The Official Dwayne Wade <<<<<< you thread

Having a shot at Wiggins(or Parker, or Embiid or Randle or Smart or Exum) is infinitely better than being a treadmill team who has 0 chance of winning more than a game in the playoffs.

Durant doing Durant things

at anyone thinking MVP is even a debate at this point...

even Bron saying it's KD right now

dmize wrote: at anyone thinking MVP is even a debate at this point...

even Bron saying it's KD right now

Best player in the league, surly deserves the MVP.

dmize wrote:Having a shot at Wiggins(or Parker, or Embiid or Randle or Smart or Exum) is infinitely better than being a treadmill team who has 0 chance of winning more than a game in the playoffs.

you realize this is the Eastern Conference right lmao Raptors could easily win a series


they just knocked off the Nets without there best scorer, a team they could play in the first round potentially.

plus I believe in Ujiri ffs

nah they're gonna trade Lowry before the end of the year, Ujiri is too smart not to(free agent after the season)

and then who are they beating

and what is Ujiri gonna trade him for if he does? Peanuts?....or substantial return? especially the way he is playing

idk they had an offer of Felton/MWP/1st rounder MU almost accepted

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/231670/Raptors-Remain-Interested-In-Trading-Kyle-Lowry

shoulda pulled the trigger earlier

ya before Lowry was in the conversation of going to the All Star game, I believe in Ujiri that he will do the right thing,....and it's not out of the question they re sign him....the way he speaks after the games doesn't seem like he is in a hurry to leave Toronto

him and Demar get along great too

dmize wrote:idk they had an offer of Felton/MWP/1st rounder MU almost accepted

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/231670/Raptors-Remain-Interested-In-Trading-Kyle-Lowry

shoulda pulled the trigger earlier

There is not much we can get for him, trading him and we might as well give up the season. I think he will be a Raptor come next year, him and Demar have a great relationship.

Knicks fans have argued about whether Anthony passes the ball enough since he arrived in New York in 2011. But that debate actually feeds another, larger issue that may shed some light on whether Anthony, who will be a free agent after this season, is a good fit for the Knicks moving forward: Is his playing style helpful or hurtful to a team's chances of winning a championship?

On the smaller scale, it's reasonable to argue that Anthony, who goes one-on-one with defenders more than any other NBA player, isn't the most willing passer. After all, last season—considered by many his best as a pro—he became just the third wing player in league history to finish 35% or more of his team's possessions over an entire season and finish with fewer than three assists per game.

Anthony's supporters are quick to point out that when he surrenders the ball, his teammates often fail to make the resulting shot. That helps explain why he's averaging just 3.1 assists a game. "When Melo's double-teamed, most of the time he passes the ball. It's up to other guys to hit shots," said coach Mike Woodson.

New technology that can track how many passes a player makes in a game, as well as how many assists that player would have if his teammates converted each shot opportunity, helps clarify which players are best at putting teammates in position to score. Not all passes, of course, are designed to lead to shots—outlet passes stemming from a rebound, for example, or passes meant to establish better post-up position for the receiver. So it's best to look at what percentage of a player's passes lead directly to an assist opportunity.

According to the player tracking technology at SportVU, Anthony makes 42.7 passes a game. That's comparable to other 20-point-per-game small forwards, such as Miami's LeBron James (49.4), Indiana's Paul George (46.7), Orlando's Arron Afflalo (44.2) and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (37.7). Of Anthony's 42.7 passes, about 6.5 a game would become assists if his teammates hit all the shots they created. In other words, about 15% of Anthony's passes lead to a scoring opportunity.

How does that rate rank among the aforementioned group? At the bottom, far behind those of Durant (32%) and James (24%), and still trailing Afflalo (17.8%) and George's (15.2%). Moreover, Anthony's 0.7 "hockey assists" per game—passes that lead to an assist for someone else—are on the low end for the group.

But even if he isn't setting up his teammates as frequently as other players around the NBA do, that's not to suggest that Anthony doesn't put his fellow Knicks in good positions to score. Anthony's teammates shoot 47.6% (126-of-264) after receiving one of his passes, much better than their 43.4% (1,203-of-2,772) mark in other situations.

Really, Anthony's passing, or lack thereof, is usually a function of what type of play he's involved in, and where he's standing on the court. When he's isolating or double-teamed on the right side of the floor, Anthony is generally poor at distributing. (The Knicks shoot 11%, for 0.22 points, per play when he breaks an isolation to find a spot-up shooter, and just 36.7%, for 0.94 points per play, when he passes out of a double-team from the right, per Synergy Sports.) He passes the ball almost twice as frequently—and twice as well—when he's double-teamed on the left side of the floor. The Knicks shoot 67% (51-of-76) and score two points per play when Anthony whips the ball from the left post, making him the NBA's most effective passer in such situations.

It's not easy racking up assists when you're busy going 23-of-35 from the floor. But regardless of how well or how often Anthony passes the ball, some fans will always believe he's nothing more than a volume scorer, and that's it's not enough to win a championship ring.

"The only way to [change] that is to win," said Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant, who dished out a total of two assists during his historic 81-point game in 2006. "Even now, with five championships, some of y'all still say that about me."

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303277704579346930800412624?mod=WSJ_NY_Sports_LEFTTopStories&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303277704579346930800412624.html%3Fmod%3DWSJ_NY_Sports_LEFTTopStories

Great read, but I didn't like the premise being built around if Melo hurts or helps the Knicks in terms of championship. I know I joke about them (Knicks) a lot, but that is only because they've been a joke franchise for a while now. Management has ruined that roster for the time being and there aren't many moves to make. At this point I think it would be best for parties to move on. Who have the Knicks really given Melo to work with: Amare (shadow of himself), Metta World Peace, J.R. Smith...do they expect Melo to do something with these pieces.

Keep in mind I have barely watched a game this season, so take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.

For those of you who watch more Knicks games: do you feel that Melo needs to share the ball more?

I have seen a lot of Knicks this season..... mainly because they are always on the f*cking TV.

While its true there are times when Melo could pass, but what's the point seriously? 9/10 his team mates will probably miss and him going for a 6/10 shot is probably the better option.

Melo needs to do one of two things.... take a leaf out of Kobe's book and knock the damn door down and demand the pieces be put together to help him compete.

Or leave for a team that will, he's a very good player who is in the wrong situation and won't win shit in that environment unless he's given the help he needs.

My view is this overall.

Your in NY. That mean's that anything less than a title means your going to get a ton of shit. Its unfair, they aint won in forever so I dont get why its like that..but the fact is, its so big and big market your totally under the microscope.

Before Melo it was Marbury, before him it was Allan Houston and Spreewell, before them it Ewing...all were slandered for not winning, some of it was fair, but nobody gave a crap what the problems with the roster is..its still down to you.

Ewing especially, he did alot for the Knicks but got nothing.

Melo has/had to win, only way to justify his game..like Kobe said.

Could Melo pass more? Sure he could. But the cold facts are no matter what way he wants to play, the Knicks cant win and have not had a team capable of winning with him.

Amare was a beast before his injury, but even if healthy it wouldnt be enough because both of them play in the same spaces in the half court. Outside of him, the talent is not there at all. The only way for Melo to win would be the Dirk way, go completely ape while being surrounded by the right pieces and the right coach.

NY are too hamstringed to fix the roster well enough, they need to cut it out now and firesale for cap space.

He should just jump ship, that organization isn't going anywhere..  

Amar'e has been injured for a few years and they haven't been able to bring in another all star side kick for him.. Pretty disgraceful

Dwight getting absolutely embarrassed by Duncan. Embarrassed.

The difference in skills is immense.

izzy wrote:Dwight getting absolutely embarrassed by Duncan. Embarrassed.

The difference in skills is immense.

U mad?

Anyway, Spurs are trash now.

5-15 started off 2-10

10 post shots when literally anyone could hit 2-10 from 50 feet+


Dwight would rather focus on the Nae Nae dance though

Marcin Gortat is so fxcking shit, he slapped two potential rebounds in a row out of bounds for no reason when he could of just grabbed the ball.. Then he misses an open shot from right under the basket while not being defended

dmize wrote:5-15 :lol:started off 2-10

10 post shots when literally anyone could hit 2-10 from 50 feet+


Dwight would rather focus on the Nae Nae dance though

Dudes shouldn't be doing that dance..... As a matter of fact nobody should be doing that dance

Getting schooled by a man who was close to retirement in the summer. Shockingly overrated.

• It’s been an odd year for Kevin Garnett, the worst of his career in many respects. But diminished playing time (he averages just 22 minutes per game) has helped obscure the fact that Garnett has actually done a pretty marvelous job on the glass — a necessity for a team playing without Brook Lopez and that recently has turned to lineups without a traditional power forward. Brooklyn needs Garnett to be a rebounding force, and in limited minutes he’s delivered: The 37-year-old has secured a startling 31.5 percent of available defensive rebounds, the best mark in the NBA.

That he averages a mere 6.9 rebounds per game helps hide that superlative rebounding in plain sight, but when on the floor Garnett has quietly been one of the most prolific rebounders in the NBA this season. You can tell everybody. Yeah, you can tell everybody. Go ahead and tell everybody. He’s the man, he’s the man, he’s the man.

• Damian Lillard is more shooter than finisher, but that doesn’t totally explain why the Blazers’ lead guard — who ranks in the top 20 in drives per game, according to SportVU — shoots just 33 percent on his drives. For contrast, the stylistically similar Stephen Curry completes 47.9 percent of his field goal attempts on drives. Thirty-three percent, on the other hand, is well into Brandon Jennings/Dion Waiters territory. Considering that Lillard is clever, skilled and athletic, what gives?

Gil wrote:U mad?

Anyway, Spurs are trash now.

Are you serious?

5-15? 2-10 in the post? Against Duncan?

Where are the post skills he was making noise about? You know, those skills he went to get from Hakeem and Mchale?

Also, don't you get on Rudy Gay and his lack of efficiency? What about Howard? No surprise you leave that out.

10 years in the league. ZERO post skills.

Biggest game of the season tonight

Hope D-Wade sits this one out so it can be more of an individual battle between KD and LeBron

Btw what do you guys think of people calling KD the 'Slim Reaper'? I think its dope, but apparently he doesn't like it and prefers to be called KD..

Slip Reaper > KD (Not a real nickname) or Durantula

I don't think y'all win without Wade personally.

Nice to see the KD and Lebron matchup of course but i'd give OKC the edge if Wade is out.

I hear he's going to start though.

1. Iceberg Slim is the best nickname for him.

Anyway, this game is more for KD. Hopefully he drops 40.

Heat will probably raise their game, expect them to pull away once the 4th quarter starts.

No matter what happens, it's a win-win for KD tonight.