NBA 2016-2017 Season Thread

[RFX45]



I've always thought that Lin was bound to disappoint next season. not because he's a bad player but because someone was going to overpay him for that 20-game stretch before getting injured. I think he's a good guy and want him to succeed for many different reasons but I don't see him playing consistently enough going forward to become an all star or the player to change the Knicks' fortunes.

with that said, I think the Knicks should have matched his salary over trading for Felton. that's simply indefensible

To be honest, the money he will attract in NY alone is enough to match that offer. I mean it's a 4 yr $28mil offer but the first two years are $4mil each and then the 3rd & 4th year is around $9mil-$10mil and I think the 4th year is optional. I think that is a good deal for someone who sold out in jerseys and the arena in Madison Square Garden last year. They even managed to bump up the ticket price and it still sold out in arenas everywhere.

 

[edmorel]



I've always thought that Lin was bound to disappoint next season. not because he's a bad player but because someone was going to overpay him for that 20-game stretch before getting injured. I think he's a good guy and want him to succeed for many different reasons but I don't see him playing consistently enough going forward to become an all star or the player to change the Knicks' fortunes.
with that said, I think the Knicks should have matched his salary over trading for Felton. that's simply indefensible

I disagree about Lin, I think he has shown the mental toughness to succeed in the league. Yes it was only 25 games but people act like all sorts of mediocre players regularly have 25 game stretches where they average a double/double and drop 30+ on the Lakers and Mavericks and take a team of backups to a huge winning streak. Everyone says, yeah Linsanity was against weak teams but they forget that Lin was winning without his teams stars. Jefferies was scoring 12-15 a game, Chandler was scoring, Fields looked like he was worth the 19 million he just signed for, Novak became the 3 point god, Stats was beasting, it was not only a memorable streak , it was a streak where the team was playing team ball, 4-5 guys averaging double figures, defense was being played, players were excited. That was Lin. Whether you want to admit it or not. Melo comes back, takes over the team, gets more shots up than anyone, sometimes doesn't even bother to cross the halfcourt line when the other team is breaking and the Knicks go into the *******. Regardless of who they bring in, if Melo is allowed to take 22-25 shots a game (and under Woodson he will), and hold onto the ball for full sets, its game over for us. How many games did Stats start off 5-5 or 6-7 only then to never see the ball again because Melo was hoisting. The team when Lin was running it was very different then when the "stars" came back, it was worse. That's the point guard and I guess Lin probably would not have been able to replicate it with the Knicks again this year because Melo will not allow that, his complaint on playing with Lin was that "he was not used to playing with a point guard that had the ball so much" The PG should be the one with the ball all the time and you should be moving and going through picks so that when you get the ball, you are ready to shoot, not hold onto the ball for 15-18 seconds.

 

[HRoi]

true, and I guess Houston thinks he'll have the same effect there.

it sounds like a good business decision but not necessarily a good basketball decision - in year 3 the entire Knicks cap will basically be Lin, Chandler, Anthony and Stoudemire (Lin's 3rd year is almost $15MM, with luxury tax the hit to the Knicks is about $30MM)...and they aren't even going to get to the second round with those guys

edit - regarding Ed's point, my uncertainty about Lin can be summed up as follows: the same guy who revitalized the entire Knicks team for a stretch of the season is the same guy who got cut twice, once by his hometown team. I still don't know which player he is - if he is actually the midpoint between the two, then that's a $5MM player, not an all star or a $10mm one

 

[RFX45]

Suns won big on Scola. I'm surprised they beat out Dallas.

 

[NAMOR]

Can't wait for the fantasy bball season. So many changes, should make for an interesting draft.

 

[Harbin]

Suns , welcome to being mediocre

 

[deveandepot1]

Magic, Lakers, Cavs, trade keeps coming up.
http://www.examiner.com/article/lak...working-on-three-team-trade-for-dwight-howard

Do the Cavs have anything the Magic want?

 

[HRoi]

"It's been 17 years. I probably got another three years left, max,"

http://www.examiner.com/article/kobe-bryant-on-retirement-another-three-years-left-max

will he get his 6th ring and the scoring title before 2015?

 

[dfagdfsh]

why would he want a scoring title?

 

[skitlets]



Suns , welcome to being mediocre

They've been mediocre for a while now.

 

[HRoi]



why would he want a scoring title?

i meant the all time scoring record, currently held by Kareem. and i'm sure he wants it.

although i just looked at the record and it's about 9000 points away, so he'd need to average more than 30 over the reg season and playoffs for the next three years to get it. i don't think it's possible

 

[Gibonius]



Suns , welcome to being mediocre

I think that train left the station in 2010.

 

[deveandepot1]



i meant the all time scoring record, currently held by Kareem. and i'm sure he wants it.

If he gets it, he will only hold it for 6 or 7 years before Lebron takes it.

 

[thinman]



I disagree about Lin, I think he has shown the mental toughness to succeed in the league. Yes it was only 25 games but people act like all sorts of mediocre players regularly have 25 game stretches where they average a double/double and drop 30+ on the Lakers and Mavericks and take a team of backups to a huge winning streak. Everyone says, yeah Linsanity was against weak teams but they forget that Lin was winning without his teams stars. Jefferies was scoring 12-15 a game, Chandler was scoring, Fields looked like he was worth the 19 million he just signed for, Novak became the 3 point god, Stats was beasting, it was not only a memorable streak , it was a streak where the team was playing team ball, 4-5 guys averaging double figures, defense was being played, players were excited. That was Lin. Whether you want to admit it or not. Melo comes back, takes over the team, gets more shots up than anyone, sometimes doesn't even bother to cross the halfcourt line when the other team is breaking and the Knicks go into the *******. Regardless of who they bring in, if Melo is allowed to take 22-25 shots a game (and under Woodson he will), and hold onto the ball for full sets, its game over for us. How many games did Stats start off 5-5 or 6-7 only then to never see the ball again because Melo was hoisting. The team when Lin was running it was very different then when the "stars" came back, it was worse. That's the point guard and I guess Lin probably would not have been able to replicate it with the Knicks again this year because Melo will not allow that, his complaint on playing with Lin was that "he was not used to playing with a point guard that had the ball so much" The PG should be the one with the ball all the time and you should be moving and going through picks so that when you get the ball, you are ready to shoot, not hold onto the ball for 15-18 seconds.

I agree with all of this, though in a worst-case scenario, if the Knicks match Houston's offer to Lin and he doesn't continue his great play, they still gain financially, if only for a season or two. I've never been a fan of Melo and don't think any team can win a championship with him, unless he decides he wants to play some D. He's the consummate selfish player.

 

[edmorel]



I agree with all of this, though in a worst-case scenario, if the Knicks match Houston's offer to Lin and he doesn't continue his great play, they still gain financially, if only for a season or two. I've never been a fan of Melo and don't think any team can win a championship with him, unless he decides he wants to play some D. He's the consummate selfish player.

I actually hope NY does not match and Lin goes to Houston, I think that will be the best thing that can happen to him as a basketball player. He'll get to start, play heavy and lead the team because of the lack of stars there. If somehow they swing Howard, I think that also helps him tremendously and I think Howard will play very well with him. Remember how Chandler played offensively during Linsanity and Chandler is not what anyone would call an offensive player.

Financially, the Knicks would only really lose with Lin if he turns into Toney Douglas. Obviously that is possible but not likely. This luxury tax is a red herring, the real issue is that Dolan is a big baby and loves to hold grudges. They are pissed the Lin reworked the deal and "betrayed" them but they don't mention that they basically told him to go **** off and find someone else that was willing to pay him, they didn't even attempt to put a contract in front of him. If this is all business, then Lin has made a good business decision and the NYK might be making a very bad one. If this is about "loyalty and family" then I need Dolan to explain Jared Jefferies to me. Jefferies played his heart out every night and took less money to play for the Knicks, where is he now?

Regardless of whether the Knicks got Nash, Lin or CP3 next year, the team will live and die with Melo for the next three years. If he wants to be a 20+ point scorer, be the guy who takes the most and the last shots of the game, not play defense and not average at least 5 assists a game, they will be mediocre. He'll win big games for them, he'll lose big games. He has the skills to average a double/double and has the teammates where he should be averaging half a dozen assists. The knicks should have the best frontcourt in the east, if not the league but they have one guy who is a ball hog and the other two require a PG that can pick/roll and drive in order for them to score (knicks seem to love power forwards that can't play with their back to the basket). There has to be sacrifice from Melo in order for those three guys to succeed together. Melo can play the 3 or 4 and make Chandler and Amare into better offensive threats. Or he can drive to the rim 12x a game with his spin move trying to score on a double team and a rotating big.