Last 18/19 NY Knicks season transmission: "F*** all the haters from you to SAS" See y'all in '20

storyteller

storyteller

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Hell of a job on this piece, I'm only clipping an excerpt because he deserves some extra clicks from the squad.

The Knicks Are Finding Direction And Identity In A 'Lost' Year

1995—young me is watching the Hale–Bopp comet screaming across a charcoal sky with my grandfather in the driveway, I’m drinking copious amounts of Yoo-hoo with no regard for my future, and heartbreak is a foreign feeling that I won’t have to face for 15 more years. I loved staying over at my grandparents’ house because it meant that when I fell asleep, I’d eventually wake up, run downstairs, and flip open to the sports section of the newspaper (my grandpa had it delivered to him every morning), just to trace my finger over the box scores from my favorite Knicks at the time: Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Anthony Mason. The trade-off to acquire this modest jubilation was usually a bowl of soggy Rice Krispies, but I’d say it was well worth it—considering how that short-lived but memorable ritual would steer me towards finding a direction with basketball.

Well, it’s 2018, and those box score Knicks aren’t reanimating on the hardwood anymore—but times are a-changin’ in the Big Apple, slowly but surely. Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with an ACL injury, and spinning the loss of a star player as a positive is foolhardy at best, but the Knicks gained an all-important label they would have never been granted otherwise without something drastic happening with the team—a “lost” season. Why is this label important? Hell, why is the Porzingis injury so important, in all of its misery? Well, because of it, the Knicks themselves have started to find their own direction. This offseason has the chance to miraculously transform the energies wafting in the Mecca’s underbelly with a sudden painter’s palette of talented young players whom are expected to be used and brushed all over the MSG easel under Coach Fizdale. And this isn’t taking into account a Barrett, Reddish, or Williamson sort of talent joining the roster next year. As long as this upcoming year isn’t dubbed the “Tim Hardaway Jr. & Enes Kanter Show”, which is admittedly very possible, this season will be looked back upon as a huge win even if the final record isn’t all too pretty.

Steve Mills and Scott Perry are now the conductors of their own orange and blue tinted engine room, and this room is where they’ll attempt to procure a few major themes that they’ve been aiming to reach since Perry’s hiring (more accurately, since the injury to Porzingis): retooling with youth, and building a sensible identity. Identity is one of the hardest things to attain in the league—and the Knicks haven’t really had one since Ewing was lubing the floor up with his perspiration. It’s now or never.

The Knicks began their quest for identity—knowingly or not—in early May of this year with the hiring of David Fizdale, a player’s coach who immediately brought with him coaching qualities sorely needed in New York—a gravitational personality that won’t hesitate to hold players accountable, but more importantly, a teacher who will give young players the proper opportunities on the court to grow and make mistakes without fear of failure. Evidenced by his long flight to Latvia to visit an injured Porzingis, and his statement about his willingness to start a promising 19-year-old rookie in Kevin Knox, Fizdale is ingratiating himself with the players and fans of the Knicks from the get-go.

In this “lost” season, undoubtedly most of the wandering eyes will be set squarely on Knox—and for good reason. In a truly Knicksian manner, his welcoming was, shall I say, apropos for a fanbase that doesn’t mind voicing their displeasure at the drop of a hat. But just like Porzingis, Knox hastily elated those same boorish fans only a few weeks later. And hey, at this point, it’s basically a trial by fire and a sign of respect all in one. Whine too much about the draft night boos, you clearly aren’t going to make it in New York—put up or shut up. Kevin Knox passed his Summer League performance test with flying colors, and those results were enough to give him some breathing room to mess up while attempting to solve the complex, symbiotic relationship he’ll soon have with the fans that cheer him on nightly inside Madison Square Garden. The predictable overhyping of Knox followed almost instantly, but honestly, everybody saw what the Knicks fans did during Summer League—the long, Giannis-esque strides and emphatic finishes through traffic, the natural movement on the court, the ease in which he scored. It’s real. Only a few years ago, the Knicks would have selected the big name prospect with red flags and colossal hype—not anymore. They’re showing devout trust in their scouting department, and well as their gut, with the Knox pick encapsulating the spirit of the new(er) front office and their tinkered thought process.

Frank Ntilikina, who signed up for the automatic 15 pounds of muscle meal plan in the offseason, doubled up on his Knick commitment by skipping the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and focusing on an important sophomore season where he will be tasked with running the show. The Dhalsim-like bully guard on D wants to show marked improvements in his offense (ideally that he can handle the day-to-day operations of the point guard position), and a continuation of his pest control defense. He seems to have similar question marks that Exum had leveled at him early on, minus the injury concerns, and with more of an already established reputation as a defender from his rookie season. Ntilikina is essentially a big ball of clay, and contains a skill set that isn’t present in many point guards. All of those eyes that will be on Knox at the start of the season could shift over to Ntilikina very quickly if he starts to feel comfortable early on in his second year.
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RickyGQ

RickyGQ

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Miles Davis said:
I don’t mind getting Kyrie next offseason if he wants to sign but this shyt already got the signs of becoming a media circus from the stuff from a few days ago and now the JR comment. We need to focus on the task at hand, which is developing our youth.
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Yup, i still want to tank and get a top 5 pick. I refuse to believe that sophisticated nba players like Kyrie would look at record instead of actually looking at he pieces and potential. “Knicks have to make the 8th seed in order to convince Kyrie they’re legit” is just something i don’t believe. Over everything we should try and create more space while sacrificing as little as we can stomach to.
 
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