I thought about your point on Grimes' defense. I wonder if the POA defense of suffering (in addition to always having the hardest cover, second year in the league, and general fatigue) because of less minutes with IQ. When IQ is it there, he has another reliable POA defender (with some size) that he can switch with, which he can't reliably do with RJ. A Caruso would help a bunch with his defense.
On the Post game, you talked about people complaining about bad movement last night. And I think you were absolutely right to push back because we had the most assists will season. That said, I think even you would say our movement fails the eye test. I'm sure people are clamoring for more back cuts, weak side screens, and more off ball motion as opposed to a Randle pass out of a double. I'm less particular on how we move the ball. But if this team is being built to eventually compete in a playoff series, the latter is a lot easier to manipulate against us. I think it's why we see so many 2-3 zones. No question just a thought.
Jan 23, 2023·edited Jan 23, 2023Liked by Jonathan Macri
Two thoughts:
I don't want to harp on Brunson, as after all, he is one of my favorite players and is the biggest reason for our success, but, I have not been a huge fan of his overall offensive process over the last 5 games, specifically when it comes to his offensive initiation. His passing numbers and assists have all gone down over this losing streak (APG, Assist%, Assist Usage, Assist PTS Created, and Potential Assists to point out a few #s), and this has been happening despite the fact that he is passing roughly the same amount of times per game over the last 5 games, as the entire season. Now I know these stats don't paint the full picture and our offense has still been relatively good (as you pointed out with total assists over the last 2 games), but as of late, I've found myself frustrated at times with how's he's approaching possessions. I might be wrong in saying all of this and I still have full confidence in him as a player leading us forward. Hopefully my perceived slump of his will end soon!
On a different note, watching these last few games without Mitch has led me to believe that the team knows that their best chance to win without him is on the offensive side of the ball. That is why we have seen a much more concentrated and focused effort on offense, since they understand that they can't rely on their defense to hold for an entire game.
Not indulging in hurtful things like when I was a boy, I turned this game off early and watched Winnie the Pooh with my kids. I appreciate your Julius love, because it runs counter to my burgeoning dislike of his game. While the counting stats are elite-ish, it feels like Diet Coke. So many heat checks, missed passes, and slow processes. Even when the outcome is good, I don't feel great about it, the opposite of how I feel with Brunson. IMO we've seen the peak of this roster, and it is time to change some pieces.
Knicks fans are missing the bigger context. Yes, the Knicks peaked at 25-19 and top 10 offense, defense and net ratings, but they did so playing the 3rd easiest schedule in the entire league. Now that they are facing the 3rd hardest schedule for the remainder of the season, they don’t have a prayer of matching their performance up to this point.
The Knicks have a less talented roster now than they did two years ago. With the loss of vets like Burks and Taj and the decline of Rose they’ve gone from having one of the best benches in the league to one of the worst. They traded away a late lottery pick with several good players still available (who have already become core bench players on the teams that selected them). The guards and wings don’t have the length and athleticism to compete with modern NBA rosters. Obi and iHart are poor fits for the Knicks scheme. The Knicks are trying to win with only 2/3 of a functional roster, wearing out their All-Stars in the process. Add up all the roster deficits and the Knicks ceiling is probably 5+ games below .500; with Mitch’s injury they could be 5 game below .500 by the All-Star break.
I agree with your analysis, but even if Thibs implemented it all it would only win them a handful of games at the margin. For the Knicks to step up in class they need a roster overhaul. There’s no sense Knicks fans beating their collective heads against the wall in frustration when the roster is nowhere close to being competitive.
so jon, what do you think of this....Obi comes back and we lose our mo jo. is there a correlation? now mitch is out and things get worse. i wonder if sims playing alongside hartenstein worked better than obi for defense and rebounding? obi and ihart seem to be limited players and with mitch out this gets really challenging.
What I don’t get is the seeming lack of coaching or accountability for RJs poor defense. He’s simply not showing real improvement in this aspect of his game. He’ s overpaid!
Tom is not a bad coach. Tom is a good coach. Tom is not the only coach that could lead this team to a .500 or so record. Tom is the only coach for which there are 0 avenues to 20 plus mins a night for Obi Toppin with this roster.
I thought about your point on Grimes' defense. I wonder if the POA defense of suffering (in addition to always having the hardest cover, second year in the league, and general fatigue) because of less minutes with IQ. When IQ is it there, he has another reliable POA defender (with some size) that he can switch with, which he can't reliably do with RJ. A Caruso would help a bunch with his defense.
On the Post game, you talked about people complaining about bad movement last night. And I think you were absolutely right to push back because we had the most assists will season. That said, I think even you would say our movement fails the eye test. I'm sure people are clamoring for more back cuts, weak side screens, and more off ball motion as opposed to a Randle pass out of a double. I'm less particular on how we move the ball. But if this team is being built to eventually compete in a playoff series, the latter is a lot easier to manipulate against us. I think it's why we see so many 2-3 zones. No question just a thought.
Two thoughts:
I don't want to harp on Brunson, as after all, he is one of my favorite players and is the biggest reason for our success, but, I have not been a huge fan of his overall offensive process over the last 5 games, specifically when it comes to his offensive initiation. His passing numbers and assists have all gone down over this losing streak (APG, Assist%, Assist Usage, Assist PTS Created, and Potential Assists to point out a few #s), and this has been happening despite the fact that he is passing roughly the same amount of times per game over the last 5 games, as the entire season. Now I know these stats don't paint the full picture and our offense has still been relatively good (as you pointed out with total assists over the last 2 games), but as of late, I've found myself frustrated at times with how's he's approaching possessions. I might be wrong in saying all of this and I still have full confidence in him as a player leading us forward. Hopefully my perceived slump of his will end soon!
On a different note, watching these last few games without Mitch has led me to believe that the team knows that their best chance to win without him is on the offensive side of the ball. That is why we have seen a much more concentrated and focused effort on offense, since they understand that they can't rely on their defense to hold for an entire game.
Our defense was top 10 last year with Mitch out a lot. Were Taj and AB that good or is IHart that bad or is it something else?
What do you suppose the issue with RJ’s defense this year is ? It’s seems he’s taken multiple steps back.
Not indulging in hurtful things like when I was a boy, I turned this game off early and watched Winnie the Pooh with my kids. I appreciate your Julius love, because it runs counter to my burgeoning dislike of his game. While the counting stats are elite-ish, it feels like Diet Coke. So many heat checks, missed passes, and slow processes. Even when the outcome is good, I don't feel great about it, the opposite of how I feel with Brunson. IMO we've seen the peak of this roster, and it is time to change some pieces.
Knicks fans are missing the bigger context. Yes, the Knicks peaked at 25-19 and top 10 offense, defense and net ratings, but they did so playing the 3rd easiest schedule in the entire league. Now that they are facing the 3rd hardest schedule for the remainder of the season, they don’t have a prayer of matching their performance up to this point.
The Knicks have a less talented roster now than they did two years ago. With the loss of vets like Burks and Taj and the decline of Rose they’ve gone from having one of the best benches in the league to one of the worst. They traded away a late lottery pick with several good players still available (who have already become core bench players on the teams that selected them). The guards and wings don’t have the length and athleticism to compete with modern NBA rosters. Obi and iHart are poor fits for the Knicks scheme. The Knicks are trying to win with only 2/3 of a functional roster, wearing out their All-Stars in the process. Add up all the roster deficits and the Knicks ceiling is probably 5+ games below .500; with Mitch’s injury they could be 5 game below .500 by the All-Star break.
I agree with your analysis, but even if Thibs implemented it all it would only win them a handful of games at the margin. For the Knicks to step up in class they need a roster overhaul. There’s no sense Knicks fans beating their collective heads against the wall in frustration when the roster is nowhere close to being competitive.
You really need to work on your Swahili. You seem like a guy with a ton of time on your hands. What's your excuse?
"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."
so jon, what do you think of this....Obi comes back and we lose our mo jo. is there a correlation? now mitch is out and things get worse. i wonder if sims playing alongside hartenstein worked better than obi for defense and rebounding? obi and ihart seem to be limited players and with mitch out this gets really challenging.
After seeing Fournier watch a clear path drive to the hoop with his feet firmly planted outside the paint I had to turn it off.
What I don’t get is the seeming lack of coaching or accountability for RJs poor defense. He’s simply not showing real improvement in this aspect of his game. He’ s overpaid!
Things that make me go hmmm?
Obi getting three minutes in second half after lighting it up in first.
IQ getting five shots against Atlanta when they were all makes.
Tom is not a bad coach. Tom is a good coach. Tom is not the only coach that could lead this team to a .500 or so record. Tom is the only coach for which there are 0 avenues to 20 plus mins a night for Obi Toppin with this roster.