Wsup? Who's ready for Training-Camp?

Kiyaman

Legend
Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis told the New York Daily News' Frank Isola he is confident he can take over as the face of the franchise after New York traded Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

"I am ready for the challenge," Porzingis told Isola. "I've been preparing myself for this moment."

In his first interview since returning to the United States, the Knicks' former first-round draft pick talked about what having Anthony as a teammate meant to him, discussed his relationship with head coach Jeff Hornacek and explained why he worked out on his own this offseason in Larvia.

"Carmelo was a mentor to me," Porzingis said. "He was a big brother from Day 1. I texted him to tell him I appreciated that I was able to learn from him. Having him around was important for me. I respect him a lot. I also told him that if he doesn't bring his Rolls Royce with him, I'll take care of it."

Porzingis, who reportedly skipped his exit meeting due to Hornacek, did not explain why he skipped the meeting, however he said he hopes he, Hornacek and new team president Steve Mills can have "a new start."

"All I'm looking for is a fresh start and not to talk about that anymore," Porzingis said.

Porzingis, who led Latvia to the Eurobasket quarterfinals earlier this month, said working out independently allowed him to come into the 2017-18 season with a new mindset.

"It was important that I disconnected from everything," said Porzingis, who averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in his second season as a Knick. "I was working on my game and resting my mind. I kept working hard this summer to put myself in this position. I'm coming in with a fresh mind. I don't want to carry anything from the previous season."

Though the Knicks got younger after trading Anthony and bolstering their roster with players such as Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Frank Ntilikina, Porzingis is optimistic the team can play well this season.

"As soon as we get together in training camp, we'll see what we're capable of doing," Porzingis said. "We have a young team, but if we can come together we can do some things."


The Face of the franchise .. Marbury - Melo - and now kid KP .. equal non-chemistry franchise leaders!
Having this type of franchise leadership makes it hard to read Knicks news through-out the regular season .. its starts off with losses, then tanking, then Lottery picks for the offseason!

Wsup Mafra .. We have to start Kanter, having Noah suspended at the start of the season.
Expect to see Kanter n KP in the starting lineup ..
Plus if Beasley does well in the preseason games, expect Beasley in the starting lineup ..
Tim Hardaway Jr. outrageous salary will put him in the starter lineup ..
I believe coach Horn will let Session n Jack fight it out for the starting PG in the preseason games?

The Knick performance will be on coach Hornacek ...
 

Broadway

All Star
Kanter is a good dude, not sure if he's gonna fit long term but got nothing but love for him, for who he is. Now his game is another issue(not the biggest fan of it), hopefully what he does well results in a net positive

 

Kiyaman

Legend
Having KP announce being the first option on offense at media day scares me into thinking ESPN really has our number now
 

Kiyaman

Legend
Kanter is a good dude, not sure if he's gonna fit long term but got nothing but love for him, for who he is. Now his game is another issue(not the biggest fan of it), hopefully what he does well results in a net positive


The best thing i can mention on Kanter are every time Kanter n teammate Adams both received over 26 minute of playing-time in the frontcourt of the same game OKC won the game.
Kanter average 15 pts on 53% FG shooting, plus 7 rbs on practically half the minutes Melo played per game.
 

tiger0330

Legend
Kanter is a good dude, not sure if he's gonna fit long term but got nothing but love for him, for who he is. Now his game is another issue(not the biggest fan of it), hopefully what he does well results in a net positive

I've liked Kanter since he tweeted this. lol

 

mafra

Legend
It's weird, b/c guys like Kanter, Beasley, and McDerms have tons of NBA experience and yet are on the front end of their prime as well.

It's a reasonable gamble to think that this is the season everything comes together, as their experience helps them produce,
Contribute, and lead....

I'm not suggesting they're late bloomers or about to redefine who they are as players....

But with a supposed young trio of KP, WHG, and THJr.... wh the front office believe can be the cornerstones of this franchise....

Having compliment players like those 3, along with a a bunch of vets (Noah, Lee, Jack, Sessions,
LT) this should all be in place to help those 3 cornerstone players and the rookie grow into what we hope they become.

However, this is only wise thinking of KP and THkr, and WHG to a lesser extent, are ready to take it to next level. I mean, you do this if you think those guys are good enough to win 30 games by their talent alone.... then you bring in these types and hope for a 40-45 win season and a playoff appearance.

But, if not, then you struggle in vain... and end up winning 25-30
Wins instead of 15-20.

We saw this ruin our rebuild the first 2 years of Dant and donnie.
Now this time is different, bc we didn't have a KP going into his 3rd year or a THJr beginning his
Second contract.

Tough call. We'll see if it was the right one. Either way, I doubt Kanter or MB or Mcderms will be here in 2 years....
 

Broadway

All Star
Well if it's used by most offenses with some variation, why is it a big deal if it's being ran or not?



I thought Jack said we haven't been running any of it?
 

tiger0330

Legend
ESPN has us as a lottery pick next draft with an even better pick than last year, picking 6th and drafting Miles Bridges. They've got the Bulls picking Doncic with the first pick. I would think the 6th pick projects us winning 30-35 games. I'm OK with a 6th 1st rounder and a pick in the second round between 31-36 from Chicago. Our 2nd round pick will probably go to the Sixers in exchange for the Clips 2nd rounder, Sixers have the right to swap the pick with us in 2018 so getting that pick from the Bulls is huge.

6. New York Knicks

Miles Bridges
Michigan State
Sophomore
SF/PF

Bridges is arguably the best athlete in this draft and plays a coveted position as a two-way forward who can guard all over the floor. He converted 39 percent of his 3-pointers as a freshman and is making strides with his ball-handling and playmaking abilities as well. After passing up the chance to be a lottery pick in last year's draft, Bridges will be expected to show significant improvement while leading Michigan State on a deep NCAA tournament run.
 

tiger0330

Legend
My starting/2nd unit lineup for opening day.

Kanter/WHG
Porzingis/Quinn/Beasley
THJ/LT/Beasley
CLee/Jack
Sessions/Frank
I thought they would give Timmy a shot at starting SF but reports are CLee will be the Melo replacement. CLee is a little small for the position so this may change.
 

mafra

Legend
If Beasley and Kanter are our second unit.... that's some pretty good offensive firepower coming in a shredding other team's reserves.

So, I imagine we are thinking:

Baker or Rookie
THJr
Lee
KP
Noah

With a second unit featuring Kanter and MB.
 

and1

Rotation player
I think we have enough offensive to compete on a nightly basis... I think this season boils down to how this young team gels together defensively.

Let's see what sort of culture Horn creates.... it's up to him now to coach and motivate and lead and design.

The key will be balancing minutes at the G spots.... Frenchie and Baker should get the bulk of the PG minutes, while Jack and Lee should be helping out in 3G lineups. Use Sessions as sort of your 6th man.

LT or Kuz will rotate as backup SF...

Ride the hot hand concept in full effect.

Start WHG or KOQ until Noah returns, and Kanter should come in as a backup, but still see 25 mpg.

The key is to find a trade partner for Lee ASAP.... get an asset for him bc he's redundant and too good to be wasted... he could help a contender.

How fitting NYK open season in OKC, huh?

horns definitely showed last season that he's not afraid nor hesitant to sit starters at the end of a game in order to close the thing out with whoever's got the hot hand and making an impact. so yeah, we're probably going to be seeing some of that.
 

and1

Rotation player
Well if it's used by most offenses with some variation, why is it a big deal if it's being ran or not?



I thought Jack said we haven't been running any of it?

KP was probably just referring to mid-range jump shots as 'triangle aspects' :peace:
maybe he noticed triangle patterns on the floor when guys were spread out?
 

Kiyaman

Legend
Well if it's used by most offenses with some variation, why is it a big deal if it's being ran or not?



I thought Jack said we haven't been running any of it?


My Daughter know more bout the triangle then KP .... all the KP fans will be laughed at this season by opponents fans when Knicks mismanagement make puppet coach Horn give the first option on offense to a poor decision-making Tier-3 level KP.
When midseason arrive and teams start getting rougher in the paint watch how far our franchise player KP stay distance him self from the paint, probably come down with another injury. Damn! i mention the same thing last year this time.

KP need to come off the bench for 20 minute per game till he get his act together as a frontcourt big-man, hopefully Noah n Kanter stay healthy to show KP something other than the weak soft performance he learned from no-defense ISO-Melo.
 

mafra

Legend
"It's funny,'' Sessions told reporters, according to the New York Post. "It's one of those things. I played with Johnny [Flynn] when he was younger. Kyrie when he was young. He's got a lot of Kyrie tendencies. Not the most athletic guy but can handle the ball in tight spots. It's still early on, but he definitely gives me that Kyrie feel when Kyrie was a rookie."
 

tiger0330

Legend
"It's funny,'' Sessions told reporters, according to the New York Post. "It's one of those things. I played with Johnny [Flynn] when he was younger. Kyrie when he was young. He's got a lot of Kyrie tendencies. Not the most athletic guy but can handle the ball in tight spots. It's still early on, but he definitely gives me that Kyrie feel when Kyrie was a rookie."
Can't wait to see him play. Too little coverage of training camp for me, a Kyrie like handle would help but can he shoot and take it to the rim like Kyrie. The little I saw of Frank on Youtube they have him playing PG and not off-guard and he seems comfortable initiating the break and being the facilitator.

And unlike Phil Jackson I still wish Frank could jump out of the building. DSJ Knicks fans will be watching you.
 
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Broadway

All Star
Can't wait to see him play. Too little coverage of training camp for me, a Kyrie like handle would help but can he shoot and take it to the rim like Kyrie. The little I saw of Frank on Youtube they have him playing PG and not off-guard and he seems comfortable initiating the break and being the facilitator.

And unlike Phil Jackson I still wish Frank could jump out of the building. DSJ Knicks fans will be watching you.

I don't see any Kyrie resemblance and Sessions is just talking to talk. I will speak on the message of vision and ask everyone on this forum...


Should we not expect McDermott to get significantly more minutes than Lee if we're buying the "youth movement" mantra?
 

tiger0330

Legend
I don't see any Kyrie resemblance and Sessions is just talking to talk. I will speak on the message of vision and ask everyone on this forum...
Mac has to prove his value over Lee. Lee was the better 3pt shooter last season and Mac keeps getting traded from teams that are in need of shooting despite his rep as a shooter. Bulls traded him for hot garbage, Taj they let go because they didn't want to invest the money to re-sign him but Mac was on a rookie contract so they let him go because he underperformed. In OKC he was the spare piece they let go in the Melo trade. Do you think two teams could be wrong about the guy? I hope he gets his chance to prove he's not a bust but I would give the bulk of the minutes to Lee until he does.
 

Broadway

All Star
Mac has to prove his value over Lee. Lee was the better 3pt shooter last season and Mac keeps getting traded from teams that are in need of shooting despite his rep as a shooter. Bulls traded him for hot garbage, Taj they let go because they didn't want to invest the money to re-sign him but Mac was on a rookie contract so they let him go because he underperformed. In OKC he was the spare piece they let go in the Melo trade. Do you think two teams could be wrong about the guy? I hope he gets his chance to prove he's not a bust but I would give the bulk of the minutes to Lee until he does.

That Melo package is getting weaker and weaker with every post...lol. Let's keep it real though. Does it matter "this yr" who's better than who? I'm speaking on message alone. Knicks gotta stay on message right? Otherwise why isn't D-Rose or Rondo here for more than $2.3mil?
 

mafra

Legend
I think you start Lee to build his value and help the KP and THJr on the floor. Then look to deal him at trade deadline.

McDermott will have to knock down shots, and his minutes come at the expense of Dotson.

This is sort of a 1-yr rental, and if he shows enough growth while proving he's not a complete liability defensively.... then you have your 3-point sniper moving fwd
 

Broadway

All Star
I think you start Lee to build his value and help the KP and THJr on the floor. Then look to deal him at trade deadline.

McDermott will have to knock down shots, and his minutes come at the expense of Dotson.

This is sort of a 1-yr rental, and if he shows enough growth while proving he's not a complete liability defensively.... then you have your 3-point sniper moving fwd


As many teams Lee has been on his value is solidified whatever it may be. There really is no such thing as building value in a player of his caliber. It's a matter who wants to deal for him. Meanwhile playing Dougie could actually accomplish this(play him to build value)
 
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