NFT: Knicks so far

you would not say Hardaway was in the Doghouse.

He's not.

don't agree about Larkin's handle. I actually think his handle is very good.

think you're selling Dalambert short. He had a good pre-season and he will certainly be a big part of the team.

Smith, in particular, was very good offensively and Shump was a force on D.

JR Smith played through some significant hip pain tonite. Thirty minutes after the game, he still can't bend over to tie his shoes. #Knicks

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 31, 2014

In comment 11949671 Ten Ton Hammer said:

Quote:

JR Smith played through some significant hip pain tonite. Thirty minutes after the game, he still can't bend over to tie his shoes. #Knicks — Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 31, 2014

All this means to me is more minutes for THJR, which is what I want anyway.

On the six plays #Knicks G Iman Shumpert defended LeBron James' plays, he kept James to 0-2 shooting & 4 turnovers, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 31, 2014

but you can see the beginnings of what might one day become a very good offense that has a lot of passing and movement.

the old Bulls team would start off their sets with all sorts of triangle stuff (cutting/passing) but when it was late in the shot clock MJ could bail them out by going iso. Melo, and to a lesser extent JR, can certainly do that.

Fisher just seems willing to be flexible and stick with what is working. And I'm not super high on Larkin, but it seems silly to bash a guy who is (essentially) a rookie after a very good game.

In comment 11949678 Enzo said:

Quote:

but you can see the beginnings of what might one day become a very good offense that has a lot of passing and movement. the old Bulls team would start off their sets with all sorts of triangle stuff (cutting/passing) but when it was late in the shot clock MJ could bail them out by going iso. Melo, and to a lesser extent JR, can certainly do that.

Even the way Melo's GW shot came about was a product of the offense. The ball kinda made it's way to him. They didn't just ISO him and get him the ball to go one-on-one.

You can definitely see the groundwork being laid. It's actually a little cool to watch. Lord knows under Woodson it would've been get it to Melo and get out of the way.

He has a little swagger back, and some joy for the game.

He even ran the team several times last night, which can work in the triangle when they actually learn it.

Smith has admitted that the concepts behind the triangle still confuse him.Given that and the hip injury, he had a very nice game. Still good having THjr if he's too sore, but there are going to be challenges all year in finding minutes for all three.

had him in some fantasy leagues over the years.

I think it has to be a problem of motivation and focus. I've watched him put of great numbers against great opponents, shitty numbers against bad opponents and the full gamut in between. There seems to be no way to effectively assess his game other than it's inconsistent. But he certainly is capable of playing like a top 10-15 center in this league.

What I love about our front office now is my attitude used to be, well, whatever a players potential we are probably going to be getting the low end of that night in night out. With the Zen master at the helm I am optimistic for the opposite. If anyone can solve a motivation problem, it's Jackson.

but under Woodson, by that point in the game Melo would have been tired from running iso's against double teams all night.

Which, btw, is why he sucked so often on last-minute shots last year. He was never playing on fresh legs down the stretch.

For a legit, competent big to play on 6 teams in 10+ years means coaches/front office see something they don't like. He's no worldbeater, but he certainly deserves more time than 2 games.

Offensively he is always going to be average in my mind, but if he can just take it to the basket a bit like he has and he can at least be avg with that mid range jumper then he can be an ok offensive player. If he is just an ok offensive player and continues to look more like rookie year shump on D then he is a nice NBA player.

Shump appears to have learned not to take as many gambles where he doesn't have support behind him.

have to believe Fish is going to keep spreading the minutes around.

should be able to average around 10-11 ppg.

Or drive to the basket. He's still very lost when it comes to an offensive game. But he was very good down the stretch.

Not a fan of Larkin, but he's a backup PG. Can't really complain.

JR Smith is a god. People call him selfish yet he had the most assists last night. (Could be wrong, didn't check the stat sheets at all yet, and I was also very hammered while watching the game.)

Jason Smith is a better version of Bargnani. He's automatic with his jumper and he was doing some solid boxing out in the paint to help get his teammates some boards.

I'm a big DFish believer now. Guy has no regard for what the norm is in coaching. He went roster deep to gut this win out. Puts fucking Travis Wear on LBJ and it was a wild success.

Travis Wear belongs in this league. His game is really good for the triangle. I hope DFish keeps playing him. You can tell Travis Wear is just trying not to make mistakes right now. I'm excited for when he starts getting comfortable on this team and starts actually shooting. He's got a solid shot.

Cole is a monster on the boards and is another great fit. I thought Zen Master was selling Aldrich a bit short when he said he probably won't get much playing time. I think he's better than Dalembert.

Melo was efficient last night.

In comment 11949768 AnotherGiantsFan said:

Quote:

Not a fan of Larkin, but he's a backup PG. Can't really complain.

It's ok. He'll win you over.

He wants to be out there on the court. I just think his height and lack of natural PG skills will limit him.

In comment 11949757 Del Shofner said:

Quote:

have to believe Fish is going to keep spreading the minutes around.

They also have a new coach/philosophy and a lot of new faces. Fish is probably trying to find out what combos work well together.

you can clearly see this season will be a lot of ups and downs with this system. As long as they continue to make progress I'm happy. With a little bit of luck hopefully the Knicks can nail down the 6th seed.

Was it just me, or was it after every offensive possession the announcers made the triangle seem like a failure/success? It got annoying.

Bottom line, LeBron lost one of the "biggest sporting events ever".

and he was ok, but he was just hitting his bad shots. He still took way too many bad shots. Contested step backs from in front of the arc.

In comment 11949768 AnotherGiantsFan said:

Quote:

I'm a big DFish believer now. Guy has no regard for what the norm is in coaching. He went roster deep to gut this win out. Puts fucking Travis Wear on LBJ and it was a wild success.

Fisher doesn't give a shit about Lebron, lol.

I know Barkley is mostly tongue in cheek and he usually doesn't take himself too seriously, nor should anyone else, but man he sucked last night.

In comment 11949795 kmed said:

Quote:

and he was ok, but he was just hitting his bad shots. He still took way too many bad shots. Contested step backs from in front of the arc.

He is what he is, Keith. That isn't changing.

Larkin's growth will come if he forces the action. Typically you don't want that, but with his speed I honestly would not mind seeing him push the tempo and even force shots at the rim. In doing that he'll learn what he can and cannot get away with in the league.

I'm really glad they hired Fisher. I think he's going to do a good job. He definitely looks ready for this. It'll be a bumpy road at times but I think he's right for it.

There are a lot of solid pieces on this team. We're a little short on top tier talent but we do have a lot of guys who can play and belong in this league. I like that Fish is willing to use all of them. Depth and role players are really important as much of a "superstar" league as it is.

Just show me progress and effort and I'm content this year.

excels in the PnR. It's what he did at Miami and it's what he's good at. He's learning a different offense and I am sure that's affecting his play. His speed and quickness, though, are things that are going to help him compensate for his small stature.

I've liked what I have seen so far. He definitely needs to be more aggressive with his own offense, but he's feeling his way. Fisher said after the first game he was telling Larkin he needs to trust his instincts more, and I think we saw some of that last night.

stink

Knicks should pick up his option. You don't save a lot of money by passing on him. He's got speed and has the potential to be pretty good.

In comment 11949805 arcarsenal said:

Quote:

I'm really glad they hired Fisher. I think he's going to do a good job. He definitely looks ready for this. It'll be a bumpy road at times but I think he's right for it. There are a lot of solid pieces on this team. We're a little short on top tier talent but we do have a lot of guys who can play and belong in this league. I like that Fish is willing to use all of them. Depth and role players are really important as much of a "superstar" league as it is. Just show me progress and effort and I'm content this year.

I am in the same boat. I'd also like to make the playoffs though. I know it might not be what's best for them long term but it would be nice to be playing basketball in May.

is that we all know this is kind of a throw away year so it gives him a year to grow without crazy expectations.

But defenses will love to have him shooting 18 footers all night. That's a tough place to remain efficient from all season long.

My favorite bit from Smith was the little after the whistle dust up that he had with Akron's famous son. Eff you, Lebron.

In comment 11949795 kmed said:

Quote:

and he was ok, but he was just hitting his bad shots. He still took way too many bad shots. Contested step backs from in front of the arc.

This just isn't true. He took 3 step backs I believe. 2 of them were uncontested because he faked going to the basket and the defender fell off. He missed the contested one.

He shot 2 "deep" 3s. They were both catch and shoot. One of those being with the shot clock at .7. Missed that one, made the other.

He had 3 FGAs inside the paint, one just outside.

Nearly half of his attempts were drives to the basket. You're just clouding your mind with his couple of JR moments.

Plus, I don't even care about his scoring. He was a big part of the reason why we were able to move the ball. The 7 assists echo that as well.

That gif is hysterical. I don't even think I've seen that before.

I do not understand the salary cap and how we can't pick up the cheap option of a kid who started last night. Weird.
very confusing to me - ( New Window )

But if I had to assume, it's because we are trying to stockpile expiring for either a trade later this season or to be straight balling next free agency.

This team will look different a few months from now IMO. Larkin is not part of our long term plans.

and this season will be fun. The Knicks will compete this year but they just don't have the horses to compete for a title just yet. Enjoy the breath of fresh air with Phil and Fisher. Enjoy Melo and watch the kids develop. Anything we get this year is gravy and I think we will get some gravy this season. This team isn't terrible but if you tune in night after night expecting excellence you're gonna be disappointed.

They won't suck this year but even if they did, fine, get the draft pick. I have them as a mid to upper 40 win team.

in the triangle offense. And maybe the Knicks are just looking to build up his value so they can trade him.

but they really need Calderon to get healthy.

nice flop, LBJ.

wasn't he the guy who hip-checked Blake Griffin on a fast break a couple of years ago? That's the only time I've heard of him

but maybe they think they can do better. Despite the fact that he was a first-round draft pick, and even though he hasn't played a lot of total games, maybe they are just trying to get by with him.

Without him and assuming they don't pick up any of the options on the table for next year, they'll be 23 million or so under the cap.

Larkin's probably just a contributor, not a starter in this league so I guess the cap space probably is more valuable than his option.

In comment 11949933 Ten Ton Hammer said:

Quote:

but maybe they think they can do better. Despite the fact that he was a first-round draft pick, and even though he hasn't played a lot of total games, maybe they are just trying to get by with him.

He really doesn't seem like a PG at all to me. The only thing that really resembles a PG in his game is his height.

That trucked Blake Griffin in the open floor during that streak of him delivering highlight dunk after highlight dunk.

Dirty? Maybe. But he's not a soft bitch like Bargnani. He's a better version of Bargnani.

.
link - ( New Window )

...somewhere, at that moment, Anthony Bonner broke into a smile and didn't know why.

In comment 11950137 AnotherGiantsFan said:

Quote:

. link - ( New Window )

Jeez, that's pretty flagrant. lol.

Toughness was needed though.

Amid all the talk about fisher's inscrutable use of matchups and rotations, it turns out that Dalembert has a mild calf injury. Fisher was playing it safe.

Dalembert is supposed to be fine for Sunday.
Link - ( New Window )

In comment 11950314 manh george said:

Quote:

Amid all the talk about fisher's inscrutable use of matchups and rotations, it turns out that Dalembert has a mild calf injury. Fisher was playing it safe. Dalembert is supposed to be fine for Sunday. Link - ( New Window )

That's funny and so typical. We all try to find hidden meaning and get embarrassed when the simple explanation turns out to be the right one.

Fisher did make excellent use of whomever he had left.

In comment 11950314 manh george said:

Quote:

Amid all the talk about fisher's inscrutable use of matchups and rotations, it turns out that Dalembert has a mild calf injury. Fisher was playing it safe. Dalembert is supposed to be fine for Sunday. Link - ( New Window )

I mean, he played Travis Wear ahead of THJr. Not sure how that's "playing it safe".