Older thread '20 NYK Off-season Thread

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Miles Davis

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Morris talking to RJ about selfish play...
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@CantStop
He the type of nikka to befriend Klan members over their shared love of sourdough bread as a last-ditch effort to stay alive.
:mjlol::laff:
instagram_juliusrandle30.jpg

If you don't get your dumbass the fukk out of here. :camby: :mjlol:
Got em:russ:
 

NY's #1 Draft Pick

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:patrice: Breh I don’t know who this random twitter poster is. He doesn’t even have a blue check mark. Who’s his source?


To be real I rather have Morris lead this team. Trade some of the picks we got to get Randle out of here. I’ve had about enough of him, I can’t do another season of this bucket head. We’ve seen both Morris in closing situations who would you rather watch?
 

Morethan1

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3rd year is a team option...which is unheard of for a prized free agent.

Imagine the Bucks offering Giannis 3 years with the last not being guaranteed for him...

:mjlol:


It's yall prized free agent. No matter how you spin it
 

RickyGQ

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I bet we win this game if Miller is given a full practice with the team yesterday. :stopitslime:
 

23Barrettcity

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bro im starting to think there's a race factor at play
i recall us having close compeitive losses against better teams than indiana (philly boston nets etc)
and losing cause of clutch shots or like free throws (like tonight) and there was nothing but hate for fizz.
we lose to da pacers(who played last night) and people in here treating miller like hes da second coming of christ:dead:
You are a real troll. Fiz lost 18 games with two huge blowouts back to back and a terrible last season . You want us to be like fire miller after one game though ?
If Miller coaches like Fiz he’ll get fired and so will the FO
 

storyteller

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In Mike Miller's debut as interim head coach, the Knicks went back to the basics and that kept them one missed free throw away from forcing overtime against a fatigued Indiana Pacers team. The 103-104 loss was marked by simplification. The constant switching on defense and the team didn't shift into random fits of Zone defense. The offense started a vast majority of possessions with the ball in the point guards hands, a shift that meant less Point Forward situations. More on that later.
Most glaring on the night was the Knicks actually turned in a high level effort. The players were active on defense, set honest screens on offense and moved the ball far more willingly. That likely has as much to do with the player's only meeting that was called and a feeling of responsibility for the firing of Fizdale than it does with any assumptions people might make about Miller. It also helped playing a team on the second night of a back to back and the fifth game of a road trip. So the jury's still out, but for at least one night we got a watchable product. Let's go deeper:

Frank: Frank Ntilkina was probably in line for 25 minutes on the night, but a great start to the fourth quarter for Elfrid Payton meant Ntilikina never got off the bench late. The French Prince's jumper was uncooperative all night and he had been limited to making plays as a passer instead with middling results. In 19 minutes the starting PG put up 2 points, 4 assists to 1 turnover and 4 boards on 1/5 shooting and 0/2 from three. Frank did well to get deep into the paint and find some kick outs, but without his jumper to keep the defense honest, his offensive impact was limited.

I've been waiting for a chance to watch Ntilikina just stick to an opponent's best perimeter player for a full game, but this wasn't the best example. Frank stuck to Holiday when he was in the game, but with Brogdon and Oladipo out the game, the Pacers offense ran heavily through the big guys. To his credit, while Frank was in, the three point defense held up respectably and it fell of a cliff when he came out of the game. But Frank's gotta give the offense more to hang on to his spot as a starter and earn more minutes.

Barrett: The coaching change seemed to fire up RJ Barrett who started the game with a ton of intensity that crescendo'ed on a beautiful drive and dunk. But Barrett was unable to keep up his quality of play with consistency as he continues to struggle with his shot and free throws. Barrett played for 36 minutes and posted 12 points, 9 boards, 3 assists to 2 turnovers, a steal and a block. He shot 4/11 on the night, making 1/3 of his three's and just 3/6 of his free throws.

Barrett is at his best getting downhill through a screen. He did this very well in the early portion of the game. In the latter stanza, RJ took more of a backseat on ball handling duties as Elfrid Payton orchestrated. This didn't mean that the rookie wasn't getting touches, but his best looks were jumpers and this was another night where Barrett's jumper was unreliable. The kid played a solid game but his impact has a lid on it as long as his jumper remains inconsistent.

Morris: What Marcus Morris did last night was walk the walk. He appears to be one of the main players to call the team meeting prior to Fizdale's firing. Morris responded with a very controlled and effective game, punctuated by the three ball continuing to fall at a ridiculous late. Mook put up 25 points, 3 boards, an assist to 1 TO and one steal. He put up that scoring in 33 minutes and on a stellar 9/17 from the floor and 4/8 from three.

One bit of frustration for me is that Morris had some good three point looks late that didn't fall. This came during the last five minutes of the game where the Knicks went 1/14 shooting and I'll remind you, the lost by 1 point. Morris was responsible for the one make if memory serves, but he was also responsible for a number of missed opportunities. He's become the Knicks go to guy this season, but I'd like to see him ready to create for others when the defense gives him greater gravity.

Randle: The pattern of hot starts and cool finishes has been going on with Julius Randle for a couple of weeks now. Randle started the game taking what the defense gave him and feasting. But as the game tightened up, the big acquisition became less and less effective as both scorer and playmaker. The big man finished with 16 points, 12 boards and 3 assists to 1 TO. He shot an ugly 6/18 and went 4/6 from the line including a missed free throw with 0.1 second on the clock that would have meant overtime.

But let's talk about the 1 TO for a second. This was only the 6th time all season that Randle limited himself to just 1 turnover (he hasn't had a no turnover game yet). A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that the Knicks made a focused effort to let the point guards bring the ball up. Randle still got plenty of chances to attack early in the shot clock from the perimeter, but they were far more scattered and less predictable. His sole turnover came late in the game as the Knicks got more predictable, leaning heavily on Randle and Morris. But you could already see the benefits of not forcing Randle to do too much...and if we're being honest, this has been flashing since before Fizdale left, but it also marked the least he's forced the issue all season.

Taj: We might as well call Taj Gibson a tone setter, as he's the starter but only sees minutes into the teens on any night. Mike Miller continued that pattern, playing Taj just 15 minutes for 2 points, 4 boards, 3 assists and a steal. That's the thing about Gibson, he's pretty damned productive for limited minutes. As usual, Gibson was a reliable presence on both ends of the court and just helped everyone else stay under control. But he doesn't have an extra gear on either end of the floor, so when it was time to get stops, Miller leaned on Robinson instead of Taj.
 

storyteller

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DSJ: I'm sure that some fans feel like Dennis Smith Jr is looking like a lost cause out there. It's hard to argue that the Knicks wouldn't have been better off giving his 12 minutes to Frank and Payton for a better result. But Smith's active defensive play in the third quarter was enough to make me think, we've gotta find some minutes to try and get this kid's rhythm going. He's too athletic to give up on outright. Smith went 0/5 for 1 points, 1 assist to 2 TO's, 3 rebounds and a steal.

It hasn't been pretty. His shot is off, he passes out of open lanes and forces takes when the lane isn't there. But his ability to get into the teeth of the defense and rise above most defenders will never stop being intriguing. We've seen him be such a better player than this that it's frustrating. The excuse of being out of shape doesn't hold up when we're in December. He's gotta find his game and fast or he'll be out the rotation with every justification for the benching.

Payton: Elfrid Payton's fourth quarter flashed his ability to orchestrate and grab the reins of an offense. Payton was able to create for others and when the Pacers adjusted to his passing, Payton knocked down a three ball and a floater to make them pay. All of this helped the Knicks to a come back from 11 points down to a dog fight. The problem is that Payton couldn't keep up his scoring or space the floor for Morris and Randle late. So the Knicks offense looked it's best with Payton out there and then also went invisible in the same quarter with the same point guard running the show.

Payton finished with a lovely line of 9 points, 7 assists to 1 TO, 3 boards, 3 steals and a block. He did all of this in just 17 minutes of play and it really came in a barrage during his second stint, that fourth quarter run. The veteran PG was able to demand the ball from the bigs and to get them to run plays in ways that the two younger Knicks PG's sometimes fail to do. I think his most valuable role would be similar to that of Taj Gibson, as a stabilizer but with limitations that we're all aware of and don't ask him to work past. His defensive effort and offensive leadership were on display and if he improves on that, he might snatch the starting Point Guard spot back.

Dot: The energy was high but the jumper continues to be a struggle for Damyean Dotson. The kid came out of the gates flying and seemed more than happy to fire off shots for a coach he's familiar with from his rookie minutes in the G-League. But Dot continues to shoot sporadically and his greenlight backfired, he was better on drives than jump shooting. Dotson posted 10 points, 1 turnover and 2 boards in 14 minutes. Problematically the 10 points came on 4/11 shooting and 2/8 from three.

The Knicks two guards HAVE to stretch the floor, but at the same time, Dot took some long three's that weren't necessary. If those shots fall, he's paying dividends. When they don't fall, he looks just as lost as Wayne Ellington did trying to find his own jumper. Even worse, Dot had more defensive lapses than I'm used to catching from him. It's no wonder his minutes were limited, not a good night for him (although he started strong).

Knox: If there's one player that I wished had gotten more minutes, it would be Kevin Knox. Knox flashed his offensive prowess in spurts and for the second game in a row was willing to step in front of a fast breaking player to try and deny a full sprint at the rim. These are the baby steps that I'm looking for, signs that the lethargic approach won't keep the sophomore from at least making an attempt to impact the defense or use his offensive weapons. Knox turned just 14 minutes into 8 points, one turnover and one board on 3/6 shooting including 2/4 from three.

Kevin's one field goal inside the arc was a fast break dunk. He still had a momentary brain fart where he had decided to drive before he even received the ball and got himself in trouble. But I like to see him at least attempt to take the ball to the rim, he's young and learning, this team is tanking. Those drives into the lane led to some of the best passes we've seen in Knox's young career earlier in the season. So I want to see him trying these things and developing better instincts on both ends really. The three ball makes it worthwhile to deal with the growing pains, so hopefully he keeps this up.

Portis: Listen, Mike Miller's got 3 games to experiment with Bobby Portis on the floor at the same time as Randle before I start to get on him for it. I understand why a coach would want to try those two offensive skillsets together, but it's always ugly and I've had enough of seeing it. Portis put up 4 points, 4 boards, an assist and a steal in 18 minutes which doesn't look bad. But he shot 2/5 from the field and 0/2 from three and by my eye test, Bobby Portis was worse than his numbers indicate in this one.

That's because I caught him in just terrible positioning on offense a few times where he should have been stretching the floor. The Knicks would run a pick and roll and the weak side rotation would already be there because Bobby is just over there looking like he wants a weak side post up or something. If that's not reverse intangibles than I don't know what is. He HAS to stretch the floor to be useful, but half the time he's not getting outside. The other half of the time, he seems like he's pressing from three. Dude's form looks jerky to me, like he's too hype about making the big shot at times and it causes him to over exaggerate the motion. Either way, he's shooting 20% from three over the last seven games while attempting 3 per.

Bobby Portis' game really pissed me off section three...Defense...this is too many words about Portis. He didn't even play 20 minutes, but it was enough to frustrate me a lot. You've seen enough of Bobby Portis to recognize his defensive flaws by now. Miller paired his defensive flaws with Julius Randle's a few times and that's how you get this many wasted words on why I hated Bobby Portis' performance.

Mitch: It's starting to look like post trade deadline Mitchell Robinson out there these past couple of games. In the fourth quarter, Mitchell Robinson checked in for Taj Gibson and the Pacers didn't score another point...technically, they made an and-one free throw right as he got on the floor but that doesn't count. Robinson played his brand of terrorizing defense for 25 minutes while only picking up one foul on some clever footwork and pumpfaking by TJ Warren. The Knicks young big had 3 blocks and 2 steals as a disruptive presence that nobody wants to challenge.

If anyone saw the benefits of Mike Miller's simplified offense, it was Robinson. The point guards had the ball more and with Mitch in the game, the pick and roll was utilized constantly. That meant a lot of rim running, a lot of lobs and bountiful above the rim moments. Robinson finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks and 2 steals. The nature of the looks meant high efficiency too, Mitch was 6/9 from the field and made both of his free throws on the night.

Miller: With no time to coach a practice or make many changes, Mike Miller seemed to mostly just strip down things in his debut. This led to some obvious changes. The Knicks did less switching, not to be confused with eliminating it entirely, but less. There were no random shifts to zone defense either which was nice. But it's worth noting that neither of those facts changed the bad three point defense. There were still miscommunications and late close outs. So Miller's gonna have his work cut out for him as he tries to address those blemishes.

Offensively the obvious and welcome change is that the Knicks simply let the Point Guards bring the ball up for every play. They still got into some familiar sets and at times, Randle or Morris would be put into an orchestration role. But those situations came fewer and farther between up until late in the game when the game plan called for Morris to be the attacker. The guards also got to call for more pick and roll opportunities, something they all used frequently whenever Mitchell Robinson was available. This change was obvious. Both Robinson and Randle are quality rim runners...get them going!

Lastly, the rotation didn't change much, but the spacing was better for most of the night. I can't recall much Randle and Robinson cluttering things up for each other except late when the best five guys were out there. Morris got to play some minutes at the four and also some minutes paired with Knox. A Knox/Morris combo puts out best two shooting Forwards on the floor at once. We got a few minutes of Frank/RJ/Mitch all out there at once in the first half. This unit seems ear marked to close the half and also the game, but Payton's quality play kept Frank off the floor to close out. I've mentioned before that Randle and Portis played together too much but that's my only major rotation complaint.

All in all, Miller seemed to strike a balance of sticking to the rotation and keeping guys out there when they had good stretches. For a debut, this was fine. He simplified things and tweaked the rotation just enough to help the spacing for most of the night without rocking the boat. We'll have to wait and see if last night was a tired opponent, a fired up team thanks to their fired coach, a sign of promise from a debuting coach or some combination of all of that. It's too soon to say.
 

ISO

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RJ has had selfish moments and moments of poor body language even though he has had moments where he’s frozen out
 

23Barrettcity

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The Knicks need to poach the developmental guys from other teams and get a real shooting coach .
RJ has had selfish moments and moments of poor body language even though he has had moments where he’s frozen out
Look RJ also tries to run the offense and will pass but the whole team has selfish tendencies and as the veteran he should be holding himself and Randle accountable first and forenost
 
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