Is this year championship or bust?

[D-Leethal]

Its probably a bit of both. He's become an incredible long range shooter and thats where the added efficiency comes from. I haven't looked at the numbers recently, but a few weeks ago his long 2s were down substantially in comparison to previous years. I alway said shot selection was what separated 'Melo from elite scorers and in my opinion he closed that gap so far this season.

I realize his distribution numbers are down but his passes seem less forced than before imo.

I think the way teams double Melo, he makes the easy pass to the guy '1 pass away', which normally turns into a swing pass to the wide open guy. Prime example was the seal-the-deal 3 from Kidd in the Magic game where JR got the assist but it was all Melo.

His distribution numbers may be down, but IMO, his actual distribution of the ball is way up. Hes picking his spots better than I have ever seen from him.

[D-Leethal]

Your stance makes no sense to me. They have overachieved already.

You didn't believe they were talented enough for a #1 seed before this season started. You thought we'd be worse than last year since we lost Insanity to Houston.

I said they'd be a 3 seed. So if they make 3 seed (which is not in the bag) then I am happy. If we go higher I am ecstatic.

Miami is still the team to beat in this league and it is conceivable that Boston or Chicago can be the best team in the 2nd half.

I am happy we are doing better than you said we would and I will be happy if we finish better than you said we would. But, now you've set the bar to a championship???? WTF?

Do you relish disappointment?

Nobody predicted we would be this good, but we are this good. Since we are this good, 2nd round exit is no bueno to me. Expectations can change the more you find out about your team. We know way more about this team than we did before the season started and expectations should adjust accordingly.

Quite honestly, I think everyone here deep down wanted to say we were title contenders but after predicting 50+ wins last season top 4 seed and all that, this off season was 'I need to see it before I believe it'.

Well, now I seen't it, time to believe it.

[oballers]

Nobody predicted we would be this good, but we are this good. Since we are this good, 2nd round exit is no bueno to me. Expectations can change the more you find out about your team. We know way more about this team than we did before the season started and expectations should adjust accordingly.

Quite honestly, I think everyone here deep down wanted to say we were title contenders but after predicting 50+ wins last season top 4 seed and all that, this off season was 'I need to see it before I believe it'.

Well, now I seen't it, time to believe it.

We could run into Derrick Rose playing like Adrian Peterson in the 2nd round on a worst case scenario and (I won't jinx us by coming up with a scenario here) but we could be on a worst case scenario as far as our team's health at that stage. Then what?

If that happened, I'd think that I like the potential we have here. We gave it our best. We at least met my preseason expectations if not surpassed them and let's move those extra few inches next year. As a fan of a team thats won 1 playoff game in more than 10 years how can you not be happy with that? We seem to be lacking a bit of humility.

I'd rather be surprised and elated that we make the ECF than to say that anything less than a CHIP is a bust!!! You can't convince me otherwise. I can't see how one can enjoy sports with that attitude of entitlement.

This is still work and there are still a lot of very good teams out there that can get better via trade and or injured players coming back or gelling/chemistry. If that wasn't the case what would be the point of playing the games?

[oballers]

Nobody predicted we would be this good, but we are this good. Since we are this good, 2nd round exit is no bueno to me. Expectations can change the more you find out about your team. We know way more about this team than we did before the season started and expectations should adjust accordingly.

Quite honestly, I think everyone here deep down wanted to say we were title contenders but after predicting 50+ wins last season top 4 seed and all that, this off season was 'I need to see it before I believe it'.

Well, now I seen't it, time to believe it.

BTW, there is a difference between saying we are a title contender and saying that if we don't win a title then the year is a bust.

There is a huge, vast, cavernous difference.

[D-Leethal]

BTW, there is a difference between saying we are a title contender and saying that if we don't win a title then the year is a bust.

There is a huge, vast, cavernous difference.

I agree with you here.

As far as the Rose statements, yea, I will be pissed if the Bulls beat us, Rose or no Rose. We are deeper and our star is better. We have more talent and firepower. The Bulls scare the **** out of me but we should win that, and I would be dissapointed if we didn't.

[Kashmir13579]

Your stance makes no sense to me. They have overachieved already.

You didn't believe they were talented enough for a #1 seed before this season started. You thought we'd be worse than last year since we lost Insanity to Houston.

I said they'd be a 3 seed. So if they make 3 seed (which is not in the bag) then I am happy. If we go higher I am ecstatic.

Miami is still the team to beat in this league and it is conceivable that Boston or Chicago can be the best team in the 2nd half.

I am happy we are doing better than you said we would and I will be happy if we finish better than you said we would. But, now you've set the bar to a championship???? WTF?

Do you relish disappointment?

You assume too much. I maintained after the Lindecision that we had a better product this year. I had us at anywhere from 4-6 and making the second round as a best case scenario. I was obviously wrong and i don't mind eating crow.

I said before the season started that we had a one year window, and if we didn't win a championship this year, the FO failed big time. The only thing that has changed since then is now i actually believe we can win a championship.

[97NYer]

ECF or bust. I still answered yes because a loss to the Heat in the ECF doesn't even get us a conference championship. We've blown out the Heat twice this season, and regular season or not we match up fairly well with them. I like our chances to win it all when healthy and with Carmelo in contention for MVP. Hopefully we can steal the 1 seed from Miami but we certainly can't slip past 2.

[97NYer]

Also don't forget we have our first rounder and have been drafting very well in recent years. And in 3 years our entire team expires, so the future is bright even if we don't win it all this year.

[NoSleepTill]

don't think it's a bust if they don't win it all. Wasn't expecting them to. They already exceeded what to expect of them this year by the way they're playing, Smart basketball with maximum effort and very happy for it. If they don't win it all, at least go out with a max effort.

[still a fan]

Best case scenario for the knicks is that they become the east coast equivalent of the spurs: a team with veteran talent that puts up gaudy regular season win totals, but can't quite get over the hump in the playoffs, getting outrun and outgunned by younger, more athletic teams (of course every team in nba history has been younger than the knicks so my prediction is already half correct by definition).

It's just unbelievable how few wins this team has produced given the amount of money committed to carmela and amare.

okay I'll bite on this:

1. Same amt as the Heat only they have 3 players making that money?

2. 4 more than the Nets who have two max players and team salary of over 7 mil more than us?

3. 8 more than the Lakers who have 3 max players making 28, 19, and 19?

4. 8 more than Philly who has 2 players making only 1 mil less than our two guys?



And Amare has played in how many games? Iman has played in how many games?

What exactly was your point when you typed that? Knicks are at top of the East and has played with the most injuries of any team this year?

I actually think we overachieved.

If you want to go back to those 90mil yr's when we weren't a .500 team okay but 23-10??????????

[still a fan]

Championship or bust. I don't think we get better next year.

how is that not possible?

Same team and the injured won't be injured lol.......

Next year its like adding Amare, Iman, now Felton, our MLE and draft pick? Hard not to get better.

[29$JerZ]

how is that not possible?

Same team and the injured won't be injured lol.......

Next year its like adding Amare, Iman, now Felton, our MLE and draft pick? Hard not to get better.

Well we in all likelihood will be losing Camby, Sheed, and Thomas. I can see Camby retiring next season or the final year of his deal.
Kidd will be another year older.

Our front court depth roster will take a huge hit just because of age.
We;d need to retool there. There is only so much a 1st rounder can bring to a team.

[Kashmir13579]

how is that not possible?

Same team and the injured won't be injured lol.......

Next year its like adding Amare, Iman, now Felton, our MLE and draft pick? Hard not to get better.

The same team but a year older. And how are we adding Felton next year? We already have the sonofa*****.

[roshan3ai]

how is that not possible?

Same team and the injured won't be injured lol.......

Next year its like adding Amare, Iman, now Felton, our MLE and draft pick? Hard not to get better.

Assuming that everyone stays healthy, you're right. But that's very unlikely. Especially with guys like Camby, Sheed, Thomas, and Kidd who are going to be a year older.

I still think we have a 2-3 year window though. Melo is going to still be in his prime as will Chandler. Amar'e will have had another year to gel with this team and Iman will mostly likely get better. JR and Felton shouldn't be getting much worse either. Our role players are getting older, but our core shouldn't get worse. Rather, they should be better after a year of playing together and hopefully a deep playoff run.

[still a fan]

Well we in all likelihood will be losing Camby, Sheed, and Thomas. I can see Camby retiring next season or the final year of his deal.
Kidd will be another year older.

Our front court depth roster will take a huge hit just because of age.
We;d need to retool there. There is only so much a 1st rounder can bring to a team.

Camby actually has a 3 year deal he's going no place

KT leaving, so what? we will get better and he won't dress soon?

We win or come close Sheed's relationship with Woody I see another run with this team, the way he speaks about the players and talent I think he'll have another season in him.

Every year Kidd is a year older and every year, he may not have the STATS but he makes his team better. This yr, Dirk just said a day ago, we are missing Kidd more than anything with just his presence alone.

So next yr we will be told once again Kidd is too old and I'll say thank you, here comes Kidd being Kidd.

We have the over 5 mil MLE to retool the front court if needed and the draft to get a young pg to learn from Kidd and back up Ray.

Iman will only be better at the SG.

And someone said how do we sign JR? By the Cap rules he will earn 5.1 MIL by turning down his players option and signing with the Knicks for the 104% over the MLE which was just over 5 MIL.