Knicks Morning News (2018.08.18)

  • [NYTimes] Johnny Kline, Globetrotter Turned Advocate, Is Dead at 86
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 6:38:31 PM)

    After overcoming heroin addiction, he became a drug abuse counselor and founded an organization to help long-forgotten black basketball players.

  • [NYPost] Tim Hardaway Jr. buying in to David Fizdale’s Knicks program
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 4:03:33 PM)

    Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. wasn’t in a pleasant mood the day former head coach Jeff Hornacek got canned after the season finale in mid-April, saying he couldn’t “wrap my thoughts around what management thinks.’’ Of course, Hardaway had no idea at the time that Hornacek’s successor would be an old familiar face from Miami:…

  • [NYDN] Release prisoners from solitary: This is psychological torture any way you put it
    (Saturday, August 18, 2018 2:00:00 AM)

    One candidate for New York governor, Cynthia Nixon, wants to abolish solitary confinement in our prisons. To New Yorkers like me who have survived this torture, that means she has done her homework.

    My first experience with solitary confinement was a 60-day sentence in what’s known as “Keeplock”…

  • [NYDN] Pick up the pace: There’s no Uber or Lyft cap in New York City as long as the cars are wheelchair-accessible
    (Saturday, August 18, 2018 1:10:00 AM)

    Never mind the Cassandras. When the city Taxi & Limousine Commission stopped taking new for-hire vehicle (FHV) license applications at 5 p.m. last Tuesday, the wheels did not come off the booming businesses of Uber, Lyft, Juno and Via.

    The existing 80,000 FHV cars of these app services continue…

  • [NYDN] A judge in contempt: The South Florida Sun Sentinel gets berated for reporting the facts
    (Saturday, August 18, 2018 1:05:00 AM)

    A Florida judge who exploded at the South Florida Sun Sentinel for publishing material about failures leading up to the Parkland massacre is in contempt of one of America’s core principles.

    That being, as articulated in the First Amendment and established in case law over generations: Government…

  • [NYDN] The wages of class war: GOP tax-cut promises unfulfilled
    (Saturday, August 18, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    After claiming Trump job creation output exceeds Obama’s, the White House now admits it fudged the numbers. Before the truth serum wears off, maybe they’ll also cop that last year’s tax cuts have so far been a bust for ordinary workers.

    The President promised that the $1.5 trillion tax cut — heavily…

  • [NYDN] Readers sound off on Aretha, Cuomo and the Child Victims Act
    (Saturday, August 18, 2018 12:00:00 AM)

    Aretha was pure music heaven

    New Windsor, N.Y.: How eerie is this? Two musical icons pass away on the same date 41 years apart: Elvis Aaron Presley and now Aretha Louise Franklin, the King of Rock and Roll and the Queen of Soul. Both now in rock ’n’ roll heaven, where you know they’ve got a hell…

  • [NYDN] Leonard: Davis Webb rises to occasion in second chance for Giants, proving cool under pressure with first-team offense
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 10:00:00 PM)

    DETROIT — Davis Webb hadn’t started a game since Nov. 26, 2016, when he led his Cal Bears to a 36-10 win over UCLA at Memorial Stadium in Berkley, Calif.

    But on Friday night, with Eli Manning resting, Webb was ready: to own being the Giants’ starting quarterback in a 30-17 preseason win over the…

  • [NYDN] Giants will celebrate Pat Shurmur’s first win of any kind as head coach, but they’re not willing to reveal how
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 9:35:00 PM)

    DETROIT — Pat Shurmur’s players will do something to mark and honor his first win of any kind as the Giants’ new head coach Friday night. But special teams captain Zak DeOssie is keeping the exact nature of their plans a secret.

    “Preseason or regular season, it’s the first one on the list,” DeOssie…

  • [NYDN] Daily Horoscope — August 18, 2018
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    Via Tarot Astrologers

    General Horoscope for August 18, 2018

    Words flow freely today as congenial Mercury creates a cooperative sextile with charming Venus. Interpersonal relationships are blessed by ease of communication. However, there are subtler energies at play now; something exciting and unusual…

  • [NYDN] Aaron Judge too sore to swing a bat after Yankee manager Aaron Boone said there was ‘a chance’ the injured slugger could
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 8:55:00 PM)

    Aaron Judge felt soreness in his right wrist after throwing on Friday and was still not able to take dry swings, which he has not done since suffering the chip fracture.

    Yankee manager Aaron Boone had said earlier on Friday that things were going so well with Judge that there was a “chance” he…

  • [NYDN] NYPD fires sergeant accused of shooting and cover up, say police sources
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 8:30:00 PM)

    An NYPD sergeant under investigation for shooting a man in a personal dispute and then trying to cover it up was fired Friday, police sources said.

    Sgt. Ritchard Blake, 40, is accused of firing twice at Thavone Santana, 21, on July 26 in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

    Soon after the shooting, Blake was…

  • [NYDN] Naked burglar knocks over upscale restaurant near Union Square
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 8:25:00 PM)

    This burglar turned an upscale restaurant off Union Square into a strip joint.

    The man, 28 to 35 years old with a trim build, got butt-naked when he knocked over the Adalya Mediterranean restaurant on Irving Place near E. 17th St. at 7 a.m. July 5.

    After forcing his way in through the side door,…

  • [NYDN] Stan Lee’s ex-adviser Keya Morgan ordered to keep away from the Marvel mogul for three years, says court decision based on ‘lies’
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 5:10:00 PM)

    Stan Lee’s former business manager has been banished from the 95-year-old Marvel mogul’s universe for the next three years, a Los Angeles judge ruled Friday.

    Keya Morgan, 42, must stay at least 100 yards away from Lee, his daughter Joan (J.C.) Lee, 68, and his brother Larry Lieber, 86, the order…

  • [NYDN] Ackert: Greg Bird still has yet to reach his potential, but all Yankees can really do is wait, even if patience may be wearing thin
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 5:00:00 PM)

    The Yankees are preaching patience with Greg Bird. The first baseman is clearly trying hard to be patient with himself. But the rest of the Bronx seems ready to give up on the Yankees’ one-time first baseman of the future. That was particularly obvious after his reaction Thursday to popping out…

  • [NYDN] Leonard: The key to a Giant rebirth in 2018 is Eli…Eli Apple, of course
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 4:20:00 PM)

    DETROIT — The Giants can’t win without Eli playing his best this season.

    Eli Apple, that is.

    For while Eli Manning’s offense surely needs to operate more efficiently and put points on the board, on defense the Big Blue secondary is shaping up once again to be a huge liability, and not just because…

  • [NYDN] ‘Pharma Bro’ lawyer and partner in crime sentenced to 18 months in jail
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:40:00 PM)

    A lawyer convicted of helping pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli defraud investors and his former company was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison, and ordered to pay $10.5 million in restitution.

    Evan Greebel, 44, was convicted in December of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy…

  • [NYDN] Not just audio: Omarosa reportedly has ‘treasure trove’ of video to back up tell-all Trump administration book
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:00:00 PM)

    Lordy, there’s video.

    Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman has an extensive collection of video, emails, texts and other records to corroborate her explosive book about the Trump administration, according to a report Friday.

    A source with direct knowledge of the matter told the Associated…

  • [NYDN] Reaching epidemic proportions: Another retired firefighter dies of a 9/11-related illness
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:00:00 PM)

    Another firefighter has died from his time spent inhaling toxic fumes at Ground Zero.

    Retired Firefighter Michael McDonald, 64, died of a 9/11-related illness earlier this week, the Uniformed Firefighters Association announced Friday.

    A viewing and a funeral are planned for Aug. 29 at Maloney Funeral…

  • [NYDN] Bite from crazed thief cost Queens cabbie days of work
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:55:00 PM)

    The son of a cab driver bitten on the arm by a female thief said the incident has hurt his dad’s wallet.

    Nayeem Khan, 20, said his father Kamal Khan, 53, had to recuperate for days after the enraged fare attacked him near Kissena Blvd. and 71st Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, on Aug. 5.

    “He…

  • [NYDN] David McReynolds, longtime peace activist and agitator, dead at 88
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:30:00 PM)

    Longtime peace activist, writer and photographer David McReynolds died Friday after a fall in his New York home. He was 88.

    McReynolds, who was also the first openly gay candidate for president, moved to New York in the mid-1950s. A few years later, he began working with the War Resisters League….

  • [NYDN] Aretha Franklin public viewing, funeral arrangements announced
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:15:00 PM)

    Aretha Franklin’s many fans will have the opportunity to pay their respects later this month at a visitation in her hometown of Detroit.

    A two-day public viewing will be held on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, where the late…

  • [NYDN] Additional 23 Prince albums released on streaming services
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:05:00 PM)

    This is sure to hit a high note with Prince fans.

    Twenty-three of the late pop icon’s albums were made available on prominent streaming services for the first time ever Friday, Sony Music Entertainment announced.

    Each of albums added to the streaming services were released between 1995 and 2010….

  • [NYDN] A true believer’s progress: Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a blue-wave New York
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:00:00 PM)

    Is Bill de Blasio a stopped clock or ahead of his time? Maybe both.

    He’s held the superstitious belief in his own vision all successful politicians do — and especially one who stubbornly held his lane and effectively shot up from afterthought to Hizzoner with an incredible burst from the back of…

  • [NYDN] MTV VMAs’ producers struggle with whether to address Demi Lovato overdose
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 1:20:00 PM)

    MTV has always tried to keep its Video Music Awards relevant, but producers are struggling with whether to tackle one important and timely topic.

    Those behind this year’s show — happening this Monday at Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan — are going “back and forth” on addressing Demi Lovato’s…

  • [NYDN] Missouri man barred from possessing firearm dodges charges for shooting ex-girlfriend thanks to vague state law
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 1:15:00 PM)

    A Kansas City man who shot and killed his ex-girlfriend nearly a year ago won’t face any charges in her death despite the fact that a judge approved an order of protection that explicitly banned him from possessing weapons.

    David Love admitted to gunning down Jessika Peppers inside his Missouri…

  • [NYDN] InfoWars founder Alex Jones accused of destroying evidence relating to Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits against him
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 1:05:00 PM)

    Conspiracy theory-mongering InfoWars founder Alex Jones has intentionally destroyed evidence relevant to a defamation lawsuit filed against him by families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, according to a motion submitted Friday.

    Jones directed his staffers earlier this week to strip content from…

  • 45 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.08.18)”

    Knicks fans in August 2018:

    “Who should the Knicks pick between RJ Barrett or Zion Williamson?”

    Knicks fans in June 2019:

    “Maybe Romeo Langford or Bol Bol will fall to us at 9!”

    They can’t possibly mess up the tank AGAIN right? Right?????

    Yeah they totally can.

    The tank will be hard because:

    1) we have an brand new coach who will want to win, even within the overall scheme to develop young players
    2) we have too many players that “have to play” (Kanter, TH2, Burke) who can occasionally win games all by themselves, especially Kanter who is playing for his most important contract
    3) we have too many young, athletic players (with upside?!?!) trying to prove that they deserve bigger roles and contracts: Dotson, Burke, Vonleh, Hezonja, Baker, Mudiay, Kornet, maybe Trier if he develops in the G-League (I liked him in Vegas)
    4) we have 3 guys on rookie deals that are going to do everything possible to earn playing time/respect: Frank, Knox, Robinnson
    5) KP will probably come back midseason and is wrangling for a max deal

    I doubt that Lee or Noah are still around or relevant when the season starts. Beyond that, on paper, we’re probably a low-20’s win team but I think the odds of overachieving based on the above 5 points is pretty high. We might win a bunch of games early on before teams figure us out or trap games in the dog days of the season. So 30 games give or take is likely enough that we should consider the Barrett/Williamson sweepstakes a long shot at best.

    @6 – That is all true, and deeply depressing. Out only solace is that the lottery odds have been flattened this year, so we’d have a better shot at a top pick .

    Out only solace is that the lottery odds have been flattened this year, so we’d have a better shot at a top pick .

    Or in true Knicksy fashion, we go on a 5-game winning streak in April to finish with the 3rd worst record and wind up picking 6th.

    PS I didn’t mention Lance bc if he plays he helps the tank and if he doesn’t play it helps the young players develop. Unless Fizdale turns him into Draymond Green 2.0 like he hinted he would.

    There is no tank, because it’s the organization that decides to tank, not the fans. I’ve heard nothing from the organization about tanking. Fans get caught up in their fantasies.

    The knicks should not be trying to tank to start the season. They should be trying to figure out what they have first and then decide whether tanking makes sense or not. It’s not obvious they have no talent, what’s obvious, is they do. But if someone insists that they don’t, then it should be easy to imitate the 2015 season. New York will not acquire 30 wins if they have zero talent, we saw what happened in 06 and 015.

    This is the year we find out if the knicks will imitate the warriors and sixers or if their really just a pitiful team.

    The warriors drafted stephen curry in 2009; they missed the playoffs. Again they missed the playoffs. In his third season he suffered an injury. He played half the games porzingis played this season. The warriors won 23 games. Next year he was healthy, 47 wins, playoff appearance, year 4.

    Sixers drafted embiid in 2014 he was injured, no playoffs. He was injured again, no playoffs. In 2016 they drafted Ben Simmons. Both got injured, no playoffs. Then last season, they were healthy. Most media said we shouldn’t expect young injured players to make the playoffs in their first season. Answer; playoff appearance, year 4.

    In 2015 the knicks drafted kristaps porzingis, they had veterans, they missed the playoffs. Again they missed the playoffs. Veteran stars were tossed. President was fired. They drafted ntilikina and signed trey burke. Porzingis suffered an injury, they missed the playoffs. They hired a new coach and then drafted knox and robinson. New york is now entering it’s 4th season with porzingis.

    To be continued

    @10 very fair. imho, the key decisions are about 1) Kanter: do we showcase and trade him to anyone who will take him? If he’s still here at the trade deadline, do we waive him? If you look at what I posted at the end of the last thread, he looks to be in the best shape of his life, so if has a career year and actually improves on D, does that tempt management into re-signing him? 2) do they bring KP back, and if yes, when? and 3) how much time do they give to the truly bad players…Mudiay, Kornet, Lance?

    I agree, though, that they will have a win-win approach, meaning, “If we win enough games to be in the playoff hunt until late in the season, great! That means that our young core is developing and maybe we can attract a top-notch free agent. If we lose a lot, great, we can pull the plug and tank our way to another top-10 pick and hopefully get lucky in the lottery.”

    It may not be the smartest approach, but whatever. At least it’s not going to be about playing washed-up vets in an attempt to be competitive.

    This is the year we finally get to prove that knickerblogger is nonsense.

    Huh?

    1) we have an brand new coach who will want to win, even within the overall scheme to develop young players

    I really hope that behind closed doors, Perry tells Fizdale that he has no expectation for win total. Otherwise, this team is still on the stupid cycle it’s been on.

    I know you’ll never be able to market tanking to NYC — everything’s gotta be done right now, if not yesterday. For the people who spend real money at MSG (corporate partners and luxury box ticket holders), prestige is more important than being an underdog on the rise.

    Still, I want this franchise to show that it can develop solid processes, not just chase the hyped free agent or disgruntled trade target du jour. Not holding my breath, but I think we’ll know what the mission is by New Year’s.

    Lance Thomas could never be a Draymond Green because Draymond Green is a high IQ basketball player who knows his limitations. Lance Thomas is all hustle on defense but when he gets the ball he thinks he’s Carmelo Anthony circa 2013.

    The Knicks will not go out of their way to play 4 G Leaguers like Dallas and Chicago did last year, but over 82 games it’s hard to see where more than 22 games of production is coming from. We have a bunch of one way players surrounding Courtney Lee lol

    I’m all for imitating the Warriors or the Sixers!

    Call me when Curry, Draymond, Durant, Thompson, Embiid or Simmons arrive at MSG.

    People still don’t get that the fans want tanking because they don’t believe the management and everyone involved is capable enough to build anything, so the only resort is getting damn lucky on the ping pong balls and then getting damn lucky again by finding a superstar, and THEN getting lucky again that they don’t trade the guy or squander his prime on terrible teams with no cap space. I really thought it would be clear by now.

    @1 Ha, Great call.
    They will fuck it up again.and will be picking somewhere in the 6-9 range just to torture us longtime fans some more.

    Zion Williamson and Barrett will be great NBA players for some other team…

    Kanter: do we showcase and trade him to anyone who will take him? If he’s still here at the trade deadline, do we waive him? If you look at what I posted at the end of the last thread, he looks to be in the best shape of his life, so if has a career year and actually improves on D, does that tempt management into re-signing him? 2) do they bring KP back, and if yes, when? and 3) how much time do they give to the truly bad players…Mudiay, Kornet, Lance?

    I don’t understand your question about the bad players. Kanter might be a starter, but will he be a finisher? So if he wants to come back, he can be a bench player. The kp question depends on his performance and what route the knicks take overall

    I really hope that behind closed doors, Perry tells Fizdale that he has no expectation for win total. Otherwise, this team is still on the stupid cycle it’s been on.

    If I recall correctly, he’s actually hinted that he doesn’t care about wins this year. However, I think any coach that is new to a situation is going to coach to win, just out of pride and habit. The question for me is, does he coach to win while making dumb long-term decisions (e.g. burying Hernangomez on the bench) or within the context of playing rookies and young fliers adequate minutes? I can deal with the latter. In a full-bore tank, I agree with sugarslim in @10 that it’s up to the GM to create the personnel conditions for tanking, like PHX did when they benched Bledsoe or Philly did when they jettisoned any player that might win them meaningless games.

    Im not too concerned about whether we intentionally tank. I have a lot of confidence in this team to lose hard even if they’re trying.

    My one concern is Trey Burke. He may be really good this year. But I think a lot of the tank drivers from last year (Dallas, Memphis, Chicago) are going to be less egregious about their tanking and actually half try. I think us, Sacramento, and Atlanta have what it takes to secure the bottom 3 on merit.

    I’m all for imitating the Warriors or the Sixers!

    Call me when Curry, Draymond, Durant, Thompson, Embiid or Simmons arrive at MSG.

    You expect me to believe that you believed in those players and organizations, before they had success. During their dark moments you were sitting like “yeah, I know they’ll succeed.”

    Still, I want this franchise to show that it can develop solid processes, not just chase the hyped free agent or disgruntled trade target du jour. Not holding my breath, but I think we’ll know what the mission is by New Year’s.

    You want development but can’t except the pitfalls. You think the process will be quick. The sixers and warriors had hurdles, that was my point. You won’t even let the knicks take the next step, their at the beginning of the end point, but you’ve already decided to pull the plug. You want quick draft answers also, so it’s a gimmick to say you want a process. You want danny ainge celtics success.

    Chicago is a concern more because I think they still have a pretty bad roster, they might just be very bad and start tanking midway through. The same goes for Orlando and Sacramento, who has no incentive to tank but will probably be terrible anyway. The Grizzlies will be better if Conley is healthy which is fair to expect, and the Suns are 100% going all-in for wins and should be better too.

    The Hawks are the only team really tanking from day one, and maybe the Nets. There’s no reason for the Knicks not to join that group other than Fizdale wanting to show his work. If he just plays the young guys heavily I will be happy, but I really wanted to see at least Lee gone before the season ends, if Kanter and Lance are untradeable .

    @19

    Of course I didn’t, and I never said that. Then they went and got stars through the draft and became promising teams and it became expected. I really don’t get your point.

    Do you see the Knicks roster as a team that has any chance of making a Philly-like leap?

    I don’t understand your question about the bad players.

    The Knicks acquired Mudiay and gave Kornet a contract with the hope of developing them. Lance is veteran who hardly contributes to winning (and probably contributes to losing) but is a good role model for hustle, team play, yadayada. I think we all can agree that thus far, they have all demonstrated that they don’t belong in an NBA rotation. So the question is: will Fiz continue (either on his own accord of due to pressure from above) to play them even after they continue to suck? (possibly more losses, good for the tank) Or will he bench them in favor of more productive players (possibly more wins, bad for the tank)?

    Kanter might be a starter, but will he be a finisher? So if he wants to come back, he can be a bench player. The kp question depends on his performance and what route the knicks take overall

    Kanter is a very intriguing player. He is demonstrably terrible on defense but gives all-star level production on interior offense and on the boards. Can he improve on defense and/or his 3-pt shot enough to be worth a re-do of his current contract? One thing is clear, he’s not been in great shape thus far. I’m always skeptical on players improving much on D at his age, but if he does, he might merit consideration as a valuable piece, whether as a starter or 6th man. Personally, I prefer that he is moved for assets before the trade deadline no matter how good he plays. But if he continues to be a goofy ambassador for the team and human rights, and he improves in the areas mentioned above, He and KP actually complement each other pretty well. Throw the best reasonable scenario of Knox and Robinson in the mix and you have a very nice front line going forward. Then you can focus on acquiring wings and a PG in the draft and free agency.

    Do you see the Knicks roster as a team that has any chance of making a Philly-like leap?

    Philly’s entire “leap” hinged on the fragile feet of Embiid and Simmons. Two years ago when Simmons went down, Embiid was having setbacks, and Saric was an unknown, what did people think of their chances? Who knew for sure how they would develop?

    The Knicks’ chances of development hinge on KP, Knox, Frank, and Mitchell. No one knows how they will develop. Is it that much different than it was for Philly back in 2015-2016?

    Of course I didn’t, and I never said that. Then they went and got stars through the draft and became promising teams and it became expected. I really don’t get your point.

    Do you see the Knicks roster as a team that has any chance of making a Philly-like leap?

    I’m talking about after they drafted their current stars. Did you see the greatness of the warriors when Curry missed a season with injuries. Were you talking about how great the sixers would be before the season started.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    I have no problem with Kanter other than the price we are paying. I’d be all for keeping him regardless of whether he gets better or not as long as the price reflects his value to the team at that time. The problem is that he has a very high opinion of himself. His expectations are probably going to be a lot higher than he’s actually worth. So I have a tough time seeing him staying in NY. The other monkey wrench is Robinson. Until we see what Robinson can do, it’s hard to know important Kanter is.

    @24

    With Philly, 100%. I had absolute certainty that Embiid would be a mega star and that they had built a pretty good roster around him. I obviously didn’t know what to expect about Simmons but it was clear he had a sky high ceiling. But no, I don’t have a crystal ball, I couldn’t possibly expect Simmons to be so good. Do you have one?

    And again, what’s your point? Do you think the Knicks have anywhere near the talent these teams have?

    I would love to be as optimistic about it as you guys, but I see a flawed player coming back from a huge injury, two extremely raw rookies who have promise but are not expected to be really productive until like their third year, a sophomore guard who is a zero on offense and a bunch of mediocre veterans.

    Of course the goal is to develop those guys, and that’s exactly what I want precisely because that’s a) the best basketball decision for the future b) they will probably suck major ass and it will lead to a good pick c) we have no other options.

    I don’t get why you’re so defensive about it, that’s why I asked if you believe the Knicks core had the same shot at becoming very good as the Philly and the Warriors ones did. I don’t, that’s why adding more talent is going to be necessary.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    There’s no way the Knicks are going to tank next year. They are going to do what they always do. Merit will determine who plays. They will try to win as many games as they can. At some point late in the season when barring a miracle they are eliminated from the playoff race, there will be more of an effort to get minutes for young weaker players that haven’t had as much of a chance based on merit. Either way, the team is so young now the only older vets that are clearly not part of the future are Thomas, Lee and Noah. Two of the three may be gone. Everyone else is young enough to be considered part of the future.

    Who cares if Thomas gets some minutes here or there? It’s not going to matter.

    Noah will probably be gone, but if not, if he’s helping Robinson and getting rewarded 15 minutes a night until Robinson earns his spot, big deal.

    They are trying to trade Lee now. They may or may not be successful, but either way Lee is not going to be a key figure on the team even if he stays. Hardaway is going back to SG and Knox is the starting SF. Lee will be in a battle for backup SG minutes with Frank and Dotson depending on how they use Frank. It’s not going to matter if he plays a little while they continue to try to move him.

    If it’s a 9th pick next year we might ask Mike to rename this place Knickertanker

    It all hinges on KP. We are moving forward as a team like he will be a top 10 player. I still think that is a possibility and if he is we will be in a great place to capitalize when he takes that step forward year after next. We will sign a star next summer, KP will blossom into a true superstar, and then hopefully one of Knox, Frank, Robinson, or our 2019 1st round pick blossoms into a third star. It is a long shot but from where I am standing we are at an all-in type situation. We need to go for it next summer because if KP becomes a star and we haven’t set the table for him it could cost us two+ years trying to put a team around him ala Davis or Giannis and then we could simply lose him.

    If KP isn’t a star then what we do matters a lot less. It doesn’t really matter what our cap space looks like or who we sign in free agency if we are still three years away from competing which is where we are if KP doesn’t progress. Who cares if Noah’s contract is on the books or if we sign Kyrie if KP isn’t a star we aren’t going anywhere anyway.

    Kanter has to go because he doesn’t fit with fizdale’s uptempo desire. He can’t guard at high paces. Saying he can’t guard at all is questionable. But certainly not at high speed. It’ll be interesting to see how fizdale adjusts to him and hezonja as well.

    It all hinges on KP. We are moving forward as a team like he will be a top 10 player.

    Are we? How so?

    I still think that is a possibility and if he is we will be in a great place to capitalize when he takes that step forward year after next.

    See, I heard he was going to take that leap this past season. He didn’t. Why is it going to happen in 2019-20?

    We will sign a star next summer, KP will blossom into a true superstar, and then hopefully one of Knox, Frank, Robinson, or our 2019 1st round pick blossoms into a third star.

    So much hope with so little reason. I don’t get it at all.

    It is a long shot but from where I am standing we are at an all-in type situation.

    I really don’t understand why you think this. There is nothing about the Knicks’ current situation that suggests that this player is the one to build around. This is a guy coming off an ACL injury, who played like a replacement player for much of the season. All-in?

    We need to go for it next summer because if KP becomes a star and we haven’t set the table for him it could cost us two+ years trying to put a team around him ala Davis or Giannis and then we could simply lose him.

    And if KP doesn’t take the leap, you’re paying $31M AAV over five years to one guy who’s not a star, and you’ve gone all-in with another veteran max contract, likely with a player like Kyrie who’ll be 33 when his next contract expires.

    @32 It all comes down to whether you think that what KP did (i.e. play like a future HOFer) in the first month of the season when they went on that 10-4 run was for real or not. I think it was and that’s a pretty widely-held opinion, so I’m not crazy for thinking so. There is definitely no hard evidence for the optimism other than he’s still very young and still learning how to be more intelligent and consistent. He definitely needs a better supporting cast than the BS he played with last year. But there is no doubt that they are, for better or worse, going all in on him, unless he has a setback in his ACL recovery.

    In December, Porzingis shot .498 TS% and in January he shot .517. Was that for real, too?

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    In December, Porzingis shot .498 TS% and in January he shot .517. Was that for real, too?

    It depends whether you think being double teamed for the 1st time in his life on a team having Courtney Lee as the 2nd scoring option impacted his efficiency and shot selection while Hardway was out. Perhaps having players like Burke, Hardaway, and Knox on the court will make it harder to double him and also relieve his tendency to take off balance turn arounds, long 2s and other trash. We’ll see.

    Didn’t want to see your work go unreviewed because of the format.

    I promise I will try again. It’s I am traveling and only have my phone to do internet with. I will try again Monday

    The KP excuses are kinda weak w/r/t being double teamed. Giannis lost Parker to an ACL and was still the man. To me, KP’s biggest issue is his stamina and core strength. If he can get past those woes you have a legit two way superstud, but that’s a bigger if than if he can return to good health after his ACL tear. I want nothing more than for KP and the 2019 top 2 pick (speaking it into existence) to be the best 1-2 punch in our division, but it isn’t likely and I readily acknowledge that. KP has to produce like every day is November 10th before we can anoint him anything.

    I’ve been thinking about this team and I don’t think the tank is going to happen. Z-man, you have it right. A lot of things are already going against the tank. At first glance it looks like we drafted well. We’ve also collected a number of lottery picks that needed second chances. The odds are that one or two of them takes the next step in their game. Our coach is doing the right things with the players and I think they’ll play hard for him. But if those positives don’t turn sour, how much do we need to tank?

    I’m not predicting how KP eventually turns out. All I know is that he’s worth going all in on. He’s like pocket aces with a shitty flop. I still think we have a great chance of winning.

    There are obviously those who get caught up in whether mgmt does things the way they would if they were GMs, and anything less is reason to throw hands up and cry foul. That’s no fun for me. I’m all in with KP because that’s the most likely reason we crawl out of the doldrums. It may not pan out, but why fret about it when we have no control? He’s a fun player to root for. We all saw that for a few games at the beginning of last season. If he can’t sustain it, then fuck, it’s back to the drawing board. But in my book, give him every chance. He’s our best hope for a good team in the next 5 years.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    The KP excuses are kinda weak w/r/t being double teamed.

    Ideally, the team should have a spreadsheet with a description of all of his shots and compare it to other top big men. Then they could estimate what his best/worst skills are, what was role related, what was teammate related, and what was decision related. Then they should try to improve the results by maximizing his role to his skills, improving the PG play, improving his skills, and teaching him to make better decisions.

    I think it’s obvious skill is NOT the issue in his case.

    He was close to 40% on 3s, 80% on FTs, and can finish above the basket on lobs and put backs. If he just did that he’d be a wildly efficient player on good but more limited usage and Jowles would love him. But he has so much talent they are rightfully trying to make him more than that. That’s where he gets himself into trouble. His shot selection (long 2s, off balance etc..) and inability to finish inside because he’s so weak lead to a lot of terrible shots that guys like Giannis and Towns don’t take or turn into good shots they can make at higher rates.

    Whether he can fix that is the question. The talent and skills are there to be very efficient now. Whether he can get to that very elite level on offense where his usage is really high, he can score from anywhere, and his efficiency stays high is up to him and whether he gets stronger, smarter, and better inside. He’s already more skilled than those guys outside.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    I’m not predicting how KP eventually turns out. All I know is that he’s worth going all in on. He’s like pocket aces with a shitty flop. I still think we have a great chance of winning.

    Secretariat lost his first start. He got out of the gate slowly.

    He’s like pocket aces with a shitty flop.

    KP is more like, pocket tens when the board is showing a pair of kings and the river is showing a flush developing. In all likelihood we’re drawing dead and that full house is not coming. The problem is a hand takes fucking years to play out.

    I’m finished abusing this metaphor.

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