Comments on: 2021-22 Game Thread: Some of the Knicks vs. the Awful Pistons (With No Jerami Grant) https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/ Knicks, Stats, Humor, Analysis. Wed, 22 Dec 2021 13:30:01 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 By: Alan https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780364 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 13:30:01 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780364 Cant trade Julius til February, thanks to the extension. He’s still reasonably priced if he’s not utter garbage. But there’s definitely a danger of having to attach a sweetener to unload him if he can’t get his head on straight.

]]> By: cybersoze https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780363 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 13:22:19 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780363 I’m starting to worry if we’re missing the opportunity to trade Julius (and maybe RJ) when they still have some shine. Because if they fail to reach the level of play we need them to, we’ll be in mediocrity land for quite a while, a la Pacers and teams like that.

]]> By: cybersoze https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780362 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 13:19:13 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780362

Alan: anyone want to propose fake trades where we’re just shipping out Kemba (and maybe Knox if a small additional salary is needed)?

I love to propose fake trades, but assuming you don’t want a veteran back (to try to win at all costs), i don’t think Kemba and Knox will net us young prospects with potential. Let me check if there’s some young prospects that are failing to look like they have potential.

]]> By: Brian Cronin https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780361 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:27:13 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780361 In reply to Z-man.

. It’s clearly a bad look….kind of like when D’Antoni put Nate in the doghouse for a month for, well, being Nate, or when he banished Starbury even though he may have been his best player in preseason. I think they have very similar personalities.

They are soooooooo similar. I’m still mad about that Nate thing.

]]> By: Alan https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780360 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:56:15 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780360 Omicron/depth are the only reasons I’d be reluctant to move Kemba — or, if the FO is already thinking about it, to move Fournier. The group that hasn’t tested positive yet is largely made up of our more exasperating players, but at least we can still field a lineup that can beat the Pistons. If we do some 2-for-1 trades and the roster gets hit by another Covid wave, I could see us fielding some absurd lineups that will one day be the subject of “Wait, he started five games?” trivia questions.

]]> By: Bo Nateman https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780359 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:52:09 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780359 If Thibs plays Kemba, even in the short run, I’d like to see him paired with spry Mitch. The pair showed some nice chemistry last night and Mitch can cover for some of Kemba’s defensive woes. To Z-man’s point about having depth, this seems to be somewhat positive during this omicron phase of the season as it appears there will be a rolling entry into H&S protocols.

]]> By: Z-man https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780358 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:43:08 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780358 The main problem Thibs is going to have going forward is too much depth. He likes to settle on a rotation of 9, maybe 10 players, yet there are clearly 12-13 guys who are good enough to play, and the guys he either defers to or is pressured to defer to are underperforming. Yanking Kemba for a rookie is both unseemly and could have backfired to the detriment of the rookie and the locker room, so I sort of get the Burks experiment. Same to a lesser degree with Fournier and Grimes, you wouldn’t want to put Grimes in a position to fail and have to deal with the “I told you so” shit in the locker room. And Julius and RJ were his biggest minutes-getters last year, so benching them is sort of self-defeating.

He’s in a really tough spot. COVID eliminated choices for him and gave him some reasons/excuses for lineups. Within 3-4 games, everyone will be back. It will be interesting to see how this ends up.

]]> By: Alan https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780357 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:37:49 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780357

Most importantly, this certainly has done something positive for Kemba’s trade value. He definitey looks like at least a $9 mill player. Barring a scenario where the Knicks go on some magical streak, I would expect that the FO will work the phones to find an off-ramp for him. Thibs has probably seen enough of McBride to want to roll with him and he clearly doesn’t care for Kemba’s game.

Yes, I assume this is the plan. Kemba is clearly not long for this team, and in some ways we might be better served by another Pinsoning while he still looks good. While I suppose it’s possible Kemba could be part of a larger package (say, as salary filler in a Turner deal), anyone want to propose fake trades where we’re just shipping out Kemba (and maybe Knox if a small additional salary is needed)?

]]> By: Z-man https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780356 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:09:20 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780356

Alan:
Kemba has kind of forced Thibs’ hand here. It’s hard to see him getting Pinsoned as soon as the rest of the rotation is available again — or, at least, it’s hard to see Thibs doing that until Kemba hits another slump. That probably forces the rookies back to the bench for now.

Agreed. Although with Thibs you never know. But in the short run, it seems like the negative PR of benching Kemba again would not be worth it.

Most importantly, this certainly has done something positive for Kemba’s trade value. He definitey looks like at least a $9 mill player. Barring a scenario where the Knicks go on some magical streak, I would expect that the FO will work the phones to find an off-ramp for him. Thibs has probably seen enough of McBride to want to roll with him and he clearly doesn’t care for Kemba’s game.

One possibility is that Thibs plays Kemba as his primary 24mpg starter and McBride gets opportunities when either Rose or Kemba are getting rest or are nicked up or when Kemba is ineffective or overmatched by bigger guards.

That’s the thing right now, there is no clear vision beyond the trade deadline. Who knows where Thibs/Leon will go with this mess?

]]> By: Alan https://knickerblogger.net/2021/12/2021-22-game-thread-some-of-the-knicks-vs-the-awful-pistons-with-no-jerami-grant/#comment-780355 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:08:16 +0000 http://KnickerBlogger.Net/?p=19391#comment-780355 Also, those of you poo-poohing the Hall of Fame nominees in yesterday’s thread clearly never played as Tom Chambers in NBA Jam. Among the best video game athletes ever.

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