I wanna preface this by saying what the team has done these past two months is remarkable. That they’re fighting for the 3 seed instead of fighting to stay out of the play-in despite the injuries is incredible. They’ve kept their heads above water better than we thought.
Still, I think this is the most annoyed/frustrated I’ve been all season. Those uninspiring injury updates were my tipping point. If we had gotten positive news on Julius and OG, it would have helped me sleep easier last night. But we’re in April. There are 8 games left. We’re running out of time for them to get ramped up for the playoffs. I know what a healthy Knicks team is capable of and I have no idea when they’ll be relatively healthy again.
I’m beyond frustrated at the Detroit guys. I can’t believe how wrong I was about that trade. They’re essentially unplayable. Deuce, Hart, and DDV didn’t sit in the second half last night. That’s ridiculous. I don’t mean that as a shot at Thibs. That’s a shot at the bench guys. They need to be better. Forget a healthy OG and Julius. We win these past two games with competent bench play.
The optimist in me wants to believe they’re just being extra cautious with Julius and OG because of where they are in the standings, but the more time goes by, the more I think I’m just telling myself what I want to hear. We don’t even have a timetable. Just “the elbow needs to calm down” and “not cleared for contact.”
And I know it’s just two losses in a row. A week from now this could look like an overreaction. But those injury updates broke me. I think I’m just spent emotionally until we get good news about them.
I’m in the same exact boat. Well said all around. It’s frustrating because during that Heat game it felt like the best Knicks team I had seen since the 99 season. And it feels like it’s being taken away from us. I don’t know if the Knicks being more forthcoming about the timetable would help things feel better… but the fact that they aren’t is certainly adding to the frustration at this point. And the Detroit guys give me agita.
I feel you. I was already somewhat deflated before the game even started because of the latest injury news. It’s as if we’re in the same place we were a few days after Julius was injured - uncertainty about OG’s elbow and no idea when he or Julius are coming back. Only now it’s more than two months later.
If last night's game happened in early February shortly after the injuries, I'd still be upset we lost but would at least be able to feel good about a shorthanded Knicks squad pushing OKC to the wire. But now I'm at a point where I don't care about moral victories. All I can do is go, "Yup. Another one we win if we had our guys. When are we getting our guys back?"
For me, this team has exceeded expectations set in the preseason. If you told me back in September that we’d be playing this well without Mitch, Randle, RJ, IQ, and Grimes, I would have called you crazy and recommended you for drug screening. Having lost two players to injuries, trading two more for OG who himself has been injured and Grimes for two guys that might as well be injured, I’d say we are exactly where we need to be. This team has been able to take a long look at the available players we have and should be able to make a decision on who we need to keep and who we can move on from. I don’t see this team getting too far into the playoffs without everyone being back at full strength and even that’s not a guarantee. With that said I am hopeful. Hopeful that Rose company continue to work out the kinks and make the right decisions for sustainable success in the future. We’ve given up our young core (Obi, RJ, IQ and Grimes) to get where we are, and it’s obviously not enough to really challenge to top tier teams in this league.
I am so proud of the effort that this team puts forth on a game-to-game basis. It does not matter the opponent, situation, or context, they give it their all. I just wish that we could have complete confidence and assurance that games will be decided by their effort, talent, and level of play, instead of by officials. I usually refuse to blame officiating for losses, and yet I am right now. It is getting ridiculous. In a season where every game matters because of how tight the standings are, you cannot be in a spot where at least 3 games have been lost because of officiating mistakes. This happening in the regular season is one thing, if it happens in the playoffs… I will be very curious to see the backlash.
Also, I am sorry, but I have to do this. This FO has had so many hits across their tenure with so few misses. However, the biggest mistake they made was not taking/keeping Jalen Williams. He would have been the perfect fit next to Brunson. And I know Hartenstein might not have happened as a result, but still, Williams is going to be an All-NBA player for a decade plus. He is an absurd talent. I will always wonder “what if”?
A bigger "what if" for me than SGA, Mitchell, Mikal, etc, because those guys would still have been drafted into incompetent front offices and it wouldn't have mattered. If anything, it would have kept those guys employed for longer. And even Hali doesn't sting nearly as much because we got JB.
like everyone else this weekend frustrated me beyond belief. Now with a few hours to sit here are my main take-aways (which I know have already been mentioned here throughout) that I tried to group together in some easy to categorize way.
THE GOOD: Deuce (and Brunson but that's obvious). Quite possibly the best contract in basketball, this dude deserves all the love for becoming a legit offensive player. Who knew that out of IQ, Grimes, Obi and him he'd the be the one who stuck. Love every part of his game.
THE BAD: Josh Hart - injury updater. Not sure why this bothered me so much and it's not like his word is definitive but reading the quote I sort of was thinking, "Hey Josh, maybe STFU and just play some basketball (which you happen to be doing extremely well).
THE UGLY: Now I know you should never, ever question a player's health or injury or - most importantly - their toughness. Still, I can't help but growing more nonplussed with OG. He got the surgery, they removed the bone spurs, no other damage to done. So are you hurt or are you injured? Like, if the playoffs start tomorrow can you be out there or not? Cause if the answer is yes, we need you out there NOW. Hate that I feel this way but is what it is. Fan is of course short for fanatic.
I like less fouls and a game that is balanced between defense and offense.
There have been players who defenses were given more latitude to be physical with. They were all centers who were dominate to in some cases having the rules changed to try and slow them down. Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, Moses Malone, Shaq being the obvious examples. Officials knew that if they called every foul they'd shoot 30 free throws a game, or if players didn't play them physically they'd shoot 75%. All of the above were centers who were not only gifted but physically imposing. Smaller players generally get the obvious calls. Coaches and players quickly catch on to officials who for whatever reason won't call certain fouls and adjust accordingly. For example, if it's never a foul to knock Jalen Brunson down and the only way to stop him is to knock him down then he's going to get knocked down repeatedly. The old remedy for this was the 'hatchet man' (see Jim Lustacoff or ML Carr) who's job was to come in and give an eye for an eye. Since the hatchet man seldom played except to exact revenge it didn't matter if he was ejected (sometimes getting a star player ejected with him- a net gain for his team). The hatchet man era made for ugly basketball and fan behavior closer to professional wrestling fans (when they thought it was real). If the NBA is not careful and stars ( I only regularly watch the Knicks but I suspect Brunson is not the only one) get beat up constantly the game can get ugly and unwatchable real quick. And I am a defense first guy. Let them play, but body blocks and arms extended by offensive players like running backs in football are obviously way over the line. And I know I am biased towards the Knicks but I don't think I'm going crazy here in my assessment.
It wasn’t only centers or height. The other factors were (and are) heft, strength, and a style not dependent on soaring. Wemby got calls the other night because any contact on him produces a visible effect, which the refs read as entirely the defender’s doing. If Wemby were built like Hartenstein, the defender would often bounce off him, making the contact seem incidental. Wemby’s leaping ability places him in apparent danger if there’s contact on a drive.
Jalen has heft and strength. When the contact comes, it doesn’t SEEM to affect his ability to get where he wants to go or to get off his shot. If there is a visible effect, he is suspected of selling the foul, which is what the refs have been instructed to eradicate. His footwork compensates for his inability to soar. Because he is closer to the floor when the contact comes (as compared, say, to SGA or Edwards), the refs don’t sense danger. They intuitively think of him as a very short Shaq. What they drastically underestimate is the cumulative impact of the contact he absorbs, all night, every night, and effects of this on his performance in the final seconds of a game or after he turns 30. Cumulative impact is something we recognize over time, often in retrospect, not something we see in the moment. It doesn’t get factored into calls.
Brunson’s size and style also explain the bias against him in MVP voting and superstar rankings. He doesn’t fit either of the stereotypes we associate with great players: the powerful Shaq-Wilt-Willis stereotype or the graceful Michael-Kobe-Durant one. Like Bird and Steph, Jalen has had to overcome an intuitive bias before getting recognized. Like Bird, he is extraordinarily athletic but not in the stereotypical basketball way. It’s more about lateral movement and geometrical awareness than amazing grace. Lateral athleticism and spatial discernment are what Messi has to the nth degree, but in a sport that mainly stays closer to the ground. To appreciate Jalen fully, you have to watch him for a good while, puzzle over the remarkable numbers, and then reeducate your eye. He doesn’t look the part—in the eyes of a scout before the draft, of the average MVP voter, or a referee.
You can't miss FTs in the 4th quarter if you want to win close games down the stretch. You can complain about the officiating, but if you don't take advantage of the FTs when you get them then it doesn't matter much.
But this was one of the most hectic games this season. Both teams were playing do-or-die defense all night. In the 4th there were top-speed transition plays, one after another. When players went to the foul line you could see the exhaustion. Both teams missed many free throws in the 4th and it's no wonder. If you have to place blame, think of the bench guys who could not be trusted to come in and hold the fort for he starters when they needed it at the beginning of the 4th.
Great statements on the third point acknowledging that the Knicks are going down the final stretch staring at a crossroads. One of three things are going to happen. Either it's not as dramatic as Hart put it postgame and they get one of two or both back of OG and JR (I am operating under the assumption that Mitchs absence is nothing to be worried about.) Or we get a spark all of a sudden from at least one of Bogey or Burks.
Or we'll be likely one and done in the playoffs. If I had to pick between OG and Julius I think I prefer OG. At least OG if healthy won't need significant time to get in a rhythm. If OG is out and we got a similar Julius from the start of the season or beginning of last year first round. I don't know. We might be dead in the water.
Idk what it is about this season, but two straight games I literally couldn’t sleep after the loss. I think it’s still fear of embarrassment that we’ll collapse to the play in after how high we were built up (justifiably). I know it’s unlikely but with no good health in sight, those odds keep creeping up
A little bit of levity - all the talk about Thibs putting Deuce on SGA the final possession. What made him decide that game 74 was the game for him break out “DaQuan Jeffries: Inbound Pass Stopper” on multiple occasions?
I found this decision to be an important one. On the next possession, OKC had Chet on the inbound, making it a more difficult pass. Why not leave IHart (or use Sims) for the same reason?
Not to mention the fact that a simple ball-fake got Jeffries to give him a pass toward the basket when he should’ve just been forcing the ball to go up top.
Great recap missed most of the game save for last 3 minutes so can’t wait to watch today . I love the guys that are playing they remind me of players on those great 90s Knicks teams . IMO M- Rob is Mr. Glass so hopefully he gets back and builds some value back up and you can get something for him in summer . I believe Randle will be back just saving him for playoffs . OG i don’t know he strikes me as someone that does not play through stuff . He wil be highest paid Knick next year so this will get old fast next season with his teammates and fans if this is what happens when he has any type of injury. Overall we have our MVP type player and elite role guys so a little more tinkering and JB will get us to the promised land . One of my favorite Knicks seasons and core of the team is all you can ask for it terms of talent and grit . Fingers crossed we get guys back and we can reach that potential this season but have no doubt in my mind we will get there in future. LGK
with you on the OG stuff. I say that knowing you can't really question a player's health cause it's their body and they know best but man, if he can play right now I'd really like him on the court. Don't love that those thoughts about his willingness to play are creeping in though.
I don't get it? On Friday, he sends a 6'7 guy to guard a 7'3 guy. Last night, when he needed all the size he could get against a team of 6'7-6'8 guys across the board, he sends a 6'2 guy to guard a 6'6 guy who happens to be one of the best players in the league? We needed some size, especially on the last possession. DIVO was not doing much, why not bring in Bogey who has size and used to be able to shoot, maybe you get lucky. Precious? Last night we needed Precious on that last shot! Sims? The guy is athletic and has good lateral movement. He can guard a guy like Giddey for a few minutes here and there. Try something different occasionally! He keeps playing the same guys 40 minutes a night 4x a week. They're shot! He's got to sit them for a few minutes here and there, he's going to destroy them if he keeps this up! We're back to pig headed Thibs again. I hope that they can figure something out. They need to get Bogey more involved in the offense when he's out there and let him get into a rhythm. I notice that's he's often open and they don't pass him the ball. They gotta figure out a way to get more scoring from someone other than Brunson.
Who else do you want to play? Just my 2 cents, but I don't get the sense that they lost Sunday because they were tired, and they sure as hell weren't tired on Friday because they came out of halftime like their pants were on fire.
Frankly I'm damn sick of the complaining after every call or missed call that goes against the Knicks. Not from every Knick of course. But a couple of the Villanova guys are just plain ridiculous.
with you on this. Don't get me wrong, Hart has been so important to us and is so key to everything we do but the dude complains about every. single. call. Even as someone who roots for him I find him annoying sometimes. Also, for whatever reason, it's not longer Josh Hart - in my heads it's Jaaaaaaash - like in a whiny voice.
The only guy who needs to play 48 minutes every game is Brunson. As soon as he's off the court they fall apart. So why not rotate some of the other guys in there while he's playing for a few minutes at a time. DIVO and Hart are tired. DIVO now only has good scoring games against lesser competition.
Hart is still doing everything asked, but his offensive production is down. At the least Sims should be getting some minutes. He's big and he can move, they certainly could find a place for him for 5-10 minutes a night. Bogey needs to get a more prominent role in the offense somehow. He's running around the court and often seems lost. It seems like he doesn't really know what he should be doing. I don't know if that's his fault or the coaching, but he's the only guy on the bench that has any chance of getting some points. They need to figure that out. They didn't lose because they were tired, they lost because the of the REFS. and some poor decisions made at the end of the game.
I'd love for Bogey to play better. He was seeing a lot more minutes than he is now and they often went poorly. His defense has been a train wreck and the numbers back it up. Sadly those guys just need to be better.
I was at the game last night and the Julius was shooting threes from each location on the court for about 10 minutes before tip-off with Johnnie Bryant. He looked great. I believe he plays on Sunday versus Milwaukee. As for the game itself, both Bojan and Burks look much better when they are not playing together (and playing with Jalen). The pieces will start fitting nicely if people can get back on the court.
I wanna preface this by saying what the team has done these past two months is remarkable. That they’re fighting for the 3 seed instead of fighting to stay out of the play-in despite the injuries is incredible. They’ve kept their heads above water better than we thought.
Still, I think this is the most annoyed/frustrated I’ve been all season. Those uninspiring injury updates were my tipping point. If we had gotten positive news on Julius and OG, it would have helped me sleep easier last night. But we’re in April. There are 8 games left. We’re running out of time for them to get ramped up for the playoffs. I know what a healthy Knicks team is capable of and I have no idea when they’ll be relatively healthy again.
I’m beyond frustrated at the Detroit guys. I can’t believe how wrong I was about that trade. They’re essentially unplayable. Deuce, Hart, and DDV didn’t sit in the second half last night. That’s ridiculous. I don’t mean that as a shot at Thibs. That’s a shot at the bench guys. They need to be better. Forget a healthy OG and Julius. We win these past two games with competent bench play.
The optimist in me wants to believe they’re just being extra cautious with Julius and OG because of where they are in the standings, but the more time goes by, the more I think I’m just telling myself what I want to hear. We don’t even have a timetable. Just “the elbow needs to calm down” and “not cleared for contact.”
And I know it’s just two losses in a row. A week from now this could look like an overreaction. But those injury updates broke me. I think I’m just spent emotionally until we get good news about them.
I’m in the same exact boat. Well said all around. It’s frustrating because during that Heat game it felt like the best Knicks team I had seen since the 99 season. And it feels like it’s being taken away from us. I don’t know if the Knicks being more forthcoming about the timetable would help things feel better… but the fact that they aren’t is certainly adding to the frustration at this point. And the Detroit guys give me agita.
I feel you. I was already somewhat deflated before the game even started because of the latest injury news. It’s as if we’re in the same place we were a few days after Julius was injured - uncertainty about OG’s elbow and no idea when he or Julius are coming back. Only now it’s more than two months later.
If last night's game happened in early February shortly after the injuries, I'd still be upset we lost but would at least be able to feel good about a shorthanded Knicks squad pushing OKC to the wire. But now I'm at a point where I don't care about moral victories. All I can do is go, "Yup. Another one we win if we had our guys. When are we getting our guys back?"
For me, this team has exceeded expectations set in the preseason. If you told me back in September that we’d be playing this well without Mitch, Randle, RJ, IQ, and Grimes, I would have called you crazy and recommended you for drug screening. Having lost two players to injuries, trading two more for OG who himself has been injured and Grimes for two guys that might as well be injured, I’d say we are exactly where we need to be. This team has been able to take a long look at the available players we have and should be able to make a decision on who we need to keep and who we can move on from. I don’t see this team getting too far into the playoffs without everyone being back at full strength and even that’s not a guarantee. With that said I am hopeful. Hopeful that Rose company continue to work out the kinks and make the right decisions for sustainable success in the future. We’ve given up our young core (Obi, RJ, IQ and Grimes) to get where we are, and it’s obviously not enough to really challenge to top tier teams in this league.
On another note- bring everyone back except the Detroit guys. Draft a PG. Not afraid of any team if we're healthy.
I am so proud of the effort that this team puts forth on a game-to-game basis. It does not matter the opponent, situation, or context, they give it their all. I just wish that we could have complete confidence and assurance that games will be decided by their effort, talent, and level of play, instead of by officials. I usually refuse to blame officiating for losses, and yet I am right now. It is getting ridiculous. In a season where every game matters because of how tight the standings are, you cannot be in a spot where at least 3 games have been lost because of officiating mistakes. This happening in the regular season is one thing, if it happens in the playoffs… I will be very curious to see the backlash.
Also, I am sorry, but I have to do this. This FO has had so many hits across their tenure with so few misses. However, the biggest mistake they made was not taking/keeping Jalen Williams. He would have been the perfect fit next to Brunson. And I know Hartenstein might not have happened as a result, but still, Williams is going to be an All-NBA player for a decade plus. He is an absurd talent. I will always wonder “what if”?
A bigger "what if" for me than SGA, Mitchell, Mikal, etc, because those guys would still have been drafted into incompetent front offices and it wouldn't have mattered. If anything, it would have kept those guys employed for longer. And even Hali doesn't sting nearly as much because we got JB.
like everyone else this weekend frustrated me beyond belief. Now with a few hours to sit here are my main take-aways (which I know have already been mentioned here throughout) that I tried to group together in some easy to categorize way.
THE GOOD: Deuce (and Brunson but that's obvious). Quite possibly the best contract in basketball, this dude deserves all the love for becoming a legit offensive player. Who knew that out of IQ, Grimes, Obi and him he'd the be the one who stuck. Love every part of his game.
THE BAD: Josh Hart - injury updater. Not sure why this bothered me so much and it's not like his word is definitive but reading the quote I sort of was thinking, "Hey Josh, maybe STFU and just play some basketball (which you happen to be doing extremely well).
THE UGLY: Now I know you should never, ever question a player's health or injury or - most importantly - their toughness. Still, I can't help but growing more nonplussed with OG. He got the surgery, they removed the bone spurs, no other damage to done. So are you hurt or are you injured? Like, if the playoffs start tomorrow can you be out there or not? Cause if the answer is yes, we need you out there NOW. Hate that I feel this way but is what it is. Fan is of course short for fanatic.
I like less fouls and a game that is balanced between defense and offense.
There have been players who defenses were given more latitude to be physical with. They were all centers who were dominate to in some cases having the rules changed to try and slow them down. Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, Moses Malone, Shaq being the obvious examples. Officials knew that if they called every foul they'd shoot 30 free throws a game, or if players didn't play them physically they'd shoot 75%. All of the above were centers who were not only gifted but physically imposing. Smaller players generally get the obvious calls. Coaches and players quickly catch on to officials who for whatever reason won't call certain fouls and adjust accordingly. For example, if it's never a foul to knock Jalen Brunson down and the only way to stop him is to knock him down then he's going to get knocked down repeatedly. The old remedy for this was the 'hatchet man' (see Jim Lustacoff or ML Carr) who's job was to come in and give an eye for an eye. Since the hatchet man seldom played except to exact revenge it didn't matter if he was ejected (sometimes getting a star player ejected with him- a net gain for his team). The hatchet man era made for ugly basketball and fan behavior closer to professional wrestling fans (when they thought it was real). If the NBA is not careful and stars ( I only regularly watch the Knicks but I suspect Brunson is not the only one) get beat up constantly the game can get ugly and unwatchable real quick. And I am a defense first guy. Let them play, but body blocks and arms extended by offensive players like running backs in football are obviously way over the line. And I know I am biased towards the Knicks but I don't think I'm going crazy here in my assessment.
It wasn’t only centers or height. The other factors were (and are) heft, strength, and a style not dependent on soaring. Wemby got calls the other night because any contact on him produces a visible effect, which the refs read as entirely the defender’s doing. If Wemby were built like Hartenstein, the defender would often bounce off him, making the contact seem incidental. Wemby’s leaping ability places him in apparent danger if there’s contact on a drive.
Jalen has heft and strength. When the contact comes, it doesn’t SEEM to affect his ability to get where he wants to go or to get off his shot. If there is a visible effect, he is suspected of selling the foul, which is what the refs have been instructed to eradicate. His footwork compensates for his inability to soar. Because he is closer to the floor when the contact comes (as compared, say, to SGA or Edwards), the refs don’t sense danger. They intuitively think of him as a very short Shaq. What they drastically underestimate is the cumulative impact of the contact he absorbs, all night, every night, and effects of this on his performance in the final seconds of a game or after he turns 30. Cumulative impact is something we recognize over time, often in retrospect, not something we see in the moment. It doesn’t get factored into calls.
Brunson’s size and style also explain the bias against him in MVP voting and superstar rankings. He doesn’t fit either of the stereotypes we associate with great players: the powerful Shaq-Wilt-Willis stereotype or the graceful Michael-Kobe-Durant one. Like Bird and Steph, Jalen has had to overcome an intuitive bias before getting recognized. Like Bird, he is extraordinarily athletic but not in the stereotypical basketball way. It’s more about lateral movement and geometrical awareness than amazing grace. Lateral athleticism and spatial discernment are what Messi has to the nth degree, but in a sport that mainly stays closer to the ground. To appreciate Jalen fully, you have to watch him for a good while, puzzle over the remarkable numbers, and then reeducate your eye. He doesn’t look the part—in the eyes of a scout before the draft, of the average MVP voter, or a referee.
not crazy at all.
You can't miss FTs in the 4th quarter if you want to win close games down the stretch. You can complain about the officiating, but if you don't take advantage of the FTs when you get them then it doesn't matter much.
But this was one of the most hectic games this season. Both teams were playing do-or-die defense all night. In the 4th there were top-speed transition plays, one after another. When players went to the foul line you could see the exhaustion. Both teams missed many free throws in the 4th and it's no wonder. If you have to place blame, think of the bench guys who could not be trusted to come in and hold the fort for he starters when they needed it at the beginning of the 4th.
Great statements on the third point acknowledging that the Knicks are going down the final stretch staring at a crossroads. One of three things are going to happen. Either it's not as dramatic as Hart put it postgame and they get one of two or both back of OG and JR (I am operating under the assumption that Mitchs absence is nothing to be worried about.) Or we get a spark all of a sudden from at least one of Bogey or Burks.
Or we'll be likely one and done in the playoffs. If I had to pick between OG and Julius I think I prefer OG. At least OG if healthy won't need significant time to get in a rhythm. If OG is out and we got a similar Julius from the start of the season or beginning of last year first round. I don't know. We might be dead in the water.
Idk what it is about this season, but two straight games I literally couldn’t sleep after the loss. I think it’s still fear of embarrassment that we’ll collapse to the play in after how high we were built up (justifiably). I know it’s unlikely but with no good health in sight, those odds keep creeping up
A little bit of levity - all the talk about Thibs putting Deuce on SGA the final possession. What made him decide that game 74 was the game for him break out “DaQuan Jeffries: Inbound Pass Stopper” on multiple occasions?
I found this decision to be an important one. On the next possession, OKC had Chet on the inbound, making it a more difficult pass. Why not leave IHart (or use Sims) for the same reason?
Not to mention the fact that a simple ball-fake got Jeffries to give him a pass toward the basket when he should’ve just been forcing the ball to go up top.
Great recap missed most of the game save for last 3 minutes so can’t wait to watch today . I love the guys that are playing they remind me of players on those great 90s Knicks teams . IMO M- Rob is Mr. Glass so hopefully he gets back and builds some value back up and you can get something for him in summer . I believe Randle will be back just saving him for playoffs . OG i don’t know he strikes me as someone that does not play through stuff . He wil be highest paid Knick next year so this will get old fast next season with his teammates and fans if this is what happens when he has any type of injury. Overall we have our MVP type player and elite role guys so a little more tinkering and JB will get us to the promised land . One of my favorite Knicks seasons and core of the team is all you can ask for it terms of talent and grit . Fingers crossed we get guys back and we can reach that potential this season but have no doubt in my mind we will get there in future. LGK
OG's history says he's far from an iron man. He missed A LOT of time with Toronto.
with you on the OG stuff. I say that knowing you can't really question a player's health cause it's their body and they know best but man, if he can play right now I'd really like him on the court. Don't love that those thoughts about his willingness to play are creeping in though.
I don't get it? On Friday, he sends a 6'7 guy to guard a 7'3 guy. Last night, when he needed all the size he could get against a team of 6'7-6'8 guys across the board, he sends a 6'2 guy to guard a 6'6 guy who happens to be one of the best players in the league? We needed some size, especially on the last possession. DIVO was not doing much, why not bring in Bogey who has size and used to be able to shoot, maybe you get lucky. Precious? Last night we needed Precious on that last shot! Sims? The guy is athletic and has good lateral movement. He can guard a guy like Giddey for a few minutes here and there. Try something different occasionally! He keeps playing the same guys 40 minutes a night 4x a week. They're shot! He's got to sit them for a few minutes here and there, he's going to destroy them if he keeps this up! We're back to pig headed Thibs again. I hope that they can figure something out. They need to get Bogey more involved in the offense when he's out there and let him get into a rhythm. I notice that's he's often open and they don't pass him the ball. They gotta figure out a way to get more scoring from someone other than Brunson.
Who else do you want to play? Just my 2 cents, but I don't get the sense that they lost Sunday because they were tired, and they sure as hell weren't tired on Friday because they came out of halftime like their pants were on fire.
Frankly I'm damn sick of the complaining after every call or missed call that goes against the Knicks. Not from every Knick of course. But a couple of the Villanova guys are just plain ridiculous.
with you on this. Don't get me wrong, Hart has been so important to us and is so key to everything we do but the dude complains about every. single. call. Even as someone who roots for him I find him annoying sometimes. Also, for whatever reason, it's not longer Josh Hart - in my heads it's Jaaaaaaash - like in a whiny voice.
He must have been reading this. Stepped up a little today! Another L! Not good!
The only guy who needs to play 48 minutes every game is Brunson. As soon as he's off the court they fall apart. So why not rotate some of the other guys in there while he's playing for a few minutes at a time. DIVO and Hart are tired. DIVO now only has good scoring games against lesser competition.
Hart is still doing everything asked, but his offensive production is down. At the least Sims should be getting some minutes. He's big and he can move, they certainly could find a place for him for 5-10 minutes a night. Bogey needs to get a more prominent role in the offense somehow. He's running around the court and often seems lost. It seems like he doesn't really know what he should be doing. I don't know if that's his fault or the coaching, but he's the only guy on the bench that has any chance of getting some points. They need to figure that out. They didn't lose because they were tired, they lost because the of the REFS. and some poor decisions made at the end of the game.
I'd love for Bogey to play better. He was seeing a lot more minutes than he is now and they often went poorly. His defense has been a train wreck and the numbers back it up. Sadly those guys just need to be better.
I was at the game last night and the Julius was shooting threes from each location on the court for about 10 minutes before tip-off with Johnnie Bryant. He looked great. I believe he plays on Sunday versus Milwaukee. As for the game itself, both Bojan and Burks look much better when they are not playing together (and playing with Jalen). The pieces will start fitting nicely if people can get back on the court.
All in on going for Mitchell in the off season again