KnicksGod wrote:I hated giving up Mozgov but until Gallo or Felton can fix their jumpers and become consistent shooters, the Knicks didn't really pay this huge price that someone like Cuban (who really doesn't understand the game of basketball) thinks we did.
Chandler is a good player 1) who is not on an All-Star trajectory and 2) whose trade/commodity value are low because he's about to be restricted.
Felton is a good player who I like a lot but who shoots a low percentage and who is just not the player that Billups is -- not as a shooter or playmaker. And by the way Cuban, Jason Kidd is not the player that Billups is.
Unless you like Mozgov as much as I do, then 70% of the trade probably comes down to Gallinari, who has some strides to make before you can say he's on an All-Star trajectory.
I don't want to obsess too much on All-Stars -- the Mavericks prove that you can build a good (maybe not title team, but a good one) through depth and one All-Star. But if you're making a trade in which you get back a young All-Star in his prime, plus a veteran great player, and don't give up any certain All-Stars ... then you didn't get killed in that trade.
I still maintain that the best upside player the Knicks dealt was Mozgov, not Gallo -- but then you have people like SVG saying that we were crazy to care about giving up Mozgov. But that's me.
If Gallo or Chandler do not materialize as top players, then the bottom line is that they are replaceable pieces. If Mozgov becomes a 15/10/2 type center, well 7-1 guys at that level are not easy to come by. That's why I think Mozgov is the only asset we gave up that I'm really worried about.
Could Gallo become really, really good? Yes. Do I think he showed solid signs that he will become that kind of player? No. Do I think he'll be more than a one-time All-Star in his career? I don't know but if I had to guess, I'd say no.
Melo is far from perfect but 25 PPG scorers speak for themselves. That's an elite player no matter how you cut it. And we may not have given up a single elite player to get him.
STRONGLY DISAGREE. Gallo is going to be an All-Star. This year the way his midrange game grew, the way he was drawing contact to take advantage of his FT shooting, his rotations and efforts on D, all that reminded me the most of Manu. His game has grown so much since that injury-shortened rookie year and his 3-point, one trick pony season, that I have little hesitation in saying that he will be a fantastic player when the book is finally written.
I liked Mozgov and everything but what did he show us other than mobility as a big man who knew how to keep his hands up and could put down a dunk? So many games he looked lost out there. Just because he has the tools doesn't guarantee he's going to put it together.
I also loved Wilson and Felton but those guys are collateral damage. Gallo was the one who hurt to give up.
