Kevin Knox looks like the real deal. His shot finally started to fall last night, and it resulted in a very efficient 29 points.
He really does look like the total package. Can score on all 3 levels, defends, passes, rebounds, makes good decisions. I don't care that it's summer league. These are either NBA players or good college players, and all of these guys are older than KK. He's still the best guy on the floor.
He needs to get better finishing with his left, he needs a more consistent jumper and he needs to get stronger, but he's 18, and these are all very fixable things.
Feel Free To Re-live Knox Highlights - (
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Jr firing up a million shots would be great news for the tank.
Less so than extra touches/takes from Frank, Knox etc. Ideal situation is Frank taking a step forward, Knox looking like a legit good NBA player, Robinson looking like a "piece", a really bad W/L season where we add a top 5 pick and then KP joins this core.
Yes, getting the young guys burn is ideal. My comment was more about Hardaway being a bad player, so him taking shots = us losing more games = higher pick.
On the plus side regarding last night, it is important to note that not only was Frank out, but the Knicks don't have another real developmental pg on the Summer League squad.
Trier actually didn't do so bad, considering that in real life he is an inexperienced chucker 2-guard, with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists and a 61.5% FG percentage, but he can't run or control the team, and the drop-down after him was also huge. This had to hurt 4th quarter performance, and the opportunities for Knox, Robinson and Williams. Williams needs running buddies.
It makes sense that they didn't use another roster spot on a pg, with Mudiay and Burke waiting in the wings, but that makes the absence of Frank more apparent.
- It actually seems like an outside possibility now, but imagine a frontline of KP, Knox and Durant?
-Robinson really flashed to me last night. He oozes with potential. Guy is enormous and can fly around. Obviously a major project on offense.
- I’d love if they moved 2/3 of Hardaway/ Lee/ Kanter before the season. Very unlikely though.
- Doris Burke is incredible. Grew up in Manasquan NJ and truly defied the odds. She’s the best.
OKC doesn’t want better players. What they want is to reduce payroll because beyond the salaries they will owe millions in luxury tax because of how far over the cap they are. The Nets are the under the cap, and thus can take back much more salary than they trade away. The Knicks are over and can’t.
PF: Knox/Hejonza, Thomas
SF: Hejonza/Knox, THJr
SG: THJr, Frank
PG: Frank, Mudiay, Burke?
PF: Knox/Hejonza, Thomas
SF: Hejonza/Knox, THJr
SG: THJr, Frank
PG: Frank, Mudiay, Burke?
my guess burke is backup point with mudiay at the 2..
lance will be the backup 3/4 for now...
knicks really need another big who can play the 4/5...
but fizdale wanta to play small and run
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C: Kanter, Robinson
PF: Knox/Hejonza, Thomas
SF: Hejonza/Knox, THJr
SG: THJr, Frank
PG: Frank, Mudiay, Burke?
my guess burke is backup point with mudiay at the 2..
lance will be the backup 3/4 for now...
knicks really need another big who can play the 4/5...
but fizdale wanta to play small and run
I know Fizdale said he believes in positionless guards, but Emmanuel Mudiay may legit be the worst SG in NBA history.
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In comment 14011367 Del Shofner said:
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C: Kanter, Robinson
PF: Knox/Hejonza, Thomas
SF: Hejonza/Knox, THJr
SG: THJr, Frank
PG: Frank, Mudiay, Burke?
my guess burke is backup point with mudiay at the 2..
lance will be the backup 3/4 for now...
knicks really need another big who can play the 4/5...
but fizdale wanta to play small and run
I know Fizdale said he believes in positionless guards, but Emmanuel Mudiay may legit be the worst SG in NBA history.
he will be the backup 2 and right now who else is there?
if lee is still here he will most likely be the back up 2
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In comment 14011370 nygiants16 said:
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In comment 14011367 Del Shofner said:
Quote:
C: Kanter, Robinson
PF: Knox/Hejonza, Thomas
SF: Hejonza/Knox, THJr
SG: THJr, Frank
PG: Frank, Mudiay, Burke?
my guess burke is backup point with mudiay at the 2..
lance will be the backup 3/4 for now...
knicks really need another big who can play the 4/5...
but fizdale wanta to play small and run
I know Fizdale said he believes in positionless guards, but Emmanuel Mudiay may legit be the worst SG in NBA history.
he will be the backup 2 and right now who else is there?
if lee is still here he will most likely be the back up 2
Dotson would be the backup 2, but as far as Frank, Burke, and Mudiay, Burke is the best shooter and scorer of the 3. He's obviously undersized for the 2, though. Have his talent and skills put into Mudiay's body.
Agreed, but I still have hope. Don't forget how well he played down the stretch last year
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is going to be in the 9-man rotation. He looks terrible in summer league.
Agreed, but I still have hope. Don't forget how well he played down the stretch last year
Fair enough. The reason I'm asking about the 9-man rotation is that some of these players are clearly fringe (some of the summer league guys) and others are clearly on the way out (Noah, Lee). I'm trying to get a handle on what the team is really going to look like this year in terms of who gets significant minutes. What about Kornet? Does he have a shot? Unfortunately he hasn't played in the summer league yet.
Don't get me wrong it's still an idiotic and terrible contract but it's not immovable if we have two stars that are willing to sign and are understandably desperate.
Is there a difference between stretching him next summer versus stretching him after Sept 1 this year?
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Wouldn't it be much cheaper and much more manageable if we stretched him NEXT summer? What exactly are we saving money for this season? Do we really need that roster spot? Just trade Courtney Lee and waive Ron Baker.
Is there a difference between stretching him next summer versus stretching him after Sept 1 this year?
From what I understand, if the Knicks stretch Noah’s deal right now, he would still be owed the same amount of money but it would be spread out over five seasons instead of two. That means rather than owing him 19 million next season and 20 million in 2019, the Knicks would be charged 8 million a year on their cap through the 2022-2023 season. It doesn't make sense as we're not going to contend this year and we're not in the running to add any high-priced guy.
If we wait until next year to stretch Noah, we could gain around 12 million in cap space and we all know the Knicks already have their eyes set on the free agency class of 2019.
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Wouldn't it be much cheaper and much more manageable if we stretched him NEXT summer? What exactly are we saving money for this season? Do we really need that roster spot? Just trade Courtney Lee and waive Ron Baker.
Is there a difference between stretching him next summer versus stretching him after Sept 1 this year?
No.
Besides, at least we know that Noah can play defense. Kanter can't play defense for shit, Robinson should spend most of the year getting stronger and working on his conditioning in the G-League and Kornet is very meh.
Besides, at least we know that Noah can play defense. Kanter can't play defense for shit, Robinson should spend most of the year getting stronger and working on his conditioning in the G-League and Kornet is very meh.
Absolutely not. I want no part of Noah’s attitude anywhere near this team.
And if you make it clear to him he’s staring at 2 years of not even dressing, much less playing, it may make him amenable to a buyout that could benefit the team.
Knox- Ojeleye matchup - ( New Window )
Besides, at least we know that Noah can play defense. Kanter can't play defense for shit, Robinson should spend most of the year getting stronger and working on his conditioning in the G-League and Kornet is very meh.
I see both sides of it. You can either keep him in purgatory and hope to force a buyout. Or play him and see if he can regain any sliver of value to another team. If he proves he's healthy and can play, maybe you can move him.
It just sucks that everything is looking up for the Knicks instead of the 2 monster contracts they have on the books. Imagine if the Knicks had an additional 38 mill in space?
He also says Trier was the pick at 36 if Robinson didn't fall and Trier claims 2 teams offered to select him if he agreed to a 2 way contract but he prefered picking his team.
I see both sides of it. You can either keep him in purgatory and hope to force a buyout. Or play him and see if he can regain any sliver of value to another team. If he proves he's healthy and can play, maybe you can move him.
It just sucks that everything is looking up for the Knicks instead of the 2 monster contracts they have on the books. Imagine if the Knicks had an additional 38 mill in space?
Even if Noah were to play reasonably well, finding a team willing to take him in a deal that makes any sense for the Knicks is unlikely. Defense only centers no longer have the value they once did. Even if there is a contender who decides they want one can probably find one cheaper and with less baggage. If by chance there were a team that really wanted him, they’d still have to send back an equally bad contract. MAYBE you find someone willing to do it for an expiring, but it’s a long shot at best.
And again, there’s a big risk going down this road: Noah plays lousy, gets benched and his bad attitude infects the young kids. Or Noah plays decently well, but is unhappy with his playing time and again his bad attidude emerges. No thanks. Keep him far away and hope he’ll want out bad enough to take a buyout.
He also says Trier was the pick at 36 if Robinson didn't fall and Trier claims 2 teams offered to select him if he agreed to a 2 way contract but he prefered picking his team.
This. Great find Dan.
The vision of him as a rotational PG with size, to distribute and defend (when he wants to) is astute. He looked completely different in his last game when distributing with a defined role.