Last 18/19 NY Knicks season transmission: "F*** all the haters from you to SAS" See y'all in '20
- Thread starter DPresidential
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Great
The reemergence of Trey Iverson lost me a lot of money last year.
@BucciMane @LurkMoar proceed wit caution again with betting this season.
I think im gonna bet on trey iverson this year
Bk and the clippers seem to be covering, as well.I think im gonna bet on trey iverson this year
seemorecizzy
Superstar
i still cant believe mudiay dunked dat shyt
AntoineWalkerShimmy
All Star
Breh I am just gonna say it again, the knicks are ripe for a trade.
What ideas you got breh?
I think we’ve been showcasing Kanter, Burke, and Mudiay hard, but Mudiay may have played himself into that backup/spot-starting PG role.
Also think Lee’s time is up here, to no fault of his. Good player, great locker room prescence but not exactly fitting the long term plans here.
Im not for trading any of our players on a rookie deal. I would rather see them develop here than anywhere else. Lee, Lance, Hezonja and Kanter can go though.
Hate to break it to some of y'all...
This type of talk signifies that Timmy is here long term.
Fiz is the father figure coach that Tim needed. Someone who is tough on him but not too rigid. After game,. I expect Timmy to return back to his high performance.
Until Timmy spends Xmas back with pops again.
Side note:
I kind of wish Rose was back in NY considering Fiz's influence. Imagine that.
That being said, I love what's going on here.
storyteller
Veteran
Last night was fun and also put a handful of things into pretty plain view. The Knicks fought for a win through a physical, old-school style game where the refs were inconsistent (toward both teams) and star players made their runs. This team has showed plenty of will to fight, but in a three game winning streak over playoff caliber squads they've finally held strong. These guys aren't folding mentally or slipping up in the clutch any more. That is probably attributable to the rotation leaning heavily toward players with years of NBA experience under their belts rather than the rookies and sophomores. Mudiay, Burke, Kanter and Vonleh all played big minutes and made the most of it. These are the castaways, the players the rest of the league wasn't interested in paying or playing but embraced by Fizdale. Each one of these kids was dismissed the way some of the fanbase is treating Frank and rapidly approaching Kevin Knox (the two youngest Knicks players) and they all gave us examples of why patience is so crucial for young project players. While Mitch, Frank and Knox played short minutes; they're learning and the Knicks are winning. The negative to all of this is that the cast away unit is playing to a level that really could push them out of the Knicks' price range. The Knicks didn't waive Joakim Noah with plans to keep these guys' rights and just re-sign them. I had a bittersweet feeling watching these guys play their hearts out and worrying that as enjoyable as the night was; these guys are auditioning for the rest of the league and probably earning paydays we won't be able to match. Let's dive in
Mudiay: On this night, Emmanuel Mudiay baptized Garrett Temple with the kind of dunk that makes posters. Mudiay continued his efficient scoring tear with 17 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists to couple with a nice defensive effort against Mike Conley that produced a steal and a block. So what's new as Mudiay settles into this nice run of games? For one, I haven't been as high on his defense as others but he really did step it up against a tough match-up in Conley. Mudiay also showed that his jumper might have some legs, knocking down another 2 or 4 three pointers in less space than previous games. Quality finishing is becoming the norm and even bumping the assists up to 4 rather than his season average 2 is an improvement. The clutch aspect of recent games could really push Muddy into high value territory though. He only played 23 minutes last night (honestly a bit inexplicable when you compare his performance to Burke who got 29) but in the fourth quarter he had the biggest bucket of the night and also made all 5 of his free throws.
THJ: That this game was a step up from last is more an illustration of how bad Tim Hardaway Jr was last game than it is a compliment. Hardaway struggled to get his shot going and his play everywhere else regressed to the mean. He dropped 22 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound over 38 minutes on 6 of 16 from the field and 3 of 7 from three. Going 7 for 7 from the free throw line really saved his efficiency last night as he struggled to get good looks and couldn't can the tough ones. On a night where most players stepped up defensively, Timmy's lackluster moments were really magnified. In the first quarter alone on no less than three occasions, Timmy stuck to his man instead of rotating to help against a wide open slasher or shooter. He would do the half-hearted late jab-step at the lane and then just watch as a player pulled up or dribbled by. I'm still pinning some of this on the massive minutes that he's played recently though. His jumper isn't as sharp and his energy just isn't the same as during his best games lately and I wonder if building fatigue is a bigger factor than anything else.
Hezonja: Mario Hezonja got 21 minutes but his production continued to be forgettable. The small forward provided 4 points, 4 boards and 1 assist to 2 TO's in his starting effort for the Knicks. On the scale of Super Mario to Wario, we got something in between but closer to the disappointing side. Pedestrian Mario grabbed enough boards and made a couple of effort plays on defense to keep from being a detriment but with Dot on the bench and Lee cleared for activity; it feels like he's the most obvious candidate for a rotation change.
Vonleh: Noah Vonleh continues to give the Knicks a little bit of everything with the old-school physicality that a Knicks fan can appreciate. That physicality went so far as to cause a near fight and double technicals with Green. Noah had 7 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds over his 31 minutes of play but his impact always feels outsized to his box score. This was typical Vonleh; meaning that he makes the painted area uncomfortable for opposition bigs on both ends of the floor which frees up others to attack. It might also be time to start considering whether that three ball is just gonna be a thing now. Vonleh made 1 of 2 attempts from three, but not that corner three simple stuff...he was pulling from the top of the key with confidence.
Kanter: So Kanter got some props for me as he stepped up late and actually made some defensive plays against the Pelicans and...he did it again. Make no mistakes, Kanter continued to be a focal point of the attack from Memphis but also did some of the little things that are usually missing in his game. We're talking about getting his hands in the passing lane and not dropping completely out of the play on screen and rolls. That's his weakness right there and I'm actually finding positives there. Now to talk about his strengths...if statlines could talk, Kanter's would be screaming "get your weight up" at the Grizzlies roster collectively. Kanter poured on 21 points, 26 rebounds and 3 assists off of 9 for 16 from the field. By the time the Grizzlies realized their only way to contain him was to make him receive the ball 15 feet out or more, he'd already done massive damage. For as good as Jaren Jackson was last night, he had absolutely nothing for Kanter in the post. This was a really great performance for the big man and I'm usually a big time critic.
Burke: Trey Burke has struggled mightily the past two games. He was 3 for 15 from the field last night making him 5 for his last 23 attempts over a two game run. In all, Burke tallied 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and a block over 29 minutes of play that I felt was way too much time. Emmanuel Mudiay was just the better player last night but saw 6 less minutes out there in spite of being the starter. To Burke's credit, he salvaged an otherwise brutal night by knocking down 8 of 8 free throws and his defensive play was high effort with solid results. Burke essentially fought hard to keep himself from slipping into harmful to the team territory and managed to keep himself effective by using his elusive handle to get to the line. But the inconsistency of going 3 straight games making more than half his shots to consecutive games making a quarter of his shots is exactly why the sixth man scoring role is where Burke belongs.
Trier: Allonzo Trier is the one long term youth piece that hasn't seen a regression since the new rotation went into play and last night continued the trend. Against a quality defensive side with interior defenders, Trier still found his way into the lane for a number of strong finishes. Iso-Zo pumped in 10 points, 4 boards and an assist on 5 of 12 from the field. This kid just continues to attack and never seems deterred, though it probably helps that he's a momentum finisher...Allonzo sees a lane to gather and he attacks it every single time even if the help defenders are in good position. That got him into some trouble last night but also turned into some beautiful finishes around, over or through big men. The complaint for me is that he was one track minded last night. Zo has flashed vision to see a rotation early and make the pass but against a team with sharper movement like the Grizz, he found himself in traffic with few options on too many occasions. I mentioned that defensive mistakes were magnified last night and Zo caught the short end there too. He gave up multiple back door cuts where he was ball watching. Honestly, Trier's team defense is way behind his man to man defense which is pretty typical for newcomers.
Ntilikina: This was the second game in a row where Frank Ntilikina was visibly aggressive with his early touches. Frank came into the game and attacked the pick and roll on multiple occasions, pulling up for jumpers and throwing a lob to Mitch that Robinson just missed finishing (looked like he got pushed from behind). The kid even took three attempts in a single possession, missing a jumper followed by missing a tip in attempt before knocking down a three pointer. He also provided his usual brand of suffocating defense. Unfortunately, the more aggressive approach hasn't stopped his minutes from dropping and I hope that doesn't discourage the approach. Frank only played 13 minutes but pumped in 7 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist to no turnovers on 2 of 6 from the field. Frank is finding crunch time minutes as a defensive sub but last night he also got to ice the game with 2 clutch free throws that highlighted a great sign for his shooting. In spite of inconsistent trips to the line, Frank is shooting 94% on FTA's. Add in that he turns into a better rebounder as a wing and there's real promise that the 20 year old will contribute more than just high level defense in the future.
Robinson: So Mitch Robinson felt a bit overmatched or at least overpowered by Marc Gasol last night. When you couple Mitch having a tough time with the technique and strength of Gasol with the success that both Kanter and Vonleh had on the floor, you've got a recipe for a very limitied game from the promising big man. Robinson was scoreless in 13 minutes with 2 rebounds and a steal but nothing else to show for it. On a couple of possessions he did get the better of Gasol and defend well, but for the most part he couldn't get a firm footing against the size and strength of the Grizz. This was one he could take some notes from, especially watching and remembering all the little tricks Gasol uses to draw fouls and keep defenders off balance.
Knox: Like Mitch, Knox found himself overwhelmed by the strength advantage that JaMychal Green held in the post. Knox gets a lot of flack for motor issues but he really didn't seem to back down so much as just not have an answer for the mismatch with Green. A promising bit came when he switched to a smaller defender (I believe it was Mack); the player got a step on him and tried to finish but Knox used his length to block the shot from behind. Knox finished scoreless with 2 rebounds and that block over just 7 minutes of play. His 0 for 3 shooting including 2 missed three pointers might be frustrating to see on the line but I think there's a continuing trend of Knox catching the ball and firing in rhythm. That hasn't translated to efficient shooting yet but I really think it's the first step. Knox was always going to be raw but summer league gave us signs that he could at minimum become a volume scorer early; the thing about that is volume scorers usually need consistent touches to get into their rhythm. So more time might wind up with even worse shooting numbers, but I suspect that it'd actually come with an uptick in production as Knox starts to go on some shooting streaks.
Fiz: Outside of playing Burke more than Mudiay; I'm giving Fiz credit for good choices and a mulligan on foregoing the development of Knox and Mitch in this one. Those kids were overwhelmed by stronger bigs and Fiz deserved to chase a win against a franchise that probably fired him too soon. You could see the entire team try to step up to the challenge of winning this one for their coach and then Fiz made it even more clear in his emotional post game comments. Whether you like his decision making or hate it; Fizdale's locker room loves him and there's real value to that. He's gotten results from the vets with youth on their side and he's managed to sneak a bit of Frank and Mitch into crunch time moments over the past few games. With Lee returning, he'll have another veteran to try and keep happy so this whole rotation thing is only getting more complicated. Also, I keep catching little glimpses of an expansive offensive approach though there are better sources to ask about that kinda thing. I was pretty sure I saw the beginnings of an A-Set forming last night before an offball foul killed the play and there's a lot you can do just by adding some Horns action to the fold.
Is it time to explore trades: You may have just rolled your eyes at this...we finally win a few games and the immediate response is "let's trade some of these guys." But the Knicks have a few logjams with Courtney Lee coming back and Lance Thomas injured. There aren't enough minutes to go around as Dotson is on the outside looking in even though he wasn't playing bad basketball when he got his chance. As I've said before, there's virtually no way that all these expiring contracts get brought back. I'm not saying to make a trade tomorrow, but the Knicks should really be evaluating which guys they'll value the most in the offseason so that they can go about trying to extract value from the pieces that aren't likely to be brought back. We learned from the Kyle O'Quinn deadline last year that it's easier said than done to grab value for an expiring that's perceived to be overachieving, so the earlier Perry makes phone calls the better.
Mudiay: On this night, Emmanuel Mudiay baptized Garrett Temple with the kind of dunk that makes posters. Mudiay continued his efficient scoring tear with 17 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists to couple with a nice defensive effort against Mike Conley that produced a steal and a block. So what's new as Mudiay settles into this nice run of games? For one, I haven't been as high on his defense as others but he really did step it up against a tough match-up in Conley. Mudiay also showed that his jumper might have some legs, knocking down another 2 or 4 three pointers in less space than previous games. Quality finishing is becoming the norm and even bumping the assists up to 4 rather than his season average 2 is an improvement. The clutch aspect of recent games could really push Muddy into high value territory though. He only played 23 minutes last night (honestly a bit inexplicable when you compare his performance to Burke who got 29) but in the fourth quarter he had the biggest bucket of the night and also made all 5 of his free throws.
THJ: That this game was a step up from last is more an illustration of how bad Tim Hardaway Jr was last game than it is a compliment. Hardaway struggled to get his shot going and his play everywhere else regressed to the mean. He dropped 22 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound over 38 minutes on 6 of 16 from the field and 3 of 7 from three. Going 7 for 7 from the free throw line really saved his efficiency last night as he struggled to get good looks and couldn't can the tough ones. On a night where most players stepped up defensively, Timmy's lackluster moments were really magnified. In the first quarter alone on no less than three occasions, Timmy stuck to his man instead of rotating to help against a wide open slasher or shooter. He would do the half-hearted late jab-step at the lane and then just watch as a player pulled up or dribbled by. I'm still pinning some of this on the massive minutes that he's played recently though. His jumper isn't as sharp and his energy just isn't the same as during his best games lately and I wonder if building fatigue is a bigger factor than anything else.
Hezonja: Mario Hezonja got 21 minutes but his production continued to be forgettable. The small forward provided 4 points, 4 boards and 1 assist to 2 TO's in his starting effort for the Knicks. On the scale of Super Mario to Wario, we got something in between but closer to the disappointing side. Pedestrian Mario grabbed enough boards and made a couple of effort plays on defense to keep from being a detriment but with Dot on the bench and Lee cleared for activity; it feels like he's the most obvious candidate for a rotation change.
Vonleh: Noah Vonleh continues to give the Knicks a little bit of everything with the old-school physicality that a Knicks fan can appreciate. That physicality went so far as to cause a near fight and double technicals with Green. Noah had 7 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds over his 31 minutes of play but his impact always feels outsized to his box score. This was typical Vonleh; meaning that he makes the painted area uncomfortable for opposition bigs on both ends of the floor which frees up others to attack. It might also be time to start considering whether that three ball is just gonna be a thing now. Vonleh made 1 of 2 attempts from three, but not that corner three simple stuff...he was pulling from the top of the key with confidence.
Kanter: So Kanter got some props for me as he stepped up late and actually made some defensive plays against the Pelicans and...he did it again. Make no mistakes, Kanter continued to be a focal point of the attack from Memphis but also did some of the little things that are usually missing in his game. We're talking about getting his hands in the passing lane and not dropping completely out of the play on screen and rolls. That's his weakness right there and I'm actually finding positives there. Now to talk about his strengths...if statlines could talk, Kanter's would be screaming "get your weight up" at the Grizzlies roster collectively. Kanter poured on 21 points, 26 rebounds and 3 assists off of 9 for 16 from the field. By the time the Grizzlies realized their only way to contain him was to make him receive the ball 15 feet out or more, he'd already done massive damage. For as good as Jaren Jackson was last night, he had absolutely nothing for Kanter in the post. This was a really great performance for the big man and I'm usually a big time critic.
Burke: Trey Burke has struggled mightily the past two games. He was 3 for 15 from the field last night making him 5 for his last 23 attempts over a two game run. In all, Burke tallied 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and a block over 29 minutes of play that I felt was way too much time. Emmanuel Mudiay was just the better player last night but saw 6 less minutes out there in spite of being the starter. To Burke's credit, he salvaged an otherwise brutal night by knocking down 8 of 8 free throws and his defensive play was high effort with solid results. Burke essentially fought hard to keep himself from slipping into harmful to the team territory and managed to keep himself effective by using his elusive handle to get to the line. But the inconsistency of going 3 straight games making more than half his shots to consecutive games making a quarter of his shots is exactly why the sixth man scoring role is where Burke belongs.
Trier: Allonzo Trier is the one long term youth piece that hasn't seen a regression since the new rotation went into play and last night continued the trend. Against a quality defensive side with interior defenders, Trier still found his way into the lane for a number of strong finishes. Iso-Zo pumped in 10 points, 4 boards and an assist on 5 of 12 from the field. This kid just continues to attack and never seems deterred, though it probably helps that he's a momentum finisher...Allonzo sees a lane to gather and he attacks it every single time even if the help defenders are in good position. That got him into some trouble last night but also turned into some beautiful finishes around, over or through big men. The complaint for me is that he was one track minded last night. Zo has flashed vision to see a rotation early and make the pass but against a team with sharper movement like the Grizz, he found himself in traffic with few options on too many occasions. I mentioned that defensive mistakes were magnified last night and Zo caught the short end there too. He gave up multiple back door cuts where he was ball watching. Honestly, Trier's team defense is way behind his man to man defense which is pretty typical for newcomers.
Ntilikina: This was the second game in a row where Frank Ntilikina was visibly aggressive with his early touches. Frank came into the game and attacked the pick and roll on multiple occasions, pulling up for jumpers and throwing a lob to Mitch that Robinson just missed finishing (looked like he got pushed from behind). The kid even took three attempts in a single possession, missing a jumper followed by missing a tip in attempt before knocking down a three pointer. He also provided his usual brand of suffocating defense. Unfortunately, the more aggressive approach hasn't stopped his minutes from dropping and I hope that doesn't discourage the approach. Frank only played 13 minutes but pumped in 7 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist to no turnovers on 2 of 6 from the field. Frank is finding crunch time minutes as a defensive sub but last night he also got to ice the game with 2 clutch free throws that highlighted a great sign for his shooting. In spite of inconsistent trips to the line, Frank is shooting 94% on FTA's. Add in that he turns into a better rebounder as a wing and there's real promise that the 20 year old will contribute more than just high level defense in the future.
Robinson: So Mitch Robinson felt a bit overmatched or at least overpowered by Marc Gasol last night. When you couple Mitch having a tough time with the technique and strength of Gasol with the success that both Kanter and Vonleh had on the floor, you've got a recipe for a very limitied game from the promising big man. Robinson was scoreless in 13 minutes with 2 rebounds and a steal but nothing else to show for it. On a couple of possessions he did get the better of Gasol and defend well, but for the most part he couldn't get a firm footing against the size and strength of the Grizz. This was one he could take some notes from, especially watching and remembering all the little tricks Gasol uses to draw fouls and keep defenders off balance.
Knox: Like Mitch, Knox found himself overwhelmed by the strength advantage that JaMychal Green held in the post. Knox gets a lot of flack for motor issues but he really didn't seem to back down so much as just not have an answer for the mismatch with Green. A promising bit came when he switched to a smaller defender (I believe it was Mack); the player got a step on him and tried to finish but Knox used his length to block the shot from behind. Knox finished scoreless with 2 rebounds and that block over just 7 minutes of play. His 0 for 3 shooting including 2 missed three pointers might be frustrating to see on the line but I think there's a continuing trend of Knox catching the ball and firing in rhythm. That hasn't translated to efficient shooting yet but I really think it's the first step. Knox was always going to be raw but summer league gave us signs that he could at minimum become a volume scorer early; the thing about that is volume scorers usually need consistent touches to get into their rhythm. So more time might wind up with even worse shooting numbers, but I suspect that it'd actually come with an uptick in production as Knox starts to go on some shooting streaks.
Fiz: Outside of playing Burke more than Mudiay; I'm giving Fiz credit for good choices and a mulligan on foregoing the development of Knox and Mitch in this one. Those kids were overwhelmed by stronger bigs and Fiz deserved to chase a win against a franchise that probably fired him too soon. You could see the entire team try to step up to the challenge of winning this one for their coach and then Fiz made it even more clear in his emotional post game comments. Whether you like his decision making or hate it; Fizdale's locker room loves him and there's real value to that. He's gotten results from the vets with youth on their side and he's managed to sneak a bit of Frank and Mitch into crunch time moments over the past few games. With Lee returning, he'll have another veteran to try and keep happy so this whole rotation thing is only getting more complicated. Also, I keep catching little glimpses of an expansive offensive approach though there are better sources to ask about that kinda thing. I was pretty sure I saw the beginnings of an A-Set forming last night before an offball foul killed the play and there's a lot you can do just by adding some Horns action to the fold.
Is it time to explore trades: You may have just rolled your eyes at this...we finally win a few games and the immediate response is "let's trade some of these guys." But the Knicks have a few logjams with Courtney Lee coming back and Lance Thomas injured. There aren't enough minutes to go around as Dotson is on the outside looking in even though he wasn't playing bad basketball when he got his chance. As I've said before, there's virtually no way that all these expiring contracts get brought back. I'm not saying to make a trade tomorrow, but the Knicks should really be evaluating which guys they'll value the most in the offseason so that they can go about trying to extract value from the pieces that aren't likely to be brought back. We learned from the Kyle O'Quinn deadline last year that it's easier said than done to grab value for an expiring that's perceived to be overachieving, so the earlier Perry makes phone calls the better.
Even after the benchings, the subliminals and shyt...Kanter really seems happy as fukk to go all out for my man Fiz.
Miles Davis
Prince of Darkness
Even after the benchings, the subliminals and shyt...Kanter really seems happy as fukk to go all out for my man Fiz.
Cause he back in the lineup and got his way. Would the same have happened had he still be coming off the bench?
I'd argue that his reinstatement into the starting lineup would, at most, be interpreted as temporary.
The fact that he sees how liberal Fiz can be with his lineups should be enough to not make Kanter comfortable that he's in the lineup permanently.
I'm not saying you're wrong, though. It's just he looks really happy for Fiz regardless of the past.
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Bobby Lashleys eyebrows
Superstar
Man, I love this team. Genuinely and truly have good people and they put God first which is dope.
Mark Jackson probably somewhere beating the fukk outta himself with a hard covered bible.
Mark Jackson probably somewhere beating the fukk outta himself with a hard covered bible.
