A case could certainly have been made not to give KZ a max contract because of his injury risk/health concerns. But that's not what went down in Knickland, as far as I understand. And no matter the impetus, Knix should have gotten a better return for a high-level player than the nothing we got.
I'm on the 1Q on replay:
DET looks like 5 guys who never played together before. I've had more coherent pickup teams in the park. Randle killing them with 3's and they never adjusted. DET's 2nd unit comes in and seems to have heard that the Knix have trouble with zones, so they zone up like a squad that never practiced zones before. They'd be in good shape if Knix only had 4 players out there. But that pesky 5th Knick has proven nettlesome. Clyde praises DET for swarming to the ball on one possession in which first they ignored Randle, then had twp guys zoom to him leaving RJB wide open. Sometimes Clyde ball-watches too much.
Not many 1Q negatives for NYK or positives for DET.
But DET's first FG comes as Randle fails to get back in transition. Shoot a straight on 3 and you're the one who has to get back, and it's not as if his man sprinted right to the basket. Later another poor Knick transition D, as for some reason, Randle tells a G to cover the middle as Randle opts to defend the far corner 3,
but he doesn't notice the actual play with bulky I. Stewart steaming downcourt with Noel behind him. Randle needed to stay in the middle and send the guard out to defend the corner 3. Both of those transition plays, Killer Hayes made nice long passes to his lead man. It's really the only thing he's done well in the 1st half, but those were nice push-ahead passes. Funny how Noel clobbers Stewart as he goes up to dunk, but it was called a non-shooting foul. Unless Knick announcers got it wrong and it was just called out of bounds without a foul.
Anywho, Knix taking vengeance out on a crummy Pistons team for last night's loss.
But with NYK on the 2nd game of a Home-Road B2B, DET should have come out with energy and attacking, not chucking lazy 3's. Embarrassing start for DET.
After a made (Randle J) basket, Cory Joe hurries the ball upcourt. It's a 3-on-5 push, and you can hear Thibs bellowing turn-around, turn-around in the empty arena. Randle again disinterested, and Cory Joe appears to have a direct lane to the hoop, until ELF fouls him from the side. 3-on-5 after a made basket. smh
Knick transition D has been cringe-worthy all-season. Lots of poor awareness and recognition in transition. Rose has been about the best at getting back and making plays.
So Knix beating the snot out of DET all 1Q, on an H-R B2B, and Thibs plays Randle the entire quarter? Hmm