Roster analysis:
Bigs:
Mitchell Robinson - as one of the longest, most athletic and high motor BIGs in the league, I expect (hope) major ascension up the learning curve. Reasonable stat projection: 12/10/2 in 30 min per night.
Nerlens Noel - solid back-up with many similar traits as Mitch. Reasonable stat projection: 6/4/1 in 18 min per night.
Omari Spellman - Big bodied (not in a good way) that needs to take fitness seriously to capitalize on good shooting, surprising athleticism to have a career. Otherwise, it'll quickly be over. Reasonable stat projection: Not a rotation player.
Julius Randle - will be interesting to see how Thibs mitigates the "bad" Randle which rears its ugly head whenever he over dribbles or thinks his shooting range is & gt; 15 feet. The good Julius is relegated to his rebounding, finishing and overall effort/muscle on the boards. Reasonable stat projection: 14/8 in 22 min per night.
Obi Toppin - Certainly a good "above the rim" finisher, should be a solid shooter, may be an adequate handler and secondary facilitator. The challenge for Thibs is his defense. Reasonable stat projection: 16/5 in 26 min per night.
Wings:
RJ Barrett - Very strong lefty wing with scoring savvy, particularly on the interior. Intangibles, most notably toughness, prideful work ethic are positives. Shooting, first step etc. are concerns but I don't want to be pessimistic this early. Reasonable stat projection: 20/6 in 32 min per night.
Kevin Knox - Has been a mess so far. His best path to a viable NBA career is a wing with adequate defense (haven't seen it yet), good shooting (not unreasonable) and straight line finishing skills. Still, its hard to be optimistic at this point. Reasonable stat projection: Not a rotation player.
Reggie Bullock - Good shooter, responsible defender. Probably a trade candidate in Feb. Reasonable stat projection: 7 in 18 min per night.
Frank Ntilikina - He's a wing not a lead guard. Not enough confidence or many of the other necessary traits to lead a team/offense. Could he be a Thabo Sefolosha (versatile defender, adequate catch and shoot guy)? Sure. Reasonable stat projection: 6/4/3 in 15 min per night.
Alec Burks - Interesting player that has never "taken off". He's long passed the prospect stage of his career, but he's an efficient, athletic, good sized "2". Reasonable stat projection: 7 in 15 min per night.
Austin Rivers - I have never been a fan. At his best, he's a versatile guard who can score 8 points in a quarter on a rare occasion. More typically, he's an inefficient guy with not a good enough shot to play wing and not enough facilitation skills to play point. Reasonable stat projection: 7 in 18 min per night.
Lead guard:
Elfrid Payton - Has a lot of traits (size, passing skills, ability to push tempo) that could make him an adequate lead guard. But alas, he is one of many subpar NYK shooters. Reasonable stat projection: 9/9 in 30 min per night.
Dennis Smith Jr. - At his best, he's a dunk contest candidate. He will even tease you with a drive and powerful dunk finish. Beyond this, he has no redeemable traits of a viable NBA player. He's lazy, has bad body language, doesn't shoot it well, chooses not to distribute or defend. Reasonable stat projection: He will be in the Chinese league soon.
Immanual Quickley - The diametric opposite of DSJ. Honest day's work player who will shoot, defend well. May not ever be a lead guard. But could very well be a contributing player to a winning team and have a career arc like Avery Bradley. Reasonable stat projection: 8 in 18 min per night.
How would Knicks fans compare Mitch Robinson to Jarrett Allen? Both guys seem to have performed at a similar level at the same age, if anything Allen seems to be more advanced since he doesn't get into foul trouble as often. Yet is seems like Knicks fans are so much higher on Robinson than Nets fans are on Allen. Is it because Robinson has more potential defensively? I like him but it definitely feels weird to see the discrepancy in the way Knicks fans rave about Robinson with how Nets fans view Allen.
Well there are about 5 Nets fans which I think plays a big role when it comes to hype.
Also Mitch is the superior athlete, so he's more prone to eye popping plays.
This coaching staff isn't here to baby these guys. Kenny Payne is not gonna baby Mitch. Mitch will either respond and mature or maybe he just won't.
Link - ( New Window )
Not except lacking desire to get better and buying into team concept.
Still believe in him. There's nothing Gobert does that is outside of Mitch's skillset physically
He's also had bad coaching and never had a decent guard on the team. The former is likely now remedied and the latter continues to be a never-ending problem.
How would Knicks fans compare Mitch Robinson to Jarrett Allen? Both guys seem to have performed at a similar level at the same age, if anything Allen seems to be more advanced since he doesn't get into foul trouble as often. Yet is seems like Knicks fans are so much higher on Robinson than Nets fans are on Allen. Is it because Robinson has more potential defensively? I like him but it definitely feels weird to see the discrepancy in the way Knicks fans rave about Robinson with how Nets fans view Allen.
Robinson's ceiling is much higher. He's also the better player right now (minus the foul trouble issues, which I know shouldn't just be brushed off). If you look at the on/off #'s for example, Mitch's significantly impacts (positively) the game and players around him. That's not the case with Allen.
In terms of specifics, Mitch's length and athleticism allows him to quickly get out to defend the perimeter and impact shots while still being able to recover quickly enough to man the paint. Despite his raw overall feel for the game and bball IQ, his quickness and ability to move laterally is elite. I can't think of more than a handful of guys in the league who have that skillset. The importance of which is immense in today's game with all the switching and ball screens.
He's still very raw offensively but the same length and athleticism allows him to be historically efficient (this past season he broke Wilt's fg% record) as the roll man in pick and roll situations. One offense that's really his only calling card right now but with better pg play and better spacing, he'd put up much better scoring numbers.
That's to say Allen isn't a good player. He is but he doesn't have the same impact or ceiling that Mitch does. Allen struggles to finish through contact and at times gets bullied by stronger players. He's a good rebounder and shot blocker but he's not the athlete Mitch is and doesn't have the same lateral quickness so he's not stepping out to contest 3's while still manning the paint and doesn't cover for his teammates deficiencies in the same way.
@IanBegley
Obi Toppin’s performed at franchise-record levels in some agility/athleticism drills/testing early on. “Obi Toppin is beyond a freak athlete,” Austin Rivers says. “.... Just seeing him in here, my God.”;
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What was the quote in context?
Thibs was asked about working with Mitchell Robinson and initial impressions. His response:
“I think he’s had some really good moments. But I think he’s got a long way to go,” Thibodeau said of Mitchell Robinson. “The work part, the professionalism to continue to grow to impact winning, there’s a lot of room for growth. I think the discipline to practice well each and every day. I’m excited about having him here where we can get work with him each and every day. I don’t know where he’ll end up. I hate to compare him to anyone. There’s things he can do that are very unique.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have Nerlens Noel. In some ways, he’s very similar when you look at rim protection. I think he was second in the league. I also believe he was in the top five in finishing. We’re excited about both guys.”
If Mitch is put off by these words, I can't imagine him ever reaching his potential. There was nothing here to pout about from a player point of view.
Also, doesn't Thibs know him from the Olympic team? Maybe he felt like this was necessary. For all we know it's spot on and Mitch has been coasting on everyone calling him a star waiting to happen.
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In comment 15064892 Ten Ton Hammer said:
Quote:
What was the quote in context?
Thibs was asked about working with Mitchell Robinson and initial impressions. His response:
“I think he’s had some really good moments. But I think he’s got a long way to go,” Thibodeau said of Mitchell Robinson. “The work part, the professionalism to continue to grow to impact winning, there’s a lot of room for growth. I think the discipline to practice well each and every day. I’m excited about having him here where we can get work with him each and every day. I don’t know where he’ll end up. I hate to compare him to anyone. There’s things he can do that are very unique.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have Nerlens Noel. In some ways, he’s very similar when you look at rim protection. I think he was second in the league. I also believe he was in the top five in finishing. We’re excited about both guys.”
If Mitch is put off by these words, I can't imagine him ever reaching his potential. There was nothing here to pout about from a player point of view.
Also, doesn't Thibs know him from the Olympic team? Maybe he felt like this was necessary. For all we know it's spot on and Mitch has been coasting on everyone calling him a star waiting to happen.
Thibs wasn't with the Olympic team at the same time (2019). The suggestion is that Van Gundy (close with Thibs) voiced this to him.
This is why Rj and Toppin this yesr is so important..
Then next year you habe 2 1sts and 70 million to build around them
Rj and Toppin show something this year why would you take salary dumps? why not use the 70 million to put pieces that fit around them..
@IanBegley
Obi Toppin’s performed at franchise-record levels in some agility/athleticism drills/testing early on. “Obi Toppin is beyond a freak athlete,” Austin Rivers says. “.... Just seeing him in here, my God.”;
The agility report is interesting. Some here have suggested that Obi is a little lacking in that regard. If he could defend the 3, that would be big. I know it remains to be seen, though.
Giannis and Kawhi seem like pretty good fits :P
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are good fits? Generally speaking, we need guards...and I just don't see anyone that's a fit. Any major acquisitions may have to be done via trade or the draft.
Giannis and Kawhi seem like pretty good fits :P
nah, too old, lol.
Wouldn't call him a major acquisition but if they don't draft a pg, I'd be very interested in Monte Morris. I also wonder if Devontae Graham could be had (he's restricted) with a big enough offer sheet. They just drafted ball and have big money now committed to Hayward and Batum's stretched contract. Plus Rozier would still be under contract at a big number.
I can’t see Kawhi or PG leaving LA. Kawhi left a title team to live there. AD and Lebron are locked up. The rest of the free agents are much older or restricted.
Who else is left? That’s why I never understood the Knicks fascination with preserving cap space for 2021.
As for Robinson, I am still high on him and think he has the highest ceiling on the team. I think he could turn into an All Defense and possible All Star.
If we got a top pick wing you can have a lineup of MM/Wing/RJ/Obi/Mitch - same timeline, fits together fairly cleanly, etc.
I can’t see Kawhi or PG leaving LA. Kawhi left a title team to live there. AD and Lebron are locked up. The rest of the free agents are much older or restricted.
Who else is left? That’s why I never understood the Knicks fascination with preserving cap space for 2021.
As for Robinson, I am still high on him and think he has the highest ceiling on the team. I think he could turn into an All Defense and possible All Star.
I am not saying add all stars, i am saying if Rj and Toppin show all star potential add pieces around them to build a team, no more kickong the bucket down the road..
If they are ready, build around them
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How would Knicks fans compare Mitch Robinson to Jarrett Allen? Both guys seem to have performed at a similar level at the same age, if anything Allen seems to be more advanced since he doesn't get into foul trouble as often. Yet is seems like Knicks fans are so much higher on Robinson than Nets fans are on Allen. Is it because Robinson has more potential defensively? I like him but it definitely feels weird to see the discrepancy in the way Knicks fans rave about Robinson with how Nets fans view Allen.
Robinson's ceiling is much higher. He's also the better player right now (minus the foul trouble issues, which I know shouldn't just be brushed off). If you look at the on/off #'s for example, Mitch's significantly impacts (positively) the game and players around him. That's not the case with Allen.
In terms of specifics, Mitch's length and athleticism allows him to quickly get out to defend the perimeter and impact shots while still being able to recover quickly enough to man the paint. Despite his raw overall feel for the game and bball IQ, his quickness and ability to move laterally is elite. I can't think of more than a handful of guys in the league who have that skillset. The importance of which is immense in today's game with all the switching and ball screens.
He's still very raw offensively but the same length and athleticism allows him to be historically efficient (this past season he broke Wilt's fg% record) as the roll man in pick and roll situations. One offense that's really his only calling card right now but with better pg play and better spacing, he'd put up much better scoring numbers.
That's to say Allen isn't a good player. He is but he doesn't have the same impact or ceiling that Mitch does. Allen struggles to finish through contact and at times gets bullied by stronger players. He's a good rebounder and shot blocker but he's not the athlete Mitch is and doesn't have the same lateral quickness so he's not stepping out to contest 3's while still manning the paint and doesn't cover for his teammates deficiencies in the same way.
Mitch's ability to defend the perimeter is definitely impressive and I kind of expected that to be the answer. I like Mitch and definitely think he could be a stud. But his hype vs. Allen's hype being so different is just something I noticed for two pretty similar players. The fact that Nerlens Noel was pretty much a more hyped version of Robinson and ended up being a bust was also something interesting, especially with the CAA/Kentucky connection.
RJ/Mitch/Toppin, the Knicks should be more fun to watch this year. The Knicks need to go all-in with RJ Barrett and let him handle the ball more often so I kind of like the fact that they didn't get a veteran PG. It won't be a very good team, but if those young guys grow then it will be a good year for the team.
GMEN46 Batsignal just went off.
Lebron : Yah Mule,Yah
Lebron : Yah Mule,Yah
LeBron turns 36 later this month. Sooner or later, he is not going to be the LeBron we know. He has logged a ton of miles over the year & barely had an offseason.
I believe they have to get rid of two guys. I would guess Evans and Powell. Hopefully they don't waive Iggy.
Smart approach from Knicks.
Smart approach from Knicks.
Times they are a-changin'
“He’s a freak athlete, man,’’ Knox said. “He comes in the gym eight in the morning and his first shot is a between-the-legs dunk. It was just crazy his athleticism is where it’s at now. It’s only going to continue to get better."
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Knicks had no interest in Westbrook unless they were incentivized to take him.
Smart approach from Knicks.
Times they are a-changin'
Woj said the same.
He also said which is really true, beat writers are going to be mad at rose becauss Rose will never talk to them, he works in the shadows..Hahn said even as a an agent nobkdy could talk to him...only Woj you shoild trust..
I do think they try it..I wouldnt be shocked if next friday the starters are rivers rj obi randle mitch..
I dknt think it works and it is a different stsrting lineip for opening night
Hahaha you're such a clown. You've been nothing but wrong before and after that.
May or may not work but I expect them to try it.