Quote:
Originally Posted by twinturbo335
As much as I like Carmelo I liked the original lineup before the trade. They had young developing players like Felton and Gallinari that are consistently improving not to mention Mozgov.
Even with the trade, the Knicks are still definitely not a championship contender team. Until they acquire a legitimate Center or PG then that is a different story.
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Felton was having a career year and Gallinari is another roleplayer. Mosgov had like two double digit scoring games so far...
Beware of role players under D'Antoni's system. Fools gold I tell you. Barbosa, Boris Diaw, etc.. Look at the numbers those guys put up.
The Knicks are not a contender yet but it's not always about titles. You need to start somewhere first. Chauncy is still a good point guard and his expiring contract (team option next year) will be very valuable. He changed the culture in Denver. He got a lot of guys to play defense. If they did not lose to the Lakers that one year, they would have probably beat the Magic in the NBA Finals. He is a leader and will bring a winning attitude and show the rest of the young guys how to win.
You trade away a bunch of roleplayers for a top 10-15 young player in his prime ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. The Knicks could not afford to let him slip. They did not get the free agents they wanted off season so they paid to ensure they would get him for sure. Who knows what the new CBA would have allowed, so taking a player now is a much safer bet. Role players can be replaced.
Billups
Fields
Melo
Amare
Turiaf
That's a decent lineup. Sure it could use improving but a lot of people are overrating the Knicks roleplayers in D'Antoni's system.