The new cap rules feel so draconian. Hot take - I don’t think signing minimum contracts for the 13th and 14th players on your roster should count against the cap. The formerly lower middle class of NBA vets must be furious about the new cba. There are a lot of solid NBA players without jobs right now.
Let's take a realistic approach. The season is a long rehearsal for the Playoffs. If this team is Championship caliber, they will be able to beat others who possess a home court advantage. So, relax. Enjoy. And hope we see growth, development, synchronization, and spirit. A positive culture. A hostile attitude. An imposing identity. Love is flexible. Sport is domination. I want this team to impose their will on others. No more Mister Nice Guy. It's time to bark aggressively. Woof!
I don't agree with this approach. First of all, home court is very important, particularly if your home court is MSG. If all we do is use the season as a rehearsal, the Knicks will end up a five or six seed. I don't want to play an Orlando or a Philadelphia without the home court.
Secondly, teams that think they can turn it on in the playoffs generally do not succeed. I don't believe athletes can just turn it on and off.
Third, confidence is extremely important. If the team stumbles and grumbles and fools around in the regular season, they will give their opponents the confidence to beat them.
Having said all this, I'm not sure we have any option but to treat the season like a long rehearsal. They have a very thin bench; outside of Deuce, they are counting on guys who don't have that Knick culture thing, that gym-rat, never give up, play hard from minute one to minute 48. Guys like Payne, Huk, Dadiet, etc have not proven they can thrive in that environment.
Agreed, if the first 20 games are regarded as experimental, then Thibs should experiment. I like the idea of Hart and Payne sharing time with both the 1st and 2nd units. When Payne sits, Kolek can play pg with the 2nd unit along with Hart, Dadiet, Hukporti and Sims. Hart can be reinserted to 1st unit to close 4th quarter games as needed.
I agree with this sentiment. This is a team that lost Randle, OG, and Mitch for more than half the season last year - that was their entire starting frontcourt. Was that team deeper than this one? Yes. But what we have right now is more than we had most of the second half of last season, including the playoffs. Every team deals with injuries. It stings to lose our 7th and 9th men... but they're our 7th and 9th men.
have the same exact thoughts - this whole season is to prep for playoffs, which is a crazy position for this team to finally be in. Not saying they can just coast - nor will a Thibs team ever be able to coast - but even if they are a little slow out of the gate I have full confidence in this team over the long haul of the season and being ready to make serious noise in the playoffs this year.
Playing center in the NBA is hard, but we already know that Sims is bad at it, and has not gotten better in years. He can jump really high, and he can switch a bit on defense. That's it. It's not just that Hukporti seems to have more upside right now, but that I'm not sure his floor is notably worse than Sims', and could possibly already be better.
Precious will be missed more than Shamet. His offense was improving and his defensive mobility helps cover opponents at both the 4 and 5. He rebounds on both backboards and his active hands contributes to deflections and steals. Once Precious left Friday's game againt Wizards, Knick lost. Let's hope he returns sooner than 4 weeks.
At beginning of last season, I remember my frustration with Randle, with ankle injury from the prior season, not playing well as expected, and Knicks lost games. Just glad now, no more of that! Happy to see Knicks play with a healthy roster and show what they have to win games!
Re: the hitch in Bridges shot…I have to think if this lingers much longer and starts having a real negative impact on the team, its only a matter of time before Rose and the FO huddle up and add at least 1 shooting coach onto the staff. I want to be hopeful this is something that can quickly be remedied.
My level of excitement for this season is off the charts. It's going to look clunky for the first few weeks, but if we can stay at 500 until the middle of December, I think its all going to be fine. And then we go super-nova (pun intended).
I feel better after reading this newsletter but am torn on what to expect this season. All offseason I saw them as having an outside chance at winning the whole damn thing, but my own personal confidence meter has been rattled by a feeling that the vibes...are not immaculate. They don't have to be for a team to be really good (or even great), but I'd be lying if I said this preseason wasn't a bit worrying from that standpoint.
That said, if JB is playing like an MVP candidate from the jump - and I think he will - we should be at least pretty good even as we navigate a seismic adjustment period and the Precious and Shamet injuries. From there, hopefully we begin hitting our stride and are able to add a bench guy or two by the deadline. Let us pray!
If I counted right, we got 26 games till December 15th comes and we can move precious salary and Mitch will hopefully be close and easier to trade, so I’m picking the day as the first day I could c us making trades.
What record would you take right now if you could guarantee it. 15-11? More or less?
I have a ton of respect for Jon's opinion, but I respectfully disagree with his view on Huk. The man played in Australia and that is a tough, physical league. He also played in Europe in good leagues. This is not a college kid. I think he is more ready than Sims to contribute positively to the team.
If we regard New York Liberty “winning” WNBA title as a good sign for Knicks also winning NBA title this season for New York City, would be more powerful lol if the usual suspect referees not at work with blatant questionable officiating. So Liberty, enjoy the “tainted” first title! Embarrassing truly. Professional sports showing its well-known dark corruption. May our beloved Knicks be free of all shenanigans ~ always.
Jon - am curious at this point what your confidence ratings look like for 1) The FO 2) Medical, given their handling of Mitch, Shamet, etc, and 3) Thibs and his ability to coach a more finesse/skills focused squad compared to the bruising, rebound you to death style of the past few years
“Baby” Dadiet is clearly the target of my Knicks development PTSD. I don’t believe for a second that he shares the mentality of our erstwhile Fortnight Warrior, but I’m still terrified that throwing “Baby” out there will Knox him up.
The new cap rules feel so draconian. Hot take - I don’t think signing minimum contracts for the 13th and 14th players on your roster should count against the cap. The formerly lower middle class of NBA vets must be furious about the new cba. There are a lot of solid NBA players without jobs right now.
Let's take a realistic approach. The season is a long rehearsal for the Playoffs. If this team is Championship caliber, they will be able to beat others who possess a home court advantage. So, relax. Enjoy. And hope we see growth, development, synchronization, and spirit. A positive culture. A hostile attitude. An imposing identity. Love is flexible. Sport is domination. I want this team to impose their will on others. No more Mister Nice Guy. It's time to bark aggressively. Woof!
I don't agree with this approach. First of all, home court is very important, particularly if your home court is MSG. If all we do is use the season as a rehearsal, the Knicks will end up a five or six seed. I don't want to play an Orlando or a Philadelphia without the home court.
Secondly, teams that think they can turn it on in the playoffs generally do not succeed. I don't believe athletes can just turn it on and off.
Third, confidence is extremely important. If the team stumbles and grumbles and fools around in the regular season, they will give their opponents the confidence to beat them.
Having said all this, I'm not sure we have any option but to treat the season like a long rehearsal. They have a very thin bench; outside of Deuce, they are counting on guys who don't have that Knick culture thing, that gym-rat, never give up, play hard from minute one to minute 48. Guys like Payne, Huk, Dadiet, etc have not proven they can thrive in that environment.
Agreed, if the first 20 games are regarded as experimental, then Thibs should experiment. I like the idea of Hart and Payne sharing time with both the 1st and 2nd units. When Payne sits, Kolek can play pg with the 2nd unit along with Hart, Dadiet, Hukporti and Sims. Hart can be reinserted to 1st unit to close 4th quarter games as needed.
I agree with this sentiment. This is a team that lost Randle, OG, and Mitch for more than half the season last year - that was their entire starting frontcourt. Was that team deeper than this one? Yes. But what we have right now is more than we had most of the second half of last season, including the playoffs. Every team deals with injuries. It stings to lose our 7th and 9th men... but they're our 7th and 9th men.
have the same exact thoughts - this whole season is to prep for playoffs, which is a crazy position for this team to finally be in. Not saying they can just coast - nor will a Thibs team ever be able to coast - but even if they are a little slow out of the gate I have full confidence in this team over the long haul of the season and being ready to make serious noise in the playoffs this year.
Congrats to the Liberty for winning the first of two New York basketball championships this season
Playing center in the NBA is hard, but we already know that Sims is bad at it, and has not gotten better in years. He can jump really high, and he can switch a bit on defense. That's it. It's not just that Hukporti seems to have more upside right now, but that I'm not sure his floor is notably worse than Sims', and could possibly already be better.
Only one way to find out, right? My guess is Thibs gives Sims some run early on and then tries out Hunporti if it continues to go poorly.
Precious will be missed more than Shamet. His offense was improving and his defensive mobility helps cover opponents at both the 4 and 5. He rebounds on both backboards and his active hands contributes to deflections and steals. Once Precious left Friday's game againt Wizards, Knick lost. Let's hope he returns sooner than 4 weeks.
At beginning of last season, I remember my frustration with Randle, with ankle injury from the prior season, not playing well as expected, and Knicks lost games. Just glad now, no more of that! Happy to see Knicks play with a healthy roster and show what they have to win games!
Re: the hitch in Bridges shot…I have to think if this lingers much longer and starts having a real negative impact on the team, its only a matter of time before Rose and the FO huddle up and add at least 1 shooting coach onto the staff. I want to be hopeful this is something that can quickly be remedied.
My level of excitement for this season is off the charts. It's going to look clunky for the first few weeks, but if we can stay at 500 until the middle of December, I think its all going to be fine. And then we go super-nova (pun intended).
I feel better after reading this newsletter but am torn on what to expect this season. All offseason I saw them as having an outside chance at winning the whole damn thing, but my own personal confidence meter has been rattled by a feeling that the vibes...are not immaculate. They don't have to be for a team to be really good (or even great), but I'd be lying if I said this preseason wasn't a bit worrying from that standpoint.
That said, if JB is playing like an MVP candidate from the jump - and I think he will - we should be at least pretty good even as we navigate a seismic adjustment period and the Precious and Shamet injuries. From there, hopefully we begin hitting our stride and are able to add a bench guy or two by the deadline. Let us pray!
If I counted right, we got 26 games till December 15th comes and we can move precious salary and Mitch will hopefully be close and easier to trade, so I’m picking the day as the first day I could c us making trades.
What record would you take right now if you could guarantee it. 15-11? More or less?
I’d take 17-9
give me 15-11
Lol that was my answer at first but thought I was being pessimistic. But now that’s 14-9 and add harts injury, I’ll take that for sure
I have a ton of respect for Jon's opinion, but I respectfully disagree with his view on Huk. The man played in Australia and that is a tough, physical league. He also played in Europe in good leagues. This is not a college kid. I think he is more ready than Sims to contribute positively to the team.
Looks like you're in the right so far!
If we regard New York Liberty “winning” WNBA title as a good sign for Knicks also winning NBA title this season for New York City, would be more powerful lol if the usual suspect referees not at work with blatant questionable officiating. So Liberty, enjoy the “tainted” first title! Embarrassing truly. Professional sports showing its well-known dark corruption. May our beloved Knicks be free of all shenanigans ~ always.
Jon - am curious at this point what your confidence ratings look like for 1) The FO 2) Medical, given their handling of Mitch, Shamet, etc, and 3) Thibs and his ability to coach a more finesse/skills focused squad compared to the bruising, rebound you to death style of the past few years
just getting to this...
FO: 4.5/5
Thibs/coaches: 4/5
Medical: no idea, but based on the track record in Dallas, 5/5
“Baby” Dadiet is clearly the target of my Knicks development PTSD. I don’t believe for a second that he shares the mentality of our erstwhile Fortnight Warrior, but I’m still terrified that throwing “Baby” out there will Knox him up.