NFT: Knicks Chat! RoLo and Williams are Knick

We got Robin Lopez, might not be the most talented guy but I love the way he plays. Now to bring Aldrich back or try to get another big on the cheap

"Knicks are grasping at straws" is so obnoxious. Like we are the first team to take a shot on a former number two pick.

In comment 12355858 Italianju said:

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"Knicks are grasping at straws" is so obnoxious. Like we are the first team to take a shot on a former number two pick.

I disagree, the Williams signing is exactly that a desperate move. There's nothing wrong with the truth. It is the reality of the situation. He is a bust that hopes to prove himself at the NBA level in a new spot, nothing wrong with that either. Knicks are in need of help in nearly all phases so beggars can't be picky.

A former #2 pick to a pretty small contract a desperate move? A desperate move would have been say signing Rondo to 10 mill or overpaying some other get type.

think there's anything desperate about it. I think 10 mil is about 4 mil too many, but that's nitpicking. He clearly has a ton of athletic ability and is only 1 year older than our rookie, Grant.

but I cant see how we benefit from this. 2016 is the goal -- a healthy year of Melo, Porz and Grant showing something, RoLo and Afflalo (if he opts in/resign) meshing, and then a new batch of FA dollars.

Williams at $5 million is either gone or a bad deal. He isnt sticking around to be out bargain. I could like with 5/1 or 10/2, but 5/1 with another 5/1 player option robs us of the potential upside in this upside signing. I also dont like it because worst case scenario he isnt a rotation player and may not help take the load off Melo on big PFs.

If by some miracle the light bulb goes off for Willams the Knicks would greatly benefit. Sometimes you can get lucky with this kind of move. You never know. Knicks pulled guys like Starks and mason from their ass maybe it happens again.

Who was out there that you'd spend $8-9 million on? The Knicks have room to add one more role player, hopefully a big man, and the MLE to bolster our bench? It's a low risk/medium reward type of move, because if he plays well he's giving us solid production on a cheap contract.

There's really no major options in FA next year other than a handful of SGs that aren't worth the max. So if he plays well, we have the inside track to keeping him without having to worry about room to spare. In all likelihood, Afflalo opts out and we can then use his money in addition to the cap increase to upgrade the 2.

And happy 4th fellas.

The Knicks would hold it Williams developed this year and opted out next. Knicks would be in great position to re-sign him. You think Williams would just walk away from the team that finally unearthed his talents?

the bar for desperation has been reset to a new level.The Mets signing Jason Bay or the Knicks signing Eddie Curry were desperate moves. This falls under the category of a move without any adjectives

Ledford said Robin, whose personality is personified by his wild, big hair, became instant buddies with Knicks president Phil Jackson after they met Thursday in Los Angeles. The Zen Master has his eccentric side, too.
“I know they hit it off in that respect,’’ said Ledford, a 6-foot former world-class swimmer at Stanford in the 1960s. “Rob and Phil will get along very well. Phil and Derek Fisher, they had a great conversation. Derek seemed a man of class. Robin enjoyed it.’’
Robin, 28, will be the center of attention in the Big Apple after spending the last two seasons in the small market of Portland. His mother said Knicks fans will get a kick out of Lopez, who is known more as a lunchpail center than an elite one. Robin and Brook both shared the frontcourt at their mother’s alma-mater.
“It played very well in Portland — it’s a quirky city,’’ Ledford said of Robin’s personality. “Robin is comfortable in his own skin. We come from a family that is artistic and athletic and not one-dimensional. And New York is the most diverse city in the world.’’

If Williams and Afflalo both opt out, we have $33 million in cap space. Where is that going to go to? There are no PGs other than Conley who are available who is probably going to re-sign because most contending teams have PGs already, and hopefully Grant shows he is capable of starting at PG.

There a a couple of free agent SGs that are intriguing. Eric Gordon, Mayo, and Wilson Chandler are just a few of the options available off the top of my head. If we don't like Afflalo as much as we do for those guys, we can land one of those guys, but it should not be more than $15 million by any stretch for those guys.

That leaves $18 million (assuming we spend the rest of our cap space this year on long term contracts, could be $20 million + if not). If Williams breaks out, we have enough to offer him to stay. If not, we have that money to play around with an upgrade at PF.

thinks KP could start



“He really doesn’t have a position,’’ one NBA personnel director said of Williams, who is considered a poor defensive player. “He’s the size of a 3, but really a 4. But he’s only 24 and he finally had a solid year.’’
Anthony still doesn’t have a legitimate secondary scoring option. Lopez is not that type of player. Greg Monroe, who spurned the Knicks on Thursday, would have filled that role.
Instead, Lopez is a solid, active center and — dare we say it — is not dissimilar to Tyson Chandler.
“He was the best option left on the board they realistically could get,’’ one NBA executive said. “It’s hard to say how the fit is considering how many holes they still have for the future. But he runs the floor, blocks shots, [has a] super motor and [is] comfortable doing the dirty work.’’

In comment 12355891 DanMetroMan said:

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thinks KP could start “He really doesn’t have a position,’’ one NBA personnel director said of Williams, who is considered a poor defensive player. “He’s the size of a 3, but really a 4. But he’s only 24 and he finally had a solid year.’’ Anthony still doesn’t have a legitimate secondary scoring option. Lopez is not that type of player. Greg Monroe, who spurned the Knicks on Thursday, would have filled that role. Instead, Lopez is a solid, active center and — dare we say it — is not dissimilar to Tyson Chandler. “He was the best option left on the board they realistically could get,’’ one NBA executive said. “It’s hard to say how the fit is considering how many holes they still have for the future. But he runs the floor, blocks shots, [has a] super motor and [is] comfortable doing the dirty work.’’

I've said before that I think KP played a huge role into the Ro Lo signing. He makes it possible for KP to go out there and play his game without banging with Centers.

I remember reading one fan's account of running into RoLo at Disney land by hinself. He went to the park alone to just ride roller coasters and stuff.

Both twins attend Comic Con every year and are huge batman fans.

I couldn't remember where I read it from, until I just googled it again. Bill Simmons mailbag (RIP Bill)

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For our senior trip, my high school graduating class went to Disneyland for the day. We entered the park at 7 a.m. and thirty minutes later saw Robin Lopez in line for a ride by himself wearing a Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers shirt. (I am still baffled there exists a market for seven foot men who want to wear shirts with Disney characters on them). Being from Arizona we wildly greeted him, as he had absolutely bombed for the Suns two years prior, to which we received the least enthusiastic wave in recorded history. Several hours later we saw a jovial Asian family riding the River Rapids ride with Robin Lopez as the sixth person on the ride. The sheer comedy of a diminutive Asian family and a seven foot NBA player with a red afro sharing the same ride cannot be explained, it seriously might have been the funniest thing I have ever seen. At 10 PM I again saw him completely alone, and again tried to start a conversation with him, which he completely ignored. In case your keeping track, that’s 13 hours at Disneyland, completely by himself, wearing a children’s T-shirt. —Daniel Skelly, Scottsdale

Good in the triangle? Afflalo is a strong midrange shooter. He hit 46.1 percent of his midrange shots last season -- the tenth-highest percentage in the league (minimum 200 attempts).

Afflalo’s field-goal percentage in the midrange was nearly seven percent higher than the league average (39.6 percent).

The midrange shot, of course, is considered one of the least valuable in basketball among many analysts. For better or for worse (worse, mostly), the Knicks relied heavily on the shot during their 17-win season.

New York ranked fourth in the NBA in field goal attempts per game between 15-19 feet last season.

If the Knicks continue this trend next season, Afflalo could benefit.

Carmelo’s second option? For most of his 4 ½ seasons in New York, Carmelo Anthony hasn’t had a consistent secondary scoring option. Recent history suggests Afflalo may fill that void.

Anthony and Afflalo were on the court together for 119 games between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets were +231 in 2,624 minutes with Anthony and Afflalo on court together during that span.

Afflalo seemed to thrive on the perimeter in his last season with Anthony. He shot 47.6 percent from 3-point range in 2010-11 when on the court with Anthony and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc when he wasn't on the court with him.

(He is a career 39 percent 3-point shooter.)

Coming off of a subpar season? Afflalo had a career season in 2013-14 in Orlando. He scored 18 points per game and hit 42 percent of his 3-point attempts. He struggled last season, though, scoring 13.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting.

Afflalo recorded a PER of 10.9 in 2014-15. That was the third-to-last among 107 players with at least 2,000 minutes in 2014-15 -- a troubling number for New York.

Numbers suggest that Afflalo had a tough time on defense last season. He ranked 73rd among shooting guards in defensive RPM, a measure of a players impact on team defense. In 2013-14, Afflalo ranked 65th among shooting guards. This may be problematic for a Knicks team that struggled to defend the perimeter last season.

You gotta love some RoLo.

be pretty cool if Zinger was able to start from Day 1.

This team a playoff team in a weak east.

In comment 12355907 jamesmichaelworm said:

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This team a playoff team in a weak east.

It's really hard to say. Really depends on what Afflalo and Calderon we see, how much Grant/KP are able to contribute, and how Galloway, Williams and Shved(if returns) develop. It's really a wait and see.

Heat and Pacers will be a lot stronger, so we'd have to bank on the celtics and nets to stay the same or get a little worse. The Raptors and Wizards were both God awful post-all star break last year so we gotta hope that trend continued. Wizards lost Paul pierce but the Raptors gained Carroll, so we'll see how those two play out. I think Washington has a huge chance of falling off from what strides they made last year.

In comment 12355877 djm said:

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If by some miracle the light bulb goes off for Willams the Knicks would greatly benefit. Sometimes you can get lucky with this kind of move. You never know. Knicks pulled guys like Starks and mason from their ass maybe it happens again.

That would be great, but I agree with Deej - the contract structure doesn't favor us. It's 2 years, so if he sucks we're on the hook for year 2. He's got an opt out after '15, so if he does bounce back he likely walks.

Only thing to keep in mind is what happens with the Giants very often. Just because you'd like to get favorable terms on a contract doesn't mean the player will give them to you. People scream about our one year contracts as if Reese can magically force these guys to sign 3 year min contracts, and it's no different here. If Williams had options, then maybe the Knicks had no choice but to commit a second year to him.

In comment 12355904 Jon in NYC said:

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be pretty cool if Zinger was able to start from Day 1.

I think he has to start the whole year, even if he struggles. Sink or swim. He's a talent. I don't know what you gain if you protect him from minutes, and I don't know if I believe in learning from the bench.

And, Phil's old school. He lived through an era where Rookies were kept in a closet. My hope is that he lets the kid play.

The Mavs threw Dirk out there, and even though he suffered, it paid dividends the next year.

In comment 12355907 jamesmichaelworm said:

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This team a playoff team in a weak east.

Is this a question. Does your question mark key work.

Last season, the popular gif because of the Phil Jackson acquisition was



I think it's only fair to seamlessly change that gif to this

Letting him start and giving him 25 minutes a game. I'm certainly hoping he can contribute but the worst thing that can happen to an athlete is losing his confidence. Having him go up against the Dwight Howard's and David Wests of the NBA at the start of each game may not be the best way to build up his confidence. But I certainly hope he receives 25 minutes a game at least

50% shooting in 1st summer league game.

Myles Turner: 20 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in 1st game.

David Wests defense is only good in reputation at this point. Dwight Howard, on the other hand, is still a dominant big and should be considered a different animal than West. Luckily, it would be Robin Lopez starting against Dwight Howard, and not KP.

In what situation would that ever happen?

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In comment 12355946 PhiPsi125 said:

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Haha. When someone asks you to take care of something that means to douse it in gasoline and light it on fire. Why doesn't anybody get that?

In comment 12355939 robbieballs2003 said:

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In what situation would that ever happen?

Umm on switches?

I was using those 2 more as examples of beefy guys with ridiculous strength. I was just saying those types of players could physically dominate him. I mean I could be wrong, but those are my thoughts. We have to wait and see what happens and what Phil does. Hopefully he plays in summer league so we can gauge how he will do against bigger guys.

It's a good short term tryout for a talented player.

He's not really a PF though. He's a bit like a cheaper version of Tobias Harris. But he should bring us some scoring. A better version of Lance Thomas. He won't ever be a star but he can be a rotational guy.

you'll find KP's strengths defensively (whatever they are) right now is his lateral ability for his size. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays most of his minutes at the 3 this year, with Melo at the 4.

is a true tweener and it's unusual a guy like that (who isn't a good defender) succeeds without a 3 ball. Coming out he had some David West comps, West took a while to develop but he's a rare 3/4 tweener. I'd say David West is the kind of player you pray Williams can somehow mimic.

Then it really doesn't matter whether or not KP starts.

I think KP will be fine starting with Ro Lo at Center. Whether or not KP actually starts is a completely different story.

My gut says not in the beginning of the season but he will at some point.

In comment 12355975 giantsfan44ab said:

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In comment 12355939 robbieballs2003 said: Quote: In what situation would that ever happen? Umm on switches? I was using those 2 more as examples of beefy guys with ridiculous strength. I was just saying those types of players could physically dominate him. I mean I could be wrong, but those are my thoughts. We have to wait and see what happens and what Phil does. Hopefully he plays in summer league so we can gauge how he will do against bigger guys.

How often do Centers and Power Forwards switch? Even then, that is coaching. We don't have coach Pussy Lips here anymore so I doubt we will switch on every single pick and roll. If we are worried about KP going up against guys on switches then we should be concerned about Lopez switching onto PGs or having Calderon guard Howard. KP will not be guarding Howard by our design so there really is no point to bring it up. If you bring that up then all the other possibilities should be brought up. We can take this further. If you are worried about Howard going up against KP then what about the other end of the court. Lets get Howard guarding KP so we draw him out of the paint which will open things up for Melo down low. It works both ways.

think KP eventually is a 5

loved the KP pick but if Fisher can't carve out at least 15 minutes per night I am going to be furious. Really hope it's not a Vonleh situation where they say the guy is raw and then never plays

In comment 12355985 DanMetroMan said:

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think KP eventually is a 5

Which is why his "ceiling" is so high. There are few things more valuable than a Center who can stretch the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense.

In comment 12355985 DanMetroMan said:

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think KP eventually is a 5

Imo, that is a long way away. He needs to fill out and get much stronger. As another poster pointed out, he might even play some at the three. I think that would be more likely than having him at the five this year.

wouldn't worry about position anyway. If he's good, he's good. No need to make "decisions"

in there to sink or swim. One of those two options is drowning to death. It's like the people who want to rush baseball prospects. One Mets poster always says if you can hit at A/AA, you can hit in the majors. It just ignores player development.

Put Porz in a position to develop properly. Garnett played 28 minutes as a rookie w/ only 43 stars, and 38 minutes as a 2nd year guy all starting. Dirk started half his rookie games and averaged only 20 mpg. Aldridge played only 22 mpg as a rookie w/ 22 starts.

Every prospect analyst said that Porz would take some time to develop and physically mature. The development of Porz should not be compromised for 2015-16 success.

Would you want KP working more with the first team or second team? With the second unit he would be fed the ball more and the offense would probably move through him a lot. I think he would be better with the first team for the majority of the time though. Having Lopez out there helping him out would be a plus. Melo would take the pressure off of him offensively and should get him open looks. What do you guys think?

In comment 12355993 Deej said:

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The development of Porz should not be compromised for 2015-16 success.

People who are making the case for him to start are doing so for the exact opposite reason of this. They are saying they should risk this seasons success and start KP, even though he won't be the best option and will hit a wall because it will pay dividends in the future.

which is what we always expected.

In comment 12355995 robbieballs2003 said:

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Would you want KP working more with the first team or second team? With the second unit he would be fed the ball more and the offense would probably move through him a lot. I think he would be better with the first team for the majority of the time though. Having Lopez out there helping him out would be a plus. Melo would take the pressure off of him offensively and should get him open looks. What do you guys think?

I would want him on the 2nd team if they find a vet 5 to play next to him off the bench....coming off the bench allows him and grant to play off each other without having to worry about play off melo...he can be the focal point off the bench

In comment 12355993 Deej said:

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in there to sink or swim. One of those two options is drowning to death. It's like the people who want to rush baseball prospects. One Mets poster always says if you can hit at A/AA, you can hit in the majors. It just ignores player development. Put Porz in a position to develop properly. Garnett played 28 minutes as a rookie w/ only 43 stars, and 38 minutes as a 2nd year guy all starting. Dirk started half his rookie games and averaged only 20 mpg. Aldridge played only 22 mpg as a rookie w/ 22 starts. Every prospect analyst said that Porz would take some time to develop and physically mature. The development of Porz should not be compromised for 2015-16 success.

Huge difference between "sink or swim" and him not playing. Noah Vonleh (physically underdeveloped and raw) appeared in 25 games, 10 minutes per night. Anthony Bennett played 12.8 minutes per night as a rookie only appearing in 52 games. I don't see that being a positive.

In comment 12356001 Deej said:

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which is what we always expected.

So what position is he playing with the Spurs. Isn't Duncan their PF?

Duncan - LMA - Leonard - Green - Parker, with a bench of Manu, Diaw, Corey Joseph, and probably some veterans who sign there to win a title. Yikes.