Rambis calls out KP (get in post); Melo leads NBA...

(NY Daily News)

In that regard, Kurt Rambis is pushing his Latvian rookie to improve in one specific area: the post. The interim coach wasn?t afraid to criticize Porzingis after a 108-95 victory Friday over the Magic, even when the 20-year-old scored 18 points in 25 minutes.

?He is talented. There?s no getting around that,? Rambis said. ?At some point he is going to be phenomenal but he is still going through a growth process. There are shots out there that he takes that I flat out don?t like. We are working on his decision-making in those situations.

?It is very typical of young players. That is part of the process they go through. We are still working and encouraging him to be more productive whether it is the elbow or the block.?

Rambis? candidness has been a change from Derek Fisher?s evasive and often combative responses to the media. And finally, the 58-year-old got his first victory at home. It?s probably too little and too late, but hey, the Knicks don?t have a draft pick so there?s no downside to winning ballgames.

?Any time we can get a win, we?ll take it,? Carmelo Anthony said.

It represented just the third win for the Knicks (25-35) in their last 16 games, and it was impressive: they led by double digits the entire second half, attacking the basket and picking up 30 points at the foul line. Each of the starters scored at least 14 points. Anthony paced the balanced attack with 19 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high six assists.

He is the only player in the NBA who leads his team in points (21.4), assists (4.2) and rebounds (8.0) per game.

?I didn?t know about that stat,? he said. ?I guess nowadays everything is about a stat.?

Porzingis was also effective but missed all three of his 3-point attempts. That was a sticking point for Rambis, who wants his 7-3 power forward to work more inside.

According to Porzingis, his greatest mentor in this category is Anthony.

?If you look one year back I had barely any post game at all, so that?s something I still need to work on a lot and I have a great guy to learn from on our team: It?s Melo,? Porzingis said. ?So in the offseason, even during the season, he?s always there for me to be able to learn from him, so that?s something I?m going to be working on and I?m happy to have him as somebody to learn from.?

Anthony even gave Porzingis a quick lesson after the game Friday, breaking down a play in the first quarter when he blew past a defender in the post and dunked on two Magic players.

?Whenever I ask him something he obviously helps me and, you know, just sometimes I pull up a beauty on Instagram,? Porzingis said. ?And even now, like in the back I showed him the one that he dunked and he told me what, how, why he went in that moment and why he was able to get that dunk.?

Orlando was lethargic in the second game of a back-to-back and the Knicks pounced, taking a 12-point lead in the first quarter and leading by as many as 20 in the second. The Magic (25-32) also faces long odds of making the playoffs, and coach Scott Skiles sent a pregame message about the importance of Friday.

?This is a must-win game for us,? Skiles said.

Orlando responded with a dud. The Knicks finally won but Rambis wants his rookie to evolve.

?I think we all forget how young he is just because of his height. He?s learned a lot and grown a lot and he?s going to continue to get better for the rest of this season and the rest of his career,? he said. ?But playing inside and figuring out how to get his shot off and how to play against different people who do different things defensively is what?s going to be much better for him going forward.?

(Article from NY Post)

On a night when they often looked more like the 1969 Knicks than the 2015-16 Knicks and shared the ball and played defense with Bill Bradley watching it all next to old friend Phil Jackson ? well, let?s let Kristaps Porzingis try to make sense of it all.

?Everybody was involved, everybody was attacking, everybody was trying to be aggressive when we had the opportunity,? Porzingis said after Knicks 108, Magic 95.

Porzingis (18 points) was a Latvian babe in the woods who openly professed his desire to play in New York, for the Knicks, at the Garden. Perhaps he thought Derek Fisher was the young Gregg Popovich, that Jackson had assembled enough talent around Carmelo Anthony to make a fringe playoff run, that someone, anyone, could be an impact point guard, that the triangle offense would become all the rage.

Alas, the light at the end of the tunnel is still just a flicker. And yet through it all, they have yet to knock the smile off Porzingis? face.

While this is the latest winter of Anthony?s discontent, Porzingis weathers the storm and refuses to be robbed of his innocence, or hope for a brighter tomorrow.

?I know that we?re going to get better, that?s the thing,? Porzingis told The Post. ?I will be growing as a player, I?m working very hard and I know I will get better and you?re going to be able to help more and more, that?s why I know there?s something positive at the end of this.?

How much better. And when?

?I think we can get A LOT better,? Porzingis said. ?We have, I think, the biggest margin of growth, that we can grow a lot more as a team.

?This is only the beginning. We had a good start (22-22), we tripped a little bit, and now we got to get back up and have a good end of the season.

?It takes time to build something good. I think next season can be pretty special for us.?

Porzingis and fellow rookie Jerian Grant, who didn?t play Wednesday night and needs to play more, offered a glimpse of what the future could look like if Jackson or Anthony, assuming he resists waiving his no-trade clause, only can recruit a marquee third piece for what would be a Big 3 triangle offense.

The Knicks broke the game open in the second quarter with Anthony watching:

Grant (five points, three assists in 16 minutes) steals an entry pass from Mario Hezonja. Porzingis crashes the glass for a follow. Grant feeds Porzingis, who sinks a pair of free throws. Porzingis denies an entry pass for Nikola Vucevic and bats it off Vucevic out of bounds. Porzingis dishes a bounce pass to Lance Thomas, who sinks a pair of free throws.

Not everyone gets to step onto a championship stage the way Derek Jeter did in 1996. You can only hope Porzingis doesn?t have to wait for his one shining moment as long as David Wright had to wait to reach his first World Series. Knicks fans can only pray Porzingis remains as committed to the Knicks as Wright has been to the Mets. Or, if you really want to believe in miracles, as Ernie Banks was to the Cubs.

When a 24-point lead dwindled to 11, Anthony fed a slashing Porzingis for a thunder jam that stopped the bleeding. Grant followed with a pair of assists before Arron Afflalo fed Porzingis, streaking ahead of the field, for an over-the-shoulder catch and another monster throwdown. A Porzingis hook made it Knicks 93, Magic 73.

Porzingis (six rebounds, two blocks) was more assertive on the boards than he has been of late.

?You look one year back, I had barely no post game at all,? Porzingis said. ?So that?s something I need to still work on a lot, and I have a great guy to learn from on our team ? Melo.?

Interim coach Kurt Rambis wants Porzingis to be more of a presence inside, where he can eventually be unstoppable.

?At some point in time he?s just going to be phenomenal,? Rambis said. ?But he?s still going through a growth process himself. There were some shots out there that I just flat out didn?t like, they were just poor shots. We?re working with him on his decision-making in those situations.?

On a night when they often looked more like the 1969 Knicks than the 2015-16 Knicks and shared the ball and played defense with Bill Bradley watching it all next to old friend Phil Jackson ? well, let?s let Kristaps Porzingis try to make sense of it all.

?Everybody was involved, everybody was attacking, everybody was trying to be aggressive when we had the opportunity,? Porzingis said after Knicks 108, Magic 95.

Porzingis (18 points) was a Latvian babe in the woods who openly professed his desire to play in New York, for the Knicks, at the Garden. Perhaps he thought Derek Fisher was the young Gregg Popovich, that Jackson had assembled enough talent around Carmelo Anthony to make a fringe playoff run, that someone, anyone, could be an impact point guard, that the triangle offense would become all the rage.

Alas, the light at the end of the tunnel is still just a flicker. And yet through it all, they have yet to knock the smile off Porzingis? face.

While this is the latest winter of Anthony?s discontent, Porzingis weathers the storm and refuses to be robbed of his innocence, or hope for a brighter tomorrow.

?I know that we?re going to get better, that?s the thing,? Porzingis told The Post. ?I will be growing as a player, I?m working very hard and I know I will get better and you?re going to be able to help more and more, that?s why I know there?s something positive at the end of this.?

How much better. And when?

?I think we can get A LOT better,? Porzingis said. ?We have, I think, the biggest margin of growth, that we can grow a lot more as a team.

?This is only the beginning. We had a good start (22-22), we tripped a little bit, and now we got to get back up and have a good end of the season.

?It takes time to build something good. I think next season can be pretty special for us.?

Porzingis and fellow rookie Jerian Grant, who didn?t play Wednesday night and needs to play more, offered a glimpse of what the future could look like if Jackson or Anthony, assuming he resists waiving his no-trade clause, only can recruit a marquee third piece for what would be a Big 3 triangle offense.

The Knicks broke the game open in the second quarter with Anthony watching:

Grant (five points, three assists in 16 minutes) steals an entry pass from Mario Hezonja. Porzingis crashes the glass for a follow. Grant feeds Porzingis, who sinks a pair of free throws. Porzingis denies an entry pass for Nikola Vucevic and bats it off Vucevic out of bounds. Porzingis dishes a bounce pass to Lance Thomas, who sinks a pair of free throws.

Not everyone gets to step onto a championship stage the way Derek Jeter did in 1996. You can only hope Porzingis doesn?t have to wait for his one shining moment as long as David Wright had to wait to reach his first World Series. Knicks fans can only pray Porzingis remains as committed to the Knicks as Wright has been to the Mets. Or, if you really want to believe in miracles, as Ernie Banks was to the Cubs.

When a 24-point lead dwindled to 11, Anthony fed a slashing Porzingis for a thunder jam that stopped the bleeding. Grant followed with a pair of assists before Arron Afflalo fed Porzingis, streaking ahead of the field, for an over-the-shoulder catch and another monster throwdown. A Porzingis hook made it Knicks 93, Magic 73.

Porzingis (six rebounds, two blocks) was more assertive on the boards than he has been of late.

?You look one year back, I had barely no post game at all,? Porzingis said. ?So that?s something I need to still work on a lot, and I have a great guy to learn from on our team ? Melo.?

Interim coach Kurt Rambis wants Porzingis to be more of a presence inside, where he can eventually be unstoppable.

?At some point in time he?s just going to be phenomenal,? Rambis said. ?But he?s still going through a growth process himself. There were some shots out there that I just flat out didn?t like, they were just poor shots. We?re working with him on his decision-making in those situations.?


Porzinigs scored 18 points Friday night.Photo: Paul J. Bereswill
The Zen Master?s Rome won?t be built in a day, or in two years. It is problematic that the Knicks are not yet a must-visit paradise that would compel free agent difference-makers to want to take their talents to 33rd and Seventh. Anthony will be 32 in May and Jackson?s coach is an interim.

Porzingis said he wants Anthony to stay, and grow alongside him while Anthony grows older. The clock is ticking on that arrangement. It has been ticking for 43 years ? and counting.

?This is the place that you can be legend one day,? Porzingis said.

The Knicks will need him to be one.

I have a ton of confidence that Porzingis will throw himself fully into learning whatever a good coach tries to teach him. We have already seen at times him make moves like the dream shake and last night he hit a nice baby hook in the paint. He is already light years ahead of players like Tyson Chandler who had no offensive post game whatsoever. A single offseason of Porzingis learning post moves may make a world of difference in his post game.

The question is will we run an offense that lets Porzingis get the ball in the low post. Even late in his contract with us, Stat was still one of our highest efficiency offensive players, but we never seemed to feature him enough on offense. I know different coaches and different systems, but if you want a guy to be a supreme offensive force, you get him the ball in a position to succeed every chance you get.

More concerning to me is Porzingis' rebounding. Part of what excited me about him earlier in the season was that he was effortlessly pulling down double digit rebounds every game. Last night was an anomaly with Afflalo pulling down double digit boards, in addition to Melo who has rebounded well again this year, but if Porzingis gets 25 plus minutes, I want to see him with a regular double double.

I like the coaching change as well. Fish had a presence and would have made a good Baptist minister but compared to Rambis he had no clue about how to coach.

Rambis finishes on a high note with a .500 record in the remaining games I could see PJ keeping Rambis as HC.

I said when they hired him one of my criteria was developing his young guys KP and JG and he seems to have taken steps to do that, sitting JG next to Clemens and now emphasizing he'd prefer KP play inside, I'm sure when he criticized those shots he didn't like they were on missed 3s early in the shot clock he took.

tiger0330 said:

I like the coaching change as well. Fish had a presence and would have made a good Baptist minister but compared to Rambis he had no clue about how to coach.

Rambis finishes on a high note with a .500 record in the remaining games I could see PJ keeping Rambis as HC.

I said when they hired him one of my criteria was developing his young guys KP and JG and he seems to have taken steps to do that, sitting JG next to Clemens and now emphasizing he'd prefer KP play inside, I'm sure when he criticized those shots he didn't like they were on missed 3s early in the shot clock he took.

Click to expand...

I can see why people may like Rambis as a head coach for next season if we can show some progress between now and the end of the season, but I can't get past his 32 wins and 132 losses he posted as a head coach 2 seasons in Minnesota. This franchise is such a mess, we need a head coach who will find a way for our team to be respectable, even if our roster is not up to snuff.

I also got the impression that Rambis may have been undermining Fisher while he was his assistant. I feel like Rambis embodies the same arrogant attitude that PJ seems to have. There's just something about Rambis' personality that I think will lead to revolt if we have a poor record again next year.

htr10 said:

I can see why people may like Rambis as a head coach for next season if we can show some progress between now and the end of the season, but I can't get past his 32 wins and 132 losses he posted as a head coach 2 seasons in Minnesota. This franchise is such a mess, we need a head coach who will find a way for our team to be respectable, even if our roster is not up to snuff.

I also got the impression that Rambis may have been undermining Fisher while he was his assistant. I feel like Rambis embodies the same arrogant attitude that PJ seems to have. There's just something about Rambis' personality that I think will lead to revolt if we have a poor record again next year.

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Kahn was responsible for that mess in MN more than Rambis. Go back and listen to PJ and what he wants from his head coach, someone who believes in system bball.. adding a system that he believes in that's proven to win games and someone who he can communicate with. He said he didn't know the guys that were mentioned as candidates, implying he hasn't even spoken to Thibs? Rambis has got PJs confidence, knows the system of bball PJ wants to use with the Knicks and obviously is right up there with the guys that can communicate with him. Rambis just needs to finish strong and the job is his imo.

I agree. Challenging players is refreshing. Let's see if his knowledge of X and Os proves fruitful. I will forgive losing in MINNY, bc of lack of talent, if he gets this team close to 40 wins.

Right now KP averages about 1 pt per shot whether shooting from the 3 pt line or from the low block under the basket so you could argue its a toss up whether he shoots 3s or posts up. He also shoots almost as many 3s 27% of his shots as he takes shots in the low block 29% which I think Rambis wants to change the ratio of. Begley says he's been solid being in the top 40% of guys in the NBA scoring in the post but its not elite. I think KAT is already elite down there. KP is also a good but not great 3 pt shooter so he can improve that side of his game as well. Where he plays may depend on what develops faster, his post game or his outside shot.

Porzingis has room to improve, but Knicks believe he'll one day be 'unstoppable'

12:09 PM ET
Ian Begley
ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK -- Barring a miraculous late-season run, the New York Knicks aren?t headed to the playoffs. But that doesn?t mean their final 22 games are meaningless.

One thing to keep an eye on? Rookie Kristaps Porzingis' interior game.

?That?s where we think eventually he?s going to be unstoppable," Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis said Friday. "He?s going to create a tremendous matchup problem for teams. The sooner he learns how to do that ... the better off he?s going to be.?

Same goes for the Knicks.

It?s hard to overstate just how important Porzingis? development is to the franchise. You can make an easy argument that the club's next 10 years hinge on how well the 7-foot-3 Latvian progresses.


An argument can be made that the Knicks' next 10 years hinge on how well Kristaps Porzingis progresses. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
So it will be interesting to see what the organization does -- or doesn't do -- to foster Porzingis' growth over the next few seasons.

The 20-year-old has already shown an ability to score from the perimeter and in many areas inside the arc. But the Knicks would like to see him use his height more effectively closer to the basket.

"We?re still working on encouraging him to get inside more, to be more productive,? Rambis said. ?Whether it?s at the elbow or post-up or giant step off the block."

The numbers show that Porzingis' interior play has been solid in Year 1.

According to Synergy Sports, Porzingis scores 0.88 points per play in the post, which places him in the top 40th percentile in the NBA. He has had particular success on the left block, where he has scored one point per play, according to Synergy.

He also scores 1.176 points per play on putbacks following offensive rebounds, which places him in the top 25 percent of the league.

These numbers are strong, particularly when you factor in that Porzingis didn?t play often in the post last season as a 19-year-old pro in Spain.

But the Knicks would like to see more. Rambis critiqued Porzingis' shot selection, pointing out that the rookie took some shots that he 'flat-out didn't like' -- which he noted is typical of young players.

Rambis also notes that Porzingis can do a better job creating space for himself.

?He?s a tall, long individual, [and] he?s got to keep people away from his body so that he can use his length and his mobility better,? Rambis said. ?Everybody?s going to try to get into his legs. And try and push him around. So he?s got to try and figure out that space where to operate.

"We can teach him things, we can show him little tricks, but he?s actually got to get out there and go through it.?

Coaches aren?t the only ones teaching Porzingis. The rookie said he has learned a lot from watching Carmelo Anthony operate in the post this season.

"Offseason, even during the season, he?s always there for me," Porzingis said.

The offseason for Porzingis and Anthony is probably coming sooner than both would have liked. But before it does, it's worth keeping an eye on Porzingis' interior game. It's one of the many things the Knicks hope to fine-tune as Porzingis transitions from young talent to franchise cornerstone.

Click to expand...

Isn't this what i been mentioning bout our top rookie the majority of the season ...

In that regard, Kurt Rambis is pushing his Latvian rookie to improve in one specific area: the post. The interim coach wasn?t afraid to criticize Porzingis after a 108-95 victory Friday over the Magic, even when the 20-year-old scored 18 points in 25 minutes.
?He is talented. There?s no getting around that,? Rambis said. ?At some point he is going to be phenomenal but he is still going through a growth process. There are shots out there that he takes that I flat out don?t like. We are working on his decision-making in those situations.

Click to expand...

KP decision-making on offense/defense has been that of a rookie all season .. his star talent belong in the 2nd n 3rd quarter, not in the final 8 minutes of a close crunchtime game.
KP need to watch on the bench the first 6 minutes of the first quarter of each of our remaining 22 games.
KP would learn more coming off the bench with 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter, plus playing the first 6 to 8 minutes of the 2nd quarter. Giving rookie KP 30+ minutes per game bc the crowd or Dolan want him on the court are foolish coaching plus losing-coaching for one big reason .. poor decision-making when he is tired or exhausted.
Plus we have a 5 year experience PF Seraphin, and a 3 year experience PF Quinn that are legit role-players that need consistent playing-time to become future BIGS for the team.

I think you called it early and have hammered the point often... KP definitely should be "earning" minutes late in games based on how he's played the first 3 quarters... Too often we let him stay in games late when early the need was to get him off the court....

I think we start KP for 1 reason: we want him in the floor with Melo. This makes KP's life easier bc defense has to concentrate on Melo.

Anthony has been very good this year. People often regurgitate stuff like "Anthony doesn't make anybody better" but here is KP telling us that Melo... On and off the court... Is helping him.

Melo only player who leads team in scoring, rebounds, assists... He is being a leader to the young players (THjr said it too).... Yet NYers kill the dude bc we always lose...

He's been the best player on NYK since Ewing era... Since as that.

The combination of his legend status, kaleidoscopic wardrobe and unique verbal stylings makes Walt Frazier a brand unto himself.

Electric Clyde knows what sells.

On Wednesday night, during MSGulag?s Knicks-Pacers telecast, Frazier presented an ingenious sales hook for the pathetic, mismanaged, dysfunctional, not-going-anywhere, media coddled, back-to-square-one Knicks.


Frazier sold the wonders of losing.

?I like to say losing is not always a bad thing,? Frazier said on the air. ?I learned more from losing than I ever did from winning.?

Wow, this wisdom is the kind of stuff his buddy, Phil Jackson, should be spreading on Twitter. Then again, to study Frazier?s words carefully is to realize it takes a rare cat to find strength in losing.

That?s why it would be worthwhile to ask Frazier a few questions.

What has Gulag boss James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan ?learned? from losing? Dolan?s eventual response (it always is) will be finding another savior (like Jackson or Donnie Walsh or Larry Brown or Carmelo Anthony) and selling the hope they bring to the most gullible fan base in professional sports, which is the greatest asset Dolan has.

Dolan has learned nothing from losing.

What have the media, the fan boys in the Valley of the Stupid and other precincts, ?learned? from all the Knicks? losing? They cover the team, or talk about it, as if it is a legitimate NBA franchise while watching the organization make the same mistakes over and over and over again.

Once failure is inevitable, the gap is filled by speculating on what free agent acquisition the Knicks will try to make, even if there is no chance the player will come here. After all, there?s always light (year after year) at the end of the tunnel.

The media has learned nothing from all the losing.

What have Knicks fans, the ones who pay the high price of watching the team in the Gulag, learned from losing? That?s easy. Management, as we said before, will find a way to sell hope. These suckers, er, fans will once again believe the hype and buy their tickets. Dolan might even throw in a meet-and-greet with Kristaps Porzingis.

Knicks fans have learned nothing from losing.

What has Phil Jackson learned from all the Knicks? losing?

That remains to be seen. If he decides to leave his presidential post after this season he?s learned a lot.

What has Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa learned from the losing? The day after the Knicks lost their 100th game over two seasons Francesa decided it was of paramount importance to talk Hofstra and Monmouth basketball.

Mike Francesa HAS learned something from all the Knicks? losing. He?s learned ignoring it guarantees him continued preferential Pope-like treatment each time he sets foot in the Gulag ? and a one-night show, although he?ll have to share the stage with Chris (Mad Dog) Russo, at Dolan-owned Radio City.

What has Carmelo Anthony learned from losing? Lately, he?s seemed like a lost soul, struggling with the realization he?s stuck in the Gulag ? a horrible fate.

Carmelo Anthony HAS learned something from losing. He?s learned all the money in the world can?t erase the fact he?s working for an embarrassment of an organization.


And that?s sad.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

Then again, watching Knicks telecasts on MSG makes it hard figuring out if the ?Bockers actually lost a game.

Like after the 108-105 defeat to Indy Wednesday. Yes, we can certify it was a loss, but the first words out of Kenny Albert?s mouth were: ?The Knicks can take some positives out of the game tonight.?

Then there was Bill Pidto saying: ?A much, much better performance by the Knicks tonight.?

Didn?t MSG voices once hype the Knicks as a ?playoff team?? Now, these mouths are taking solace out of ?some positives??

Decided it was best to turn off the postgame show. Figured we would be hearing more about how much we ?learned from losing.?

http://m.nydailynews.com/sports/bas...e-learning-knicks-struggles-article-1.2545906

mafra said:

I think you called it early and have hammered the point often... KP definitely should be "earning" minutes late in games based on how he's played the first 3 quarters... Too often we let him stay in games late when early the need was to get him off the court....

I think we start KP for 1 reason: we want him in the floor with Melo. This makes KP's life easier bc defense has to concentrate on Melo.

Anthony has been very good this year. People often regurgitate stuff like "Anthony doesn't make anybody better" but here is KP telling us that Melo... On and off the court... Is helping him.

Melo only player who leads team in scoring, rebounds, assists... He is being a leader to the young players (THjr said it too).... Yet NYers kill the dude bc we always lose...

He's been the best player on NYK since Ewing era... Since as that.

Click to expand...

u just mention the reason why Rambis called-out KP .. KP is always on the perimeter playing like he's a SF wing player .. so now we know the type of advice Melo is giving to our 7.3 rookie KP.

The first second and third draft-picks are STARTERS! on their losing teams.
The 4th pick got BOOOOed!
The 6th pick were a starter on half his team games.
The 7th pick are a starter on his losing team.
If u would've mention KP being in the starter lineup so he could learn the post from Rolo, that would've been satisfactory.
Melo did take a break this season from being a Ball-Hogger but the season isnt over yet.
Melo individual talent is not half the winning talent we got from Sprewell, nor could Melo do what Lin Sanity did as a Knick.

htr10 said:

I have a ton of confidence that Porzingis will throw himself fully into learning whatever a good coach tries to teach him. We have already seen at times him make moves like the dream shake and last night he hit a nice baby hook in the paint. He is already light years ahead of players like Tyson Chandler who had no offensive post game whatsoever. A single offseason of Porzingis learning post moves may make a world of difference in his post game.

The question is will we run an offense that lets Porzingis get the ball in the low post. Even late in his contract with us, Stat was still one of our highest efficiency offensive players, but we never seemed to feature him enough on offense. I know different coaches and different systems, but if you want a guy to be a supreme offensive force, you get him the ball in a position to succeed every chance you get.

More concerning to me is Porzingis' rebounding. Part of what excited me about him earlier in the season was that he was effortlessly pulling down double digit rebounds every game. Last night was an anomaly with Afflalo pulling down double digit boards, in addition to Melo who has rebounded well again this year, but if Porzingis gets 25 plus minutes, I want to see him with a regular double double.

Click to expand...

i REALLY DOn't get the tyson chandler comparisons. First of all tyson chandler has pretty much been the player that everyone thought he would be when drafted. Athletic big who can run the floor, defend and play above the rim. he has been successful at that from day one. what exactly is porzingis miles ahead of him in? I don't understand the comparison..

And lets be clear, porzingis is not a post player any player can pull a fake left shimmy move out of the air. Heck I saw miles plumlee do it to Dwight the other night.. LOL.. this is not some one season and boom he has a post game.. Developing a post game for someone who never had one takes years... Years.... you guys are going to have to get used to it that porzingis is more of a project than you want to believe.. not that it is a bad thing.. but it is what it is..

And rambis is going to have to do more than just say take better shots.. he is going to have to develop him... phil drafted a perimeter big.. I am not sure why most are surprised he hangs around the perimeter..

The question is will we run an offense that lets Porzingis get the ball in the low post.

Click to expand...

again the questions should be can he get and hold position in the low post and when he gets the ball down there, what will he do with it? take a look at that Jokic kid in Denver, he has a lot of nice post moves.. but even then he still struggles to play consistently down there. even guys who naturally play in the paint, it takes some time, even years to become " a low post player"...

Tkf said:

i REALLY DOn't get the tyson chandler comparisons. First of all tyson chandler has pretty much been the player that everyone thought he would be when drafted. Athletic big who can run the floor, defend and play above the rim. he has been successful at that from day one. what exactly is porzingis miles ahead of him in? I don't understand the comparison..

And lets be clear, porzingis is not a post player any player can pull a fake left shimmy move out of the air. Heck I saw miles plumlee do it to Dwight the other night.. LOL.. this is not some one season and boom he has a post game.. Developing a post game for someone who never had one takes years... Years.... you guys are going to have to get used to it that porzingis is more of a project than you want to believe.. not that it is a bad thing.. but it is what it is..

And rambis is going to have to do more than just say take better shots.. he is going to have to develop him... phil drafted a perimeter big.. I am not sure why most are surprised he hangs around the perimeter..




again the questions should be can he get and hold position in the low post and when he gets the ball down there, what will he do with it? take a look at that Jokic kid in Denver, he has a lot of nice post moves.. but even then he still struggles to play consistently down there. even guys who naturally play in the paint, it takes some time, even years to become " a low post player"...

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The answer to your question is in the sentence you are referencing. Porzingis' offensive post game needs a lot of work, but at age 20 he has at least one or two moves in the post. The comparison to Chandler was just to point out an example of another offensive big we have had recently who never had any post moves whatsoever at any point in his career. You tell me you suddenly want Tyson Chandler to develop an offensive post game, that's silly, but in this thread people are harping about developing Porzingis' offensive post game, which at least seems possible.

htr10 said:

The answer to your question is in the sentence you are referencing. Porzingis' offensive post game needs a lot of work, but at age 20 he has at least one or two moves in the post. The comparison to Chandler was just to point out an example of another offensive big we have had recently who never had any post moves whatsoever at any point in his career. You tell me you suddenly want Tyson Chandler to develop an offensive post game, that's silly, but in this thread people are harping about developing Porzingis' offensive post game, which at least seems possible.

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Honestly porzingis doesn't have any consistent moves in the post.. He has no post moves to be honest.. but I still don't get the tyson chandler thing. .simply because chandler was never, and has never been considered an "offensive center".. where did you get that from? Chandlers lack of offensive game over his long career is no indication that porzingis will develop one because you feel he is "light years ahead of him" . I mean offensively most players that enter the league are ahead of tyson chandler offensively early in his career.. he was never thought of as an offensive player..

And anyone who wanted chandler to develop a post game all of a sudden was not being realistic. But I will say this, he was highly efficient around the basket he led the league in FG% a few years ago.. Again he pretty much became the player many thought he would be..

And that is all you can ask for porzingis. find something you can do well and do it the best you can.. just because he is 20 doesn't mean he will improve exponentially. Chances are he will be just a good player.. and you along with all of the NY fans will have to be ok with that... the knicks need good players, and that is a start... not everyone is going to be "special".. not everyone is going to have a post game... just find something you do well and Do it..

Tkf said:

Honestly porzingis doesn't have any consistent moves in the post.. He has no post moves to be honest.. but I still don't get the tyson chandler thing. .simply because chandler was never, and has never been considered an "offensive center".. where did you get that from? Chandlers lack of offensive game over his long career is no indication that porzingis will develop one because you feel he is "light years ahead of him" . I mean offensively most players that enter the league are ahead of tyson chandler offensively early in his career.. he was never thought of as an offensive player..

And anyone who wanted chandler to develop a post game all of a sudden was not being realistic. But I will say this, he was highly efficient around the basket he led the league in FG% a few years ago.. Again he pretty much became the player many thought he would be..

And that is all you can ask for porzingis. find something you can do well and do it the best you can.. just because he is 20 doesn't mean he will improve exponentially. Chances are he will be just a good player.. and you along with all of the NY fans will have to be ok with that... the knicks need good players, and that is a start... not everyone is going to be "special".. not everyone is going to have a post game... just find something you do well and Do it..

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Alright, one last try and then we will have to give this up. I picked Tyson Chandler specifically as an EXAMPLE of a big man who you could never, ever teach a post move to if your life depended on it. Perhaps instead I could have picked Jerome James. I don't know how else to explain it. It's equivalent to someone saying a young PG isn't a good defensive player and me responding by saying, it's not like he is Jose Calderon, he has the ability to learn to play defense.

Second, saying Porzingis has ZERO post moves means you don't really watch him play enough. Just last night against Portland he at least twice got the ball in the mid post, dribbled with his back to the basket to back his man down, then he hit a spinning bank shot.

I think we should both move on though. We are beating this to death for no reason.

And quietly the 3rd pick in the draft Okafor is having a pretty good 10 game run avging 20ppg 7rbs. He'll probably have a better year statistically than KP because guys with post games like he has have greater consistency than jump shooters.

tiger0330 said:

And quietly the 3rd pick in the draft Okafor is having a pretty good 10 game run avging 20ppg 7rbs. He'll probably have a better year statistically than KP because guys with post games like he has have greater consistency than jump shooters.

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Okafor is a fantastic offensive player and a passable rebounder. He needs to work on his defense and passing, but I do wonder if any development is even possible playing for Philly.

On a similar note, Russell has really seemed to turn his season around for the Lakers. He looked like a huge bust for most of the season, but suddenly he is playing like a #2 pick.

Tkf said:

And lets be clear, porzingis is not a post player any player can pull a fake left shimmy move out of the air. Heck I saw miles plumlee do it to Dwight the other night.. LOL.. this is not some one season and boom he has a post game.. Developing a post game for someone who never had one takes years... Years.... you guys are going to have to get used to it that porzingis is more of a project than you want to believe.. not that it is a bad thing.. but it is what it is..

again the questions should be can he get and hold position in the low post and when he gets the ball down there, what will he do with it? take a look at that Jokic kid in Denver, he has a lot of nice post moves.. but even then he still struggles to play consistently down there. even guys who naturally play in the paint, it takes some time, even years to become " a low post player"...

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Phil Jackson never should have put Porzingis in the starting lineup! Bad bad move!
What was Phil Jackson thinking .. out of our 62 games this season i notice Porzingis don't have a signature move, n giving him the green-light to shoot 3 balls throughout the game got the league noticing Porzingis don't have a post-game on offense or defense.
Phil should've Waited for midseason to start Porzingis .. I guess the BOOS on draft night affected Phil more than Porzingis.

And again the question should be .. how well did our 7.3 rookie Porzingis hold down the low-post on offense n defense in the 61 games he played so far?
How well did bigman coach Rambis tutorship do for Porzingis rookie stats .. Porzingis average 7 rbs, 2 blks, 1 assist, shooting 42% fg, 33% 3 ball?

tiger0330 said:

And quietly the 3rd pick in the draft Okafor is having a pretty good 10 game run avging 20ppg 7rbs. He'll probably have a better year statistically than KP because guys with post games like he has have greater consistency than jump shooters.

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Stop it! u got me thinking of a 2nd unit lineup of .. Okafor Quinn D.Will Gallo Grant