This is your captain speaking. All aboard the Elfrid Payton Bandwagon.
”I’ve never been in war with Bobby (Portis), but I can see how he gets down, so to speak,’’ Payton said. “He’s a dog. Taj Gibson? He’s a dog. When I saw those signings, [coming to the Knicks] was almost a no-brainer.
“Just sit back and watch, man. They’ll grow to love this group of guys. It’s totally natural to feel some type of way when you miss out on guys like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but I think they’re going to grow to love this group. I feel we embody what New York basketball was about back in the day – just being grimy, tough guys who play with a chip on their shoulder and have something to prove.” |
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Surrounded by better shooters he can attack and score
But you don't win an NBA championship with just solid guys, you need at least one ALL-NBA type talent. Do we have one of those? Maybe, but maybe not.
But you don't win an NBA championship with just solid guys, you need at least one ALL-NBA type talent. Do we have one of those? Maybe, but maybe not.
Who in gods name is talking championship with this group? See thats the problem around here You guys thought we'd skip from 17 wins to a title contnder. Oklahoma didn't do it, Toronto didn't, Even GS took awhile. The past few seasons we've started to make an effort to accumulate young talent. I think the hopes here is that 1 or 2 of these FA's like Randle or maybe Payton can be a serious rotation piece down the road. too long posters here have said that 35-40 wins is "NBA hell". Well its a stepping stone to something better. If we don't make the playoffs this year which we probably won't, then maybe we're around 33 wins and get lottery luck like Memphis/NO. Its time to build by steps. I do see a what he is saying. Say what you want about guys like Portis and Gibson, they're tough.
Mook the funny thing is us fans will. We're so starved for competitive basketball we'll love it if they go 41-41
if knicks make the playoffs at 6 7 or 8 they will get ripped, if they suck and inly win 20 games they will get ripped...
it really doesnt matter at this point
If the Knicks can show a winning attitude and team cohesion, and some part of the group of Robinson, Randle, Barrett, Smith, Knox, Payton, Kadeem Allen, the Frenchman, Trier, Dotson and Portis can show some real talent, there will be opportunities for sign-and trades off of the team option second years, and a real shot at signing a top-line FA in 2020 or 2021. Some of their large group of draft picks can also be part of a sign-and trade.
And top talent WILL love coming to the Garden if there is a real base in place--the crazy owner notwithstanding. Right now, the base is too young and too unproven. If that changes, the entire attraction of being at the Garden changes with it.
I have hopes for several of that list above that of the conventional wisdom. Dotson, for example, played almost all of last year with a fully torn right labrum for which he just got surgery. Of course this hurt his three-point shooting. Knox needs to get stronger and more aware. He may or may not--we will see some of it in summer league. Portis has to show dome defense, but he's only 24. Smith has to shoot better. Trier has to show that he can keep his head up and pass more often.
None of this is impossible, and if enough of it happens, 40-42 is very possible. The Knicks lost as lot of games last year from extreme lack of depth--they ran out of steam. That shouldn't happen this year. And a few of these guys could really kick ass.
Its the Oakley/Mase Knicks redux
Drafting Frank. Treating KP like shit. Signing Noah. Giving Carmelo a max deal with a no-trade. Acquiring players based on how they would fit in the triangle. Insisting the team run the triangle but not taking the reins as coach and actually implementing it.
Phil rogered us good.
Tough to say that when DMitch was 13, and there's few in that top 15 looking all that good anyway. Not much else they could have done, and they weren't the only teams to miss on him. And no one thought Frank would be THIS bad even if he was a reach (tho more of an unknown). Meantime, KP was a fantastic pick but here we are post trade
I'd rip the coaches b4 the pick if anything. The Spurs get & build good value no matter how talented the player is on draft night, nor how late the pick. While I bet their scouting is top notch, I'd put more money on Pop & the staff being the biggest influence on that outcome. Can't expect that, but even this last yr, has anyone improved all that much? Frank, KK? DSJ's or Trier's decision-making? Team D? Tho early, not a whole lot so far
Its the Oakley/Mase Knicks redux
Hope you're right, but this is the 2019 NBA, and these FAs don't defend. At that point you really are a 'thug' if you're just physical but suck at D
I'm psyched to see what happens, but not expecting anything close to an Oak / Mase team, be it D, effort or likely even bball IQ tbh. We'll see, but these guys were signed as 1 yrs, but with some upside. Mostly place-holders, with a small shot at more, at the team's discretion w/ the options
to be fair frank would of been oicked 9th if thenknicks didnt take him
Quote:
And the FA signings were solid.
But you don't win an NBA championship with just solid guys, you need at least one ALL-NBA type talent. Do we have one of those? Maybe, but maybe not.
Who in gods name is talking championship with this group? See thats the problem around here You guys thought we'd skip from 17 wins to a title contnder. Oklahoma didn't do it, Toronto didn't, Even GS took awhile. The past few seasons we've started to make an effort to accumulate young talent. I think the hopes here is that 1 or 2 of these FA's like Randle or maybe Payton can be a serious rotation piece down the road. too long posters here have said that 35-40 wins is "NBA hell". Well its a stepping stone to something better. If we don't make the playoffs this year which we probably won't, then maybe we're around 33 wins and get lottery luck like Memphis/NO. Its time to build by steps. I do see a what he is saying. Say what you want about guys like Portis and Gibson, they're tough.
I didn't mean this year. At some point you need that guy or guys. So at some point you either need to be able to sign one or develop one. It's frustrating that we had a perfect opportunity and came up way short. It's still OK to be pissed about it and yet root for the young guys to do well.
It also - gulp - comps to BK. Tho we've been talking about BK's rebuild starting ~3 yrs ago, he's saying 4-5, which changes the case study a bit
Maybe the Sky Isn't Falling - ( New Window )
Not to rub it in but they actually did see Mitchell but had Frank ranked a little higher. A report came out after the draft that they tried to trade for another first (believe it was 10 - wherever Portland took Collins) after taking Frank to select Mitchell.
It's also luck when you get a reclamation project or young guy who wore out his welcome at his first stop, then develop him. The Nets got a little lucky with DeAngelo Russell.
They got lucky with Mitch. If Trier turns into a valuable NBA player, that's a little lucky. Jury's still out on Knox and Frank; they're still very young. We hope they got lucky with RJ and Iggy. They need to get lucky with Smith, Randle and some of the other young guys.
They aren't perfect, but even a Tiago Splitter short term was solid, White & Murray now, iirc Mills, Danny Green. No matter where they pick they get solid value. That aside from the luck aspect of Tim or KL. They simply do it the right way and are fantastic at building players. It's why Pop is cemented as HC until proven otherwise (or he's quits)
Then even Giannis, iirc coach Bud is an SA disciple and did quite well in Atl. As good as they're scouting was, there's much more that than just luck of the draw on draft night. Hopefully Fiz has that in him, but this is early in his first HC stint, so we have little to go off
It also - gulp - comps to BK. Tho we've been talking about BK's rebuild starting ~3 yrs ago, he's saying 4-5, which changes the case study a bit Maybe the Sky Isn't Falling - ( New Window )
A healthy KD and Kyrie is worth the risk of two max contracts. But would even that have been enough to win a championship? Probably not unless the young guys really develop quickly. Definitely would have been a 50+ win team but maybe not a championship team.
An injured KD? The only way I see that working out is if Knicks landed a top 3 pick again next year while KD healed.
I would still take a chance on KD and Kyrie if they were willing to sign with the Knicks. But it is far from a certainty that they would have broght that elusive championship to MSG. And if KD can't come back at near the same level, think what a disaster it could turn out to be.
Its the Oakley/Mase Knicks redux
No it’s not. The players they signed are poor defenders and soft on that side of the ball. Their games are the opposite of Oak and Mase. The Knicks are going to be an awful defensive team.
Also I want to see Mitchell Robinson continues to improve and ends the season as a top 5-10 center.
Lastly I want to see a big step forward from Knox. If those three things happen I will be very happy with the direction of the team.
I don't like the lack of D, nor passing on KL (if true), but if that overall strategy stays consistent this will be a totally different team & franchise than the one we've been watching the last few decades