Winners of 12 of 13.
Best team in the NBA over the last month.
7 games left.
Big game tonight, win tonight and put a ton of pressure on Miami, Atlanta, and Boston to have to win out to hit the 4 seed
Rj can take it to the rim, Jokic is slow footed, he is good when he can get in front of you but Rj should be able to use his strength and finish at the rim..
Luca Vildoza, an Argentinian guard with Baskonia of the Spanish ACB League, has agreed in principle to a four-year, $13.6 million deal with the New York Knicks, his agent, Alex Saratsis of Octagon Sports, told ESPN.
Rj can take it to the rim, Jokic is slow footed, he is good when he can get in front of you but Rj should be able to use his strength and finish at the rim..
Same for Rose and Payton
Problem is, RJ is still hesitant to go HAM to the rim. He can dunk on Centers, but he is hesitating to much at this point to do so. Personally I would love to see that become a normal part of his game. So many times he is doing that "tease drive" waiting for something to dump to. Would loce to see him just take a path and try to finish.
That said, not expecting much. If Obi has any doggish traits in him, tonight is the night to bark.
that they may dip into this year's unused cap space to make their offer for him a little more attractive. He can't be any worse than Payton...can he?
Apparently he had a 2 million buyout so he wasnt coming here on a 10 day, wonder if the Knicks gave him any indication he will be on the team next year
The Knicks had the salary cap space and roster spot to get ahead of summer free agency and secure Vildoza now. Vildoza, 25, would’ve been one of the top available free agent point guards in the 2021 summer marketplace.
13 mins ago – via Adrian Wojnarowski @ ESPN
“I like him but I don’t love him in the sense that I like him for a good European team but not as much for NBA. He is another in a long line and proud tradition of tough Argentinian point guards who have done well in Europe. Think of a Pablo Prigioni with less savvy but a bit more scoring/shooting ability,” Filippi said.
“He is more of a slasher than a shooter but his 3-point shot has improved a lot since coming to Europe. He has a strong build and is a decent athlete for a Euro guard. Gritty, hard-nosed defender. Creative passer who is a good pick-&-roll player. I think he has just average natural talent but makes up for it with toughness and hard play. He has a knack for making big shots including an exciting game-winning buzzer-beater in last years’ Spanish League finals,” Filippi added.
Denver right now is essentially Jokic and Porter. They have been getting crushed by injuries. I think knicks have a strong shot at winning tonight. I mean the spread is only 3.5
I don't think Prigioni was ever a "big" player even in his prime. Career 9.6, 4.3, 2.5 in Europe. I think realistically we are looking at PG depth vs. a starter type. I'd love to be wrong.
I've learned not to put too much stock in average numbers in europe. His PPG scouldn't scare anyone. Let's just see him play.
Yes, but the scouting report I posted above (and near complete lack of mention of this guy prior to last week) sure seems to suggest he's a depth type.
"ason Filippi brings 19 years of NBA scouting experience to Babcock Hoops and serves as a director of international scouting with an emphasized focus on international prospects currently playing in Europe.
Prior to joining Babcock Hoops, Jason held positions as an international scout for the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat. He also served as the director of international scouting for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was a member of the front office for teams that selected the following European players in previous NBA Drafts: Nicolas Batum, Primoz Brezec, Rudy Fernandez, Pau Gasol, Victor Khryapa, Nenad Krstic, Sergio Rodriguez, and Hedo Turkoglu. Filippi has scouted players in over 30 different countries and has attended major basketball events in five different continents throughout the world: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
In addition to his extensive experience as an NBA scout, Jason also has experience as a media member and as a sports agent. From 1995 through 1997, Filippi worked as a basketball journalist and served as a TV analyst for the two professional teams in Bologna, Italy: Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna. He was also a co-host of the TV show, ‘Basket Time’. Following his time as a media member, he worked as an agent for the sports agency Group Italia from 1997 through 1999.
To go along with his own NBA experience, Jason also has family ties within basketball and the NBA as well. His brother, Adam Filippi, is an experienced NBA scout and is currently the director of pro scouting for the Sacramento Kings."
I've learned not to put too much stock in average numbers in europe. His PPG scouldn't scare anyone. Let's just see him play.
Yes, but the scouting report I posted above (and near complete lack of mention of this guy prior to last week) sure seems to suggest he's a depth type.
I have read that he had offers to come over 2 years ago and apparently Kobe loved him..
Also in the Woj article he said he was a top free agent..
who knows eith these guys, he was playing in the top league in europe and not some small league in a rec center
I said, Filippi knows these guys better than most. He has extensive experience/knowledge in this field. Given the highlights, scouting reports and his take I'm fairly confident this is the player the Knicks are getting. A tough kid with "okay" natural talent.
The more I watch of Luca Vildoza, the more I like his prospects of being a nice player in the NBA. He passes really well, hits from deep, and competes on D. As a backup PG/spot starter, there's really nothing he can't do. NBA teams really need to give him a hard look as a UDFA.
Overall, I can see Vildoza’s combination of effort, IQ, and good hands making him a net neutral (or even slight positive) defender, even with concerns about keeping up with NBA ball-handlers. Certainly Vildoza will have a better chance keeping up with bench guards, and his attentive, active off-ball defense means the Knicks could get away with not placing him against the other team’s point guard.
If Vildoza’s on-ball defense is at an acceptable level, and if he can get into the paint regularly and finish at an OK clip, he could be a potential starting point guard for the Knicks next year. If those two skills aren’t quite up to par, he could fill a role off the bench as a combo guard, who could potentially close out games where he’s shooting the lights out. Either way, I comfortably project Vildoza to be a valuable member of the Knicks’ rotation.
Lastly, Vildoza is incredibly fun to watch. Luca plays the game with joy, a combination of fantastic pull-up shooting with creative passing. Here are two of my favorite plays of his from this season.
So all in all sounds like a no-brainer move but more likely a depth piece than adding the next Knicks starting PG Link - ( New Window )
Whoa. This seems like a big deal for a player with no NBA experience.
A potential bench lineup featuring Quickley, Vildoza, and Alec Burks could allow the Knicks to run a high-octane offense with the reserves — three high-level shooters, off the bounce and off the catch, is a hard ask for defenders. Luca's combo of shooting off the bounce with potential movement threes after running off screens means he can potentially play alongside other ball-dominant players like Randle, Barrett, or Rose, as well as keep the offense afloat when he is the primary.
Vildoza could potentially be either a replacement or insurance for Burks, if Burks’ level of play has increased his free agent market to the point where the Knicks get outbid. Vildoza could easily slide into the offensive role that Burks has had this season, and what Vildoza lacks in size, he gives back in terms of potential playmaking and off-ball/movement shooting compared to Burks.
The true swing skills for Vildoza offensively are his handle and burst getting downhill into the paint. I wonder if it’s going to be good enough to get by NBA-level defenders, largely because there were times in the games I watched where he struggled against EuroLeague defenders. There were times when he would lose the dribble executing a simple move on a drive, and even when the big would get switched onto Vildoza, he could rarely turn the corner and get an easy layup. While the .549 3PAr is a positive when it comes to showing his aggression in shooting, it is also perhaps an indictment of his capacity to drive and finish at the rim. That is also confirmed by Vildoza’s .279 free throw rate, well below EuroLeague average in 2020-21. Luca often struggled to finish at the rim when he did drive into the paint, and those struggles will likely only be magnified at the NBA level.
RE: Whoa. This seems like a big deal for a player with no NBA experience.
Marks pointed out it's essentially an identical move to what OKC just did with Gabriel Deck. 4 years 14.5 for Deck. He will make 3.8 million this season, final 3 seasons are not guaranteed.
Deck posted 16 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three rebounds, three assists and a steal across 16 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's loss against the Kings.
Deck has only played four games but has seen his scoring figures improve in each contest -- he surpassed the 15-point plateau for the first time Tuesday. He's only averaging 9.3 points per game off the bench in four outings, but he could be an intriguing waiver addition in deep formats if he keeps seeing an increase in his role moving forward.
Like '07 Giants style (even though that's like 100x harder to do in the NBA).
Also-- the only 2 teams that really scared me as being "unbeatable" were the Lakers and the Nets (assuming both are fully healthy). Now with Lebron STILL struggling w/ his ankle this might not be their year. And the Nets are going to have ZERO time if any to get up to speed w/ their big 3 all playing together. I honestly could see with the way our team is rising at the right moment we could shock the Nets in a playoff series.
I realize just a week ago I was basically saying the ECF were a pipe dream and I was just hoping for a 1st round win, but I'm starting to think differently. This team has looked so impressive and has literally matured before our eyes as the season has progressed. They're peaking at the exact right time.
The team really that scares me the most right now is the Bucks. But I don't think they're unbeatable. Hell I think I'd rather play the Nets than the Bucks at this point. Hey maybe our 2nd and 3rd round opponents will be Sixers and Nets, respectively.
(I'm speaking purely in optimistic potentialities-- I give us about a 3% chance to win the Finals while it was probably like 0.1% a couple weeks ago in my mind)
Noel just sprained his ankle like 3 days ago. There's no way he's 100%. And then w/ Gibson and everyone else going against Jokic they're calling fouls for ticky tack shit. Not sure what else we can do. I think if we'd played them w/ Noel at full strength it might've helped.
BUT-- honestly, I think Jokic has the Strength factor that is beating Noel and the speed that is beating Gibson. He's one of the best. Mitchell Robinson has strength, length, a little more quickness. Noel has been absolutely phenomenal on defense, but I think going up against a star 5 who plays as physically as Jokic and can do everything, Noel/Gibson are not going to get the job done (especially with Noel probably playing like 60%).
Let's just pray if we by some miracle make it to the Finals
we don't play the Nuggets-- it would be a quick and embarrassing series. I think Suns we could fair decently against (not playing like this of course-- playing like we played them the other night). We'll see how we stack up against the clippers in a few days as well.
We all were screaming in the 2018 draft to take Porter Jr. Even hurt we all wanted to take a chance! We draft Knox. How many times can can we fuck up a draft?
We all were screaming in the 2018 draft to take Porter Jr. Even hurt we all wanted to take a chance! We draft Knox. How many times can can we fuck up a draft?
I didnt, dude's back is a ticking time bomb, i dont care if he is playing well right now
watery dump every now and then. It happens to all of us. Deal with it. Stick your fat ass out, wipe double, hit the fookin shower and flush accordingly.
Thibs needs to figure out a better lineup to start faster.
It's really amazing how bad of a team we are when Payton is in. I mean the other 4 guys often are fine and that masks how bad Payton is, but if you look at the +/- it's clear we're just a shitty sub-.500 team when Payton is in the game. The difference in our offense between when he's in the game vs. Rose is just astronomical -- it's night and day.
Notice how we always get out to slow start, because Payton is the starter, and it used to be that we would gain a lead, and in the late 3rd /the 4th quarter it would feel like we were swimming upstream with Payton closing out the game in there. It's now thanks to Rose playing that we finish games a lot better. So... to recap: we start slow because of Payton, and we used to finish poorly because of Payton, but now thanks to Rose we only start slow ... because of Payton. He's awful and I can't believe he isn't embarrassed by how bad he is lol. He just keeps forcing shots early in the shot clock that he simply can't make, and turning the fucking ball over. He is so bad. How does Thibs not yell at him more for his bullshit? I know Thibs has let the reins loose a little more on offense compared to what he used to be like as a coach, but Payton is the ONE guy I think Thibs should pull the reins on on offense.
My question is: what is it that Payton does that Thibs likes? Part of me is asking this question seriously. Like-- there has to be SOMETHING that Payton is giving us that we aren't seeing. Is it the fact he drives in the paint so often that it's helping to open things up for other people on the floor? i.e. is it akin to running the ball even when your running game isn't working at all, simply because you need to keep the defense honest? So then my question is: who is a PG who can do what Payton does, but actually do it well? Is that Lonzo Ball? I.e. can Ball do what Payton's here to do but do it better? Play downhill -- drive into the paint a lot, but actually SCORE more often and also PASS THE BALL WELL? I haven't liked what I've seen of Ball but honestly I have not watched him enough so I will trust a lot of you on this board's opinions of him. Is he going to be worth the $25M/yr he's going to want ? (or is it $20M? I always just take the number people say it's going to be and then add $5M because what fans think is "reasonable" never ends up being the number)?
I wouldn't be opposed to Ball taking Payton's role (as the starter) and then keep D Rose to continue to play his current role. I think Rose has benefited from this role and we shouldn't make him the starter-- if it ain't broke don't fix it. Rose's body I don't believe could sustain a full 82 game season (plus playoffs) as a starting PG, but I LOVE his current role and I'd love to just replace Payton's minutes with Lonzo Ball IF you guys think he accomplishes what Thibs is looking for in Payton but actually does it WELL.
If you had a choice between: Signing Lonzo Ball vs. trading up in the 2021 draft to get a PG... which would you choose? Also-- IF you choose the latter option, which PG are you going with?
I've been saying I like Davion Mitchell the most of the PGs in the draft (in terms of a guy we could actually get)-- he and Butler I like much in part because I think coming from the aggressiveness of that Baylor team they will fit right in here w/ the Knicks (I just happen to like Mitchell more as a player and honestly he looked like the most polished guard on the floor the entire tournament, even if Suggs was technically more impressive in terms of making the big "wow" plays).
But is Davion Mitchell the right choice for what Thibs needs? Or Butler? Serious question. Which PG is not only best for the Knicks talent-wise, but who fits the role in Thibs' scheme the best?
BTW-- as much as I like the idea of moving up to get a rookie PG, it does sort of then mean that we'd have to start that guy almost right away. Would he be ready to start right away? If not, who's the starter? Rose? I'd prefer he keep his current role coming off the bench. I also like Quickley coming off the bench. Would Mitchell be ready to start day 1? I do honestly feel like I said Mitchell is relatively super polished so maybe he could.
If you had a choice between opening day starter being Ball vs. Mitchell who would you go with? I'm saying big picture-- obviously Ball would prob give us a better chance to win day 1, but Mitchell could develop eventually into a better player than Ball and would be a HELL of a lot cheaper.
if we move up and take a guy like Mitchell, I guess we don't necessarily have to start him Day 1. There has to be a relatively cheap vet out there who is better than Payton. Considering the fact we are unlikely to land a big fish this offseason anyway, what about a vet we can get who we can guarantee a bunch of money year 1 and then be able to opt out in following years (similar to what was just done with the Argentinian guy we just signed with this year's cap money). Actually-- could we even do that with Ball? Move up and draft Mitchell, give Ball a nice fat FRONT-loaded contract (a lot of guaranteed money year 1 that makes his eyes big), then we can re-assess what to do at the end of the 2022 season... if we like Ball we can keep him around, if we don't we aren't tied down to him and even can trade him.
Given this a lot of thought. Elfrid Payton is terrible. We’d be better off with any other choice at point. Starting him and now playing him 12 minutes a game does nothing but dig a goddamn hole. Not survivable against the top 10 teams in the league.
Just bench him now forever. It’s been a mystify choice to start this stiff since day 1. He’s done nothing to earn the trust Thibs has shown him. It’s like when Willie Randolph batted Miguel Cairo 2nd for a huge chunk of 2005 despite an OPS of like .480 and less than 20 RBI in 400 plate appearances.
Always baffled by coaches who love a player that just sucks by any objective criterion.
He is a zero offensively besides a couple of drives to the hoop, he doesnt push the pace, jas the worst shot selection i have ever seen, plays ok defense and he doesnt get his teammates easy looks..
Randle struggled to start the game, it is the point guards job to get him an easy look to get him going, and instead payton starts looking for his shot..
If Rose starts last night zero chance the Knicms are down 21 after the 1st quarter..
You need him as a starter, the stsrting unit is 1 on 1, with the only ball movement coming from randle or rj dish outs..
I said it the other day, Payton is going to cost this team playoff games, last night after the 1st quarter, the game was pretty much even
RE: Last night showed why Payton should be starting
He is a zero offensively besides a couple of drives to the hoop, he doesnt push the pace, jas the worst shot selection i have ever seen, plays ok defense and he doesnt get his teammates easy looks..
Randle struggled to start the game, it is the point guards job to get him an easy look to get him going, and instead payton starts looking for his shot..
If Rose starts last night zero chance the Knicms are down 21 after the 1st quarter..
You need him as a starter, the stsrting unit is 1 on 1, with the only ball movement coming from randle or rj dish outs..
I said it the other day, Payton is going to cost this team playoff games, last night after the 1st quarter, the game was pretty much even
Someone forget to tell the Knicks that James Dolan blindsided his hockey franchise, not his basketball franchise. Suddenly, after Dolan fired his chief Rangers decision-makers, the Knicks acted as if he had dumped Tom Thibodeau and appointed Steve Mills to find his replacement.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
As for next year, I'm coming around to Lowry for 2 years. I wouldn't mind picking up a young PG, but I somehow doubt we're going to be able to move up enough in the draft to snag a good one.
I've soured on the idea of Ball because while his shooting has turned around, I really want more of a playmaker. Someone who can create shots for the team, not an off ball PG. Lowry is more of a drive and kick PG and I feel like that's what we've been missing.
but RJ has had something to do with a few of these slow starts. The improved shooting has been huge, but his game still needs so much work. His ball handling is likely something he can improve upon. But his decision making is so bad sometimes I wonder if he just doesn't have the offensive instincts to be great. On so many of his drives, he just commits to a course of action instead of reacting to what the defense is doing. You can get away with that if you're Zion or have superior athleticism. RJ is not that guy. I keep telling myself he's 20 years old and has tons of time to get better...
Someone forget to tell the Knicks that James Dolan blindsided his hockey franchise, not his basketball franchise. Suddenly, after Dolan fired his chief Rangers decision-makers, the Knicks acted as if he had dumped Tom Thibodeau and appointed Steve Mills to find his replacement.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
I’m “hoping” they win one of these four games. They could easily get blown out by all four teams. Conflating the Knicks’ loss and the Rangers’ circumstances is silly but it’s The Post. Can’t expect any better.
Someone forget to tell the Knicks that James Dolan blindsided his hockey franchise, not his basketball franchise. Suddenly, after Dolan fired his chief Rangers decision-makers, the Knicks acted as if he had dumped Tom Thibodeau and appointed Steve Mills to find his replacement.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
What a completely brain-dead, asinine fuckwit post from...oh, The Post.
Someone forget to tell the Knicks that James Dolan blindsided his hockey franchise, not his basketball franchise. Suddenly, after Dolan fired his chief Rangers decision-makers, the Knicks acted as if he had dumped Tom Thibodeau and appointed Steve Mills to find his replacement.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
my takeaway from this is that Ian O'Connor is no Mike Vaccaro.
but RJ has had something to do with a few of these slow starts. The improved shooting has been huge, but his game still needs so much work. His ball handling is likely something he can improve upon. But his decision making is so bad sometimes I wonder if he just doesn't have the offensive instincts to be great. On so many of his drives, he just commits to a course of action instead of reacting to what the defense is doing. You can get away with that if you're Zion or have superior athleticism. RJ is not that guy. I keep telling myself he's 20 years old and has tons of time to get better...
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
you would think that would make things a little easier for him. I fully admit I could just be expecting too much of him at this point.
nah i am the same way when i watch him, he does some of the dumbest shit when driving to the hoop, drives me nuts, he also for some reason goes uo soft a lot..
Then all of sudden in the 4th he plays like a totally different player, its weird..
His slow starts on top of Payton hurts them againdt good teams..
Randle’s play could revert back to the previous career averages or he could get hurt. And unlike a lot of the other guys who have bet on themselves, Randle isn’t sitting on a pile of shoe or endorsement money.
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
I thought Thibs was doing this and then start him, but i think going 12-1 he hesitated..
I also think if Rose didnt get Covid he would be the starter, befkre he got covid he had just started 3 games in a row and they went 3-0...
But that is too easy.
Elf doesn't space the floor well and the ball moves poorly with him and the floor.
RJ benefits big time from Rose and he gets him good looks.
Elf goes to the rim with blinders on and once he makes up his mind to go nothing stops him
He eats into the shot clock with his slow play and lack of ball movement
I personally would like to extend Rose for 2 years and draft a PG to learn under him.
Keep this team together for 1 more year as is and don't burn cap.
2022 is a better FA year with a lot of top players in last year of their contract.
This team should look at 2023 season as the year to contend.
But that is too easy.
Elf doesn't space the floor well and the ball moves poorly with him and the floor.
RJ benefits big time from Rose and he gets him good looks.
Elf goes to the rim with blinders on and once he makes up his mind to go nothing stops him
He eats into the shot clock with his slow play and lack of ball movement
I personally would like to extend Rose for 2 years and draft a PG to learn under him.
Keep this team together for 1 more year as is and don't burn cap.
2022 is a better FA year with a lot of top players in last year of their contract.
This team should look at 2023 season as the year to contend.
Rhat is a good assessment of Elfo. He is very good at getting to the basket (he also cant shoot very well.....that is why players drop off of him on D) and I think Thibs is hypnotized by his ability to get points in the paint...meaning maybe he thinks the thread of Elf driving is enough to keep the paint occupied by a big. He plays pretty good defense too. But its a tough sell for the fans to have a PG who turns it over like he does, doesnt open players up and cant shoot fot shit. Honestly though, that 2nd unit cant be disturbed. If it means giving the guy 12-15 mins a game, so be it. Because its either him or Frank (part of me prefers Frank to be honest).
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
I thought Thibs was doing this and then start him, but i think going 12-1 he hesitated..
I also think if Rose didnt get Covid he would be the starter, befkre he got covid he had just started 3 games in a row and they went 3-0...
I actually do think we're going to see Rose become the starter by the time the playoffs start. I agree I think Thibs was "sticking with what works" for that 12-1 stretch, even though Payton's consistently negative +/- was inexplicable for such a long winning-streak, I think vet coaches don't like to tinker too much with a winning formula. But I think even Thibs at some point will have seen enough of Payton's bullshit. I mean he was -2 in a 30 point blowout of the Rockets. You consistently see the numbers say Payton -13, Rose +25, or something along those lines. I can't believe how many games we win where Payton has such a huge -. I really do think we're going to see more Rose by the time the playoffs start. We're such a dangerous team w/ Rose. Literally if you just throw out last night's game we were playing better basketball than like 90% of all NBA teams the last 13 game stretch and that was HUGELY in part thanks to Rose.
As for next year, I'm coming around to Lowry for 2 years. I wouldn't mind picking up a young PG, but I somehow doubt we're going to be able to move up enough in the draft to snag a good one.
I've soured on the idea of Ball because while his shooting has turned around, I really want more of a playmaker. Someone who can create shots for the team, not an off ball PG. Lowry is more of a drive and kick PG and I feel like that's what we've been missing.
I actually like the idea of getting Lowry, keeping Rose, AND moving up and drafting a PG. Give Lowry a ton of guaranteed money in year 1 to get him to sign and mkae his next 1-2 years optional for the team (Randle's cap number in 2022 is still just $20M and we have a ton of cap room, and I don't see us landing a "big fish" this offseason). Then we can re-assess the PG position at the end of 2022. If we want to sign a superstar and the rookie PG is ready to start, Lowry's contract at that point will be easy to get out of /trade him. Still keep Rose for great bench depth unless he falls off a cliff all of a sudden.
that I thought they were. Philly has the #1 seed all but clinched and Milwaukee is neck and neck for #2, with the tiebreaker. They’ll have their work cut out for them.
We really need to steal one of these 3 remaining games
As I believe Larry said, if we can finish 3-3, I believe we'll take the 4 seed (possibly 5 seed, but definitely no lower than that). That's what we need to have a shot at winning in the 1st round.
Looking at each of our remaining 6 games:
We played the Suns tough last time and they can definitely be had, but this time we're on their home court. I kind of feel like the game at MSG was the once we had a chance to steal, gonna be tougher to win this one. We have to be 110% on our game which we obviously were not as of Wednesday but like Randle said we're throwing that one in the trash.
The Clippers are gonna beat us. End of story. They're looking really good recently. Fuck.
The Lakers I think will be our best shot to steal one. AD went out again tonight w/ back spasms but I'm sure he'll be back by Tuesday. Lebron I believe plans to be back by then too but his ankle is questionable. Even if they both play I doubt they'll be 100% and they certainly have looked out of sync even when they've both been out there recently. Let's hope we can steal that game.
The Spurs game is MUST-WIN for us. That's the "easiest" game left on the schedule but they are a well-coached team and will not go down easily unfortunately. But when you have a schedule as difficult as this down the stretch you cannot afford to lose to the Spurs.
Then I think we can win one of our last 2 games against the Hornets and Celtics to get that crucial 40th win. I don't want it to come down to us having to win BOTH (and I also don't want that Celtics game to be a must-win, but it likely will be), so we really have to take care of business against the Hornets. I want that game against the Celtics to simply decide who's the 4 and who's the 5... I don't want that game to possibly send us to play the Bucks/Nets or even worse send us to the fucking play-in.
As I believe Larry said, if we can finish 3-3, I believe we'll take the 4 seed (possibly 5 seed, but definitely no lower than that). That's what we need to have a shot at winning in the 1st round.
Looking at each of our remaining 6 games:
The Spurs game is MUST-WIN for us. That's the "easiest" game left on the schedule but they are a well-coached team and will not go down easily unfortunately. But when you have a schedule as difficult as this down the stretch you cannot afford to lose to the Spurs.
Then I think we can win one of our last 2 games against the Hornets and Celtics to get that crucial 40th win. I don't want it to come down to us having to win BOTH (and I also don't want that Celtics game to be a must-win, but it likely will be), so we really have to take care of business against the Hornets. I want that game against the Celtics to simply decide who's the 4 and who's the 5... I don't want that game to possibly send us to play the Bucks/Nets or even worse send us to the fucking play-in.
You're overeating Charlotte. They are a nice story and all, but they are under .500 and just list by 21 at home to the Bulls last night. SA has Pop and they've lost a ton of games lately but they've also had impressive wins at times. The Celts havent been remotely consistent in weeks. All in all we should be fine for the 4 or 5 seed if we can find a way to win 1 of the next 3.
Randle and RJ. Apparently they sit on the plan next to each other. Two guys that are really easy to root for because of how much they work. Good stuff. - ( New Window )
But F all that, let’s shoot them out of their own gym. LFGK!!
If they are both out, Gibson will get all of the minutes against Jokic and then go small when Jokic is out
If they are both out, Gibson will get all of the minutes against Jokic and then go small when Jokic is out
May be time to see if Randle and Obi can function together
Same for Rose and Payton
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Same for Rose and Payton
Problem is, RJ is still hesitant to go HAM to the rim. He can dunk on Centers, but he is hesitating to much at this point to do so. Personally I would love to see that become a normal part of his game. So many times he is doing that "tease drive" waiting for something to dump to. Would loce to see him just take a path and try to finish.
That said, not expecting much. If Obi has any doggish traits in him, tonight is the night to bark.
LGK!!!!!!
Apparently he had a 2 million buyout so he wasnt coming here on a 10 day, wonder if the Knicks gave him any indication he will be on the team next year
and is starting for them now
The Knicks had the salary cap space and roster spot to get ahead of summer free agency and secure Vildoza now. Vildoza, 25, would’ve been one of the top available free agent point guards in the 2021 summer marketplace.
13 mins ago – via Adrian Wojnarowski @ ESPN
“He is more of a slasher than a shooter but his 3-point shot has improved a lot since coming to Europe. He has a strong build and is a decent athlete for a Euro guard. Gritty, hard-nosed defender. Creative passer who is a good pick-&-roll player. I think he has just average natural talent but makes up for it with toughness and hard play. He has a knack for making big shots including an exciting game-winning buzzer-beater in last years’ Spanish League finals,” Filippi added.
Awesome news not just for today but for this road trip.
I don't think Prigioni was ever a "big" player even in his prime. Career 9.6, 4.3, 2.5 in Europe. I think realistically we are looking at PG depth vs. a starter type. I'd love to be wrong.
Yes, but the scouting report I posted above (and near complete lack of mention of this guy prior to last week) sure seems to suggest he's a depth type.
"ason Filippi brings 19 years of NBA scouting experience to Babcock Hoops and serves as a director of international scouting with an emphasized focus on international prospects currently playing in Europe.
Prior to joining Babcock Hoops, Jason held positions as an international scout for the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat. He also served as the director of international scouting for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was a member of the front office for teams that selected the following European players in previous NBA Drafts: Nicolas Batum, Primoz Brezec, Rudy Fernandez, Pau Gasol, Victor Khryapa, Nenad Krstic, Sergio Rodriguez, and Hedo Turkoglu. Filippi has scouted players in over 30 different countries and has attended major basketball events in five different continents throughout the world: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
In addition to his extensive experience as an NBA scout, Jason also has experience as a media member and as a sports agent. From 1995 through 1997, Filippi worked as a basketball journalist and served as a TV analyst for the two professional teams in Bologna, Italy: Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna. He was also a co-host of the TV show, ‘Basket Time’. Following his time as a media member, he worked as an agent for the sports agency Group Italia from 1997 through 1999.
To go along with his own NBA experience, Jason also has family ties within basketball and the NBA as well. His brother, Adam Filippi, is an experienced NBA scout and is currently the director of pro scouting for the Sacramento Kings."
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I've learned not to put too much stock in average numbers in europe. His PPG scouldn't scare anyone. Let's just see him play.
Yes, but the scouting report I posted above (and near complete lack of mention of this guy prior to last week) sure seems to suggest he's a depth type.
I have read that he had offers to come over 2 years ago and apparently Kobe loved him..
Also in the Woj article he said he was a top free agent..
who knows eith these guys, he was playing in the top league in europe and not some small league in a rec center
If Vildoza’s on-ball defense is at an acceptable level, and if he can get into the paint regularly and finish at an OK clip, he could be a potential starting point guard for the Knicks next year. If those two skills aren’t quite up to par, he could fill a role off the bench as a combo guard, who could potentially close out games where he’s shooting the lights out. Either way, I comfortably project Vildoza to be a valuable member of the Knicks’ rotation.
Lastly, Vildoza is incredibly fun to watch. Luca plays the game with joy, a combination of fantastic pull-up shooting with creative passing. Here are two of my favorite plays of his from this season.
So all in all sounds like a no-brainer move but more likely a depth piece than adding the next Knicks starting PG
Link - ( New Window )
Link - ( New Window )
Vildoza could potentially be either a replacement or insurance for Burks, if Burks’ level of play has increased his free agent market to the point where the Knicks get outbid. Vildoza could easily slide into the offensive role that Burks has had this season, and what Vildoza lacks in size, he gives back in terms of potential playmaking and off-ball/movement shooting compared to Burks.
The true swing skills for Vildoza offensively are his handle and burst getting downhill into the paint. I wonder if it’s going to be good enough to get by NBA-level defenders, largely because there were times in the games I watched where he struggled against EuroLeague defenders. There were times when he would lose the dribble executing a simple move on a drive, and even when the big would get switched onto Vildoza, he could rarely turn the corner and get an easy layup. While the .549 3PAr is a positive when it comes to showing his aggression in shooting, it is also perhaps an indictment of his capacity to drive and finish at the rim. That is also confirmed by Vildoza’s .279 free throw rate, well below EuroLeague average in 2020-21. Luca often struggled to finish at the rim when he did drive into the paint, and those struggles will likely only be magnified at the NBA level.
Final 3 years aren't guaranteed.
Deck posted 16 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three rebounds, three assists and a steal across 16 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's loss against the Kings.
Deck has only played four games but has seen his scoring figures improve in each contest -- he surpassed the 15-point plateau for the first time Tuesday. He's only averaging 9.3 points per game off the bench in four outings, but he could be an intriguing waiver addition in deep formats if he keeps seeing an increase in his role moving forward.
Hes basically their first free agent signing for next year
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Oh OK I see that-- thanks, Dan
Also-- the only 2 teams that really scared me as being "unbeatable" were the Lakers and the Nets (assuming both are fully healthy). Now with Lebron STILL struggling w/ his ankle this might not be their year. And the Nets are going to have ZERO time if any to get up to speed w/ their big 3 all playing together. I honestly could see with the way our team is rising at the right moment we could shock the Nets in a playoff series.
I realize just a week ago I was basically saying the ECF were a pipe dream and I was just hoping for a 1st round win, but I'm starting to think differently. This team has looked so impressive and has literally matured before our eyes as the season has progressed. They're peaking at the exact right time.
The team really that scares me the most right now is the Bucks. But I don't think they're unbeatable. Hell I think I'd rather play the Nets than the Bucks at this point. Hey maybe our 2nd and 3rd round opponents will be Sixers and Nets, respectively.
(I'm speaking purely in optimistic potentialities-- I give us about a 3% chance to win the Finals while it was probably like 0.1% a couple weeks ago in my mind)
I don’t know what your expectations are at this time, but right now they are playing better than most teams in the league.
Thibs gets a tech.
Not ideal.
horrible no call
Jokic is very good but he always gets away with that stuff
Mitch would be getting tossed around as well
Start Burks, Rose, Quickley.
Anyone
no thibs is
He's going for 50 tonight.
He's going for 50 tonight.
He also hooks his elbow every single tine
I guess the rep for being a good defensive team doesnt matter..
when you call 2 quick fouls on Rj for playing physical on a post up you know its going to be a long night with the officials..
BUT-- honestly, I think Jokic has the Strength factor that is beating Noel and the speed that is beating Gibson. He's one of the best. Mitchell Robinson has strength, length, a little more quickness. Noel has been absolutely phenomenal on defense, but I think going up against a star 5 who plays as physically as Jokic and can do everything, Noel/Gibson are not going to get the job done (especially with Noel probably playing like 60%).
but it shoukdnt be, they are decimated by injuries
I didnt, dude's back is a ticking time bomb, i dont care if he is playing well right now
Can't let him start anymore.
Can't let him start anymore.
it really is noticable..Rose is -3 in a game they are losing by 21
i am not arguing that
they are 12-1 in their last 13, they were bound to have a stinker, they just need to win 1 more on this road trip for it to be succesful
Get everyone hungry again.
This game was reffed one sided from the beginning..
I never understand how people categorize him as a good defender.
he had 3 good games as a knick
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on to the next one most likely
but it shoukdnt be, they are decimated by injuries
This is arguably the fourth best team in the NBA coming off a loss against LA that they shouldn't have lost, and winning 9 of their last 11 games.
Doesn't seem very Thibs-like to suddenly widen his rotation for an NBA rookie while on a march to the playoffs.
All the foulness is gone. Get back to winning.
It's really amazing how bad of a team we are when Payton is in. I mean the other 4 guys often are fine and that masks how bad Payton is, but if you look at the +/- it's clear we're just a shitty sub-.500 team when Payton is in the game. The difference in our offense between when he's in the game vs. Rose is just astronomical -- it's night and day.
Notice how we always get out to slow start, because Payton is the starter, and it used to be that we would gain a lead, and in the late 3rd /the 4th quarter it would feel like we were swimming upstream with Payton closing out the game in there. It's now thanks to Rose playing that we finish games a lot better. So... to recap: we start slow because of Payton, and we used to finish poorly because of Payton, but now thanks to Rose we only start slow ... because of Payton. He's awful and I can't believe he isn't embarrassed by how bad he is lol. He just keeps forcing shots early in the shot clock that he simply can't make, and turning the fucking ball over. He is so bad. How does Thibs not yell at him more for his bullshit? I know Thibs has let the reins loose a little more on offense compared to what he used to be like as a coach, but Payton is the ONE guy I think Thibs should pull the reins on on offense.
My question is: what is it that Payton does that Thibs likes? Part of me is asking this question seriously. Like-- there has to be SOMETHING that Payton is giving us that we aren't seeing. Is it the fact he drives in the paint so often that it's helping to open things up for other people on the floor? i.e. is it akin to running the ball even when your running game isn't working at all, simply because you need to keep the defense honest? So then my question is: who is a PG who can do what Payton does, but actually do it well? Is that Lonzo Ball? I.e. can Ball do what Payton's here to do but do it better? Play downhill -- drive into the paint a lot, but actually SCORE more often and also PASS THE BALL WELL? I haven't liked what I've seen of Ball but honestly I have not watched him enough so I will trust a lot of you on this board's opinions of him. Is he going to be worth the $25M/yr he's going to want ? (or is it $20M? I always just take the number people say it's going to be and then add $5M because what fans think is "reasonable" never ends up being the number)?
I wouldn't be opposed to Ball taking Payton's role (as the starter) and then keep D Rose to continue to play his current role. I think Rose has benefited from this role and we shouldn't make him the starter-- if it ain't broke don't fix it. Rose's body I don't believe could sustain a full 82 game season (plus playoffs) as a starting PG, but I LOVE his current role and I'd love to just replace Payton's minutes with Lonzo Ball IF you guys think he accomplishes what Thibs is looking for in Payton but actually does it WELL.
What say y'all?
I've been saying I like Davion Mitchell the most of the PGs in the draft (in terms of a guy we could actually get)-- he and Butler I like much in part because I think coming from the aggressiveness of that Baylor team they will fit right in here w/ the Knicks (I just happen to like Mitchell more as a player and honestly he looked like the most polished guard on the floor the entire tournament, even if Suggs was technically more impressive in terms of making the big "wow" plays).
But is Davion Mitchell the right choice for what Thibs needs? Or Butler? Serious question. Which PG is not only best for the Knicks talent-wise, but who fits the role in Thibs' scheme the best?
BTW-- as much as I like the idea of moving up to get a rookie PG, it does sort of then mean that we'd have to start that guy almost right away. Would he be ready to start right away? If not, who's the starter? Rose? I'd prefer he keep his current role coming off the bench. I also like Quickley coming off the bench. Would Mitchell be ready to start day 1? I do honestly feel like I said Mitchell is relatively super polished so maybe he could.
If you had a choice between opening day starter being Ball vs. Mitchell who would you go with? I'm saying big picture-- obviously Ball would prob give us a better chance to win day 1, but Mitchell could develop eventually into a better player than Ball and would be a HELL of a lot cheaper.
Just bench him now forever. It’s been a mystify choice to start this stiff since day 1. He’s done nothing to earn the trust Thibs has shown him. It’s like when Willie Randolph batted Miguel Cairo 2nd for a huge chunk of 2005 despite an OPS of like .480 and less than 20 RBI in 400 plate appearances.
Always baffled by coaches who love a player that just sucks by any objective criterion.
Randle struggled to start the game, it is the point guards job to get him an easy look to get him going, and instead payton starts looking for his shot..
If Rose starts last night zero chance the Knicms are down 21 after the 1st quarter..
You need him as a starter, the stsrting unit is 1 on 1, with the only ball movement coming from randle or rj dish outs..
I said it the other day, Payton is going to cost this team playoff games, last night after the 1st quarter, the game was pretty much even
Randle struggled to start the game, it is the point guards job to get him an easy look to get him going, and instead payton starts looking for his shot..
If Rose starts last night zero chance the Knicms are down 21 after the 1st quarter..
You need him as a starter, the stsrting unit is 1 on 1, with the only ball movement coming from randle or rj dish outs..
I said it the other day, Payton is going to cost this team playoff games, last night after the 1st quarter, the game was pretty much even
not be
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
As for next year, I'm coming around to Lowry for 2 years. I wouldn't mind picking up a young PG, but I somehow doubt we're going to be able to move up enough in the draft to snag a good one.
I've soured on the idea of Ball because while his shooting has turned around, I really want more of a playmaker. Someone who can create shots for the team, not an off ball PG. Lowry is more of a drive and kick PG and I feel like that's what we've been missing.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
I’m “hoping” they win one of these four games. They could easily get blown out by all four teams. Conflating the Knicks’ loss and the Rangers’ circumstances is silly but it’s The Post. Can’t expect any better.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
What a completely brain-dead, asinine fuckwit post from...oh, The Post.
Wednesday night was throwback night in Denver, where the Knicks haven’t won since 2006. Given the events of the day, it was fitting that the 2020-21 Knicks — such a good story all year long — suddenly morphed into the worst of Dolan’s teams over the last two decades.
The Knicks were down 22 at the end of the first quarter, and down 28 in the middle of the second. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. It was a coincidence. Go ahead and write that on a chalkboard 100 times.
my takeaway from this is that Ian O'Connor is no Mike Vaccaro.
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
nah i am the same way when i watch him, he does some of the dumbest shit when driving to the hoop, drives me nuts, he also for some reason goes uo soft a lot..
Then all of sudden in the 4th he plays like a totally different player, its weird..
His slow starts on top of Payton hurts them againdt good teams..
Max Knicks can offer is 4 years 106 million that would be on top of the 1 year left, so he would essentially be on a 5 year deal
Max Knicks can offer is 4 years 106 million that would be on top of the 1 year left, so he would essentially be on a 5 year deal
It would be great but Randle would be a fool to accept that. He's played his way into full max dollars.
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this offseason according to windhorst..
Max Knicks can offer is 4 years 106 million that would be on top of the 1 year left, so he would essentially be on a 5 year deal
It would be great but Randle would be a fool to accept that. He's played his way into full max dollars.
If he waits he could get 5 years starting at 34 million a year..
The other thing he could do is take a small extension then sign a max deal..just in case of injury he has a couple more yeara tacked on
Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
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Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
I thought Thibs was doing this and then start him, but i think going 12-1 he hesitated..
I also think if Rose didnt get Covid he would be the starter, befkre he got covid he had just started 3 games in a row and they went 3-0...
Elf doesn't space the floor well and the ball moves poorly with him and the floor.
RJ benefits big time from Rose and he gets him good looks.
Elf goes to the rim with blinders on and once he makes up his mind to go nothing stops him
He eats into the shot clock with his slow play and lack of ball movement
I personally would like to extend Rose for 2 years and draft a PG to learn under him.
Keep this team together for 1 more year as is and don't burn cap.
2022 is a better FA year with a lot of top players in last year of their contract.
This team should look at 2023 season as the year to contend.
Elf doesn't space the floor well and the ball moves poorly with him and the floor.
RJ benefits big time from Rose and he gets him good looks.
Elf goes to the rim with blinders on and once he makes up his mind to go nothing stops him
He eats into the shot clock with his slow play and lack of ball movement
I personally would like to extend Rose for 2 years and draft a PG to learn under him.
Keep this team together for 1 more year as is and don't burn cap.
2022 is a better FA year with a lot of top players in last year of their contract.
This team should look at 2023 season as the year to contend.
Rhat is a good assessment of Elfo. He is very good at getting to the basket (he also cant shoot very well.....that is why players drop off of him on D) and I think Thibs is hypnotized by his ability to get points in the paint...meaning maybe he thinks the thread of Elf driving is enough to keep the paint occupied by a big. He plays pretty good defense too. But its a tough sell for the fans to have a PG who turns it over like he does, doesnt open players up and cant shoot fot shit. Honestly though, that 2nd unit cant be disturbed. If it means giving the guy 12-15 mins a game, so be it. Because its either him or Frank (part of me prefers Frank to be honest).
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In comment 15256174 nygiants16 said:
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Rj is clearly the 3rd option right now, it is why Rose is so big for them, he is a consistent option..
Another reason why Rose should start
In Vorkunov' great piece in the Atletic yesterday in Rose he brought up a great point. Rose is relying a lot more on an improved jumper and pull-up floater in the lane as opposed as the classic hard nosed drives to the rim he has been known for. This cuts down on the wear and tear of his game and keeps him less fatigued. Maybe it's time to stop hand wringing over his minutes and start him and play him regularly 30 minutes. Especially with 6 games left we're in a sprint and once the playoffs start there is more time between games.
I thought Thibs was doing this and then start him, but i think going 12-1 he hesitated..
I also think if Rose didnt get Covid he would be the starter, befkre he got covid he had just started 3 games in a row and they went 3-0...
I actually do think we're going to see Rose become the starter by the time the playoffs start. I agree I think Thibs was "sticking with what works" for that 12-1 stretch, even though Payton's consistently negative +/- was inexplicable for such a long winning-streak, I think vet coaches don't like to tinker too much with a winning formula. But I think even Thibs at some point will have seen enough of Payton's bullshit. I mean he was -2 in a 30 point blowout of the Rockets. You consistently see the numbers say Payton -13, Rose +25, or something along those lines. I can't believe how many games we win where Payton has such a huge -. I really do think we're going to see more Rose by the time the playoffs start. We're such a dangerous team w/ Rose. Literally if you just throw out last night's game we were playing better basketball than like 90% of all NBA teams the last 13 game stretch and that was HUGELY in part thanks to Rose.
As for next year, I'm coming around to Lowry for 2 years. I wouldn't mind picking up a young PG, but I somehow doubt we're going to be able to move up enough in the draft to snag a good one.
I've soured on the idea of Ball because while his shooting has turned around, I really want more of a playmaker. Someone who can create shots for the team, not an off ball PG. Lowry is more of a drive and kick PG and I feel like that's what we've been missing.
I actually like the idea of getting Lowry, keeping Rose, AND moving up and drafting a PG. Give Lowry a ton of guaranteed money in year 1 to get him to sign and mkae his next 1-2 years optional for the team (Randle's cap number in 2022 is still just $20M and we have a ton of cap room, and I don't see us landing a "big fish" this offseason). Then we can re-assess the PG position at the end of 2022. If we want to sign a superstar and the rookie PG is ready to start, Lowry's contract at that point will be easy to get out of /trade him. Still keep Rose for great bench depth unless he falls off a cliff all of a sudden.
Starting Rose, opens up more oppurtunites for Burks and Quick and may actually make the bench better..
Starting Rose, opens up more oppurtunites for Burks and Quick and may actually make the bench better..
While circumstances have required he handle it at times, I think Burks is far more effective when off the ball.
Hopefully Washington can sweep them but they could still end up with 40 wins.
Knicks need to finish at least 3-3 to get the 4 seed
As I believe Larry said, if we can finish 3-3, I believe we'll take the 4 seed (possibly 5 seed, but definitely no lower than that). That's what we need to have a shot at winning in the 1st round.
Looking at each of our remaining 6 games:
We played the Suns tough last time and they can definitely be had, but this time we're on their home court. I kind of feel like the game at MSG was the once we had a chance to steal, gonna be tougher to win this one. We have to be 110% on our game which we obviously were not as of Wednesday but like Randle said we're throwing that one in the trash.
The Clippers are gonna beat us. End of story. They're looking really good recently. Fuck.
The Lakers I think will be our best shot to steal one. AD went out again tonight w/ back spasms but I'm sure he'll be back by Tuesday. Lebron I believe plans to be back by then too but his ankle is questionable. Even if they both play I doubt they'll be 100% and they certainly have looked out of sync even when they've both been out there recently. Let's hope we can steal that game.
The Spurs game is MUST-WIN for us. That's the "easiest" game left on the schedule but they are a well-coached team and will not go down easily unfortunately. But when you have a schedule as difficult as this down the stretch you cannot afford to lose to the Spurs.
Then I think we can win one of our last 2 games against the Hornets and Celtics to get that crucial 40th win. I don't want it to come down to us having to win BOTH (and I also don't want that Celtics game to be a must-win, but it likely will be), so we really have to take care of business against the Hornets. I want that game against the Celtics to simply decide who's the 4 and who's the 5... I don't want that game to possibly send us to play the Bucks/Nets or even worse send us to the fucking play-in.
I find it hard to believe with how both Washington and Atlanta have played over the past month that Washington wouldn't win at least 1 of those games.
As I believe Larry said, if we can finish 3-3, I believe we'll take the 4 seed (possibly 5 seed, but definitely no lower than that). That's what we need to have a shot at winning in the 1st round.
Looking at each of our remaining 6 games:
The Spurs game is MUST-WIN for us. That's the "easiest" game left on the schedule but they are a well-coached team and will not go down easily unfortunately. But when you have a schedule as difficult as this down the stretch you cannot afford to lose to the Spurs.
Then I think we can win one of our last 2 games against the Hornets and Celtics to get that crucial 40th win. I don't want it to come down to us having to win BOTH (and I also don't want that Celtics game to be a must-win, but it likely will be), so we really have to take care of business against the Hornets. I want that game against the Celtics to simply decide who's the 4 and who's the 5... I don't want that game to possibly send us to play the Bucks/Nets or even worse send us to the fucking play-in.
You're overeating Charlotte. They are a nice story and all, but they are under .500 and just list by 21 at home to the Bulls last night. SA has Pop and they've lost a ton of games lately but they've also had impressive wins at times. The Celts havent been remotely consistent in weeks. All in all we should be fine for the 4 or 5 seed if we can find a way to win 1 of the next 3.
Good stuff. - ( New Window )