This is Fine

...or so I tell myself

Oct 28, 2019

Morning Knick fans.

Since I left the Garden on Sunday night, I’ve written one long think piece, been a guest on one podcast, recorded one of my own, and spent much time on everyone’s favorite tool for safe and secure self-loathing, Twitter.

It’s all given me more than enough time to think through the state of the team right now, and here’s the conclusion I’ve reached: somewhere between Dennis Smith’s broken jumper and the end of the 4th quarter Celtics layup line, we’ve all gone a little bit nuts.

Maybe it has something to do with the impending release of the sequel to The Shining, and we’re all collectively embodying Johnny (“All iso and no passing makes Jack a dull boy”). Maybe we all became so defensive over the constant Knicks’ bashing this summer that we fooled ourselves into thinking New York would actually be good, or even more preposterously, be good right away. Maybe we’re a little quick to ignore the fact that this team has held two fourth quarter leads, and through 10 quarters of basketball this season, had been outscored by a grand total of eight points against three playoff teams who also happen to be three of best coached teams in the league.

That last part is where things get dicy. I’m fond of putting lipstick on Wilbur in this space, but it usually has to pass the smell test. What we’ve seen on the court doesn’t quite pass muster.

I’ve argued a lot, including twice over the weekend, to give Fizdale time to get this sorted out. That applies to both the rotations and the offense, neither of which have been a picture of stability thus far. The turnovers, the iso-heavy play, the lack of any offensive sets whatsoever on some possessions - you could have seen all this coming, at least initially, even if all nine of the team’s new players were willing sharers of the ball. When the two most prominent free agent additions are Julius Randle and Marcus Morris, well…it didn’t take a crystal ball to predict this.

It doesn’t mean it will stay this way. Trust should build up, and those Randle 1-on-4 post ups or Morris elbow J’s might actually turn into a kick out pass. Fiz might, in time, not look like a significant disadvantage night in and night out. At the moment thugh, that requires a leap of faith, and with every possession like this, that leap gets a little further:

Basketball Robot @DallasAmico_

The Knicks puzzle me offensively. They have effective offensive sets in their bags. Sets that are designed to create good looks at the rim and from 3, and that can be run over and over. But yet, most pos. they screw around and never run anything at all.

Here’s one thing that might help: getting 48 minutes of consistent point guard play. Consider:

When Elfrid Payton has been in to organize the offense, New York has scored 112.3 points per 100 possessions during those 81 minutes, which would rank third in the NBA. When he’s been off? It’s 79.2. Take a good, long whiff of those two numbers for a second, and then try not to vomit.
The answer isn’t Point RJ, at least not yet. For all of his otherworldly precociousness, the Knicks are scoring 78.3 points per 100 possessions when Barrett doesn’t share the court with Payton, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The answer also isn’t going to be Dennis Smith Jr., at least right now. Our collective hearts go out to DSJ after the passing of his stepmother, and hopefully, some time away from the team will get him right. But for right now, he isn’t the answer either.

So that leaves you-know-who. Will Frank finally get a chance to shine? One would think so. If it turned the Knicks fortunes around, it would make for a pretty damn good story. If not, it means they’d officially be out of options (although Kadeem Allen would like a word).

Either way, given all of the above, maybe the Knicks aren’t quite in the doomsday scenario that it seems. That the Barrett/Randle/Morris trio has actually outscored opponents in their time together is another positive sign. Saturday’s absolute lay-down-and-die effort late in the third quarter notwithstanding, this team has fought valiantly. As I wrote Saturday, sometimes issues, whether in the classroom or the court, don’t manifest themselves in the ways we expect them to.

We’ve seen Knick teams of the past fail to learn and grow from such beat-downs. Maybe this one, under this coach, will finally be different.

(Little too much hope for you? Feels like I overdid it on the hope. Ok…let’s tilt the scales a little bit…)

What’s the Point (Guard)?

by Jeremy Cohen (@theCohencidence)

Once Kevin Durant tore his Achilles, this year was going to be one of two things: 1) A potential playoff team, carried by another star, with a roster catered towards those two big name players or 2) A 17-win squad with a few starting-caliber players. If you don’t already know, it’s now the latter.

It’s only been three games – three games – and yet the season already feels like it’s slipping away from the Knicks. I truly, truly wish I was being overdramatic. And hell, maybe I am, but the near future feels incredibly daunting.

You can look at the recent contests – at San Antonio, at Brooklyn, and versus Boston – and understand why the team with a rotation consisting of so many new faces would be 0-3. You can appreciate that the first two games were winnable, one of which came down to the final 30 seconds, and chalk it up to a lack of cohesion. If you had told me a week ago that you could see into the future, and that you knew the Knicks would lose their first three games, I would have believed you.

Through three games, the Knicks’ defense ranks 25th in effective field goal percentage, 28th in shots at the rim, 21st in corner threes, 20th in non-corner threes, and 21st in all threes. Now compare that with last year: 23rd in effective field goal percentage, 12th in shots at the rim, 23rd in corner threes, 21st in non-corner threes, and 25th in all threes. Three games isn’t a large enough sample size to compare it with 82 yet the concerns are apparent. This team has too much talent to have a repeat performance of last year. It’s not a good team but it’s better than a 17-win season.

What troubles me the most? The fragile state of New York’s point guard battle. After that, it’s knowing that the Knicks are 30th in turnovers per game and 29th in both opponent fast break points per game and per 100. If you can’t hold on to the ball, if you can’t defend it in transition, if your point of attack defense isn’t going to improve, and if your rim protection is struggling, you’re going to have a bad time.

Continue Reading…

Film School

JB takes a look at one of the little things missing from Allonzo Trier’s game, and Spencer Pearlman and I break down RJ Barrett’s learning curve that’s quicker than most…

Knicks Film School @NYKFilmSchool

It’s easy to look at what a player does on offense or even on the ball on defense, but it’s plays like this that are telling and cost you. Allonzo Trier doesn’t bother to bump the roll (or look very concerned about Tatum) and it‘s taking candy from a baby for the Celtics

In addition to breaking down RJ, Spencer and I also looked at how the Knicks struggled to run the Spain pick & roll and why their loss on Friday night probably wasn’t representative of their overall shot quality on the evening.

Spencer @SKPearlman

In the video below, @JCMacriNBA and I go over RJ Barrett's handling of two PnRs and how he was able to make a change to his approach leading to a better result. Share, comment, and let us know your thoughts!

Knicks Kicks

by Tiffany Salmon (@tiffstarr815)

On this Date…

Knicks trade Travis Outlaw

by Vivek Dadhania (@vdadhania)

The Travis Outlaw era lasted only thru one preseason. The Knicks traded Outlaw to the Philadelphia 76ers in a cap-saving deal for Arnett Moultrie. Additionally, the Knicks sent their 2019 2nd round pick and the option to swap 2nd round picks in 2018. The Knicks waived Moultrie, allowing Travis Wear to make the roster.