Knicks Morning News (2019.05.01)

  • [NYPost] Unreleased Kevin Durant book: More telling clues of Warriors exit
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 1:18:42 PM)

    “KD” – an unauthorized biography on Kevin Durant due out in May – doesn’t report the Warriors superstar definitively will leave the Bay Area, but gives pages of clues on why he will never feel complete by finishing his career there. The book, written by Bay area journalist Marcus Thompson II, depicts Durant as striving…

  • [NYPost] Guy Fieri joins Warriors’ fight to keep Kevin Durant off Knicks
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 7:18:39 AM)

    If this is the deciding factor, Knicks fans will just have to swallow the bad news. TV chef and Warriors fan Guy Fieri has made a unique offer to Kevin Durant in hopes of keeping him in the Bay Area. “Call me, KD. Tell me what you need. [laughs] If there is a such thing…

  • [NYTimes] Bucks 123, Celtics 102 | Series tied, 1-1: Bucks Rebound in a Big Way, Beating Celtics Easily in Game 2
    (Wednesday, May 01, 2019 3:21:15 AM)

    Giannis Antetokounmpo looked far more comfortable, tallying 29 points and 10 rebounds overall. The Bucks ran away with the game in the third quarter.

  • [NYTimes] The 76ers Beat the Raptors by Playing Like It’s 1999
    (Wednesday, May 01, 2019 4:38:48 AM)

    Philadelphia evened the second round against Toronto at one game apiece by slowing the game: a throwback to past styles of play.

  • [NYTimes] Warriors 104, Rockets 100 | Golden State leads series, 1-0: Warriors Start Hamptons Five, Showing Urgency in Win Over Rockets
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 9:32:41 PM)

    Golden State struggled to close out the underdog Clippers in the first round. With two injured stars, Coach Steve Kerr went right to his best unit against Houston.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: A Cloudy Future for the N.B.A.’s ‘Gold Standard’ Following Game 7 Loss
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 7:16:24 PM)

    Gregg Popovich will coach the San Antonio Spurs for as long as he wants. But at 70, how much longer will he want to keep his Playoff School open?

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on Kevin Durant: Kendrick Perkins says KD is talking ‘a lot lately’ with Kyrie
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 1:31:49 PM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • 65 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2019.05.01)”

    Big article on ESPN today about the ‘problem’ with the 3 point line, how it’s changing the game. etc. Wondering what you guys think:
    1. It’s not a problem, leave it alone.
    2. Get rid of the corner 3
    3. move it back 2 feet, plus get rid of the corner 3
    4. leave it where it is, widen the court 4 feet so the corner 3 isn’t closer
    5. something crazier (like make a 3 2 1/2 pts, or you gotta shoot them blindfolded, or call no rim like in Horse, or something like that).

    Personally, I would experiment a year with getting rid of the corner 3

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    I just can’t wait for these Warriors to finally go away. It’s good basketball and it’s been fun to watch them play together, but I’d rather have real competitive series where we don’t have to jump through ten hoops to imagine an upset.

    That’s the way I feel about it. I shut the game off in the 3rd quarter because it seemed obvious the Warriors are the better team.

    The Rockets had their shot last year, but CP3 got hurt. This year’s team is not nearly as good. CP3 has slipped a notch and imo the brand of basketball they are playing right now is simply inferior to what they were doing last year. I don’t think it’s necessarily the personnel change. They play slower, move the ball less, and take way more bad shots. I hate the way Harden plays. Sometimes when I’m watching I can’t believe that’s a D’Antoni team.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    @1

    When teams first started playing faster and shooting more 3s, I loved it and was hoping someone would be successful that way. Now I hate it. I liked the sport better when some teams were playing inside/out, some outside/in, some fast, some slow etc… It made for more stimulating matchups of styles. You had no idea how it was going to play itself out, who was going to get the best of it, and who was going to drag the other team into their style.

    The way it is now it’s like watching 2 boxers with the same style in every single match. Sometimes you want to see a great boxer against a great puncher because you have no idea if the boxer can avoid him and how he will respond when a big punch finally lands.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    The more interesting series are in the east.

    The 76ers have a terrific starting 5, but with Embiid at less that 100% I thought Toronto had a solid edge. Now I’m less sure. Siakam is breaking out into a consistent high level #2 scorer they can count on if Kawhi has a rough night or Lowery goes into a coma, but he can’t have any bad games unless Lowery comes up big and they get something from Gasol and Green.

    I’m not sure what to make of the Bucks/Celtics series other than it may be closer than I thought. Kyrie is not going to shoot that poorly every night and they should get more out of Tatum also. The Bucks got good games out of all the 3 main players.

    I have no problem with the three point shot, it’s not like the game is unwatchable now. I like defense a lot, but late nineties-early aughts NBA was pretty unwatchable. Plus, it’s not like superstars of the past would be useless in the modern NBA. If it’s for the sake of experiment, sure, let’s erase the corner three, but not as a reaction to today’s on court product.

    My knock on Harden yesterday wasn’t that it’s OK for the refs to screw up, and especially not that it’s OK for them to start intentionally interpreting the rules differently from one game to another. My point was that Harden shouldn’t be the one complaining about it. A big part of his game is predicated on tricking the refs into making incorrect calls. So when the refs do make bad calls (leaving aside the specifics of Game 1), it’s hard to feel for Harden’s “woe is me, I can’t catch a break” routine. He’s a bad messenger for this particular message.

    I liked the sport better when some teams were playing inside/out, some outside/in, some fast, some slow etc…

    I hear you for sure, but I’m kind of torn. It’s like this in all three of the major sports: the stat guys have figured out the optimal way to win, and it’s either get with the times or get beat. You’re not gonna win a whole lot of games playing slow, grind-it-out basketball that de-emphasizes the three point shot. You’re also not going to win in the NFL with a three yards and a cloud of dust approach, and you’re not going to win in MLB bunting and not using the shift and not understanding relief pitcher leverage.

    All three sports have become homogenized. So on the one hand I do miss those contrasting styles. On the other hand I want to punch my TV set when Mickey Callaway doesn’t use Edwin Diaz in a high leverage situation because it’s not a save opportunity, and I have to laugh when Phil Jackson pooh-poohs the three pointer and when Jon Gruden says he’s going to take the NFL “back to the 90’s.” Yeah, Jon, go ahead, go back to the 90’s. The rest of the NFL will be kicking your ass in the 2020’s.

    I love the statistical angle of sports, I still have my dog-eared Bill James books from the 80’s, and I’m on this site and Fangraphs every day. For a long time the stat guys were not taken seriously, but in the end we won. Well, “they” won, I suppose. The game progresses and evolves. But I do miss that clash of styles that you’d get back in the day.

    Seriously.

    If you want to make a change to the 3 point line, first tell me what problem you’re trying to solve. High scores? I like. Quick points? I like. Multiple lead changes? I like. High-arching, aesthetically beautiful long range shots? I like. The ability to come from behind and make an upset late in the game? I like, I like.

    If you feel like teams are shooting too many 3’s for some reason, well, defensive changes will be coming… enter Mitch.

    good point bandit…yeah, here comes the rise of the 3 point block…

    despite the number of minutes he played – didn’t mitch have more blocked 3’s than anyone else?

    I don’t know if it’s a specific technique, defensive focus or just incredible athletic skill that makes the chance of defending that shot more probable…

    P.S. dunk rate is up 60% over 2001 numbers. Are dunks boring?

    I think there’s a big difference between watching the Warriors whip the ball around and find open shooters, and watching James Harden dribble for 20 seconds and either hoist up a 3 or drive to the hoop hoping to get fouled.

    I appreciate his talent and he is one of greatest scorers we’ve seen in our lifetimes, but it really is kind of unwatchable.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Things are not always all or nothing.

    I’m certainly not advocating for a return to 90s basketball, but there is something between 90s basketball and what we have now that would create more diversity of styles.

    We might not even have to change the 3 point line (though there is precedent for that). Maybe they could tweak the 3 second rule, make the paint a little narrower so post up guys could start off closer to the basket, change the hand check rule back…

    That’s for someone else to figure out.

    imo the idea would be to shift the value proposition between 3 pointers and 2 pointers so they are at least closer than they are now. The improved shooting skill of the players and the better understanding of the math have shifted the balance so far towards the 3, maybe we need to find a way to create a better balance between the two.

    I understand Knicks fans longing for the good old times in the 90s because well, it’s the last time we were relevant. It makes sense to be nostalgic of that era. But basketball-wise, as an entertainment? Hell no.

    I would be much, much less interested in the NBA if we had those typical Spurs or Pistons games of the late 90s, early 2000s where a team reaching 90 points was almost unexpected. There’s a good reason why the NBA lost popularity at the time and it wasn’t just Jordan leaving, it was a lack of great talent and an era where we saw superstars simply playing the game in a bad, inefficient way. As in any sport, I like to watch great players displaying a mastery of what the game allows them to do, like watching a guy like Messi play soccer or how it feels to watch Durant, Curry, Giannis or Harden when they’re on their games, so introducing artificial rules that are supposed to hamper what these guys can do is always going to be a no for me. I have zero interest in tradition or any sort of sense of morality about the “right way” to play a sport, I just want to watch entertaining basketball and that’s, to me, always going to come from the best players mastering what the game allows them to do, and the 3 pointer is a part of that.

    I do think there could be some tweaks to allow for better defending, but I really don’t want to go back to the grinding games where a center holds the ball for 10 seconds in the post to find a shot.

    I keep going back to D’antoni saying several years ago that his pick and roll is unguardable. Now the 3 has become unguardable too. What can you do against a player dribbling two steps out of the 3 point line and shooting a jump back fadeaway? Nothing. Or any dribble penetration and kick out? Unguardable.

    It’s not OK for a game to have an unguardable move, and I don’t think players like Mitch are solving this problem.

    I kind of like the idea in the article to allow every team to set its own 3 point line. It would bring back different approaches to the game. It sure has its drawbacks — like certain teams having no shot at winning on the other team’s court — but the basic idea has merit.

    I was just starting a conversation. Today’s ESPN headline was all about the 3. Yesterday’s was about the 21 year anniversary of the Knicks-Heat brawl. Cock, I love those dunks. And I’d love to watch a knick bury 3’s at 40%, if we had someone who could, you know, do it (apologies to Kadeem Allen and his 47%). But, I’ll take Larry Johnson missing with haymakers and Jeff van Gundy locked around Zo’s leg anyday. That’s NY basketball!

    The Mitch comment was tongue in cheek. I certainly don’t think he will be altering the trajectory of the 3-point game we have going on… yet. (that was tongue in cheek too)

    My point was, what problem do people have with the game as it is now, with 3’s being hoisted at all time highs? I do think defense of threes will evolve, and I do think bigs are going to be more mobile to alter more 3’s. But I really don’t have a problem with it at all.

    The issues discussed above are (1) competitive balance with superteams, which will sort itself out when other (our?) teams become superteams and previous ones collapsing, and (2) Harden’s game, which is unwatchable, but so was Melo’s game- what are you going to do, ban them? Refs have started the conversation on limiting the FT-heavy game Harden likes, anyway.

    P.S. dunk rate is up 60% over 2001 numbers. Are dunks boring?

    What do dunks have to do with 3’s? …/s for ‘sigh’

    Today my pendulum has swung back to “i guess I set money on fire by betting against Golden State.”

    I’ll feel a little better if Milwaukee wins game 3.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    I keep going back to D’antoni saying several years ago that his pick and roll is unguardable. Now the 3 has become unguardable too. What can you do against a player dribbling two steps out of the 3 point line and shooting a jump back fadeaway? Nothing. Or any dribble penetration and kick out? Unguardable.

    You can turn off the TV when it’s obvious one of the teams has the better shooters and there’s nothing anyone can do about it except hope for multi game variance and/or injuries to create a fluke.

    It’s pretty obvious now the Warriors weren’t all out in the regular season. Now that Durant and Green are actually trying they are a big favorite to beat anyone coming out of the east even though those teams have narrowed the gap.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Today my pendulum has swung back to “i guess I set money on fire by betting against Golden State.”

    We are certainly playing with matches. 🙂

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    The 3 point line is not where it is for random reasons. They knew from the ABA experience that fans loved it, but I’m sure they were also trying to create a balance between long shots and short shots. The assumption being if they were close in efficiency (given fouling rates also) teams would do both depending on the player. That balance is why the college line is shorter and FIBA is somewhere in between. You want the players to be able to make enough of them for it to make sense to take them.

    Like I said, the balance has shifted heavily as the skills of the players developed, they changed the rules, and the math of 3 pointers from various locations became better understood.

    If the goal is not balance anymore, so be it.

    The way some of these guys in the playoffs are shooting, we should have a 4 point line to make the 3 point line close to obsolete in 10 years. Robinson better start working on his 30 footers now!

    Circa 1979 when they added it weren’t the games still being shown at non prime times, tape delay or some such? Bird and Magic were rookies that first season of the 3 pointer. For all I know the NBA was fourth wheel with Hockey rather than being 1a to football.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Mike Zavagno
    ?@MZavagno11

    Clint Capela on (60 mins)
    92.4 oRTG
    123.7 dRTG
    -31.3 Net

    Clint Capela off (36 mins)
    120.7 oRTG
    91.3 dRTG
    29.5 Net

    Death Lineup is +19 with Capela on (96.8 dRTG) and -3 with him off (127.9 dRTG)

    Probably time for MDA to make a move

    The rule changes back in the late 90s and 2000s were designed to create a free flowing, more exciting and team-oriented game. smaller, faster, better shooters, more of an emphasis overall on multi-talented players rather than isolation specialists and then a couple strong defenders and a couple shooters.

    The issue we may be facing right now though is on display with the Rockets and to a lesser extent in players like Lillard, Walker, Russell, Doncic and Irving. It’s the isolation 3. You can get around all the rule changes that made isolation play less profitable by simply isolating 25′ from the basket. The step-back three or the “dribble around 30 feet from the basket and take a 27 footer” is boring as shit, and it’s only going to become more popular as more players emulate Harden.

    This will continue gaining in popularity because it offers the same huge advantage that isolation basketball in the 90s used to allow. You can run your offense through one player and surround him with specialists, who cost a lot less.

    The easiest change would be to change the gather step rules so that you are not allowed to use the gather step on a step-back jumper. You have to be moving towards the rim.

    Another option, as weird as it sounds, might be to also change it from a 3 point line to a three point zone that extends from the current line back maybe 2′. Anything beyond that area is 2 points. This would force players to shoot threes from closer to the action, allowing teams to help more easily. Hell, you could even do something like make 2s worth 3 and 3s worth 4 and move this zone closer, further enabling teams with dynamic defenses to help on players who try to isolate on the perimeter and thus encouraging the more free flowing, pass-oriented offenses that make the game beautiful.

    That’s the way I feel about it. I shut the game off in the 3rd quarter because it seemed obvious the Warriors are the better team.

    I mean that was obvious before the series started. But the Rockets probably should have won game 1.

    On the other hand, they didn’t win game 1, and now they have to win 4 out of 5, which is very unlikely so I don’t blame you for checking out of the series.

    There’s no problem with 3’s for all of the reasons wetbandit brought up, plus others I’m to lazy to think of I’m sure.

    But if they want to experiment with ditching corner 3’s in the G-league then go for it. I expect it will definitely make defending some what easier, but it will also narrow the court and take a few years for everybody to figure out and then there’d be some new “unstoppable” play.

    It’s true that 3pa are way up and continue to climb, and some folks don’t like that I get it. But in what I can only imagine is a directly related occurence, FT/FGa rates are falling and that too looks like a sustained trend.

    Interestingly this past season the league had the lowest average TO% since the stat has been tracked.

    Zach Lowe had Goldsberry on the Lowe Post yesterday and they discussed this topic as well. Obviously you should always listen to the Lowe Post but this was particularly interesting (the Goldsberry piece on espn.com is also really interesting and worth a read regardless of what you think of the issue).

    I’ll say that I personally don’t have any problem with how the game is played currently, but I do worry about where it’s going. I think the evidence pretty strongly suggests that we’re not anywhere near the tipping point – 3-point attempts are still not just climbing, but climbing at a growing rate and despite my impresison that most of the increase in attempts are high difficulty ones – step backs, bigs shooting more, etc., teams are still finding efficiency gains there. Like Goldsberry (and Strat), my concern is with stylistic monotinty, but also with the game devolving towards mostly a shot-making contest with so many other elements marginalized. If they don’t make any changes I do worry about what an NBA game looks like 5 to 10 years from now.

    The 3 point explosion is still extremely new in league terms – as recently as the turn of this decade the leaders in makes and attempts were around 200 makes and 500 attempts (Harden made 378 out of 1028 this year) but also were mostly spot up shooters, not primary ball handlers. The first guys who went through their primary development years in this era are just now entering the league. Left unchecked I have no idea where the 3-point trend might end.

    It’s the isolation 3. You can get around all the rule changes that made isolation play less profitable by simply isolating 25? from the basket. The step-back three or the “dribble around 30 feet from the basket and take a 27 footer” is boring as shit,

    I think you nailed it. This is exactly the problem.

    I was just at the dentist and they had espn on with no volume, but the topic was Melo to the Knicks if Durant/Kyrie sign.

    I hadn’t thought about that potential nightmare yet. Thanks, ESPN, for making two fillings be the 2nd worst part of going to the dentist.

    Also, per numerous reports this week, Draymond Green lost 23 pounds in 6 weeks leading up to the playoffs. Apparently he’s using the old Shaq approach to the regular season. Another bad omen for anyone who bet against GS.

    Mike Zavagno
    ?@MZavagno11

    Clint Capela on (60 mins)
    92.4 oRTG
    123.7 dRTG
    -31.3 Net

    Clint Capela off (36 mins)
    120.7 oRTG
    91.3 dRTG
    29.5 Net

    Death Lineup is +19 with Capela on (96.8 dRTG) and -3 with him off (127.9 dRTG)

    I haven’t been able to watch either game 1 or game 2. Is he injured? Is Draymond domming him? Or is it just small sample noise?

    i have a favorite new word today i’d like to share (supplants my previous favorite new word: onanism):

    Niksen, which sounds exactly like nixon 🙂

    Busyness has become an unhealthy status symbol, argues a column in The New York Times, and it’s affecting our well being in profound ways. One piece of advice is to ignore the pressure to do something — anything — and follow what the Dutch call ‘niksen.’ Essentially, niksen is the art of doing nothing: not meditating; not eating healthy nor being actively mindful but just being idle. The upside of conscious boredom? It drives creativity and increases focus.

    praise jesus…i need more niksen in my life…

    The upside of conscious boredom? It drives creativity and increases focus.

    This is not wrong. There is a reason so many great ideas have been thought while on the toilet.

    I picked up a book in the airport on my last flight called When. It was a fairly simple book that focused on “when to” instead of “how to”. One story involved a pair of questions that people had better success solving at different times of the day. The morning, for many, is when we’re most logical and driven. But the drag of the afternoon is not without its benefits.

    When we’re most tired and bored, that’s when we tend to have the most “a ha!” moments. (I’ll let the book back up the science; I read the whole thing in 45 mins do I didn’t get too deep). So being bored is when we’re most equipped to stumble upon insight.

    There was a particular question that was labeled an “insight question”, and people solved better when they were less focused. The more they concentrated, the harder it was.

    I’ll see if I can find the question to post. It’s made the rounds on the internet, so it might be familiar.

    Knick fan not in NJ who thinks our rookies will lead us to a lousy lottery pick in 2019says:

    I watched last night’s game and the announcers were saying Capela was having a better game, and he did get 14 points and 12 rebounds, but he also fouled out and had a really negative plus minus. The warriors still out rebounded Houston, and that was with Iguodola starting and not Bogut or Looney, so I think he was having trouble defending. The points and rebounds were nice, but at no point did I feel he was having a noticeable good impact on the game.

    There was a particular question that was labeled an “insight question”, and people solved better when they were less focused. The more they concentrated, the harder it was.

    Oh man, this for sure. I am so much faster at my job (and generally produce higher quality work on the first pass) if I don’t actually think about what I’m doing and just kind of feel my way through it. Took me years to figure that out.

    thanks hubert, thanks grocer…i guess for myself – the biggest challenge is filtering outside distractions in order to truly focus, and plan towards productivity, success…

    being able to really “clear your mind” – is not that easy of a thing to do…as most of us experience on a daily basis – there are a whole lot of different “voices” trying to get in our heads…it’s overwhelming at times…

    yep, just wait jk to your son hits about 4 or 5 – good luck trying to get a stray thought in for almost a good ten years, until they discover their friends are much better for sharing most of their thoughts with 🙁

    the closest i can probably get to that point of clearing my mind is when i’m gardening and watering the plants…it’s ironic, if someone had asked me when i was 40 if i would ever enjoy gardening – i would have laughed at them…i’m still procrastinating (for years now) on getting myself in to yoga…

    two of the people whom i’ve seen age in the most successful manner are both stubbornly positive, conscious about their diet, actively socially engaged, and, involved in yoga…

    i would like though to get better at niksening out – if for no other reason than to be able to more quickly process and organize all the stuff rolling around upstairs…

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    I haven’t been able to watch either game 1 or game 2. Is he injured? Is Draymond domming him? Or is it just small sample noise?

    I think the implication is that he clogs up the middle on offense because he has limited skill and they are taking advantage of him on defense with switches, but to be honest I haven’t watched closely enough.

    This is a small concern I have about Robinson. Being able to score efficiently on lobs and put backs is fine and dandy most nights, but when you face a really good team that limits that or adjusts their defense because they know you can’t shoot, you can wind up being a net negative even if your defense in the paint is very good. Granted, Robinson also shows some talent defensively on the perimeter but I think we need to see more.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    I mean that was obvious before the series started. But the Rockets probably should have won game 1.

    Houston played really well down the stretch of the season and Golden State showed some cracks in round one, but I guess it was fool’s gold.

    I just hate the way Houston plays now. It’s ugly to watch Harden dribble himself into a bad shot that he makes often enough because he’s so talented and skilled. I’d way rather see Paul handle the ball more and in general see way more ball and player movement to get better shots. They have two great passers on that team but they isolating bad 3s. Maybe I’m missing something, but I still think it’s ugly.

    thanks hubert, thanks grocer…i guess for myself – the biggest challenge is filtering outside distractions in order to truly focus, and plan towards productivity, success…

    See, that was the thing about the insight problems. People solved them better when they weren’t filtering distractions and truly focused.

    There’s a time and place for everything. Sometimes focus isn’t what you want. It blocks ideas from popping up into your head. I only did a cursory read of the book, but I did make some adjustments based on the things that matched up with my personal rhythm. I try to crush all my process oriented work in the morning. And after lunch I schedule time to do nothing. This is when I get ideas.

    Of course, sometimes I just spend all my time here, too.

    okay, i get it now – try to orient tasks towards personal rhythm…doing the right thing at the right time…

    i’m probably pretty reactive in most situations…

    Of course, sometimes I just spend all my time here, too.

    sometimes writing (without the whole cumbersome punctuation and grammar stuff) helps me to organize – sorry everyone, ya’ll just happen to be cheaper than therapy i guess 🙂

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Hubert,

    That’s an interesting topic.

    I more or less go with the flow of how I feel. At times I can achieve a high level of concentration (less intense, less often, and for shorter periods of time at this age than in my teens and 20s). That’s when I gear up for whatever it is that needs that concentration. When I’m dull, I daydream and do things that don’t require it. I’d have to say that now that you made me think about it, I probably do get more ideas during my downtime than when I am focused.

    This reminds me of a personal joke.

    For years and years I used to tell people how much I was looking forward to retiring. Inevitably people would ask what I was going to do to keep busy. I’d always said the same thing. The one thing In life I am definitely good at is nothing. 🙂

    sometimes writing (without the whole cumbersome punctuation and grammar stuff) helps me to organize

    Oh yeah man, it can be really hard to articulate ideas in your head. Talking or writing things out is a great way to clarify. Maybe the biggest drawback of working at home IMO is how much harder it is to bounce ideas off someone, to figure out how that germ of an idea really would work in practice.

    Saw a headline, “Damian Lillard explains why he waved goodbye to Russell Westbrook.” Thank god someone managed to crack that puzzle!

    I think there is something to take issue with in the 3-pt explosion. I completely agree with the analytics and teams should be exploiting it. However, if your offensive strategy is often just coming down and throwing up any halfway decent three because you make them 36% of the time, I do think it takes away from the enjoyment. The strategy, player movement, and crisp passing is part of the fun. 3-pt heavy teams still do that too, but there might be a way to structure it so that the game is even more interesting. I’m not sure which rules I’d be testing, but I wouldn’t want the three pointer to become the overwhelming shot in basketball.

    Maybe the biggest drawback of working at home IMO is how much harder it is to bounce ideas off someone, to figure out how that germ of an idea really would work in practice.

    i can believe that…i’ve been blessed to work with the same small group of folks for many years – there is definitely something to be said (in terms of learning and growth – and, having someone to help cover your ass) for working as a collective mind (damn, that sounds kind of borgish)…

    i have the opportunity to do some of my work at home – unfortunately, i haven’t found the discipline to make that happen yet…

    i imagine to most (to some extent myself included) the thought of working from home seems completely ideal…i imagine though there are a fair share of pros and cons to go with it…hmmmm, to get dressed or just stay naked while i work on this project…

    for better or worse, seems the only thing i know is to grind a 9 to 5…at times – i feel like i’ve been sentenced to serve 9 to 5 for life…

    probably one of the reasons i enjoy reading about some of what are resident musicians share…and, now – will read some of your thoughts in a slightly different/envious light 🙂

    these things will ebb and flow… the game has turned 7 fters into 3pt shooters instead of building a post game… centers at some point will make a comeback… but it likely happen until the game is allowed to get slightly more physical….

    You can’t play Enes Kanter in the playoffs man. It’s just a different game.

    i imagine to most (to some extent myself included) the thought of working from home seems completely ideal…i imagine though there are a fair share of pros and cons to go with it…hmmmm, to get dressed or just stay naked while i work on this project…

    Yeah, working at home is always a distant second preference for me, even with losing two hours on the train commuting. Discipline is tough when you are right next to your leisure activities. Walking five feet and working in your sleep wear honestly kinda sucks.

    People who miss the 83-79 grinds from the mid-aughts are sociopaths.

    My favorite era of basketball was the mid-’80’s-late ’90s. I like post play, mid-range shooting and physical defense. I hate seeing more 3’s than 2’s. Does that make me a sociopath?

    I just don’t get these teams that don’t shoot threes late in the game. You’re not coming back from ten down by taking twos! It’s just moronic. And it happens all of the time!

    That was unintentional by Kanter to hit Craig after being shoved by Jokic, right?

    @55

    I think it just makes you a nostalgic Knicks fan.

    Also, for someone who singlehandedly turns every opposing team he faces into literally the Golden State Warriors, Kanter has been quite playable in his 30 mpg so far…

    I just don’t get these teams that don’t shoot threes late in the game. You’re not coming back from ten down by taking twos! It’s just moronic. And it happens all of the time!

    Quick two is better than a long shot three when time is limited and you need two stops anyway. The real pressure is the defensive end. I know there was a Sloan paper about this, but I don’t remember who or when.

    Quick two is better than a long shot three when time is limited and you need two stops anyway. The real pressure is the defensive end. I know there was a Sloan paper about this, but I don’t remember who or when.

    When you need two stops, I’m fine with it. But when you need four stops, quick twos aren’t going to do it. You’re mostly fucked anyways, so just take the threes and give yourself a theoretical chance!

    Fair enough, but at that point when you’re so fucked you take what’s given and hope for a turnover miracle.

    Fair enough, but at that point when you’re so fucked you take what’s given and hope for a turnover miracle.

    That’s what I mean, though, when the odds are slim, I think teams just would rather lose with dignity than to chuck threes and look foolish but also have a sliiiight chance of actually coming back. And that annoys me, especially during the playoffs. Never accept the loss until it’s truly impossible to come back!

    I think it just makes you a nostalgic Knicks fan.

    I know you intended it to be clever, but it comes across to me a an immature and ignorant comment made by a snotty kid who only knows those days via grainy videos. As it the Bird Celtics, the Magic Lakers, the Jordan Bulls, the Isiah Pistons, the Stockton-Malone Jazz, the Barkley Suns, the Drexler Blazers, the Price Cavs, the Wilkins Hawks, etc. were boring to watch.

    Comments are closed.