2020-2021 NY Knicks

mafra

Legend
So, then, it?s pretty much what it is... we shall see how he returns next season, but this time next year... he?ll be 24, and it he doesn?t make strides... not good.

I never liked the pick bc I didn?t like the player or the fit, but let?s hope he works his butt off and turns himself into at least a productive reserve.

Kind of why I would trade as many firsts as necessary to rebuild roster. I don?t trust Rose or Perry to evaluate college talent.
 
Yeah, it?s tricky though. You want to use your picks to make an Anthony Davis-type trade not repeat the Melo trade. You also don?t want to do what Dallas did and use your assets to get a guy like KP who then commands a huge contract and ends up not being better than what you might have attracted in free agency with cap space.

As far as realistic trade targets, I?m not sure there?s one out there who gets me pumped at the moment. Definitely not Oladipo or Drummond.
 

mafra

Legend
I agree. I?m not even sold that Beal is that worthy guy. Save them for when Zion wants out? Trade them for future picks?

You need to get the right pick, in the right year, then make the right choice. This hasn?t worked well for Knicks.

Or, how about now using draft assets to move up and grab our guy (like DAL did with Doncic).

At least with Toppin we didn?t miss out on anything special... Not like missing Curry and getting Jordan Hill (who looked 10 times better than Obi).
 

mafra

Legend
DePaul reportedly is zeroing in on Payne, whom the Knicks lavished with a yearly salary of $1.5 million, which is among tops for the position.

Payne worked closely at Kentucky with DePaul?s new athletic director DeWayne Peevy and is expected to interview for the position. The Knicks assistant has been credited for helping Julius Randle?s renaissance season and pushing for the drafting of Immanuel Quickley of Kentucky with the 25th pick.

KP convinced Rose to draft IQ and he helped turn Randle into an MVP caliber player.

Dare I say KP might be more important than Thibbs? Anyway, sounds like he is gone...
 

mafra

Legend
Also, let?s not forget that even Jimmy Butler averaged 8 mpg as a 22 rookie under Thibbs.

Topped has plenty of time to make me look foolish.
 

mafra

Legend
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is finally dropping hints he?s close to removing rookie lottery pick Obi Toppin from the rotation ? likely for Kevin Knox.

Tuesday?s blowout win over Washington could have been the final straw for the Dayton dunker who is regressing instead of progressing.

?We?ll see how it goes,? Thibodeau said after blowing out the Wizards, 131-113. ?It?s not unusual for rookies to go through things like this. We just want him to continue to work. He?s been real good in practice. He?s actually played very well in practice. He just has to continue to work. He?ll learn, he?ll grow. He?ll get better.?

The lost-looking power forward is now scoreless in five straight games ? against Brooklyn, Philly, Orlando, Philly and Washington. The No. 8 pick in November?s draft is an aggregate minus-34 in those 35 minutes. On Tuesday, he was 0-for-2 in eight minutes, including an air-balled 3-pointer.

All-Star Julius Randle thought enough to console Toppin on the bench in the Wizards game after the out-of-the-rotation Knox was awarded the final 1:40 of garbage time.

?I?m just trying to instill confidence in him,? Randle said. ?As a rookie it?s tough to learn the game, see the game, the ins and outs of what you have to do to impact the game. As a young player coming in, the big thing is, know who you are as a player and how you can help the team. He?s coming along, works extremely hard. He?s got to keep up his confidence, keep at it and he?ll be a really good player in this league.?

Some NBA scouts believe Thibodeau has stuck this long with Toppin for political reasons ? loyalty to president Leon Rose, who hired him. It would look bad not to play Rose?s prized lottery pick who is averaging 4.1 points.

In Toppin?s defense, he had no summer league or voluntary scrimmages a few weeks before training camp because of the pandemic. On the flip side, there is no saying if Toppin?s draft stock would have fallen if NBA scouts saw his holes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament or NCAA Tournament ? both cancelled last March.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...s-knicks-rock-bottom-as-kevin-knox-looms/amp/
 

mafra

Legend
Is it me, or is Phil Jax blaming the fans and the media for his flop in NY? He doesn?t blame himself or fact he didn?t put in the work... sleeping while Scouting prospects probably why he selected Ntikikina over Donovan Mitchell:


?It was best to leave, and I think as a favor, [James] Dolan relieved me of the job,? said a candid Jackson on Thursday?s ?The Curious Leader? podcast, hosted by former Lakers player Cody Karl in Part 1 of a two-part conversation. ?I think he actually did me a favor.?


?[The media] was decidedly against the organization, and they were looking for whatever they can do to throw aspersions,? said Jackson, who also compared his press treatment to the type President Donald Trump received during his time in office. ?I kind of understand Trump had to live with probably for his first 3 ? years in office with the media.?

Jackson said he regretted not being able to turn around the Knicks, but also took a swipe at the fan base.

?It felt like a major disappointment to have to go through that and not being able to turn that thing around because it?s a heartbeat of New York,? he said. ?It?s a big part of what they like ? their basketball team. There are long devoted Knick fans and I appreciate their desire, but I think they get in the way of the team a lot of times.?

?I wanted to trade Carmelo and ? he?s got a no-trade clause that they asked for, but I suggested that if there was a situation ? and I asked them to trade, I wanted them to be compliant with it,? Jackson said. ?And you can have all your choices that you want but I want you to go along with the idea that maybe when your time has come with being with the Knicks. So that was met without compliance.?

?Derek Fisher, I thought, was one of my top leaders of the Lakers team and a guy who understood the relationship of players to a game and offensively how the [triangle] system plays,? Jackson said. ?He was himself caught up in a personal situation. It was a distraction. And at best, undermined his authority with the team.?

After firing Fisher, Jackson hired Rambis, another triangle expert and liaison, to coach the team but that move failed, too.

?Perhaps the best thing I could?ve done was just coach the team myself. But I wasn?t physically able to do that,? said Jackson, who was dealing with health issues. ?I had to convey that through people, I chose to step in. It didn?t seem to work out. And as a consequence I thought we had the talent but we never found that niche, that ability to just play beyond talent and play concise, connected, organized basketball.?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...shes-blame-around-for-his-knicks-failure/amp/
 
Just read online that our Vegas over/under for wins before the season started was 22.5. We already have 23 wins. No one on the planet would have projected us as a 0.500 team this season, let alone an above 0.500 team.

Thibs and the rest of our new coaching staff has already exceeded my expectations for this transition year. We make the right moves in the off-season and we could be in position to win 45+ games next year in an 82 game season. Imagine that?
 

Kiyaman

Legend
Is it me, or is Phil Jax blaming the fans and the media for his flop in NY? He doesn’t blame himself or fact he didn’t put in the work... sleeping while Scouting prospects probably why he selected Ntikikina over Donovan Mitchell:


“It was best to leave, and I think as a favor, [James] Dolan relieved me of the job,” said a candid Jackson on Thursday’s “The Curious Leader” podcast, hosted by former Lakers player Cody Karl in Part 1 of a two-part conversation. “I think he actually did me a favor.”


“[The media] was decidedly against the organization, and they were looking for whatever they can do to throw aspersions,” said Jackson, who also compared his press treatment to the type President Donald Trump received during his time in office. “I kind of understand Trump had to live with probably for his first 3 ? years in office with the media.”

Jackson said he regretted not being able to turn around the Knicks, but also took a swipe at the fan base.

“It felt like a major disappointment to have to go through that and not being able to turn that thing around because it’s a heartbeat of New York,” he said. “It’s a big part of what they like — their basketball team. There are long devoted Knick fans and I appreciate their desire, but I think they get in the way of the team a lot of times.”

“I wanted to trade Carmelo and … he’s got a no-trade clause that they asked for, but I suggested that if there was a situation — and I asked them to trade, I wanted them to be compliant with it,” Jackson said. “And you can have all your choices that you want but I want you to go along with the idea that maybe when your time has come with being with the Knicks. So that was met without compliance.”

“Derek Fisher, I thought, was one of my top leaders of the Lakers team and a guy who understood the relationship of players to a game and offensively how the [triangle] system plays,” Jackson said. “He was himself caught up in a personal situation. It was a distraction. And at best, undermined his authority with the team.”

After firing Fisher, Jackson hired Rambis, another triangle expert and liaison, to coach the team but that move failed, too.

“Perhaps the best thing I could’ve done was just coach the team myself. But I wasn’t physically able to do that,” said Jackson, who was dealing with health issues. “I had to convey that through people, I chose to step in. It didn’t seem to work out. And as a consequence I thought we had the talent but we never found that niche, that ability to just play beyond talent and play concise, connected, organized basketball.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...shes-blame-around-for-his-knicks-failure/amp/

Owner Dolan gave to much power to BUM ISO-Melo .. Phil never had a chance having a BUM Melo receiving 40 min per game.
 

mafra

Legend
Ok folks... our playoff run begins on Monday. We are 2 games ahead of MiA. With 26 games remaining, gotta pick up this W and move 3 up with 25 to go.

April is our time to shine. Lots of home games. Get LAK at a good time. But. We better make our move right now ? these upcoming 17 games... bc when May arrives, we have a brutal 6 game road trip out west (hou-MEM-den-pho-LAK-LaC) then come home to end the season against SAS-CHA-BOS.

We are at 24-22.... must go 11-6 to get to 35-28... bc we be lucky To end season 3-6.... for a final record of 38-34. More likely, we 9-8... then go 2-4 on the trip and end season 36-36.

The better we do the next 17 games ... 11-6 or better, or else anything worse and we will drop like a rock in a pond from 4-5 to 8-9 range.

At least we end year at home vs CHA and BOS!
 
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We released Ferguson and Poirier.

In the end, we traded Rivers and Iggy for a 2nd round pick. Seems reasonable.
 

mafra

Legend
Don?t forget the Emir! Emir Preldzic.

We got his draft rights! He may be in his 30s, and never coming. But, we obtained this!
 
Don?t forget the Emir! Emir Preldzic.

We got his draft rights! He may be in his 30s, and never coming. But, we obtained this!

We?re something like the 8th different NBA team who has had his draft rights since he was drafted late in the 2nd round in 2009. Not sure I understand why teams can still move around his draft rights after so many years. It must accomplish something.
 

mafra

Legend
Marc Berman
@NYPost_Berman
Knicks continue to keep 7-foot shotblocking center Norvel Pelle on their radar. Was a consideration after Mitchell Robinson broke his hand but they stood pat and he signed with Nets, then Sacramento. He's free agent now.
 

skisloper1

Benchwarmer
Nice to be back ..........I start my day with all your comments......

maybe its me but why not just pick up cousins with robinson now out
 

mafra

Legend
I think they are concerned about locker room chemistry, bc Rose knows this team is overachieving at this point?

? The Knicks have expressed interest in young shot-blocker Norvel Pelle. John Henson, Dwayne Dedmon, Thon Maker, Jordan Bell and DeMarcus Cousins are currently free agents.

Shot-blocker Hassan Whiteside could still be bought out by Sacramento and seems to fit Thibodeau?s rim-protecting mold. The Knicks have at the least discussed Cousins despite his baggage.


Thibodeau prefers for this group a defensive center alongside All-Star power forward Julius Randle, and wasn?t sure Drummond was the right fit after he and brass viewed film over the last few weeks. The Knicks ultimately will have plenty of cap room on Draft Night to potentially facilitate a deal.?

Evan Massey
@massey_evan
Spoke to an agent on Lonzo Ball and his future with #Pelicans.

?Lonzo enjoys playing for the Pelicans but isn?t a fan of New Orleans. However, he really wants to end up with the #Knicks or #Bulls. That has been a dream of his. It?s likely he will try to leave this offseason.?
8:31 AM ? Mar 28, 2021

I should note that Ball isn?t the only PG we are looking at this Summer.
 
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tiger0330

Legend
There was mention of Kawhi being a FA this off-season but the guy said he didn’t think he would consider leaving Southern Ca. but I read a rumor that he was considering MIA to play with Bam and Butler. Maybe Rose can persuade him to come to NY, I’m really not interested in guys like Conley, Lowry, CP3 and DeRozan that we have to pay 40M per year for.
 
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