Knicks vs. Hawks PG Thread: Solid Goddamn Win

[Dr. Detfink]

How did the Mighty Quinn dominate? Howard killed him when he wasn't busy stepping out of the way. It was Hernangomez and Plumlee who really limited his damage and put him on the line.

[ctorres]

Melo must have listened to that Hahn ESPN Podcast.

Hornacek did an awesome job with minutes tonight. KP and Rose each played less than 29 minutes. Melo under 36 minutes. Lee just slightly above 36 minutes, which he can play every now and then.

Other than some short appearances from Plumlee and Kuz, Hornacek tightened the rotation to 8 guys with Noah out.

This game was GREAT for Willy's development. LOVED how Hornacek kept him on the court with Melo & Rose. FINALLY, Hornacek staggered the starters throughout the game.

[NYKat]

When Melo plays within the offense and doesn't force shots, he's really a force to be reckoned with.

[AmazingJason]

TWO QUESTIONS

Couldn't watch the game, but the box score and the game thread clearly showed Melo had a good night.

Did Melo play good D today?

and

Is this team actually better with KOQ & Willy than Noah?

I mean KOQ has actually been pretty good this year and Willy may have been underrated for his defensive potential. Seeing the results it makes me wonder if their combination of O+D is truly superior right now to Noah's net contribution

Yes, it's better without Noah. One out of 3 games he'll have enough energy to be 70% of his old self out there for 15-20 minutes.

Noah doesn't do much out there the rest of the time. On offense, there is no one within 10-15 feet of him. On defense, he just doesn't play much of it anymore. He's a 230 lb. center that can barely get off the ground and lacks mobility. He doesn't box out and you'll see him not play D to pump up his rebounding numbers.

[King of Canada]

Knicks now #8 in the East!

[Knickkilla]

Melo Got Daaamn!

Watch on YouTube

[Pjax4Prez]

At this point "F**k Noah" I hope we use the amnesty on him with the new CBA coming. We should just do Center by committee. Willy looked good, Kyle played pretty well, and KP needs minutes at C. Noah just isn't the same player, and he's too difficult to play with on offense

[Jose7]

Melo must have listened to that Hahn ESPN Podcast.

Hornacek did an awesome job with minutes tonight. KP and Rose each played less than 29 minutes. Melo under 36 minutes. Lee just slightly above 36 minutes, which he can play every now and then.

Other than some short appearances from Plumlee and Kuz, Hornacek tightened the rotation to 8 guys with Noah out.

This game was GREAT for Willy's development. LOVED how Hornacek kept him on the court with Melo & Rose. FINALLY, Hornacek staggered the starters throughout the game.

Good rotation for sure..but guys played better defensively so he didn't have to go fishing

[xNewYorkMadex]

Melo, KP, Lee, and all of our bigs were the stars of this game.

Really impressed with Willy though. Didnt back down from Dwight, and got him frustrated. Played some strong defense protecting the rim today. And had a nice touch around the rim to get those easy ones. This kid can really turn into something, especially if he can develop a mid range game and more consistency protecting the paint.

This is the Melo I want to see consistently. Forget about the points, its the effort on the boards, looking for passing lanes and at least trying on defense. When Melo is engaged, the whole team is.

Rose did a better job looking for his teammates today. But the guy really needs to stop jump passing. I dont know how any coach at any level of basketball let him get away with that without correcting that issue. Sometimes it works out, but when it doesnt which it seems about half time time, its a turnover. He can improve his playmaking by A LOT if he just kept his dribble while attacking and doesnt jump.

Good W. Wasnt sure we were going to win this one.

[Separatista]

Whats amaze me more was the free throw disparity. Hawks 29 fts vs knicks 14. Thats like the Utah, Boston gAme. Team was just efficient today I guess.

[AmazingJason]

At this point "F**k Noah" I hope we use the amnesty on him with the new CBA coming. We should just do Center by committee. Willy looked good, Kyle played pretty well, and KP needs minutes at C. Noah just isn't the same player, and he's too difficult to play with on offense

We got hoodwinked. He doesn't look anything like the old Noah. He looks like the guy that Chicago benched.

[King of Canada]

Whats amaze me more was the free throw disparity. Hawks 29 fts vs knicks 14. Thats like the Utah, Boston gAme. Team was just efficient today I guess.

Efficient and we didn't allow too many 3s. KP did his job today too after allowing a 3 to start the game.

[AmazingJason]

Melo, KP, Lee, and all of our bigs were the stars of this game.

Really impressed with Willy though. Didnt back down from Dwight, and got him frustrated. Played some strong defense protecting the rim today. And had a nice touch around the rim to get those easy ones. This kid can really turn into something, especially if he can develop a mid range game and more consistency protecting the paint.

This is the Melo I want to see consistently. Forget about the points, its the effort on the boards, looking for passing lanes and at least trying on defense. When Melo is engaged, the whole team is.

Rose did a better job looking for his teammates today. But the guy really needs to stop jump passing. I dont know how any coach at any level of basketball let him get away with that without correcting that issue. Sometimes it works out, but when it doesnt which it seems about half time time, its a turnover. He can improve his playmaking by A LOT if he just kept his dribble while attacking and doesnt jump.At

Good W. Wasnt sure we were going to win this one.

Willy should be a solid defender eventually. He clearly has the mobility. He just needs the experience.

Think Marc Gasol.

[ChilledAlex]

Great game from everyone!

[dakomish23]

In sum, Melo is not a giant net positive player. He is a high usage scorer on the downside of his career whose positives are often given up by his negatives.

A solid PF that gives you a steady, but unspectacular 15 PPG, but also boards and defends at a high level could do more for our team on a net basis than Melo does.

So name recognition does not make Melo a great player at this point. He is just above average at this point in his net contributions to winning games. If he scores 25, he also gives up 25. He's not an all-around beast and we could be just as good or better with a less famous name that plays both ends of the court FULL-TIME.

31 PTS
7 REBS
3 ASTS
2 STLS
12/22 FG
4/8 3PT
3/3 FTS
+10

Watch on YouTube

[duetta]

About Noah's contract: we're going to see another wave of salary escalation this summer, as the cap rises above $100 million. If Noah is physically health, he can help someone. I'm not sure that he fits in with us.

[dakomish23]

Melo Got Daaamn!

Watch on YouTube

[3toheadmelo]

Gb gonna be quiet now

[NYKnicksTAPE]

Which team is not here in lottery simulator anymore tho? http://www.tankathon.com/

only a half game out tho

[RHODEY]

Here we go with the tease. The Knicks looked really good on both sides of the court. Rose was pushing the ball. KP was nailing those perimeter shots and not getting bullied by Millsap. Melo took his shots when KP was on the bench. Courtney Lee was using his athleticism.

Hernangomez had a VERY eye opening game. He made D-12 earn EVERY one of his points. I love this kid.

His defense was supposed to be poor, but we saw quite the opposite...