But now? I think it’s much much harder to make the next jump. I’m not sure any of us could really do it, at least not without league intel we don’t have.

rama’s cautious optimism was warranted: The bigger point is simply that we are in the conversation, and that would not be the case pre-Rose/Thibs.

Precisely. This is not the same as “success.” Thibs has warts and Rose could trip into the Big Blunder. But we are clearly on a viable path to success. Thus far, Rose and Thibs are essentially doing what Phil and Mills tried to do but are succeeding in ways that Phil abjectly failed. They are winning now without sacrificing future flexibility. They are acquiring league-average players without overpaying them or tying up long-term cap space, and building a team identity that is consistent with NYK historic culture. They are making prudent win-now moves around the margins (DRose trade) and sprinkling in prudent asset acquisition moves (Ed Davis moves, draft day moves). They avoided the temptation to make rash “splashy” moves in preseason free agency and again at the trade deadline, not easy for a newbie POBO. And they’ve kept their big mouths shut and let the product on the floor do the talking.

It really is a stunning transformation. Rose and Thibs are knocking the PR baseball out of the park right now.

cybersoze: Now we’re talking! 😉

He looks very talented. I know that we have a backlog at the center position but he might be too talented to pass on, especially with the Dallas pick.

DudesTown: Queta looked surprisingly good and is multidimensional.

Now we’re talking! 😉

Not only noone expected Randle to be great this season but almost everyone thought he would be gone early.
Personally i expected Obi to be mind-blowing and Randle out of the team
Despite the faulty roster predictions, optimists still believed in Thibs and D and “next man up” system and expexted a good season if all things went right.
And they went!
Righter than right!

nicos: You’re definitely underselling his improvement- his previous career best bpm was 1.5 so he’s more than doubled (and almost tripled) that.

If he went from 0.1 to 0.3 BPM, that’s also tripling. There’s really not that much actual difference between 1.5 and 3.9…it’s essentially the difference between “solid starter” and “borderline all-star.” Jokic is at 11.6 BPM, which is triple Randle’s. This year, Randle is tied for #28 in OBPM and tied for #30 in DBPM. Two years ago he was tied for #40 in OBPM but tied for #123 in DBPM. In any case, the biggest improvement for Randle is on the defensive end. He has become a legit 2-way player…in terms of advanced stats, that’s the unforeseen part.

Where Strat goes awry is in defending Phil’s execution of whatever his strategy was…Phil was an idiot as a GM and strat just can’t seem to own that.

Indeed. If people didn’t need to be 100% right or100% wrong, the board (and the world) would be a better place. I guess I expect more from the board than the world.

I was basically Team Tank, and the part of that strategy that remains compelling is that getting a franchise player is easier with a top 4 draft pick. Without that, we either need to get lucky in the draft with a lower pick (not likely for a franchise player, though it happens), or RJ or Randle somehow have to become that player (not likely, though it could happen), or we need to acquire one via trade. The reason I brought this up at all is because it appears WE COULD NOW DO THAT. Lillard is starting the dance, and the Knicks are the apparent partner.

Should we trade for him? It depends, of course, on what it would take. The bigger point is simply that we are in the conversation, and that would not be the case pre-Rose/Thibs. It is in fact a viable strategy, because it turns out that Kawhi forcing a trade is not a once a decade opportunity.