Speaking of watching, I may be doing a bit less. The season is already getting a little tiresome.
Adam Silver may have put the final feather on a decade-long progression toward defense-free ball. Those who still excel at the art despite the handicaps really are magicians.
Call me what you will, but I find nothing exciting about watching crap teams put up 130 points. It's like watching rec league ball and I certainly wouldn't pay for that.
Just saying.
I feel you.
But I'm experiencing it the other way.
There are bursts of individual excellence, sort of coming and going as Fizz keeps tweaking his lineups.
Hardaway and Burke emerging as genuine offensive threats, likewise Mudiay.
[Interesting stat for Ziggy...Hardaway #2 in he league behind Lowry for taking charges].
Our Three Rooks have been up and down. Trier in particular coming down to Earth, offensively, though his assists are up. Knox looks befuddled and Robinson basically getting his G-League time against NBA competition the likes of Anthony and Nikola, which is...uh, a source for embarrassment.
Likewise, on offense, those who are ready to buy out Kanter, pointing to Mitchell's innate defensive potential, well, at the moment, when Mitchell is out there, it's like we're playing 4 on 5 offensively, as he has NO GAME, outside of rolling to the hoop (been missing most of his recent attempts there) and put-backs. I'm not breaking on the kid, but, this is what throwing a tadpole into the deep end of the pool with full grown gators looks like.
But of course, let's get rid of Kanter because he's a defensive liability. Uh huh. Meanwhile who amongst our front court players is even coming close to his points or boards.
There was a stretch when Robinson was basically playing PF next to Kanter's Center, and that showed some promise, as did Vonleh playing alongside him.
Right now, Knox and Hezonja are out of sorts (or in my main man Stupor Mario's case, out of the rotation).
I get Fizz's good intentions in trying to start all three of his rooks for future development.
However, he is doing a player such as Knox no favors in tossing him out there to get undressed and over-matched defensively against much more experienced players.
For me, accepting the reality of our loses, both based on extreme youth, soft tanking and lack of cohesion (on both the players AND the coaches part), there are still enough moments, as was it Luee suggested, of positive play and competitive tenacity (such as how we came back in the second quarter yesterday, instead of simply folding up like a cheap beach chair as recent "vet" Knicks teams, well, VETERAN'S HOSPITAL Knicks teams, would).
As such, confounding as the inconsistency might be, it fulfills the stated mission of Kamster and Don Carlos to compete hard, show growth and position ourselves for the possibility of Zion, however remote.
Meanwhile, gratifying to see Timmy's growth as an all around NBA scoring guard, taking charges, getting to the FT line, serving up assists...Trey and Mudiay finding their offensive games.
And of course, nothing quite like Ziggy Starbust getting to shout we suck, We Suck, WE SUCK at the top of his lungs...or as Zero Mostel sang in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM...
"Something for everyone, a comedy TONIGHT."
Poll
