Comments on: 2017-18 Christmas Game Thread: Knicks vs. Sixers

By: djphan

djphan — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 05:03:53 +0000

scoring and rim protection are two of the most scarcest skills in the league… well maybe passing is somewhere in there but it’s at least two out of three…. when you get it from the same player it is pretty valuable on that basis alone….

the secondary skills will come… the rebounding is a concern… and a decently sized one at that.. but he’s rebounded better before in his rookie year and there’s some reason to think that he can get to that level of production again….

what’s important is that he’s added at least one valuable skill this year and that’s getting to the line consistently….. which means he can very easily tighten up his inside game to become a lot more efficient… i mean all it takes is him just not taking those dumb midrange shots anymore and you’re looking at a .200 ws48 player…

the key is him realizing that… which is part of becoming a superstar…. someone like melo didn’t…. and his game suffered for it… i don’t think kp will make that same mistake… .

By: hoolahoop

hoolahoop — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 04:39:58 +0000

The path of the future for the knicks does not include having the best player in the NBA. It consists of the best youngest players in the NBA.
Under age 27, KP is a top five guy going forward. Under 23, probably top three. His value is higher than anyone’s number 1 pick and he’s worth more than anyone you will get in return.

A+ for the way he’s stepped up considering what’s been asked of him. He’s only 22 years old!
He works his ass off on his game. He’s smart, improving, getting stronger, and stays out of trouble. Perfect? Only Lebron and KD are.

Tank and trade KP? That’s crazy talk.

By: ess-dog

ess-dog — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 04:34:06 +0000

I’ve also been hard on KP, but his current and future level of rim protection make him someone to hold onto. He doesn’t just change the game, he changes entire game plans. We don’t need him to be able to go one-on-one as much as just stay elite as a shot blocker and become elite as a three-point shooter.
Everyone is saying it, but yes, if we had a FAST pg that could target our shooters on the break (KP as trailer) and/or be a pick/pop threat, the team and KP would be SO much better. Clearly, there’s room for KP to improve his passing and rebounding, but if he can be an elite 3/D guy at the 4 or 5, then he’s worth the money.

By: Silky Johnson, Fleet Admiral of the Tank Armada

Silky Johnson, Fleet Admiral of the Tank Armada — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 03:41:55 +0000

My worry isn’t about KPs ability to score efficiently, though he’s clearly not there yet in that area. My issue is that the entirety of his value derives from scoring and rim protection. he has zero secondary skills—he can’t pass, he sets literally the worst screens I’ve ever seen (and as ptmilo mentioned mostly slips them, probably because he’s so terrible at screen setting), he doesnt box out, and he’s an anemic rebounder. That’s what worries me if and when we give him a designated player extension. All the other young bigs are far more well rounded, even if KP is better than most of them on the defensive end because of his elite rim protection..

By: djphan

djphan — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 00:08:40 +0000

guys… kp is good… he’s made a lot of strides in a number of areas that aren’t of the flukey variety… just the fact that he can keep up his usage at kobe levels is a sign that he is for real….

just because he isn’t that efficient yet doesn’t mean that he is destined to be mediocre.. in fact… it’s likely to mean very good things for him long term…

what he really needs is someone to give him more efficient opportunities… part of that is the scheme.. another part is his teammates and a large part will come from himself… whether or not those contested mid range shots go in more often or he starts avoiding them altogether…. all those things will come with time…

kp’s fine… there are way more pressing questions on this team than worrying about kp at this point….

By: BigBlueAL

BigBlueAL — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 23:58:33 +0000

It may sound simplistic but all this team needs is a decent PG, it would make a world of difference especially once TH Jr is back. If you have NBA League Pass and watch a ton of games you’ll see how God awful the Knicks PG’s are compared to the rest of the NBA. Hell look at what McConnell did to them today.

That includes Frank and his 46% TS% with a TO% that is actually higher than his AST%. I love his defense and his penchant to take and make big 3pters down the stretch and by no means do I want him traded or benched, on the contrary I’m all for him playing even more minutes because at least he has potential and the experience will hopefully help him. But this team needs a decent PG to share the minutes with Frank for everybody on the roster’s sake.

By: Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 23:57:00 +0000

Favorite play was when Frank swatted that shot and was called for goaltending.

By: Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 23:51:46 +0000

Kanter was a man today, very impressive line. He and KP compliment each other nicely, hopefully they can retain Kanter at a reasonable price.

They missed too many shots right at the rim. It kept happening all game long, very frustrating. That and the lack of defense did them in. KP needs to post up closer to the basket more to use his length and get higher percentage shots. He settles for long twos more than he should imo.

By: Grocer

Grocer — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 23:09:17 +0000

not sure if this is because Hornacek’s plays fail, aren’t good enough, the guards suck, or KP just don’t listen a la Melo. It may just be a little of each.

I don’t know about not listening, seems like maybe he’s just learning new things on the fly. It’s probably a little of everything else though. THjr being out impacts what the guards can do, both impact the effectiveness of our plays to set up outside shots, the NBA having tape on our sets and KP negatively effect both of those and those both lead to dumber play by KP, ect. We adjusted early on after losing the first few and we need to adjust again.

I’m not concerned. This is a team in process. Everybody loses an occasional game that they shouldn’t. We’ll eventually figure out how to win on the road. We’ll eventually have a deep enough bag of tricks that we’re harder to shut down offensively. Or we’ll blow it all up in a few years and try again.

By: Stratomatic says "NY basketball is back"

Stratomatic says "NY basketball is back" — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 22:52:36 +0000

most overrated star in the NBA: have you met Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Andrew Wiggins, Evan Turner, Reggie Jackson, or Carmelo Anthony?

There are players in the league that are inferior and make a lot more, but the current view on Porzingis is that he’s a franchise superstar and one of the top few prospects in the league. Not long ago when KP was hot, Haralabos Voulgaris said he would start a franchise with KP over Giannis. If you asked him that question again I think you’d get a different answer.