumstances whatsoever, believe what you eyes tell you or use any subjective human determinations.
/sarcasm

+1

I often disagree with you hoolahoop, but I can at least respect the way you form your opinions and the fact that you don’t feel the need to insult everyone who doesn’t agree with you.