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46

Basketball / Re: THE REAL F-IN DEAL

« on: October 27, 2022, 10:10:45 AM »

Jalen just would NOT let them LOSE this game.

At the game in the crowd everyone was screaming for the Knicks possessions down the stretch and OT to go through Brunson.  It's nice to have a real PG.   Randle and RJ driving to the hoop against set D and help D is not a recipe for sustained success.  Their forays maybe work 33% of the time in those instances meanwhile I have the utmost confidence in Brunson taking a shot when he gets at least one foot in the paint.  His turnaround jumper is delicious.

47

Basketball / Message Received - New Julius confirmed

« on: October 26, 2022, 12:02:01 PM »

The main issue I see with the starters is Randle needing to make the adjustment to Kemba.    Even though Payton was the starter last year, Randle really ran the offense. 

Take a look at Randle's amount of dribbles per touch this season.  Given a better PG this year and he is still dribbling the same amount.  More in fact.  As Randle's answer is always play harder.  Well this time he needs to play smarter.  He needs to trust Kemba with the ball and go back to less ISO, more finding ways to score without being the black hole on offense he sometimes is.


2017-18, LAL: 16.1 points in 26.7 mpg, 51.1 touches/gm, 1.35 dribbles per touch

2018-19, NOP: 21.4 points in 30.6 mpg, 59.5 touches/gm, 1.80 dribbles per touch

2019-20, NYK: 19.5 points in 32.5 mpg, 68.8 touches/gm, 1.67 dribbles per touch

2020-21, NYK: 24.1 points in 37.6 mpg, 83.6 touches/gm, 2.27 dribbles per touch

2021-22, NYK: 21.0 points in 35.6 mpg, 75.6 touches/gm, 2.28 dribbles per touch

2022-2023, NYK:  1.48 dribbles per touch (and 2.8 minutes per game with the ball in his hands.)

Julius has (thus far) answered the questions about him deferring to a "true PG" and shut up the critics who wanted to trade him (hi there!)

Keep up the good work Julius!

48

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: October 25, 2022, 01:07:28 PM »

I LOVE Brunson's game.

A more refined Charlie Ward

A winner.

And tough.

Perfect for New York, no?

Play of the game:

That the play starts off with seven footer Mo Bamba trying and failing to post up human fire hydrant Jalen Brunson is the icing on the cake.

And what a pass by Toppin.



Moments like this convince you that we're only getting a glimpse into his hoops intellect and awareness.

49

Basketball / Knicks game at MSG

« on: October 05, 2022, 05:24:06 PM »

I was just at MSG last week to see the Killers in concert.    (We were terrified just looking up at the Chase bridge, can't imagine jumping around up there)



Last night's win inspired me to spend some money on this team. 

I'll be at the game on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 7:30 PM EDT vs. Charlotte.

Go Knicks!

50

Basketball / Ray Marcano

« on: September 23, 2022, 12:58:12 PM »

After coming to the Knicks via trade in 2003-2004, Marbury immediately made an impact. He played 46 games that season and scored more than 30 points seven times, including 42 against the LA Clippers. Despite the team's 39-43 record, he led the Knicks to the playoffs as a No. 7 seed. The then New Jersey Nets wiped out the Knicks in four games.

But hey, no problem. The team would have Marbury, their star, for a full season, and that would surely make a difference. He was still in that fan/media honeymoon phase.

That would soon end. In the 2004-2005 season --- his first full one in the Garden --- stories began appearing about Marbury's moodiness, abrasiveness, and reputation for being selfish.

His problems with teammates continued. Kurt Thomas didn't hide his dislike for Marbury. They argued on the bench during a game and then had a fistfight in the locker room. The team went through two more coaches that season, firing Lenny Wilkins after he started the season 17-22 and handing the wreck of a team to poor Herb Williams (16-27). It's kind of surprising that the Knicks won 33 games that season, given all the mess.

In need of a new coach, the Knicks got Knicksy and hired Larry Brown because they needed yet another person on the bench who had a bad relationship with Marbury.

The two didn't get along when during their time on the disappointing 2004 Summer Olympic squad. Marbury criticized Brown's coaching style, and Brown reportedly wanted Marbury off the team.

Obviously, that made Brown the perfect candidate for the job -- he said sarcastically.

The friction carried into the 2005-06 regular season, with Brown publicly criticizing Marbury and the two not talking. Marbury's uneven performance and sullen mood quickly soured Knicks fans who started booing the star player.

And now the circumstances burst into full view. Here's an example of what was a friendly conversation between the two:

Brown: "So, you're the best guard in the league, and the team is 17-45, yeah, it's the coach's fault."

Marbury: "I think it's personal now."

So the Knicks went 23-59, and Brown lasted one season. And guess what? The Knicks held on to Marbury.

What happened next? Insanity (not Linsanity. That was the fun one). Thomas took over as coach, with owner James Dolan mandating he fix the team or else.

Or else won.

The next two seasons were soap opera at its best. Marbury and Thomas feuded (how surprising!). At the start of the 2007-08 season, in November, Marbury went AWOL after learning he would lose his starting job to a young player, Mardy Collins. Marbury had elective surgery on his ankle in January 2008 and continued his spats with Thomas, reportedly becoming angered at any perceived slight. The fans booed, the media hissed, and finally, mercifully, the Knicks bought out and waived Marbury on February 24, 2009.

So that was a long-winded preamble. What does it all mean?

Circumstance.

It's not fair to compare Randle's personality to Marbury's. Randle has not fought teammates (as far as we know), hasn't outwardly feuded with his veteran coach (as far as we know), and hasn't lost the respect of his teammates (as far as we know).

But look at the other circumstances.

-The Knicks brought in Marbury and his bloated contract because they needed (wanted) a star. Fans and the media cheered. The Knicks brought in Randle not thinking he'd be a star but on the face of one career year, signed him a massive contract. Fans and the media cheered.

-Marbury was a bad fit on a bad team, with too many shoot-first guards. Randle is a bad fit on a mediocre team because he clogs the lane with Mitch and RJ.

-The Garden crowd booed Marbury often, and it affected his play and attitude. We've all seen what's happened with Randle, his body language, and the dejected way he sometimes leaves the court.

Here's where the circumstances can diverge.

The Knicks waited too long to move on from Marbury and then couldn't find a trade because of his onerous contract, deteriorating play, and bad attitude.

The Knicks, apparently, could trade Randle if they take pennies on the dollar and/or attach an appealing asset.

If the Knicks start losing, the fans will turn their ire on the team's highest-paid and most polarizing player. As soon as Randle does his signature move --- back in two steps, fake left, fake right, fade away and clank off the front rim --- the boos will start, followed by the Obi chants. This will make Tom Thibodeau's job harder, as he's supposedly already told confidants that he can't get Randle to play unselfishly.

A player with questions about his attitude, the ability to play within the team, booing fans, bad body language, and a young player behind him? We have the mix of circumstances just as we did last decade.

We see what happened when the Knicks refused to move then.

51

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 20, 2022, 12:56:40 AM »

Next to our avatars are three icons.   The third one purports to let you send a personal message but I'm not sure it is working.   Can anyone send me a PM?   

52

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 16, 2022, 01:02:35 AM »

Agree to disagree.   We need IQ to play more minutes in my book. 

53

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 15, 2022, 09:12:45 AM »

Westbrook wouldn't suit up.  He'd stay at home collecting his expiring salary until which time he is released or dealt.

The prize is the Lakers pick, YES 5 years out, as they might be quite crummy by then.

Randle
Rose
Reddish

For a player who won't suit up

And a prize draft pick five years in the future

Yes sir.  You sure do drive a hard bargain.

Randle.  for Obi
Rose.  for IQ
Reddish. for the draft pick.


Which minutes breakdown serves our youth and cap sheet?

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 34, Barrett 34, Grimes 32, Toppin 32, Quickley 30, Hartenstein 24, Robinson 24, Fournier 18, McBride 12

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 32, Barrett 32, Randle 28, Grimes 26, Toppin 24 Quickley 24, Robinson 22, Hartenstein 22, Fournier 16, Rose 14

54

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 14, 2022, 11:27:56 PM »

Westbrook wouldn't suit up.  He'd stay at home collecting his expiring salary until which time he is released or dealt.

The prize is the Lakers pick, YES 5 years out, as they might be quite crummy by then.

55

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 14, 2022, 07:32:21 PM »

Lets not give up two rotation players just to move off Randle even if it gets us a 2027 first round pick.

It's about moving off a poison contract with the chance to torpedo our season.    Do y'all forget last year?

Open that cap space up, and open that time for OBI.   Win Win.

56

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 14, 2022, 07:31:07 PM »

If we are going to offload JR, let's maximize his value first, and get value for value. 

That ship has sailed. 

This is a guy signed longterm you have to attach an asset with to move.

"Re-Building his value" is also code for "Obi sits for the thirst straight year ensuring we've wasted yet another draft pick"

57

Basketball / Re: It's Time

« on: September 14, 2022, 07:28:20 PM »

The trade:

Suns get: Julius Randle

Lakers get: Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Cam Reddish, Dario Saric

Knicks get: Russell Westbrook, Torrey Craig, 2027 Lakers 1st round pick (top-5 protected)

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 34, Barrett 34, Grimes 32, Toppin 32, Quickley 30, Hartenstein 24, Robinson 24, Fournier 18, McBride 12


2. Ideal Rotation (without trades)

Starters: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein

Reserves: Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 32, Barrett 32, Randle 28, Grimes 26, Toppin 24 Quickley 24, Robinson 22, Hartenstein 22, Fournier 16, Rose 14

Come on KAM.

That trade is utterly specious and counterproductive.

This is his rationale~

The end result is New York sends out three players who either deserve or think they deserve heavy minutes in the rotation and takes back the largest expiring contract in the league, plus Craig, who would slot into the rotation as the 10th man.

In my world, he'd never see the court. For as much as Thibs is rightly criticized for a number of misgivings, I've never had an issue with his penchant for wanting a shorter rotation. I think it helps guys get into a rhythm and allows for more creativity with lineup combinations.

Here, he'd have exactly that. My vision for this group would be one where RJ Barrett is the first starter to come out of the game, hitting the bench while Immanuel Quickley checks in. Barrett would then check back in after a few minutes for Obi Toppin, essentially serving as the backup four while also helping run the offense when Brunson sits.

His co-pilot during those minutes would be IQ. With Derrick Rose gone, IQ would finally be able to take on a greater share of the playmaking responsibilities, while Deuce would slot into the role that Quickley himself has occupied for much of the last two seasons. When he's with the starters, IQ could thrive in more of an off-ball role alongside Brunson in what I think would be an incredibly entertaining five-man unit.

That gets me to the other major change here, one which reflects my proposal from Monday's column: swapping the centers. I love this not only for the benefits Hartenstein brings to the first five, but with RJ playing more with the backups, Barrett gets to continue his burgeoning lob connection with Mitchell Robinson. Evan Fournier and Deuce McBride would (along with Quickley) provide ample floor spacing for these units, and the presence of Deuce and IQ at the point of attack with Mitch as the backstop would help insulate Fournier's defensive shortcomings.


I think this team could certainly finish above .500, and if Brunson is as good as I think he could be with something close to a 30 usage rate (with RJ slightly behind him in the 26-27 range and Immanuel Quickley just a tick behind them at around 23 or 24), I don't think an offensive rating ranking in the 16-18 range is out of the question.

58

Basketball / Re: It's Time

« on: September 14, 2022, 04:35:24 PM »

Enough transactions.

That ship has sailed. 

Time to start projecting rotations. 

Open question to the Forum Handicappers?

Might we see Randle-Toppin, Barrett-Reddish, Brunson-Rose on the floor at the same time?

https://knicksfilmschool.substack.com/p/the-ideal-knicks-rotation

Jonathan Macri devoted his entire column to this question today.   He put forth two scenarios.


I'm going to answer this question in two ways:

What's my ideal 10-man rotation if I'm allowed to make reasonable roster changes before the season?

What's my ideal 10-man rotation if I'm not allowed to make changes, and I have to go into the season with this roster?


1. Ideal Rotation (with trades)

Starters: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein

Reserves: Deuce McBride, Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier, Mitchell Robinson

The trade:

Suns get: Julius Randle

Lakers get: Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Cam Reddish, Dario Saric

Knicks get: Russell Westbrook, Torrey Craig, 2027 Lakers 1st round pick (top-5 protected)

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 34, Barrett 34, Grimes 32, Toppin 32, Quickley 30, Hartenstein 24, Robinson 24, Fournier 18, McBride 12


2. Ideal Rotation (without trades)

Starters: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein

Reserves: Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson

Proposed minutes totals: Brunson 32, Barrett 32, Randle 28, Grimes 26, Toppin 24 Quickley 24, Robinson 22, Hartenstein 22, Fournier 16, Rose 14

59

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: September 07, 2022, 06:58:25 PM »

Ainge and Leon never apparently got on the phone with each other.

I don't have an issue with this.   They delegate the groundwork/gruntwork and make the final decision.

60

Basketball / One last thing

« on: September 07, 2022, 11:48:48 AM »

And it's not just Obi either. Removing Randle's sky-high usage from the team would likely open additional opportunities for other young players as well. I could even see a world where New York's starters - gasp - play with elevated pace, thus reducing the starters' minutes and giving more time to someone like Immanuel Quickley.

(And yes, to everyone who says they need to move Rose just as urgently so IQ will get more minutes on the ball, you are 1000% right. But that doesn't need to be done now. Rose is the anti-Randle in just about every way, from off-court leader to someone who doesn't need the ball to be effective when he plays. Keeping him for 30 or 40 games with built in rest on back-to-backs is not the end of the world. Some contender will come calling before the deadline with a first rounder, presuming Rose stays healthy. And if he doesn't stay healthy, a) it's not like his value will have gone down that much, because I don't see anyone offering a first for him right now, and b) IQ will have gotten to play a lot anyway. Still, should Rose ideally be elsewhere? Yes.)

The best part: if they move Randle, the fan base will grant the team bucketfulls of goodwill. If the kids are playing major minutes and wins are hard to come by, it will be seen as a worthwhile trade-off, at least for this season. It will also be viewed as an olive branch if the team is unable to move Fournier and/or Rose at the moment: Don't worry, we know what you want, and we want it to. We're going to get all the way there, we just need some more time. Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier will only help make life easier for everyone they play with, and their respective values should only go up as time passes. That is simply not the case with Julius.

Right now, I believe there is a morbid curiosity about Randle throughout the league. No one wants him, but his All-NBA season is still fresh enough that someone should be amenable to taking a flier, especially if a pick comes with him. If the season starts and he again stinks up the joint? I'm not so sure that would still be the case, and is there any worse world to imagine than one in which the Knicks are stuck with Julius Randle, to the point that no reasonable amount of sweeteners would entice a team to take him on? I'm not sure I can imagine one.

The time is now. This isn't a luxury; it is a necessity. There can be no progress without first taking this unfortunate step backwards. It's OK ... it happens. Again: we'll understand.