Jonathan, when you write your initial book, I will be amongst the very first to pre-order it on Amazon. Seriously, you are a terrific writer who can turn a phrase with the best of them.
In fact, you are the Jalen Brunson of the Substack world.
Lordy Lord DBN....I'm really not great at taking compliments so IDK what to say to that. I'm sure there are writers out there so confident in their craft that they don't need to hear people say nice things about it, but I sure am not one of them. Thanks so much for making my day. You're well on your way to getting a dedication in that book lol.
Jonathan, great post. JB is amazing and he seems to be such a great person as well. What he did with his contract, how he deflects to his teammates. He is the quintessential leader. I love Hart as well. Such an important cog in the machine. Everything he does.
Sorry to be a broken record, however I don't like at all how Thibs shortens his rotations. i think it's going to come back to bite them in the butt.
As far as those legends you mentioned, I loved them all except Carmelo. I personally don't think he was a winner or leader. And I absolutely hate what he did in getting to the Knicks. He forced them to give away most of the team to get him. If he had just waited until the end of the season, they could have gotten him for just money. I know that he did it just to get the most he could before the new CBA was executed. That showed me that he was just a total mercenary, unlike JB.
By the way, that pizza looks great. And as I now live in Asia, I am yearning for a good Sicilian pizza, as they don't even have them here.
Couldn’t agree more Phil with your two key points. 1. If Thibs does not start cutting down on the starters minutes, there is no doubt that there will be injury fall out as the season wears on. These guys are not machines. If Thibs doesn’t trust the bench, then it’s incumbent upon Knicks management to go get a player or two for the bench he can trust.
And #2. Carmelo was a great scorer but was a one-on-one player who never sacrificed for the club. As you say, he forced the Knicks to give up the farm to trade for him a few months before they could have signed him outright and held on to all their assets.
If I listed great Knicks, I’d list: Reed, Clyde, Dave DeB, Monroe, Brunson, King, then Melo. The first four won titles, the next two were unselfish players, and then you have Melo.
"Questionable" "Game Time Decision" 55 Point Game. We've read & seen numerous times this season that JB has to do less this year because there are now other options that, on any given night, can pick up this offense. And although that's proven to be true, when crunch time comes, it's still the Captain that steps up & single handedly carries the Knicks to victory. Now, he did have some excellent supporting players in KAT, Hart & Bridges, but down the stretch & into OT, JB brought home the victory. Now, I've been banging the drums for a big wing that can score for the second unit (Yes, Precious had a poster dunk, but how many layups has he missed since he came back? And please Precious, no more 3's!) & the bench as a whole supports that argument, especially the one guy who is supposed to be the instant offense off the bench, Deuce McBride. In his last 10 games (starting with the Pistons on 12-07), Deuce has scored 8,8,5,7,16,2,12,8,5,3. The last 3 games, the entire bench has scored15,18,8. Now the argument certainly can be made that Thibs is already shortening the bench's minutes, but the inability for the bench to show some sort of consistency game to game is lacking. And, unfortunately, this continues to put the onus on the starting 5 to play extensive minutes to make up for the bench's shortcomings. Right now, the bench is a weakness that needs to be corrected so that come April/May/June, the starting 5 still have gas in their tank! Hell, our own energizer bunny, Josh Hart, was saying how hard the second half of the back to backs was for him, not feeling like himself for the first 30 of the 38:36 minutes he played! Wizards again tonight (Why does the NBA do this?) & it looks like Kyle Kuzma will be back for them! With a day's rest, let's take care of business & win the last game of 2024!
Agree that all things being equal, a scoring wing off the bench is a need. My glass half full answer: I wonder if Dadiet can't be that answer as soon as next season (which obviously isn't helping us now, but still...they should have a nice long runway with this group)
Hart’s post-game quote is yet another friendly reminder that behind all the analysis and debate we have about this team and these players, they are indeed still human beings with human being tendencies. Another great read Macri!
As a fan since the late 80's, it is a pleasure and a privilege to watch Jalen Brunson play basketball for the New York Knicks. We're witnessing greatness.
My dad would be better than me for the area in general, he grew up there (although I imagine most of the spots from his day have closed). Generally I'm just good with pizza in NYC. I've had almost every great slice there is.
Holy Shit, this would be a week-long assignment if not more....
The problem is that I've been to so many places only one time, so IDK if the quality is still as high. For example, I had Keste once and remember it as one of the best pies I've ever had, but that was a decade ago.
I will say that Lucali lives up to the hype, Emily (the original, not Emmy Squared) probably gets my award for most underrated, and as far as mini-chains go, Table 87 is as good as they come. Oh...one more: Saverio's Authentic Pizza Napoletana in Massapequa. Best pizza I've had in NY outside of the 5 boroughs.
Jonathan, when you write your initial book, I will be amongst the very first to pre-order it on Amazon. Seriously, you are a terrific writer who can turn a phrase with the best of them.
In fact, you are the Jalen Brunson of the Substack world.
Lordy Lord DBN....I'm really not great at taking compliments so IDK what to say to that. I'm sure there are writers out there so confident in their craft that they don't need to hear people say nice things about it, but I sure am not one of them. Thanks so much for making my day. You're well on your way to getting a dedication in that book lol.
Jonathan, great post. JB is amazing and he seems to be such a great person as well. What he did with his contract, how he deflects to his teammates. He is the quintessential leader. I love Hart as well. Such an important cog in the machine. Everything he does.
Sorry to be a broken record, however I don't like at all how Thibs shortens his rotations. i think it's going to come back to bite them in the butt.
As far as those legends you mentioned, I loved them all except Carmelo. I personally don't think he was a winner or leader. And I absolutely hate what he did in getting to the Knicks. He forced them to give away most of the team to get him. If he had just waited until the end of the season, they could have gotten him for just money. I know that he did it just to get the most he could before the new CBA was executed. That showed me that he was just a total mercenary, unlike JB.
By the way, that pizza looks great. And as I now live in Asia, I am yearning for a good Sicilian pizza, as they don't even have them here.
Couldn’t agree more Phil with your two key points. 1. If Thibs does not start cutting down on the starters minutes, there is no doubt that there will be injury fall out as the season wears on. These guys are not machines. If Thibs doesn’t trust the bench, then it’s incumbent upon Knicks management to go get a player or two for the bench he can trust.
And #2. Carmelo was a great scorer but was a one-on-one player who never sacrificed for the club. As you say, he forced the Knicks to give up the farm to trade for him a few months before they could have signed him outright and held on to all their assets.
If I listed great Knicks, I’d list: Reed, Clyde, Dave DeB, Monroe, Brunson, King, then Melo. The first four won titles, the next two were unselfish players, and then you have Melo.
I assume leaving Ewing off your list was an oversight ?
Yes. Sorry NB3131. Should be Reed/Clyde/Dave Deb/Ewing/Monroe/Brunson/King/Melo
No need to apologize, knowing you from your posts I figured it was definitely an oversight. Happy New Year!
Happy new year!
I'm sorry to hear they don't have good Sicilian pizza in Asia, but at least you get amazingly fresh sushi, right?
Yes it is pretty gud here depending on where you eat :)
"Questionable" "Game Time Decision" 55 Point Game. We've read & seen numerous times this season that JB has to do less this year because there are now other options that, on any given night, can pick up this offense. And although that's proven to be true, when crunch time comes, it's still the Captain that steps up & single handedly carries the Knicks to victory. Now, he did have some excellent supporting players in KAT, Hart & Bridges, but down the stretch & into OT, JB brought home the victory. Now, I've been banging the drums for a big wing that can score for the second unit (Yes, Precious had a poster dunk, but how many layups has he missed since he came back? And please Precious, no more 3's!) & the bench as a whole supports that argument, especially the one guy who is supposed to be the instant offense off the bench, Deuce McBride. In his last 10 games (starting with the Pistons on 12-07), Deuce has scored 8,8,5,7,16,2,12,8,5,3. The last 3 games, the entire bench has scored15,18,8. Now the argument certainly can be made that Thibs is already shortening the bench's minutes, but the inability for the bench to show some sort of consistency game to game is lacking. And, unfortunately, this continues to put the onus on the starting 5 to play extensive minutes to make up for the bench's shortcomings. Right now, the bench is a weakness that needs to be corrected so that come April/May/June, the starting 5 still have gas in their tank! Hell, our own energizer bunny, Josh Hart, was saying how hard the second half of the back to backs was for him, not feeling like himself for the first 30 of the 38:36 minutes he played! Wizards again tonight (Why does the NBA do this?) & it looks like Kyle Kuzma will be back for them! With a day's rest, let's take care of business & win the last game of 2024!
Agree that all things being equal, a scoring wing off the bench is a need. My glass half full answer: I wonder if Dadiet can't be that answer as soon as next season (which obviously isn't helping us now, but still...they should have a nice long runway with this group)
Jon on your recommendation, I was visiting family in NYC this week and we are presently at Spumoni Gardens.
Update: holy shit that food is so good
AMAZING!!!!! I hope you got the Sicilian slice?? I can't tell you how happy it makes me that I converted another person to the church of L&B
Got the whole Sicilian pie. I was there with my wife, my daughter, and my mom. I’m not sure there was enough pizza for everyone, I just kept eating!
Hart’s post-game quote is yet another friendly reminder that behind all the analysis and debate we have about this team and these players, they are indeed still human beings with human being tendencies. Another great read Macri!
Thanks Bernard
As a fan since the late 80's, it is a pleasure and a privilege to watch Jalen Brunson play basketball for the New York Knicks. We're witnessing greatness.
The next time JB has a 50 pt game he moves ahead of R Guerin but will still need 2 more to top B. King. JB is AWESOME!!
Thanks for another great piece. Bensonhurst should add you as a food guide.
My dad would be better than me for the area in general, he grew up there (although I imagine most of the spots from his day have closed). Generally I'm just good with pizza in NYC. I've had almost every great slice there is.
Asking the right questions: what's your and your compatriots ranking of top 50 pizzas in NYC or tri-state area???
Holy Shit, this would be a week-long assignment if not more....
The problem is that I've been to so many places only one time, so IDK if the quality is still as high. For example, I had Keste once and remember it as one of the best pies I've ever had, but that was a decade ago.
I will say that Lucali lives up to the hype, Emily (the original, not Emmy Squared) probably gets my award for most underrated, and as far as mini-chains go, Table 87 is as good as they come. Oh...one more: Saverio's Authentic Pizza Napoletana in Massapequa. Best pizza I've had in NY outside of the 5 boroughs.