ISO
Pass me the rock nikka
He sucks.
Older thread '20 NYK Off-season Thread
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The War Report
NewNewYork
No one on this Knick team is exciting to watch.
Peter Popoff
PROTECT YA NECK!! 🖕🏽🇺🇲
Ironman
#Knickstape
Just getting home from work and what do I see Payton, Bullock, Dubious, Bobby, and Taj
*Edit Morris hurt now
*Edit Morris hurt now
seemorecizzy
Superstar
last thing this team needs ia sexton my guy lmao
tremonthustler1
aka bx_representer
If they draft another PG, I’m not gonna understand what they’re doing. I don’t get it now.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
I could see them trading to move up for wiseman. though honestly there will be teams with better packages.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
storyteller
Veteran
The Knicks have bounced back nicely since sleepwalking through a loss to the Suns. They took the Sixers to the wire, losing by a buzzer beat and last night they blew the Cavaliers out 106 to 86. Even winning by 20, this wasn't the prettiest victory you could ask for. There weren't many performances that leapt off the screen, but team defense especially on the perimeter really came through. So the Knicks were able to ride solid but unspectacular contributions and quality defense to a win. The big storyline that has been going since January started, is the question of how minutes breakdown. The Knicks second unit played extra minutes into the fourth, but a number of vets were on the floor to close a blowout. Damyean Dotson was the only player drafted within the last three years to attempt more than 5 shots. So this game takes on the appearance of a victory where the rebuilding Knicks prioritized their veterans and the win over development, but I'm not sure that's really case; let me explain...
Payton: It's been a nice bounceback for Elfrid Payton since his poor performance against Phoenix. The difference? Payton has stepped up his defensive intensity and is putting in real efforts. In this game, the Knicks PG's were up against the always dangerous Colin Sexton and the fast rising Darius Garland. Payton played quality defense against both guys. It's felt like Payton accumulates numbers in quick bursts, which makes some sense as Randle and Morris will chew up chunks of time in isolations to get going. Payton made the most of his turns to rock, quickly tallying assists in the first half and making some nice finishes in the second half. Elfrid finished with 9 points, 8 assists to 3 TO's, 6 boards, a steal and 2 blocks including one that he threw off the backboard.
Payton's 28 minutes were productive. His jumper won't be a strength, but he took the shots and knocked down a jumper in this one going 4/11 from the field. The PG is steady offensively, you know what his limitations are. Defensively, he's got to show up for the Knicks to have a prayer defending three's. Against Cleveland, Payton did a much better job than he has recently.
Bullock: It's funny that Bullock had a really solid game and gave a nice contribution but the standout moment for him was getting back to back wide open corner three's and bricking them. These were comedically open looks, the ones you miss because you have too much time and get in your head. But make no mistakes, those misses shouldn't define an otherwise good performance. Reggie went 5/10 from the field, 2/5 from three and added 12 points, 2 boards and a steal in 30 minutes. He's steady in his role, playing reliable defense and able to stretch the floor. He's been my favorite vet outside of Mook so far.
Morris: The difference between the Knicks competing with good teams and beating up bad teams usually comes down to what Marcus Morris looks like on that night. On a team where the Knicks' best scorers aren't great shooters and bulldoze inside more often than they finesse their way to baskets; Morris stands out with a smooth game and pure jump shot. His 19 points on 8/16 shooting were just pretty to watch. He his midrange jumpers, three pointers and drove when given a lane. The rest of Mook's contributions were muted, just 3 boards over a 30 minute span. But even when he's not tallying much else, Morris' shooting is too important to the offense not to value him. He had an off night last week and the team folded.
Randle: When the first quarter started, I watched Kevin Love knock down a couple of threes and thought we were in trouble. Julius Randle had a tough match-up for anybody and his effort on defense has been disappointing. But gradually, with Mike Miller's timeouts and over the course of 27 minutes, Randle settled into his role and was able to pick up a solid performance. Randle put up 19 points, 9 boards and 1 assist to 1 TO. This wasn't particularly efficient, he went 7/17 from the field and 0/2 from three but did make all 5 of his free throws. This was decent though. We got less forces that led to TO's and Randle's effort on the glass was relentless at times. I just want to see that same effort when the ball isn't in his hands or off the rim.
Taj: In the fourth quarter, Taj Gibson was running with a young unit that had built up a strong lead. Both squads got into a series of bad shots and TO's that led to the game becoming an out of control trackmeet. Gibson ran down the center of the court, both hands up telling everyone to slow down and calm down, the Knicks had a lead and just needed to kill time. The youngsters settled in, ran a play and scored. That little piece of leadership is more important than Taj's recent scoring increase to me. His value isn't what shows up on the boxscore, it's his ability to lead.
Taj finished 4/5 for 10 points and 5 boards in 21 minutes. He's had a few chances to match with guys that aren't true 7 footers and in those match-ups he proves that he's still got something in the tank. But 20 minutes is probably where you max out with Taj at this point. This is a developing team and you want those minutes for the younger guys. That said, a moment like I mentioned above is why it's less frustrating seeing Taj take minutes from youngsters than it is with some other guys.
Frank: Since coming back from injury, Frank Ntilikina's jumper has vanished. He came out aggressive early, looking to get going rather than create, and missed every jumper. He even missed a chance to feed Mitch at one point looking for his own drive. In the second half, Frank settled in more and was able to put up a bit of production. Despite his early struggles, Frank was able to justify his presence though with some great defensive stands on Sexton and Garland. Ntilikina put up 6 points, 3 assists to 2 TO's, 2 boards and 2 blocks over 20 minutes on 2/5 shooting.
Frank without the jumper working is limited. It's nice to see that he's getting inside more often which helped him finish with some points by laying it up and getting to the line. But in order to take the next step as a PG, Frank has to find consistency in his jump shot. For now, he can get by playing defense that frustrates opponents (he drew another frustration TO from Colin Sexton yesterday) and keeping the ball moving but to break through to a bigger role...the jumper is crucial.
Dot: If you've read these long enough, you that I kinda stan Damyean Dotson. While his contributions aren't always consistent, his effort is undeniable and he has the tools to find ways to make a positive impact whether you need some scoring, ball movement, defense or rebounding...he can give a bit of everything. The second unit stayed effective in the first half, with Frank struggling and others quiet, mainly by riding a hot start from Dotson. That never really cooled off either. Dot picked his spots a bit more as other players got going in the second half, but he was reliable all night to put the ball in the basket. Dot spent 21 minutes to fill in 12 points, 5 boards, 1 assist and 1 steal on 5/7 shooting plus 2/2 from three.
Here's what makes that even sweeter...Dot was a DNP last game. He didn't come out timid or rusty, he came out hungry. Dotson was on the attack right away and put an exclamation point on the back-up SG fight which I feel he's been winning all season. When Barrett comes back, Miller still needs to find minutes for Damyean Dotson. He finds a way to compliment any unit and he's earned his minutes.
Knox: Forget the 1/4 from the field or the 1/3 from three point land. Kevin Knox had 15 minutes to contribute with limited touches to work with. His 5 points in 15 minutes isn't something to worry about in this context. More important than that is 6 boards and defensive energy that we can checkmark fully in the "didn't hurt us" column. Knox has the build and athleticism to be a good rebounder, it's flashed in the past. On a day with limited minutes and touches, with his shot not quite there, Knox turned up his effort on the other end and produced anyway. Remember that he's young, came into the league raw and has to contend with a reputation for motor issues. Catching him give a full intensity effort in spite of less opportunities and scoring is catching him on the right track.
Portis: It felt like I would roll my eyes at Bobby Portis for passing up a good look to post up and then I'd have to take back my anger after he'd convert. Portis saw an undersized team without a rim protector and he made it his mission to get inside. He wreaked havoc in there. I would get annoyed but the results were undeniable and by the end of the game, I had to just give him credit for picking out a weakness to exploit and doing so effectively. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. New Age Crazy Eyes dropped 12 points, 4 assists to 1 TO and 5 boards in 21 minutes. He was an efficient 5/9 from the field including 2/4 from three with the three's coming late after his three point line post ups had sufficiently bought him space...good game.
Mitch: I waxed poetic last time on the fact that a good game for Mitch tends to be slept on because he's had truly great games. This one might fall into that category. Mitch put up 2 points and 6 boards in 27 minutes, missing his only FGA while converting 2/2 FT's. But he was still a masterful impact player by virtue of 1 steal, 4 blocks and a bunch of inside finishes for other guys as the Cavs collapsed in to take away most lob options. Payton tried a lob that one of the Cavs guards flew in to deny early in the game...so Payton finished it on his own next time. Frank came in and struggled to shoot but had space and finished lay-ups as well. So even without a damned field goal, Mitch was a useful piece offensively and an absolute game changer on defense.
Foul watch continues with more positive news too...Mitch only picked up 1 foul in 27 minutes although he did give up a couple of boards and finishes focusing on being disciplined. There was a hint of frustration in his body language yesterday, likely with his lack of opportunities to produce. But I think that's gonna start happening more. Teams are gonna deny Mitch and make the guards finish. Dot ate well off of this. But the guards will have to force a defense to be honest to open up the passing options for Mitch. And if they can't then it's time to show us what all that jumper work has accomplished, otherwise Mitch will see lower scoring but still plenty of impact.
Miller: Well the clock is ticking down to the trade deadline and my fingers are crossed that Miller's rotation choices have been more about that deadline than a long term plan. I'm honestly happy with some of the results of Miller's more veteran focused moves. Knox has had a real uptick in energy and approach in spite of the numbers lagging behind the play quality. Frank has settled into his role nicely thus far. Mitch has bounced back from his rough patch in terms of impact. Plus, how can I complain about benching Dot when the guard responds with a performance like last night. The Knicks won by 20...who am I to complain?
But I've got complaints. On multiple occasions Miller had to call time outs to get the players to focus and tighten up. What's worse? This happened more with the vets than the kids, Taj was able to calm the kids down with a damned gesture. The vets were too calm at times instead. The youngsters are being settled into full on complimentary roles and have fewer chances to step up. The FGA leaders on the team were Randle, Morris, Payton, Bullock and Portis before third year Dotson gets us anywhere near a young player being the offense (and he did that with 3 youngsters in his unit and just one vet who shot more than himself). In short, we're getting better results from Miller's installation of an offense but we're also watching a focus on players with no long term future.
This team and the results haven't been good enough to justify that. They're not in the playoff race. The vets aren't consistent enough to really pump their value. The youngsters aren't playing better but they've been competent enough to warrant a bit more leash...even if costs us some wins. So the Knicks feels stuck in the middle again, stuck in no man's land. The vets outplay the kids by just enough that they could rage if we switch focus. The record is too bad to even care about the extra wins that the vets are producing though. So we're looking at the front office to make sense of this...they have to pick a direction. The postseason isn't happening and the youth is showing just enough promise that I want more...and RJ Barrett ought to come back soon...and DSJ...and Trier barely gets a shot...and Iggy and Wooten...have you heard of Lamar Peters? Looks...the logjams are annoying. Perry and Mills need to do something about it sooner than later, time's running out.
Payton: It's been a nice bounceback for Elfrid Payton since his poor performance against Phoenix. The difference? Payton has stepped up his defensive intensity and is putting in real efforts. In this game, the Knicks PG's were up against the always dangerous Colin Sexton and the fast rising Darius Garland. Payton played quality defense against both guys. It's felt like Payton accumulates numbers in quick bursts, which makes some sense as Randle and Morris will chew up chunks of time in isolations to get going. Payton made the most of his turns to rock, quickly tallying assists in the first half and making some nice finishes in the second half. Elfrid finished with 9 points, 8 assists to 3 TO's, 6 boards, a steal and 2 blocks including one that he threw off the backboard.
Payton's 28 minutes were productive. His jumper won't be a strength, but he took the shots and knocked down a jumper in this one going 4/11 from the field. The PG is steady offensively, you know what his limitations are. Defensively, he's got to show up for the Knicks to have a prayer defending three's. Against Cleveland, Payton did a much better job than he has recently.
Bullock: It's funny that Bullock had a really solid game and gave a nice contribution but the standout moment for him was getting back to back wide open corner three's and bricking them. These were comedically open looks, the ones you miss because you have too much time and get in your head. But make no mistakes, those misses shouldn't define an otherwise good performance. Reggie went 5/10 from the field, 2/5 from three and added 12 points, 2 boards and a steal in 30 minutes. He's steady in his role, playing reliable defense and able to stretch the floor. He's been my favorite vet outside of Mook so far.
Morris: The difference between the Knicks competing with good teams and beating up bad teams usually comes down to what Marcus Morris looks like on that night. On a team where the Knicks' best scorers aren't great shooters and bulldoze inside more often than they finesse their way to baskets; Morris stands out with a smooth game and pure jump shot. His 19 points on 8/16 shooting were just pretty to watch. He his midrange jumpers, three pointers and drove when given a lane. The rest of Mook's contributions were muted, just 3 boards over a 30 minute span. But even when he's not tallying much else, Morris' shooting is too important to the offense not to value him. He had an off night last week and the team folded.
Randle: When the first quarter started, I watched Kevin Love knock down a couple of threes and thought we were in trouble. Julius Randle had a tough match-up for anybody and his effort on defense has been disappointing. But gradually, with Mike Miller's timeouts and over the course of 27 minutes, Randle settled into his role and was able to pick up a solid performance. Randle put up 19 points, 9 boards and 1 assist to 1 TO. This wasn't particularly efficient, he went 7/17 from the field and 0/2 from three but did make all 5 of his free throws. This was decent though. We got less forces that led to TO's and Randle's effort on the glass was relentless at times. I just want to see that same effort when the ball isn't in his hands or off the rim.
Taj: In the fourth quarter, Taj Gibson was running with a young unit that had built up a strong lead. Both squads got into a series of bad shots and TO's that led to the game becoming an out of control trackmeet. Gibson ran down the center of the court, both hands up telling everyone to slow down and calm down, the Knicks had a lead and just needed to kill time. The youngsters settled in, ran a play and scored. That little piece of leadership is more important than Taj's recent scoring increase to me. His value isn't what shows up on the boxscore, it's his ability to lead.
Taj finished 4/5 for 10 points and 5 boards in 21 minutes. He's had a few chances to match with guys that aren't true 7 footers and in those match-ups he proves that he's still got something in the tank. But 20 minutes is probably where you max out with Taj at this point. This is a developing team and you want those minutes for the younger guys. That said, a moment like I mentioned above is why it's less frustrating seeing Taj take minutes from youngsters than it is with some other guys.
Frank: Since coming back from injury, Frank Ntilikina's jumper has vanished. He came out aggressive early, looking to get going rather than create, and missed every jumper. He even missed a chance to feed Mitch at one point looking for his own drive. In the second half, Frank settled in more and was able to put up a bit of production. Despite his early struggles, Frank was able to justify his presence though with some great defensive stands on Sexton and Garland. Ntilikina put up 6 points, 3 assists to 2 TO's, 2 boards and 2 blocks over 20 minutes on 2/5 shooting.
Frank without the jumper working is limited. It's nice to see that he's getting inside more often which helped him finish with some points by laying it up and getting to the line. But in order to take the next step as a PG, Frank has to find consistency in his jump shot. For now, he can get by playing defense that frustrates opponents (he drew another frustration TO from Colin Sexton yesterday) and keeping the ball moving but to break through to a bigger role...the jumper is crucial.
Dot: If you've read these long enough, you that I kinda stan Damyean Dotson. While his contributions aren't always consistent, his effort is undeniable and he has the tools to find ways to make a positive impact whether you need some scoring, ball movement, defense or rebounding...he can give a bit of everything. The second unit stayed effective in the first half, with Frank struggling and others quiet, mainly by riding a hot start from Dotson. That never really cooled off either. Dot picked his spots a bit more as other players got going in the second half, but he was reliable all night to put the ball in the basket. Dot spent 21 minutes to fill in 12 points, 5 boards, 1 assist and 1 steal on 5/7 shooting plus 2/2 from three.
Here's what makes that even sweeter...Dot was a DNP last game. He didn't come out timid or rusty, he came out hungry. Dotson was on the attack right away and put an exclamation point on the back-up SG fight which I feel he's been winning all season. When Barrett comes back, Miller still needs to find minutes for Damyean Dotson. He finds a way to compliment any unit and he's earned his minutes.
Knox: Forget the 1/4 from the field or the 1/3 from three point land. Kevin Knox had 15 minutes to contribute with limited touches to work with. His 5 points in 15 minutes isn't something to worry about in this context. More important than that is 6 boards and defensive energy that we can checkmark fully in the "didn't hurt us" column. Knox has the build and athleticism to be a good rebounder, it's flashed in the past. On a day with limited minutes and touches, with his shot not quite there, Knox turned up his effort on the other end and produced anyway. Remember that he's young, came into the league raw and has to contend with a reputation for motor issues. Catching him give a full intensity effort in spite of less opportunities and scoring is catching him on the right track.
Portis: It felt like I would roll my eyes at Bobby Portis for passing up a good look to post up and then I'd have to take back my anger after he'd convert. Portis saw an undersized team without a rim protector and he made it his mission to get inside. He wreaked havoc in there. I would get annoyed but the results were undeniable and by the end of the game, I had to just give him credit for picking out a weakness to exploit and doing so effectively. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. New Age Crazy Eyes dropped 12 points, 4 assists to 1 TO and 5 boards in 21 minutes. He was an efficient 5/9 from the field including 2/4 from three with the three's coming late after his three point line post ups had sufficiently bought him space...good game.
Mitch: I waxed poetic last time on the fact that a good game for Mitch tends to be slept on because he's had truly great games. This one might fall into that category. Mitch put up 2 points and 6 boards in 27 minutes, missing his only FGA while converting 2/2 FT's. But he was still a masterful impact player by virtue of 1 steal, 4 blocks and a bunch of inside finishes for other guys as the Cavs collapsed in to take away most lob options. Payton tried a lob that one of the Cavs guards flew in to deny early in the game...so Payton finished it on his own next time. Frank came in and struggled to shoot but had space and finished lay-ups as well. So even without a damned field goal, Mitch was a useful piece offensively and an absolute game changer on defense.
Foul watch continues with more positive news too...Mitch only picked up 1 foul in 27 minutes although he did give up a couple of boards and finishes focusing on being disciplined. There was a hint of frustration in his body language yesterday, likely with his lack of opportunities to produce. But I think that's gonna start happening more. Teams are gonna deny Mitch and make the guards finish. Dot ate well off of this. But the guards will have to force a defense to be honest to open up the passing options for Mitch. And if they can't then it's time to show us what all that jumper work has accomplished, otherwise Mitch will see lower scoring but still plenty of impact.
Miller: Well the clock is ticking down to the trade deadline and my fingers are crossed that Miller's rotation choices have been more about that deadline than a long term plan. I'm honestly happy with some of the results of Miller's more veteran focused moves. Knox has had a real uptick in energy and approach in spite of the numbers lagging behind the play quality. Frank has settled into his role nicely thus far. Mitch has bounced back from his rough patch in terms of impact. Plus, how can I complain about benching Dot when the guard responds with a performance like last night. The Knicks won by 20...who am I to complain?
But I've got complaints. On multiple occasions Miller had to call time outs to get the players to focus and tighten up. What's worse? This happened more with the vets than the kids, Taj was able to calm the kids down with a damned gesture. The vets were too calm at times instead. The youngsters are being settled into full on complimentary roles and have fewer chances to step up. The FGA leaders on the team were Randle, Morris, Payton, Bullock and Portis before third year Dotson gets us anywhere near a young player being the offense (and he did that with 3 youngsters in his unit and just one vet who shot more than himself). In short, we're getting better results from Miller's installation of an offense but we're also watching a focus on players with no long term future.
This team and the results haven't been good enough to justify that. They're not in the playoff race. The vets aren't consistent enough to really pump their value. The youngsters aren't playing better but they've been competent enough to warrant a bit more leash...even if costs us some wins. So the Knicks feels stuck in the middle again, stuck in no man's land. The vets outplay the kids by just enough that they could rage if we switch focus. The record is too bad to even care about the extra wins that the vets are producing though. So we're looking at the front office to make sense of this...they have to pick a direction. The postseason isn't happening and the youth is showing just enough promise that I want more...and RJ Barrett ought to come back soon...and DSJ...and Trier barely gets a shot...and Iggy and Wooten...have you heard of Lamar Peters? Looks...the logjams are annoying. Perry and Mills need to do something about it sooner than later, time's running out.
Deep_Black_Conscious
Superstar
If they can't make any trades, there are going to be major problems in the 2nd half of the season
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