It's not an ideal situation, to have held off for so long and still give up a hefty package. And we did pay nearly top dollar -- basically everything they asked for, minus Landry Fields. It hurts to lose that kind of homegrown, sentimental favorite player. The price was high, but not too high.
What to say about Carmelo? Not much to add on his offense. A smart Mike D'Antoni system with Amare and Melo out there together will be devastating (two of the top six scorers in the entire league!). And we could always have one of those top scorers on the floor if needed. It's not only about the buckets either; our rebounding shouldn't be as much of a liability any more.
The Knicks now have a great starting five -- I'm not one to come up with pseudo-specific rankings, so won't say "top 5" or anything. But we have unbelievable forward tandem, a savvy vet PG who nails the three, and near-perfect role players in Fields and Turiaf rounding it out. We even have some decent bench players in Douglas and Shawne Williams, but not enough in that department to be a contender yet.
Melo also has his skeptics out there, notably in the stat-head community. I'm not one to outright reject advanced bball stats based on under- or overrating a few players. But you can't take it at face value either. They're down on Amare too, but his impact on the Knicks has been real. Other players will come off better because of them. Looking at you, Toney!
Reactions from Game 1
We'll take the win. Worst case scenario would have been to lose a game with Carmelo shooting poorly (which he did until late), and end up with some hyped. Playing a mediocre team like the Bucks was lucky, same with having the Cavs next (no way we lose two to them this season!). It will take a little while to gel, particularly offensive ball movement and defensive rotations. Carmelo needs to develop a second mode -- of course we'll need the iso scoring, but we can't have him stopping the ball every time he touches it. But I have faith Coach D'Antoni will get in his head.
Also, let's have some faith in Donnie Walsh too. We need a backup center ASAP -- welcome back to New York, Earl Barron. Would love another three point bomber to spread the floor; not sure if Roger Mason or Andy Rautins get a shot (heh heh). Our first round pick this year will be key.
The team looks so different. No more moving the ball around the perimeter for the best trey look. Now, we always have at least one if not two elite scorers looking to get to the rim. Give it time, but looking forward to the playoffs!
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