Game thread: New York Knicks vs Denver Nuggets 12/4/2021 1:00pm [Game #23]

[Dark Raider]

Hey Dragon,
First Question is very easy to answer. That is called 'Halftime adjustments'. Very few coaches today are good at overall team adjustment after the first half. So it a coaching problem!! and if you haven't notice we have a bad coach.

The second question again is off season and preseason preparation. Working on areas that are your weakness and team weakness. Do you remember when we had Kornet(center). He could shoot the 3 pretty good and more importantly he defended the arc. Kornet was a more well rounded player than MRob or Noel. The Knicks F.O. didn't like him because he was a player drafted by Jackson and Gaines.

[Kiyaman]

Hey Dragon,
First Question is very easy to answer. That is called 'Halftime adjustments'. Very few coaches today are good at overall team adjustment after the first half. So it a coaching problem!! and if you haven't notice we have a bad coach.

The second question again is off season and preseason preparation. Working on areas that are your weakness and team weakness. Do you remember when we had Kornet(center). He could shoot the 3 pretty good and more importantly he defended the arc. Kornet was a more well rounded player than MRob or Noel. The Knicks F.O. didn't like him because he was a player drafted by Jackson and Gaines.

Dark & Dragon .. You both are on the same-page .. Coach Thibs never analyze the first half of a game to find all his opponents weakness, to come up with a 2nd half plan.
The main reason why Thibs is not the head coach you want in the post-season games.

And Kornet was not a center u want as a closer, he was best as a PF on the perimeter on offense/defense as a closer.
As for Noel, I seen the many weaknesses Noel had in his performance that made the Philly76ers get rid rid of him, instead of keep him to backiup Embiid.
The Knicks did not give MitchRob an extension, yet the team have big expectation of MitchRob defending inside/outside for the Knicks 4 starters who are clueless on the defensive-end. Plus the coach and the 6 starters want MitchRob to pick/screen for them on every offensive possession, and none of the starters ever think a bout feeding the ball downlow to MitchRob. Mitch average 5 shot attempts a game from broken plays and put backs.
We Knicks fans never would've known Obi Toppin above the rim scoring if it wasn't for Quicklry hitting him with alley-oops. The rest of the Knicks poor passing only passed the ball to Toppin when he was on the 3 ball line for the 6.9 Toppin to shoot 3's.
Has Thibs realize Obi Toppin hops n speed on the court? NO!
D.Rose & Quickley are forever pushing the ball when Toppins in their lineup to outscore opponents, and when Thibs replace Toppin for Randle in the lineup, D.Rose & Quickley have to slow things down for Randle half-court offense.

[The Dragon]

Dark & Dragon .. You both are on the same-page .. Coach Thibs never analyze the first half of a game to find all his opponents weakness, to come up with a 2nd half plan.
The main reason why Thibs is not the head coach you want in the post-season games.

And Kornet was not a center u want as a closer, he was best as a PF on the perimeter on offense/defense as a closer.
As for Noel, I seen the many weaknesses Noel had in his performance that made the Philly76ers get rid rid of him, instead of keep him to backiup Embiid.
The Knicks did not give MitchRob an extension, yet the team have big expectation of MitchRob defending inside/outside for the Knicks 4 starters who are clueless on the defensive-end. Plus the coach and the 6 starters want MitchRob to pick/screen for them on every offensive possession, and none of the starters ever think a bout feeding the ball downlow to MitchRob. Mitch average 5 shot attempts a game from broken plays and put backs.
We Knicks fans never would've known Obi Toppin above the rim scoring if it wasn't for Quicklry hitting him with alley-oops. The rest of the Knicks poor passing only passed the ball to Toppin when he was on the 3 ball line for the 6.9 Toppin to shoot 3's.
Has Thibs realize Obi Toppin hops n speed on the court? NO!
D.Rose & Quickley are forever pushing the ball when Toppins in their lineup to outscore opponents, and when Thibs replace Toppin for Randle in the lineup, D.Rose & Quickley have to slow things down for Randle half-court offense.

To be honest i never like Kornet, too weak for my taste, and anyway, where is he now? Thibs is a good coach, i don't agree that he is a bad one, at least he do adjustments or try to, and let's give him that he preaches defense, and this year we have an issue with defense, so i don't think he is the problem. the defense awareness of JR and EF are creating big gaps in the key or on the arc..... which is my original question, is it Mitch and Noel defense problems or it is caused by the lack of defense awareness from others......
Topin is good, but he is not compared to JR, my only issue with JR is that he doesn't play with the same intensity the full game, or you need to provoke him to play defense ....

[Dark Raider]

To be honest i never like Kornet, too weak for my taste, and anyway, where is he now? Thibs is a good coach, i don't agree that he is a bad one, at least he do adjustments or try to, and let's give him that he preaches defense, and this year we have an issue with defense, so i don't think he is the problem. the defense awareness of JR and EF are creating big gaps in the key or on the arc..... which is my original question, is it Mitch and Noel defense problems or it is caused by the lack of defense awareness from others......
Topin is good, but he is not compared to JR, my only issue with JR is that he doesn't play with the same intensity the full game, or you need to provoke him to play defense ....

Hey Kiya and Dragon, Kornet was no mean the answer as closer to Knicks problem at center or PF. He was simply more well rounded than MRob. Not a star but someone who could be a very decent player at either position. He could defend the rim because if I'm not mistaken did he lead the SEC in block shots? I could be wrong and I didn't check as I write this. So again could be wrong. He could shoot the 3's and defend the arc. He didn't to work on his rebounding but putting some weight on him might have help. So when you say I didn't like him a 'Big Man Coach' might corrected his being to weak.

If you disagree with Thib's being a bad coach. Explain all of the question you have that relate directly to coaching.

"my original question, is it Mitch and Noel defense problems or it is caused by the lack of defense awareness from others....." It's Both!!
Look at what you are asking, the defense is design by the coach. You have to take into consideration that MRob and Noel are basely the same type of player on defense. To make up for there lack of quickest to defend smaller players then you have to design your switches accordingly.
Next who or What players are out on the floor with each. Who can cover the other team center(like with Bulls) that can shoot 3's. If you remember I saw nobody contesting his shot.

You asked the question "Where is He(Kornet)". Well that a problem the Knicks feel as though they have as a luxury. Players that are drafted by someone else and would make a decent bench player with good base skills. They let them go or don't play them. Maybe you haven't notice but that isn't just a Knick problem but the entire NBA. It about who I draft and I'm going to give them a roster spot. This is done to make the F.O. personal look like they know what they are doing. If you read Perry bio you will see all kinds of things that say's he know what he doing. Look closer he is not drafting the player but is just in the organization that drafted him. With the proper coaching for the we draft be it 'whoever draft them' we don't have the luxury of letting good base fundamental player go.
Kornet should have been placed in KP -- PF position when he got hurt. This would have help his growth and kept all of the other players running the offense building chemistry. That didn't happen and today they are talking about building chemistry. This organization is to late for that.

[Kiyaman]

Head-coach Thibs career coaching in the postseason games has always been questionable of a series win .... Because
Head-coach Thibs offensive-plan has always been weak & questionable vs top teams..
Head-coach Thibs career of running a small rotation of 6 maybe 7 players throughout the regular season has been in big-question in Chi-Town and Minnesota.

Oh yeah, last season the Knicks had a hustling Bullocks always running out to defend the 3 ball line .. Bullocks 2-Way hustle performance for 30 min has been irreplaceable.

And No! Kornet performance are not better than MitchRob performance.
The two big men would make the Knicks a nice inside/outside front-court lineup.
I know for sure, both players do not like playing on a one year contract.

[The Dragon]

"my original question, is it Mitch and Noel defense problems or it is caused by the lack of defense awareness from others....." It's Both!!
Look at what you are asking, the defense is design by the coach. You have to take into consideration that MRob and Noel are basely the same type of player on defense. To make up for there lack of quickest to defend smaller players then you have to design your switches accordingly.
Next who or What players are out on the floor with each. Who can cover the other team center(like with Bulls) that can shoot 3's. If you remember I saw nobody contesting his shot.

I don't agree with you on this point, Yes the coach design the defense scheme and the switches, but the players defense awareness is they Key, for example, a commitment to defend is the most important thing, you can't teach that, it is either you have it or not. or you commit every now and then like EF or JR

[Dark Raider]

I don't agree with you on this point, Yes the coach design the defense scheme and the switches, but the players defense awareness is they Key, for example, a commitment to defend is the most important thing, you can't teach that, it is either you have it or not. or you commit every now and then like EF or JR

Well, not sure where you get that Randle plays defend every now and then. I have seen Randle play very good defense on PG and SG. Notable once on Kemba Walker when he was a Hornet. Randle 'd' his butt up. So I have to disagree with you about Randle. We can agree on EF.

As for the a commitment to defend. Again I agree with you. Being committed and ' Can defend' is two different things. You have to be able to defend not just a commitment. The weakest link in the defense is RJ. Thib's like Fiz as tried to hide RJ on defense. Teams know that he is weak and they expose him. From PG to SG and now SF... he is constantly chasing his man from behind, reaching and grapping them.

The Knicks are playing 4 on 5 defense last year when RJ was on the floor. Now this year we bring in Walker, EF and RJ. Seriously!! It's one thing to hide maybe one player but you can't hide 3. This why the defense is in it current state. Thib's should have told the F.O. what was going to happen if they sign both Walker and EF. He should have said, 'We have one liability on defense now you want to add 2 more'? If you think RJ was sick those two games think again.

There are articles that say a change is coming to the starting lineup. Thib's don't follow the a hot hand. Knox hit his first shot off the bench in the first half . He doesn't play in the 2nd half, WHY?? He doesn't play in the next game, WHY?? Even if there are changes... What are changing to? Maybe you heard Greg Anthony the other night when Thib's was looking up and down his bench to put someone in to stop the bleeding. Anthony said 'Thib's doesn't have an answer to what is happening' and guess what the opposing team see's it'.