Is Iman Shumpert Mr. Right for the Knicks?

Every time I watch a Knick game, Shumpert brings an energy to both ends of the floor. Is he the real deal? Did the Knicks actually make a good pick here? Also do you think the Knicks would be better off with Danilo Gallinardi and Raymond Felton as opposed to Carmelo Anthony?

Shumpert is a GREAT pickup for the Knicks. He has quickly become my favorite player. Not only is he a very good and not afraid at all offensive player, he is a GREAT deender. He makes the whole team better on the defensive end when he is in the game. He is quickly becoming the best Knicks draft pick in a long time. Also, no the team would not have been better off without Melo. He had a bad game tonight but that doesn't change anything. We now have the core to go and win a championship, they just need the role players. Actually I should take that back, Amare needs to GO.

Settle down lucibello. Shumpert has played 5 games. Can we hold off a bit before we retire his number. He has good energy and can score. Defense is as much about work as it is anything else so I'll say that he is a worker, but he is not a GREAT anything right now. Everyone was singing these same praises about Landry Fields last season and he's been in decline since February. Also, unless Baron Davis is feeling 5 years younger the Knicks don't have a core to win a championship. They won't get past the 2nd round without real guards. Finally, Amare must go? Really? 22 ppg, 9 rpg right out the door? Don't say stupid things like that again. And no, the Knicks would not be better off with Gallinari and Felton

I remember, Tom saying the same thing about the Washinton Nat’ls INF Danny Espinosa back in Sept of 2010. I was ready to retire his jersey and, after 5 major league games, I was also dusting off Danny Espinosa's HOF plaque. Because I was trying to petition the Major League Baseball Committee to just waive the 5 year waiting period or even the 10 year playing period! Espinosa was 9 for 16 (.563) with 3 HR and 10 RBI. And I don't think that anyone ever led their league in RBI while only playing in September. That just can't happen. He was on pace for 56 RBI in September and 17 HR. This was a guy that every NL league owner was stepping over each other in order to get. Well, his next 13 games were like Pablo Sandoval falling down. THUD! Espinosa was 5 for 50 (.100) with 5 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, and a 17/3 K/BB. There goes the RBI crown! Iman Shumpert played in the first Knicks game of the season, a win, and then was hurt. During that time, the Knicks went on a tailspin. Well now Shumpert’s back and the Knicks are back to their winning ways, though some have been ugly! I like the hustle that Shumpert brings to the Knicks on both ends of the court. I’m not saying he’ll be the greatest player who ever played (maybe the fifth best) but he’s the kind of role player and part-time starter that all good teams need. And if you want to give it a month or 2 before we anoint him ROY, I would definitely agree. But I will say that I like what I’ve seen so far.

tlynaugh wrote:

Settle down lucibello. Shumpert has played 5 games. Can we hold off a bit before we retire his number. He has good energy and can score. Defense is as much about work as it is anything else so I'll say that he is a worker, but he is not a GREAT anything right now. Everyone was singing these same praises about Landry Fields last season and he's been in decline since February. Also, unless Baron Davis is feeling 5 years younger the Knicks don't have a core to win a championship. They won't get past the 2nd round without real guards. Finally, Amare must go? Really? 22 ppg, 9 rpg right out the door? Don't say stupid things like that again. And no, the Knicks would not be better off with Gallinari and Felton

I never said he was the best player on the team, goddamn, but he is a GREAT defender. Please, I saw the kid play at Georgia Tech, you clearly didn't. His offense has been a surprise to me so far but I love his aggressiveness. And as far Amare, YES HE NEEDS TO GO. If you are going to throw stats in my face, then here you go, he is shooting 41% from the field which is not good for a big man. And the way you answered that just shows me you dont actually watch the games. It's like Melos line last night, it looked decent in the stats but if you watched the game you know he played horrible. Now back to Stoudemire, he is easily the worst defensive big man in the NBA and he settles for way too many outside jumpers. The team would be better off moving him.

I love guys who are barely in their 20s who watch a season or two of basketball and think they have a clue. Shumpert can't be a great anything after 5 games. Can he play a full season before you throw a word like GREAT around. I don't know which you don't understand, the word GREAT or what defense is. He's a nifty looking player but he's had a history of injuries (at GT too) so all I said was don't get carried away. It goes like this: When he gets a single vote for NBA defensive player of the year you can say he's good, when he wins it you can say he's very good and when he wins it more than once you can say he's great. Right now he just looks real good surrounded by a bunch of guys who play no defense. As for Amar'e his contract makes him untradeable so this convo is moot. He's a 54% shooter for his career over 9 seasons, he's played 9 games after an unusually short training camp. I suggest you have some patience. His shooting pct. will steadily rise. He also came to the Knicks when there was nothing and he sparked the revival which is still in progress. He's a stand up guy and a solid citizen. So, yes your trade demand is impetuous and silly. And not that it makes a damn bit of difference but I have watched just about all of every game this season. And I've been watching them a whole lot longer than you have.

Oh god, the "I'm older so I know more" argument. Yes, because you are older than me you can definitely judge talent better. God I dont know who I think I am, watching a whole 2 seasons of basketball and then thinking I can compete with the knowledge of someone like you. Anyway, I understand what Amare has done in his career, but that has nothing to do with the fact that hes not right for this team. The same thing can be said for D'Antoni, he did some very good jobs before us but he is not the right coach for this team. The sooner you realize this the better. As for Shumpert, I'm done arguing about him. I'll just let his play do the talking. I know what I've seen out of him, I couldn't care less if you agree.

Say what you may about him Tom but the Knicks were lucky he slid to the 17th pick in the draft. Obviously it's too soon to tell but the Knicks may have gotten the steal of the draft. I know he's played in only 5 games but he's averaging 13.2 points a game, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 4 rebounds. Is it possible he could be in the discussion for rookie of the year?

Lucibello, It absolutely doesn't matter how old you are. If you know the game, you know the game and I don't doubt that you know the game. I just like breaking your balls. That said, you are young so you're impatient and prone to making statements that you may regret later. Amar'e is a very good fit in D'Antoni's style and he clearly can handle the spotlight of New York so to say he doesn't belong on the team doesn't seem to be true. And if the Knicks get the last pieces to the puzzle and win a championship in the next 2 or 3 years, Amar'e is going to get a lot of credit for getting it started and he'll be revered in New York. As for Iman, I am as excited about the prospect of him being the real thing as well, but I remember very clearly how everyone was signing the very same praises about Landry Fields a year ago. This kid needs to play for 2 or 3 months and we'll see. But he definitely should be starting right now. Now D'Antoni is the coach whether you like it or not. And if you didn't want D'Antoni when they signed him that's fine. But if you don't want him then who is it you think should be coaching the Knicks? And don't say Phil Jackson because that's not going to happen.

Landry is a bit of a mystery to me. It seems that ever since we got Carmelo Anthony, Landry forgot how to play. I don't know, maybe hes a little starstruck? Anyway, he is still a much different case than the iMan. Landry was a surprise to me how good he was playing, the iMan is not. Shumpert is extremely athletic as opposed to Landry who looks like a goofball out on the court. Shumpert has always been known as a defensive player in the ACC, and as you noted defense is mostly about wanting to play it, and this is something that just doesn't go away. Landry was known as a scorer in the Pac-10 so you could see how his fall off could be much more predictable. The other thing that is noticeably different between the 2 is the fact that Shumpert doesn't seem scared. He is extremely aggressive and that is very important to see in a rookie. Landry was the exact opposite. There were many times last year you could tell he was hesitant to take a shot because he was sort of nervous. This is why I don't really compare the 2.

Moving on to Amare and D'Antoni, I was against both of the signings when they happened. I thought we gave way too much money to a big man with bad knees and no desire to play defense, and I didn't like the fact that we hired a coach who doesn't stress D at all. Especially since this is a city that loves defense. Now, Amare proved me wrong last year and I admitted that, but ever since they got Carmelo it just seems like Amare is a bit lost. They dont compliment each other, and picking between the 2 of them is easy for me, I will take Carmelo any day.

If we do somehow win a championship with this core, then yes you will be right that Amare will get a ton of credit for coming here when there was nothing. But its not like he sacrificed anything to do it, he still got over $100 million. As for a coach to replace D'Antoni? I honestly am not sure. I would've loved to hire Mark Jackson, but he went to Golden State. How about Ron Adams? Or what about a return of Jeff Van Gundy? One can dream right?

Lucibello, that's some good stuff you put up there. Great Knicks stuff. I think Melo and Amar'e will blend better now that there is a real Center. I also think it will be messy until there is a real point guard to handle all these options. Be a big boost if Baron has anything left in the tank. I will always have a soft spot for Van Gundy but I don't think this is his kind of team. He'd lose his mind watching their lack of defensive intensity at times. I think D'Antoni has to get to the 2nd round of the playoffs this season to be back. So we'll see what happens. Tonight is a big test.

Biggest win of the season for the Knicks last night since Chrismas Day vs. Boston. The team finally played respectable defense as a unit opposed to the usual half-assed approach. The difference Chandler makes was apparent last night. They outrebounded a better defensive team. That was certainly the best thing to come out of the game. On the down side, way too many turnovers especially late in the game. Plus Philly missed a lot of open shots which may have something to do with playing their 5th game in 6 nights. The Knicks shot selection was horrible at times, particularly Shumpert who is forcing the issue offensively. Tonight will be tough in Memphis but hopefully we can take that game because Durant and Westbrook and going to have a field day vs. our guards on Saturday.