knickscity
Superstar
Knox is young, he was bound to struggle. I think he'll be just fine in time. The team of course will not be good. bottom 5 worst for sure.
Last 18/19 NY Knicks season transmission: "F*** all the haters from you to SAS" See y'all in '20
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Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
storyteller
Veteran
So the preseason finale came and went with the feel good first two games wiped away by a downward trend. Frank Ntilikina and Mitch Robinson really salvaged things for me as a fan though. We knew this would be potentially ugly and that the focus was on preparing youth for the future when KP comes back, another lottery pick arrives and cap space gives us options to address leftover needs. The thing is...I've been in this place before with Fisher and Hornacek where they say the right things but their actions as coaches don't quite gel. Frank's been the best all around guard for the team and finished preseason guarding Forwards. Mitch and Trier may be seeing more minutes in the G-League than rotation. Meanwhile Knox struggled more than any of those three but has a guaranteed starting spot. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE that concept with Knox. Let the kid take his lumps and learn; but apply that to the rest of the youth too. I think the entire fanbase will be happier that way.
Player Breakdowns in order of rotation based on "you keep what you kill" as a philosophy (aka my opinion on best preseason performers which means Lee doesn't get in):
PG - Frank Ntilikina - Frank is the best defender of the guards and it's not really close (sorry Ron). His defensive versatility has seen him guarding 4 positions and outside of some miscommunications that have happened to every single Knick; Frank's been really good. Last night we saw the continuation of "hey the kid's figuring it out" as Frank drove with confidence and pulled a jumper or two off the dribble as well. While none of the PG's truly separated from the pack; that really plays to Frank's advantage anyway. He's got the most upside, the best contract and the least years on planet Earth compared to his competition. For a tank team this feels like a no brainer. Yes, he's gonna make mistakes, but there's palpable growth in mindset and confidence out there. Plus developing him into a PG gives him more versatility than having him guard small ball PF's imho. 9 pts, 5 asts, 4 boards in 30 minutes of quality play
SG - Tim Hardaway - The fact that I bounced back and forth between Trier and Hardaway on this pick is an indictment of Timmy. But he's turned up his shooting in the last two games for a team that desperately needs some 3 pointers. 7/14 for 18 points last night. What else did he contribute you ask? Some trash talk in Levert's ear after letting the guy shoot back to back open three's and one rebound. This is consistently my complaint about THJ, he's paid too much to just score. His defense was subpar, he didn't create for anybody, didn't spark much in transition and didn't get boards. Still...he's stretching the floor and we need that.
SF - Knox - Luckily for Kevin Knox, his competition at starting SF has been Mario Hezonja. If Fiz was trotting a healthy Courtney Lee out then "keep what you kill" would mean Knox having a seat. That's not to say I'm down on him though. The tools are all there, the range is gonna take time to adjust to and I feel like it's pretty clear that the game is moving fast for him. He's hesitating and thinking on some plays, out of control on others. But as the reps build, the game will slow down and his athleticism will become more apparent. The more worrisome thing about him so far has been defense. Fiz can't let him off the hook on defense just for being young and a prize pick. I expect the mistakes but I hope to see improvement and better engagement going forward.
PF - Lance Thomas - That's right, hell hath frozen over. I've spent the better part of Lance's second contract complaining about him trying to do too much and ruining the intangibles that he brings. But in the preseason, Lance has been fairly under control. His game is still as ugly as ever but it's been effective. This team needs a defensive captain, especially if Hardaway and Knox are gonna be guarding the wings. One thing I'd say though, I'm not so sure that Frank/THJ/Lee/Knox/Kanter isn't a better set up for Knox to succeed early. Especially since Lance isn't a rim protector or defensive rebounder anyway and Courtney Lee knows defense but brings more offensively.
C - Kanter - He had a strong start and then sat out two games to let it really sink in. Kanter is functionally the difference between competitive rebound battles and losing the battle outright. He's our only consistent post presence as well. Then add to that, he's an energy guy whose offensive boards and putbacks can spark or hang on to momentum. He's earned it even when he's been out.
6th Man - Allonzo Trier - Trey Burke's return to Earth this preseason has been compounded by Trier playing a similar style more effectively and with more size. While Burke has been the better defender, his height still makes him a liability. Trier meanwhile has been better at getting to the line and with the exception of last night the rookie has been pretty damned efficient via trips to the line offsetting some of his shot selection. The shot selection is shoddy though. He's got the Crawford effect, looking of an open man to take a contested jumper but making it. His defense is also pretty disappointing but it seems more awareness than effort. Like Knox, Fiz needs to be on him about that defense.
First Big - Mitch Robinson - With his preseason cut in half by an ankle injury, Mitch left the door open for Noah Vonleh to make this a debate. But the difference Mitch brings is in shotblocking presence and pace. Mitch is looking tired after half a quarter because he's always going at high speed and jumping hard. For a guy who needs the weight room, he also plays physical ball when it's time to compete for boards. His screen setting game needs a gang of work and his defensive positioning leaves plenty to be desired, but again...more reps ought to improve that. He tallied 7 pts, 4 boards and 3 assists with just one foul in 17 minutes last night which is all really promising. He also blocked another three point shooter at distance, dunked multiple times and added an emphatic rejection on a driving player. Give this kid all the rope he needs.
Next Guard - Damyean Dotson - Sure this is a controversial pick. But I've already established that I'm not a fan of pairing Trier and Burke in the backcourt. One guy Isos a couple of times and then the other feels compelled to match it. If the first isolation doesn't work the kick out leads to another isolation and everything feels stagnant. So Dotson gets the nod here as a better defender than Burke, a better floor spacer and a guy who has made his touches count every game. 7 points, 3 boards and an assist in 13 minutes on 3/4 shooting...he's been doing this all preseason and could become the replacement for all that Courtney Lee provides.
9th Man - Mario Hezonja - He did not have a good preseason but flashed all the tools that make people want to try and make him work. Then in the second half of last night's game, he had a "put everything together" moment that showed his upside. 14 points, 3 boards and an assist in 19 minutes where he actually picked the right times to shoot, slash or pass consistently! Defensively he's even further away than Knox but not by much. Either way though, his jack of all trades master of none skillset is useful off the bench in a way others won't be.
Third Big - Vonleh - Big men get in foul trouble and Mitch is liable to foul out in some first halves if we let him. So the fact that Noah Vonleh has shown a lot of legitimate promise is a good thing. He's gonna give you a frustrating offensive foul TO or two when he gets minutes, but he also brings the physicality that Knicks fans like. Vonleh had 13 pts, 5 boards and 3 assists in 19 minutes on 5/7 last night. I feel some similarities to KOQ as he can shoot it when left alone and he makes up for the passing difference with better ball handling than Kyle had. Honestly, there's plenty of case for him to pass up Mitch but youth, upside and contract status wins out for me.
Waiting for his chance - Trey Burke - Guaranteed some readers didn't make it this far because they feel like I disrespected Burke. All I'll say is, what has this season done to his ceiling in your eyes? He's a limited player who needs touches to be effective and his attack zone is midrange. In an offense that shares the ballhandling and without being a particularly creative playmaker; I don't see the value of playing this dude over Frank or Trier. He's an expiring contract too. The real value of Burke though is in keeping everyone honest. If Trier gets really bad on shot selection or Frank is looking down on himself, then Burke isn't just a viable option to take over and spell them but he could become a spark. I have a feeling Fiz pegged him as the starter and will disappointed if he's rewarded for what I truly felt was a disappointing preseason. 9 pts, 3 asts on 3/7 in 21 minutes last night and his lightest defensive effort of the preseason as well.
Emotional Support Sub - Ron Baker - People love effort and he gives it. The Knicks lack plus defenders and he offers that. The guards mostly need the rock and he doesn't. But Ron Baker is a limited player. 4 pts, 3 boards and 2 assists in 19 minutes as the starting PG doesn't give me much hype. He could be a glue piece, I fully admit that, but there is so much more upside to developing a guy like Dotson for that role.
The Gimmick - Luke Kornet - There is one circumstance where Luke Kornet is useful...you need to space the floor 1-5. He can hit three's from well behind the line. That's his one skill and it's useful in the modern NBA. But everything else is somewhere between subpar and average. Case in point? 3/4 from three last night in 8 minutes and he contributed absolutely NOTHING else. 9 points in 8 minutes is amazing but it's garbage time buckets and he has to offer more than that to be my kinda big.
See You in April - Hicks - Barely played last night and did nothing; but let's not let that erase his preseason. He showed improvements pretty much everywhere. Was it enough to make a roster? No. Is he still trying to become an end of bench value player? Yes. But he went from "wtf" to "hey he's more athletic than I thought" and I expect him to do well in the G-League this year.
Last Thoughts - Just like I don't want Fiz to let players off the hook; I really hope the fans don't let Fiz off the hook. He pushed a merit based rotation and I'd like to see him at least put together one that is rational and fits with what he promised us. That's not to say, "he didn't start my guy and I'm mad" but to say "you said we'd focus on defense...where is that?" If his starting line-up has four subpar defenders (Burke/THJ/Knox/Kanter).
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Ironman
#Knickstape
We don't have enough willing passers that would actually look for him. He always gets line-ups with Trier, Trey, and Tim
storyteller
Veteran
Joakim Noah's situation has no resolution where I don't see it as a loss. I was optimistic when the Knicks signed him too if nothing more as a leader...100% got that wrong.
Wgat happened
seemorecizzy
Superstar
they didnt cave
tred to trade him, no takers
tried to buy him out, he wanted all his money
no choice but to waive him
Ironman
#Knickstape
fukking Phil man
Could waive one of Baker or Mudiay, but the front office's not going to admit their past mistakes.
seemorecizzy
Superstar
the players union wasnt gonna let noah sit on the team and not play for 2 years. he had to go
Let him stay at home unless he files a grievance report, bring him back to the team then. If he's causing problems, there's grounds for player conduct violation. Just send him home. Noah had issues with Hornacek and management, not the players. If one of Fizdale's forte is player relationship, he can work something out with Noah. Stretching him should be the final option.
