Knicks V Spurs - Thu, Jan 3 @ 7:30.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokes

^ I respectfully disagree with both posts.

Yes JR has the quality to start there is no doubt about it. However he will not be starting when Shumpert returns, and he is having an incredible season as the 6th man. Why bring him into the starting 5 now and risk disrupting the way the team and JR plays only to have him return to that role within the month?

Hopefully over the long haul JR will realize this is the best role for him. I really don't think it matters whether he starts or not, for him as a player. He still plays 30+ minutes a night and will probably continue to play at least 28 even with Shumpert back. He closes games for us.

I get that our offense is poor with the starting 5 but I believe in these coaches who try to keep players in their roles where possible.

Also from all the talk around the locker-room and the stuff Breen and Clyde say, I really hope JR will embrace the 6th man role.

Yeah a lot of 6th men move on to start and a lot of them fail in those roles. Crawford and JR are definitely starting calibre players it just makes much more sense for them and their teams for them to provide high quality offense within the second unit.

:agreed:
I respectfully agree with your disagreements on every point. this discussion was played out at the beginning of the season, Knicks have played fine just as it is, and JR winning two games with last-second shots shows how it's working. It's all about the defense stepping up, not about JR starting. Harden/Terry, yep. a strong 6th man off the bench is what it's all about.

not only that, but JR comes in VERY quickly, so it's hardly like he's benched. if anything, he's hanging with the coach on the pine, and knows his role is to be the spark plug who ignites the offense, or take over the 2nd unit, and eventually finish the game. it's all about the minutes and the contributions he's currently making, why change a thing?