2015-2016 Dream Lineup

[kej718]

Jahlil Okafor, Cole Aldrich
Paul Millsap
Carmelo Anthony, Cleanthony Early
Wesley Matthews, K.J. McDaniels, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Langston Galloway, Shane Larkin

[mikehantke414]

I'm going. Dragic/Wesley/Tobias(who might take a discount to come)/Melo/Towns. I would love to sign Draymond but I think Warriors might try to keep him no matter what. Hopefully Phil puts some good veterans on the bench

[brooklynoxy]

If this offseason went perfectly, who would you have as starters for the Knicks next year?

Assume we are able to trade Calderon, and clear his salary for next year, leaving us with 33 million to spend on free agents.

Choose your first round pick.

Be realistic in terms of salary.

I think this is a nice list of free agents:
http://www.basketballinsiders.com/2015- ... -by-tiers/

(And I'd hesitate to include Kawhi or Jimmy Butler because they will be matched)



For instance:

C: Okafor
PF: Draymond Green or Milsap (12 mil)
SF: Melo
SG: Wesley Matthews (10 mil)
PG: Dragic (11 mil)

or

C: Gasol (18 mil - max)
PF: Amir Johnson (7 mil)
SF: Melo
SG: Danny Green (8 mil)
PG: Mudiay

For me...

C: Marc Gasol ($15,829,688) / Timofey Mozgov / Jason SMith
PF: Kevin Love ($16,744,219) / Brandon Bass / Travis Wear
SF: Cleanthony Early / Thanasis Antetokounmpo
SG: Aron Affalo - ($8,000) / Tim Hardaway Jr. ($1,304,520)
PG: Dragic /Jose Calderon ($7,402,812) /Langston Galloway ($845,059)

Cap: $66.3 million

I need to look at the numbers a bit more, and give it some though but this is a work in progress.

Where's Melo in your scenario>? FWIW, I love your line-up. Without Carmelo, we can definitely add a couple of all-star players either at the 2 or 3 or keep that slot open for Kevin Durant for summer of 2016-2017.

[brooklynoxy]

Raymond Felton
Lance Stephenson
Anthony Bennett
Andrea Bargnani
Eddy Curry

Talk about wasted draft picks, although I'd give Lance Stevenson a pass for this year.

Suppose PJ gets the number one draft pick. What would be a reasonable trading down scenario look like to folks?

I would think that a #1 Draft Pick should result in the Knicks getting back a #4 and, hopefully a top 10 Pick. The Knicks have many holes throughout and while I do not see too much college basketball other than the teams featuring the top two Big Guys, PJ has often said that the draft is where he will be choreographing the make-up of the team and that Knicks fans may be disappointed in the way management goes through free agency as well as the draft.

I do know that NBA Salary Cap for next year which is expected to be over $90 Million has not been discussed by management.

[bballoctober]

C: Marc Gasol ($15,829,688) / Jahlil Okafor / Timofey Mozgov
PF: Kevin Love ($16,744,219) / Brandon Bass / Travis Wear
SF: Cleanthony Early / Thanasis Antetokounmpo
SG: Aron Affalo - ($8,000) / Tim Hardaway Jr. ($1,304,520)
PG: Dragic / Jose Calderon ($7,402,812) / Langston Galloway ($845,059)

Cap: $66.3 million

I need to look at the numbers a bit more, and give it some though but this is a work in progress.

I am going to need to plug in Salary numbers against projection and fine tune a bit, anyone have solid salary figures on anyone that is locked in?

I am not sold right now, but this to me appears a reasonable best case scenario, it of course hinges on a trade with Cleveland which I am advocating elsewhere (Melo and Cole for Love and Moz). I am pretty sure everyone else is a free agent, or in our system.

Now I need to check defensive, and offensive balance (addition of Bass and Affalo help there)to ensure we have a solid balance but this appears to be a team that could thrive in the triangle and play team first basketball.

Solid interior presence in Marc, solid big PF next to him in Love who can get you a double double most nights when he returns to form.

Decent off season supporting cast additions, and representation/reliance on some homegrown talent.

Also of note the team is big heavy, and we may have to work a sign and trade here or there and that could reshape things, however this is best case scenario, except I factored in having to keep Jose for next season as I do not think anyone wants him... for realism.

WTF did you do with Melo in that scenario.

[Thugger HBC]

C: Marc Gasol ($15,829,688) / Jahlil Okafor / Timofey Mozgov
PF: Kevin Love ($16,744,219) / Brandon Bass / Travis Wear
SF: Cleanthony Early / Thanasis Antetokounmpo
SG: Aron Affalo - ($8,000) / Tim Hardaway Jr. ($1,304,520)
PG: Dragic / Jose Calderon ($7,402,812) / Langston Galloway ($845,059)

Cap: $66.3 million

I need to look at the numbers a bit more, and give it some though but this is a work in progress.

I am going to need to plug in Salary numbers against projection and fine tune a bit, anyone have solid salary figures on anyone that is locked in?

I am not sold right now, but this to me appears a reasonable best case scenario, it of course hinges on a trade with Cleveland which I am advocating elsewhere (Melo and Cole for Love and Moz). I am pretty sure everyone else is a free agent, or in our system.

Now I need to check defensive, and offensive balance (addition of Bass and Affalo help there)to ensure we have a solid balance but this appears to be a team that could thrive in the triangle and play team first basketball.

Solid interior presence in Marc, solid big PF next to him in Love who can get you a double double most nights when he returns to form.

Decent off season supporting cast additions, and representation/reliance on some homegrown talent.

Also of note the team is big heavy, and we may have to work a sign and trade here or there and that could reshape things, however this is best case scenario, except I factored in having to keep Jose for next season as I do not think anyone wants him... for realism.

WTF did you do with Melo in that scenario.

Read his post you just quoted.

[nyjetsknicks420]

Cousins
The brow
Melo
Harden
Curry

[ORANGEandBLUE]

Beverly/Kendall Marshall
Middleton/Galloway
Melo/Early
Draymond Green/Scola
Okafor/Cole

[Dave4585]

Borderline realistic approach:

Somehow shed Calderons salary

C: Okafor
PF: Draymond Green (10M)
SF: Melo
SG: Matthews (8M)
PG: Dragic (13M)

Prob not gonna happen I'm sure but it's a somewhat reasonable wish.

[bballoctober]

WTF did you do with Melo in that scenario.

Read his post you just quoted.

I guess he's really dreaming with that Cleveland trade. That situation makes us worse, we need a wing player to put the ball in the basket.

[Thorn]

WTF did you do with Melo in that scenario.

Read his post you just quoted.

I guess he's really dreaming with that Cleveland trade. That situation makes us worse, we need a wing player to put the ball in the basket.

Well it is a matter of opinion if we are better or worse isn't it?

Younger, longer window, more of a team first guy, someone who fits better in the triangle and basically a two for one. I like Moz and what he brings, and makes the Melo for Love trade work.

Giving up a guy who is just a body that can be servicable in return, we give up the better player, we get back a better fit and another player. You have to sacrifice at times, in this case we all win in my opinion... and it is of course MY opinion. I look at our team, and I see a rookie on a short term affordable rookie contract in Cleanthony Early AND another young guy we drafted in Thanasis Antetokounmpo and I feel we have the wing covered fairly well.

We gain a scoring, and passing big man who fits the triangle PERFECTLY in Love and a center we never really wanted to part with before comes home to be a presence under the boards who can ALSO pass the ball making him a decent fit for our offense AND defensive schemes.

WHY draft 2 small forwards if we are afraid to play them? We can use that money to bring in other talent and build an actual team, not a star surrounded by aging vets who WERE good or chumps who never will be good.

[RHODEY]

Borderline realistic approach:

Somehow shed Calderons salary

C: Okafor
PF: Draymond Green (10M)
SF: Melo
SG: Matthews (8M)
PG: Dragic (13M)

Prob not gonna happen I'm sure but it's a somewhat reasonable wish.

Yeah that's somewhat beyond "Borderline realistic".

[Hijinks]

My dream lineup has LeBron opting out and joining the Knicks.

Well, David Aldrige said, that Lebron will opt out...but only to sign a new 1 year deal with the cavs to get more money later.

can you imagine the outrage if Lebron leaves cleveland after one year back. Good god!

[Thugger HBC]

Read his post you just quoted.

I guess he's really dreaming with that Cleveland trade. That situation makes us worse, we need a wing player to put the ball in the basket.

Well it is a matter of opinion if we are better or worse isn't it?

Younger, longer window, more of a team first guy, someone who fits better in the triangle and basically a two for one. I like Moz and what he brings, and makes the Melo for Love trade work.

Giving up a guy who is just a body that can be servicable in return, we give up the better player, we get back a better fit and another player. You have to sacrifice at times, in this case we all win in my opinion... and it is of course MY opinion. I look at our team, and I see a rookie on a short term affordable rookie contract in Cleanthony Early AND another young guy we drafted in Thanasis Antetokounmpo and I feel we have the wing covered fairly well.

We gain a scoring, and passing big man who fits the triangle PERFECTLY in Love and a center we never really wanted to part with before comes home to be a presence under the boards who can ALSO pass the ball making him a decent fit for our offense AND defensive schemes.

WHY draft 2 small forwards if we are afraid to play them? We can use that money to bring in other talent and build an actual team, not a star surrounded by aging vets who WERE good or chumps who never will be good.

I dont know if it makes us worse or better, but I would say it's rather bold, and certainly would be a triangle fit.

You got a point with the sf draft, if those cats are part of the future they certainly will need minutes.

[djphan]

g - cory joseph (4 yrs 20-32mm) - best young pg available - yes better than knight or reggie jackson
g - langston galloway/Terrence Ross - think he could be had for cheap in a trade... just not sure what we could possibly offer
sf - melo
pf - amir johnson - 3yr 15-21 mm or a 1 yr deal - just think he could be had for cheap and he's a solid big man.
c - Towns - solidify the defense without killing the offense

making a big splash in FA would be a major mistake... lot of mediocre names...

[bballoctober]

Read his post you just quoted.

I guess he's really dreaming with that Cleveland trade. That situation makes us worse, we need a wing player to put the ball in the basket.

Well it is a matter of opinion if we are better or worse isn't it?

Younger, longer window, more of a team first guy, someone who fits better in the triangle and basically a two for one. I like Moz and what he brings, and makes the Melo for Love trade work.

Giving up a guy who is just a body that can be servicable in return, we give up the better player, we get back a better fit and another player. You have to sacrifice at times, in this case we all win in my opinion... and it is of course MY opinion. I look at our team, and I see a rookie on a short term affordable rookie contract in Cleanthony Early AND another young guy we drafted in Thanasis Antetokounmpo and I feel we have the wing covered fairly well.

We gain a scoring, and passing big man who fits the triangle PERFECTLY in Love and a center we never really wanted to part with before comes home to be a presence under the boards who can ALSO pass the ball making him a decent fit for our offense AND defensive schemes.

WHY draft 2 small forwards if we are afraid to play them? We can use that money to bring in other talent and build an actual team, not a star surrounded by aging vets who WERE good or chumps who never will be good.

There's no saying that these 2 sf pan out and I would rather have a wing that can get clutch buckets. But your lineup certainly fit the triangle and balance out the roster really nice.

[islanders11040]

Calderon/Galloway
Wes Matthews
Melo
Millsap
Towns

[melo mvp 15]

I think LMA, Butler, and Marc are obviously the dream targets that we have a very small chance at (like minuscule). I think it might take an over pay to get Jackson, Harris, or Dreymond Green. And I think Dragic and Milsap would be open to coming if we offered MAX money, but are they worth it? I think probably, I'd definitely take the chance with Milsap at the MAX.

Realistically I'd want to get Afflalo for $10-11 mil starting salary, Monroe for $13-14 mil starting salary, and then depending on who you draft.... either Beverley for $6-7 mil starting salary (if we draft Towns or Okafor) OR Koufos or Amir for $6-7 mil starting salary (if we draft Russell or Mundiay). Mainly because I think it's crucial we throw our draft pick into the crucible and give him big minutes from the start.

Calderon/ Russel or Mundiay/ FA
Afflalo/ Tim/ Galloway/ Russel or Mundiay (2 PG line up could work)
Melo/ Cleanthony/ Thanasis
Monroe/ Smith? Lou? Lance?
Koufos/ Cole? Smith?

OR

Beverley/ Calderon/ Galloway
Afflalo/Tim/ Galloway
Melo/Clea/Thanasis
Monroe/ FA
Okafor or Towns/ FA

I'm also very intrigued by the idea of committing to small ball team by going hard at Tobias Harris or Dreymond Green to start next to Melo (seeing as Melo and one of them could cover both spots it'd be pretty flexible). But I can't see Phil committing to it. Regardless I hope we bring in some mobile 4s/combo forwards, especially if we bring in Monroe (i.e get some small line ups with Monroe at the 5)

[melo mvp 15]

g - cory joseph (4 yrs 20-32mm) - best young pg available - yes better than knight or reggie jackson
g - langston galloway/Terrence Ross - think he could be had for cheap in a trade... just not sure what we could possibly offer
sf - melo
pf - amir johnson - 3yr 15-21 mm or a 1 yr deal - just think he could be had for cheap and he's a solid big man.
c - Towns - solidify the defense without killing the offense

making a big splash in FA would be a major mistake... lot of mediocre names...

I'd probably throw up if we gave Joseph that big of a contract. 3 years, $10-12 mil is the most I'd give him.

[Celo]

I'd love to get Dragic for something like 4/56, but let's be honest: Somebody gonna throw a max at him, and I hope it's not us! I also don't like to overpay for Jackson, so my favorite for the PG position would be Patrick Beverley, 3/18 seems reasonable, although the Rockets might match if they can't get a PG elsewhere.

For the Shooting Guard Position, I'd be happy with both, Danny Green and Wesley Matthews. 4/44 should do it for both. Filling out this position should cause the least problems in my opinion, since there are also other options like Afflalo for example.

On to the hardest position to fill out, the small forward. First of all, I see Melo as power forward, at least on the defensive side of the court. Melo's not the type to chase guys around the perimeter anymore, I'm much more comfortable with him guarding opposing 4s. Obviously Kawhi and Jimmy would be the most preferable options here, but there is no doubt that the Bulls and the Spurs will match any offer. So Draymond Green would be my choice here, although I'm pretty sure we'd have to pay something near the Max. Is he worth it? Definitely not, but we have not much choice here. One could argument that we can slot Melo at the 3 and go for a Power Forward in Free Agency, but I doubt that any of the high tier power forwards is leaving their franchise. As somebody mentioned before, I'd like to trade down our pick if we should get the 1st pick, and Philly gets the 4th and their Miami pick lands in the late lottery (protected from 1- 10). Then we could either flip the late lottery pick for another wing player in combination with our TPE's, or go for a Rookie ourselves, though that would not be the preferred option, since two rookies in the starting lineup might be too much.

Power forward is obvious, as I mentioned I'd slot Melo in there.

At Center, I'd draft Towns if available. Why? I think his defense would help us more, than Okafor's offense would help. I read somewhere in this forum a nice comparison. It's like last year, when there was a debate whether Parker or Wiggins should be the top pick. Many said that Parker is the better player now, but at the end, Wiggins will be better. I feel like this is the same situation all over again, with Okafor being the better player now, but Towns becoming the better player at the end.

So my Starting 5 would look like this:

Beverley 3/18
Matthews 4/44
Green 4/52 (Massive overpay, I'm not comfortable with it, but I don't see a better option)
Melo
Towns

That's 30 million spent on the starting five. Calderon would have to be traded obviously. We'd still have a small amount of money left to sign some bench player(s).

Btw, I wouldn't mind drafting us a PG (Mudiay, Russell), and then sign Lopez instead of Beverley.