163 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: Some of the Knicks vs. A few of the Hawks”
Merry Christmas to all the KBloggers!
And Let’s Go Knicks!*
* If they lose this game they’ll better forfait all the rest of their schedule…
Julius Scandal my fav new nickname for him
Randle …already.. assuming the position
So far so good-they even tried to post up Mitch (it didn’t work but it’s the thought that counts)
It’s all good till the 3rd
Merry Christmas!
Great start. Welcome back RJ. The Knicks are almost back to full strength.
Never missing a good strategy, we should have tried this earlier
Need another foul on Julius
mitch is impacting alot of shots
welcome back Grimes
spoiler alert….Randle and Fournier….still suck
Mitch can apparently play 11 minutes before he runs out of gas and starts taking 15 seconds to run from basket to basket
Dickheads refs, this flagrant is a joke, they made a travesty of the rule.
Max:
Dickheads refs, this flagrant is a joke, they made a travesty of the rule.
I thought it was sort of fair, but why no call when Grimes gets knocked down?
The Knicks blowing out the Hawks like they should would be a Festivus miracle.
Grimes is helping on offense and hurting on defense.
Merry Christmas from thibs means 48 mins of Randle island
I’m not giving up on RJ.
Happy Holidays Y’all!
Fournier with three rebounds already. It’s a Xmas miracle…
Randle is full of energy today but can’t make a free throw.
Z-man: I thought it was sort of fair, but why no call when Grimes gets knocked down?
I think Grimes landed there but he didn’t push the foot forward, he did jump (mistake) and it was impossible for him to stop the forward motion without injuring himself.
It was a basketball play.
For me the flagrant must be given only for non basketball play (I.e. the infamous Jalen Rose kick in)
Max: I think Grimes landed there but he didn’t push the foot forward, he did jump (mistake) and it was impossible for him to stop the forward motion without injuring himself.
It was a basketball play.
For me the flagrant must be given only for non basketball play (I.e. the infamous Jalen Rose kick in)
The call is consistent with the notion that no matter what your feet can’t be in the shooter’s landing area or it’s an automatic flagrant. Intent or how you got there doesn’t matter.
We could take 5 random Knickerbloggers and we’ll get an open 3pter on every possession vs the Knicks.
My hope here is that Hawks are going all out to just stay in this game and will tire as the game goes on. OTOH it has all the markings of the Delon Wright game.
Watching this game on ESPN with these announcers makes me feel like it’s a road game, instead of at the Garden. Maybe that’s a good thing.
How is lance stephenson only 31
Nice stroke by Obi.
Or the Cam Reddish game…
We’re keeping them too close…
…and thibs subs out topping for Randle! I hat you thibs
Thank goodness Thibs took Obi out. Nine points in 7 minutes just sucks.
Fournier est merde
Did he really took Obi out or I’m having hallucinations?
At least this verson of Julius came to play today…
Randle got his dreads back and remembered how to shoot
I was just going to say… is this Good Julius?
I haven’t thrown anything at the screen yet, so I’m thinking maybe. Certainly explains the 10 point lead…
I feel lucky just to have watched a really nice first quarter on the Knicks’ part.
Fournier rushed a wide open corner three for no reason. Pourquoi?
Since Julius has 14 points on 7 shots and 8 rebs and is a plus 14, I can live with him coming in for minus 4 Obi.
Fournier still sucks finger roll or not
10 point lead-that’s okay
Spending the day at my parents with all my sisters too. All tested and negative. So good to have this family day. 🙂
Merry X-Mas to you all! :))
at least their was intensity out there…
I’d gladly take this version of Randle for the rest of the season. Not All-Star but good enough for us to win games.
How bout Kemba with 8-8-7 in the first half in 21 minutes? Fuck minutes restrictions!
Max and cyber, glad you are enjoying this during normal waking hours!
Z-man:
Max and cyber, glad you are enjoying this during normal waking hours!
Thanks Z-Man!
Randle’s best game in a loooong time,
he can be very useful if he can keep himself in check mentally, he’s even trying on defense…
So they only have to play like this for 49.5 more games, and that 56 is still an possibility!
Just have to go 42-8… bing bong!
Z-man:
Max and cyber, glad you are enjoying this during normal waking hours!
Thanx. But i’m not watching. I’m the only NBA fan in the family, so i’m having to endure a christmas concert. 😛
lots of empty seats at MSG…quarantine/COVID fears?
cybersoze: Thanx. But i’m not watching. I’m the only NBA fan in the family, so i’m having to endure a christmas concert. 😛
oy
cybersoze: Thanx. But i’m not watching. I’m the only NBA fan in the family, so i’m having to endure a christmas concert. 😛
Can’t you get a new family?
We’re entering the
DANGER ZONE.
some…brutal offense and thibs does nothing…
Maybe the ghost of Julius past visited Randle last night and told him to get his shit together
Randle looks like a new man, smiling, fist bumping, helping his teammates stand up after falls and playing in the flow… a dream come true!
Looking forward to swift’s next 500-word post about how this team is 3-2 in its last 5
The team is overly preoccupied with getting Kemba a triple double. Just play the game!
Will they stop leaving the rebounds free for Kemba’s triple double?
He’s showing he’s not going for it this way…
this has last minute scramble win written all over it…
I’ve watched 5 minutes of this game, and, without proper context, it would appear that the only way for humanity to defeat covid is if Kemba Walker gets his 10th rebound.
Oh, phew, he got it. Humanity saved. (Guess I can turn it off now)
baaaaad julius…always just around the corner
Bad Julius, Bad.
Fournier with five rebounds. C’est een-croy-abla.
Bad Julius is still a thing.
Meanwhile Bad Julius shows his ugly head….
He did swap mind control on the bench…
Must win won
c’mon thibbsy…you can do it…put the 2nd unit back in there so we don’t have to watch kemba airballs and julius rope a dope
oh well…never mind
Memo to Randle: Keep the dreads
Fournier watched what could have been his sixth rebound fall to the floor in front of him…
Then he whacked it out of the Hawk’s hand out of bounds…
Obi with the exclamation point
Tyler Hall doesn’t even have a photo on nba .com
Merry Christmas! Hope this is the turnaround for Randle for the rest of the season.
A Christmas miracle! A Knicks win! Lol
In all seriousness, Merry Christmas to all the Knickerbloggers! The posts here have made me laugh, cry, pissed off, and question my sanity. So nothing new here. Cheers!
Mooney with the steal, bad turnover, and missed three. Nice day’s work, buddy.
A win is a win at this point. On the bright side, how’s Grimes looking at #25?
Z-man:
A win is a win at this point. On the bright side, how’s Grimes looking at #25?
i know its a limited sample size but grimes, mcbride and sims…that looks like a trifecta on this yr’s draft…
Completely forgot it was a noon game. Glad they won. I decided to go wander around in the woods. Fresh air and all that. Saw some wildlife and I don’t seem to have any problems with breathing so I think I’m going to be fine.
From what I’m told moving is good for you if you can do it without screwing up your oxygen levels. Just something to keep in mind if/when you deal with this Omicron crap.
They had to win and they won.
First half Julius was nearly perfect and he’s a very good player, let’s hope Good-Julius can wrestle control from Bad-Julius once and for all.
Now please someone remind Thibs he has a deep roster and the duty to take full advantage of it.
Once this covid wave subside,
with Kemba, IQ, Deuce, Barrett, Fournier, Burks, Grimes plus Rose when he’ll come back, he’s covered enough at backcourt and wings, play everyone, and go with the hot hands when the game’s close.
Keep Randle around 30 minutes (he’s better when fresh) and give those in excess minutes to Obi, sprinkle some Rocket-Launcher Knox here and there, rotate the centers (including Sims) and manage fouls trouble.
It’s not rocket science.
bidiong the not so great:
Completely forgot it was a noon game. Glad they won. I decided to go wander around in the woods. Fresh air and all that. Saw some wildlife and I don’t seem to have any problems with breathing so I think I’m going to be fine.
From what I’m told moving is good for you if you can do it without screwing up your oxygen levels. Just something to keep in mind if/when you deal with this Omicron crap.
Grimes looks like a lottery pick. Doubt with his shooting there will be many players better than him when we look back.
Grimes can’t do much inside the arc, but he’s a machine from 3.
Merry Christmas all!
Watched most of game. Best game out of Julius in a long time – not just quick decisions but doing a lot of rolling after the pick, and his defense energy was pretty good.
And… would it be wrong to say the best young wing on the team is not RJ Barrett but Quentin Grimes?
I am very very worried about RJ. I know he’s just coming off COVID but I just don’t know that you can teach touch, and you certainly can’t teach explosiveness. Grimes is just a much better athlete and shooter.
i know i probably shouldn’t share this, but, i have such limited discretion…i absolutely hate the holidays…they’re like any other day – only with more personal activity and engagement required…i got plenty of sick/vacation time, if i need a day off, i’ll take it…
i’m okay with Labor Day…that’s a pretty decent holiday…other than that one though, who the hell actually likes being told when to celebrate, anything…fuck you santa, hallmark and easter bunny…oh, it’s your birthday, good for you, yourself and the other seven and half billion people wandering around having birthdays are so special…
sorry for all that, i hope everyone is having a wonderful day and enjoying themselves…wandering around out in the woods sounds like a beautiful place to be…
And… would it be wrong to say the best young wing on the team is not RJ Barrett but Quentin Grimes?
RJ might be our worst young prospect outside of Sims
KevinR: RJ might be our worst young prospect outside of Sims
Idk, Sims does have a .966 TS%. Tough to beat that.
Very true
I’m going to give RJ a pass for today coming out of H&S protocols. He clearly didn’t do any work on his game or conditioning while he was out or he would have played the first night. So some rust was to be expected, especially from 3. After his jump last year and that short hot streak he had early this season, it looked to me like he was going to break out and become a plus player on both sides this year. I was overflowing with enthusiasm. But I’ve more or less lowered my expectations for now. At this point I just want him to be a plus defender, make some plays, and get some rebounds. I’ll be patient with the development of his right hand, ability to finish, and 3 point consistency. He’s younger than some of our other young players. He’s going to get better.
Happy Holidays Everybody. Impressive 3 point shooting from Julius today. Maybe he should stick with the braids. By the way, dredlocks take years to grow and cannot be done or undone easily.
Man, who do you root against harder later today, Lakers or Nets?
Loved the NBA clothes ad that was on during the game, naming different kinds of fans, and they said “bandwagon fans” while showing someone looking at a Nets uniform…
Maybe he should stick with the braids.
The “braids = Good Julias”/”no-braids = Bad Julius” formula hasn’t been quite as reliable this season as last. I will say this, though: Julius seemed genuinely happy with the response Kemba was getting this time. I think in general his pouting is less about needing to be The Man than about being frustrated with his own play. Though the two are somewhat linked.
All things being equal, when everyone but Rose is back, would you rather Deuce or Grimes get that 10th spot in the rotation? Grimes seems like he fits more kinds of lineups, and his shooting sure opened things up for the offense today, plus IQ and Burks kind of combine to be a solid backup PG. On the other hand, I feel like I trust Deuce to run the offense more than either IQ or Burks at this point.
I like your analysis, Alan. Hard to argue with 47% 3-pt shooting. But I do think Deuce is a real point guard in terms of getting the team into its sets, and eye test says he’s a lock-down defender. I’d argue they both have to play.
Small sample size, but I guess Randle can keep his place in the rotation. For now…
Another Christmas gift…Boston blows a 4th lead and loses. Brown and Tatum are fine players but I don’t see them as leaders. Very mediocre Celtics team.
1 game back of the Celtics & Raptors for a play-in spot. 1.5 from CHA & PHI for a top-2 play-in spot. 2.5 back from WAS for 6th & guaranteed spot.
We aren’t playing well enough to close those gaps right now, but there’s still hope to turn the season around.
That C’s collapse was joyous to watch. OAKAAK Wes Matthews with the big 3’s!
Early Bird:
1 game back of the Celtics & Raptors for a play-in spot. 1.5 from CHA & PHI for a top-2 play-in spot. 2.5 back from WAS for 6th & guaranteed spot.
We aren’t playing well enough to close those gaps right now, but there’s still hope to turn the season around.
The parity right now is ridiculous. In a way, COVID might be a good thing in that it’s flattening records out, making for a more exciting playoff charge…
Intriguing question Alan (or maybe worrisome, knowing our coach…).
I’m in favor to play them both, Grimes could take minutes away from Barrett, Fournier and Burks when they’re ineffective (I loved Grimes in before Burks tonight), Deuce could save Kemba’s knee and sub for IQ when he’s off-target with his shot.
We have a great chance with the next three games, back to back with the depleted Wolves (maybe Edwards can exit the protocol but KAT and Russell aren’t) and the lousy and ravaged Pistons (Grant’s still out with the wrist injury, Cunningham and Stewart in H&S) and then the showdown against the exciting Thunders in OKC.
We need energy, defensive effort and fresh legs, time to exploit every useful resource.
P.S. And who knows with the 4th game, Toronto right now has 12 players in the Injury report, but some can come back from H&S.
Z-man: The parity right now is ridiculous. In a way, COVID might be a good thing in that it’s flattening records out, making for a more exciting playoff charge…
We’re also .5 games back of ATL and 1 game ahead of IND who should make their way into the fray.
Left them out cuz they don’t get us in the playoffs.
Z-man:
That C’s collapse was joyous to watch. OAKAAK Wes Matthews with the big 3’s!
Dang! I turned it off because I thought it was over. Thibs was right about anything being possible.
Thibs biggest problem for deciding lineups/minutes is the depth of this team. There’s just not that much dfference on any given night between the top 13 players. Obviously the default position if to start/play the vets over the young guys, but the talent/efficacy differential is so small that knowing where to draw that line is tough, and even tougher when you consider contracts.
On the other hand, having guys push each other is probably a good thing.
I have a hunch Kemba and Rose wont be healthy often at the same time. I would probably favor Mcbride for that reason. Fournier also usually misses a decent chunk of games every season so minutes for Grimes should be there.
Thibs isn’t going to play 11 guys regularly. And for now, at least, he’s not going to bench RJ or Evan. I’m sure both rookies will get opportunities thanks to injuries and COVID, but at the moment the calculus is two guys for one slot. You have to pick one or the other. Them’s the rules.
I’d rather have Deuce at the point right now. Burks and IQ are good, but I don’t really trust them with Rose out to run the offense. Having a PG makes too much of a difference.
Also, Deuce’s defense is on another level imo. Grimes looks good on defense, but Deuce is everywhere.
Alan:
Thibs isn’t going to play 11 guys regularly. And for now, at least, he’s not going to bench RJ or Evan. I’m sure both rookies will get opportunities thanks to injuries and COVID, but at the moment the calculus is two guys for one slot. You have to pick one or the other. Them’s the rules.
Yeah, and that’s the dilemma. It’s possible that the rookies give him a better chance to win.
maybe the team is ready to go on a nice 10 – 15 game stretch, play well, grind out some wins, put some teams away earlier…more play from obi, grimes, sims and deuce…
or, maybe they’re just playing lucy with the football…
good game from randle, seemed he held the ball in his hands for much shorter periods of time, shoot, penetrate or pass…was really good to see him go 6 for 9 from 3…i sometimes forget julius is only 27, he’s big, and he kinda looks 30 already…
i’d say we have a lot better chance of winning though with kemba, rose and taj “leading” the group…hopefully one of these young guys can both play well and lead…
Alan, if you’re gonna pressure me — Deuce. We have a great bucket-load of mid-sized wings who can shoot the three and make rookie mistakes. What we don’t have is a lock-down point guard that can deal with the Traes of the world.
It’d make me sad, though.
Deuce breaking out is one of the ways I could see the team really turning it around this season.
Raven:
Alan, if you’re gonna pressure me — Deuce. We have a great bucket-load of mid-sized wings who can shoot the three and make rookie mistakes. What we don’t have is a lock-down point guard that can deal with the Traes of the world.
It’d make me sad, though.
That’s exactly my point. Barring injury, it just doesn’t seem possible that both Deuce and Grimew will get anything but situational minutes. And yet they’ve both shown enough that they might be considered valuable trade chips in a deal for a “difference maker.”
That’s where Brock Aller comes in. He has to be able to convince Leon that both of those guys look like will give tremendous value beyond their rookie deals for the next 3 years. I think we’ve seen enough to conclude that their floors are “NBA rotation player.” I wouldn’t deal them until I had a better idea what their ceiling was. To tell the truth, I might feel better about trading RJ and IQ right now…too early to tell, but I’d like more data on that.
i really love tuesdays and thursdays…sunday used to be my favorite day of the week, but it’s tuesdays and thursdays now…
nothing usually very special about a tuesday or thursday (minus the election/thanksgiving stuff)…normally just another day of the week…perhaps a two for tuesday on some rock station, taco thursday at a food place close by…
just days…sun rises, time flows, sun sets…
the last couple of years, if i take a randomish day off – it’s gonna be on a tuesday or thursday…easy to get a lot done, or get nothing done, on just another day…
One thing to say is that this FO didnt draft RJ so we dont know exactly how they feel about him. Would try and trade him before the 3rd pick young potential star label starts to wear off.
The Suns and Warriors are so good, it’s like watching a different sport than the one the Knicks play.
Wish we signed Otto Porter
Very impressing performance for the Warriors.
Winning in Phoenix against a full roster Suns, with Gary Payton II, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Chris Chiozza playing 50 minutes combined and Otto Porter hitting all the clutch shots?
Not for everyone.
I’d pick Deuce for the extra rotation minutes. We will need his ball handling as Rose and Walker rotate in and out of the infirmary. Grimes is kind of redundant with the rest of our sg’s and there’s no way E-4 is going to sit. Barring injuries or a trade, I just don’t see Grimes playing much until next year.
I kind of like Jalen Johnson’s game.
The Deuce/Grimes question is a good one. I would probably lean Deuce by a hair because if we keep playing Kemba 40 minutes a game within a few weeks he won’t have knees anymore.
I’m not a huge fan of the Quickley at point guard lineups (not to mention the Burks at point guard lineups, blech), so I think Deuce being the full-time back up with Quickley playing SG on the same unit is the way to go.
Having said that, I’m gonna cheat a bit and say I really would like Grimes to absorb some minutes from RJ and Burks. Ideally we’d go with a hot hand approach of sorts between those three, but realistically RJ and Burks will both be prioritized over Grimes. That’s fair, but I hope Thibs is willing to go to Grimes when one or both of those guys is having a particularly off night (especially RJ, as those off nights tend to be off by a lot).
fizdale…scratching his head…can’t figure out what the hell is going on…
thenoblefacehumper:
The Deuce/Grimes question is a good one. I would probably lean Deuce by a hair because if we keep playing Kemba 40 minutes a game within a few weeks he won’t have knees anymore.
I’m not a huge fan of the Quickley at point guard lineups (not to mention the Burks at point guard lineups, blech), so I think Deuce being the full-time back up with Quickley playing SG on the same unit is the way to go.
Having said that, I’m gonna cheat a bit and say I really would like Grimes to absorb some minutes from RJ and Burks. Ideally we’d go with a hot hand approach of sorts between those three, but realistically RJ and Burks will both be prioritized over Grimes. That’s fair, but I hope Thibs is willing to go to Grimes when one or both of those guys is having a particularly off night (especially RJ, as those off nights tend to be off by a lot).
Yeah, that’s pretty much where I am. Maybe someone will tweak something and both of these guys will get a chance to show what they can really do. I’m just not as excited about RJ’s prospects right now, maybe that changes but right now that’s just how it is. And Evan just doesn’t seem like a piece going forward. But whatever, Thibs is gonna Thibs.
So I watched most of the Warriors-Suns game, and I’m thinking how is it that every player (not just Paul and Curry) knows how to make the extra pass? Both teams are almost impossible to defend, the ball is always moving, they always find the best shot.
Is it coaching? If Monte Williams or Steve Kerr was our coach, would we suddenly have a fluid offense?
As Strat said above, this was a different sport than the one the Knicks play.
whoever posted today or yesterday that we should trade for westbrook….well…put down the egg nog…
d-mar: Is it coaching? If Monte Williams or Steve Kerr was our coach, would we suddenly have a fluid offense?
I’m sure the Knicks offense would look differently if one of those guys (and many others) was coaching us. But at some point your offense is limited by the players you have. I mean, the offense looks better when the 2nd unit is in….same coach. But it’s certaibly a fair question, and even if the results were the same, it’s so much mor fun to watch when the ball moves.
I’m as hopeful as anyone about Grimes and McBride, but don’t think we should get too carried away off a couple of good games. Almost all young players have stretches where they look better than the level they can sustain. Both will probably continue playing good defense, but we won’t know much about the rest for another 20 games or so where they get significant minutes.
Grimes is a natural shooter. He’s not going to lose that skill.
Happy Holidays to all of you! We even got a Knicks Christmas present today.
I think Grimes defense has actually been a little worse than expected but hes a rookie with good fundamentals so he should be fine. Miles on the other hand looks really advanced but its still too early to tell for both of them.
My guess is that even the best defensive rookies have a steep learning curve, there’ so many things that can only be learned from experience. So Grimes and McBride will not be defensive stoppers by any stretch. They’ll commit dumb fouls, bite on fakes, get duped out of position, go overor under screens at the wrong time, play to far up on or too far off of guys, switch vs not switch, hedge a half-step to close or too far, etc. But they seem to have the makings of plus defenders, especially McBride. He looks very disruptive at point of attack, gets extremely low and wide, moves incredibly well laterally, and has great strength for his size.
Grimes has a great looking release on his jumper, you kind of feel it’s going in every time. Compared to RJ’s ugly release, it’s a thing of beauty.
Patty Mills is carving up the Lakers…
Nets just opened up an eighteen point lead on the Lakers. I know the Nets are our rival, but it feels good anyway
pepper:
whoever posted today or yesterday that we should trade for westbrook….well…put down the egg nog…
What, he’s got a triple double already! He’s fantastic!
I bet the Lakers are kicking themselves over not picking up Langston…
but he’s like a minus 32…
Jeez, Harden just elbowed Tucker in the groin incredibly hard for seemingly no reason.
13 points on 18 shots is VERY hard to do. As is shooting 22%. You don’t give him enough credit for being… different.
certainly…he’s leading this rally from the bench…he’s speshal
Melo’s carrying the Lakers right now.
Last 5 games Mitch is 23 for 25 from the field
Oof they gotta take Westbrook out here, he’s killing them.
OMG Lakers!
Damn, LeBron is still a beast.
westbrook put the cherry on the top
Patty Mills is da gawd
I almost feel bad for Lebron
Russ with a robust 13 points on 20 shots
fuck lebron…I feel embarrassed for westbrook…he’s horrible now..
Saw someone on twitter the other day proposing Westbrook for Simmons AND Seth Curry.
Not only would I not do it for either one of those guys, I wouldn’t take him straight up unless 1-2 firsts were attached (depending on his contract length). LAL with one of the dumbest trades I’ve ever seen trying to get him.
Guy on twitter insisted he’s still good and not the problem there, lol
I saw another guy advocating for Fizdale to take over as head coach there. He wanted to bet me $100 they’d make the playoffs, fuck yeah I’d do it. Never heard from him again.
Westbrook is bad Randle on steroids. More triple doubles, more dumb shots.
Early Bird:
Westbrook is bad Randle on steroids. More triple doubles, more dumb shots.
I guess with Westbrook you pay more and you get more.
Westbrook is going to make $47M next year. If he hit the open market instead, what do you think he’d get? The MLE?
LeBron was plus 9 in 40 minutes and Russ was -23 in 37 minutes. How is that even possible?
163 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: Some of the Knicks vs. A few of the Hawks”
Merry Christmas to all the KBloggers!
And Let’s Go Knicks!*
* If they lose this game they’ll better forfait all the rest of their schedule…
Julius Scandal my fav new nickname for him
Randle …already.. assuming the position
So far so good-they even tried to post up Mitch (it didn’t work but it’s the thought that counts)
It’s all good till the 3rd
Merry Christmas!
Great start. Welcome back RJ. The Knicks are almost back to full strength.
Never missing a good strategy, we should have tried this earlier
Need another foul on Julius
mitch is impacting alot of shots
welcome back Grimes
spoiler alert….Randle and Fournier….still suck
Mitch can apparently play 11 minutes before he runs out of gas and starts taking 15 seconds to run from basket to basket
Dickheads refs, this flagrant is a joke, they made a travesty of the rule.
I thought it was sort of fair, but why no call when Grimes gets knocked down?
The Knicks blowing out the Hawks like they should would be a Festivus miracle.
Grimes is helping on offense and hurting on defense.
Merry Christmas from thibs means 48 mins of Randle island
I’m not giving up on RJ.
Happy Holidays Y’all!
Fournier with three rebounds already. It’s a Xmas miracle…
Randle is full of energy today but can’t make a free throw.
I think Grimes landed there but he didn’t push the foot forward, he did jump (mistake) and it was impossible for him to stop the forward motion without injuring himself.
It was a basketball play.
For me the flagrant must be given only for non basketball play (I.e. the infamous Jalen Rose kick in)
The call is consistent with the notion that no matter what your feet can’t be in the shooter’s landing area or it’s an automatic flagrant. Intent or how you got there doesn’t matter.
We could take 5 random Knickerbloggers and we’ll get an open 3pter on every possession vs the Knicks.
My hope here is that Hawks are going all out to just stay in this game and will tire as the game goes on. OTOH it has all the markings of the Delon Wright game.
Watching this game on ESPN with these announcers makes me feel like it’s a road game, instead of at the Garden. Maybe that’s a good thing.
How is lance stephenson only 31
Nice stroke by Obi.
Or the Cam Reddish game…
We’re keeping them too close…
…and thibs subs out topping for Randle! I hat you thibs
Thank goodness Thibs took Obi out. Nine points in 7 minutes just sucks.
Fournier est merde
Did he really took Obi out or I’m having hallucinations?
At least this verson of Julius came to play today…
Randle got his dreads back and remembered how to shoot
I was just going to say… is this Good Julius?
I haven’t thrown anything at the screen yet, so I’m thinking maybe. Certainly explains the 10 point lead…
I feel lucky just to have watched a really nice first quarter on the Knicks’ part.
Fournier rushed a wide open corner three for no reason. Pourquoi?
Since Julius has 14 points on 7 shots and 8 rebs and is a plus 14, I can live with him coming in for minus 4 Obi.
Fournier still sucks finger roll or not
10 point lead-that’s okay
Spending the day at my parents with all my sisters too. All tested and negative. So good to have this family day. 🙂
Merry X-Mas to you all! :))
at least their was intensity out there…
I’d gladly take this version of Randle for the rest of the season. Not All-Star but good enough for us to win games.
How bout Kemba with 8-8-7 in the first half in 21 minutes? Fuck minutes restrictions!
Max and cyber, glad you are enjoying this during normal waking hours!
Thanks Z-Man!
Randle’s best game in a loooong time,
he can be very useful if he can keep himself in check mentally, he’s even trying on defense…
So they only have to play like this for 49.5 more games, and that 56 is still an possibility!
Just have to go 42-8… bing bong!
Thanx. But i’m not watching. I’m the only NBA fan in the family, so i’m having to endure a christmas concert. 😛
lots of empty seats at MSG…quarantine/COVID fears?
oy
Can’t you get a new family?
We’re entering the
DANGER ZONE.
some…brutal offense and thibs does nothing…
Maybe the ghost of Julius past visited Randle last night and told him to get his shit together
Randle looks like a new man, smiling, fist bumping, helping his teammates stand up after falls and playing in the flow… a dream come true!
Last game boos have made the miracle?
Kemba is playing great and making Julius better.
I wouldn’t do that!!
(Cyber quietly opens Ebay)
LOLOL
Grimes has such a quick release.
grimes is ready for prime time
Braided Julius MVP level
Every time RJ puts up one of those spinning bricks I lose a little bit of my Christmas spirit
Having Kemba initiate the offense as opposed to Randle or Burks makes a big positive difference.
Randle did have two straight Bad Julius plays there. Good opportunity for some Obi Time (I only wish Thibs made the switch as a warning to Julius…).
I’ll say this for RJ, he doesn’t protect his FG% by avoiding end of the clock prayers.
Grimes all day long.
Randle is good again? That’s great news.
refs trying to make this close
Looking forward to swift’s next 500-word post about how this team is 3-2 in its last 5
The team is overly preoccupied with getting Kemba a triple double. Just play the game!
Will they stop leaving the rebounds free for Kemba’s triple double?
He’s showing he’s not going for it this way…
this has last minute scramble win written all over it…
I’ve watched 5 minutes of this game, and, without proper context, it would appear that the only way for humanity to defeat covid is if Kemba Walker gets his 10th rebound.
Oh, phew, he got it. Humanity saved. (Guess I can turn it off now)
baaaaad julius…always just around the corner
Bad Julius, Bad.
Fournier with five rebounds. C’est een-croy-abla.
Bad Julius is still a thing.
Meanwhile Bad Julius shows his ugly head….
He did swap mind control on the bench…
Must win won
c’mon thibbsy…you can do it…put the 2nd unit back in there so we don’t have to watch kemba airballs and julius rope a dope
oh well…never mind
Memo to Randle: Keep the dreads
Fournier watched what could have been his sixth rebound fall to the floor in front of him…
Then he whacked it out of the Hawk’s hand out of bounds…
Obi with the exclamation point
Tyler Hall doesn’t even have a photo on nba .com
Merry Christmas! Hope this is the turnaround for Randle for the rest of the season.
A Christmas miracle! A Knicks win! Lol
In all seriousness, Merry Christmas to all the Knickerbloggers! The posts here have made me laugh, cry, pissed off, and question my sanity. So nothing new here. Cheers!
Mooney with the steal, bad turnover, and missed three. Nice day’s work, buddy.
A win is a win at this point. On the bright side, how’s Grimes looking at #25?
i know its a limited sample size but grimes, mcbride and sims…that looks like a trifecta on this yr’s draft…
Completely forgot it was a noon game. Glad they won. I decided to go wander around in the woods. Fresh air and all that. Saw some wildlife and I don’t seem to have any problems with breathing so I think I’m going to be fine.
From what I’m told moving is good for you if you can do it without screwing up your oxygen levels. Just something to keep in mind if/when you deal with this Omicron crap.
They had to win and they won.
First half Julius was nearly perfect and he’s a very good player, let’s hope Good-Julius can wrestle control from Bad-Julius once and for all.
Now please someone remind Thibs he has a deep roster and the duty to take full advantage of it.
Once this covid wave subside,
with Kemba, IQ, Deuce, Barrett, Fournier, Burks, Grimes plus Rose when he’ll come back, he’s covered enough at backcourt and wings, play everyone, and go with the hot hands when the game’s close.
Keep Randle around 30 minutes (he’s better when fresh) and give those in excess minutes to Obi, sprinkle some Rocket-Launcher Knox here and there, rotate the centers (including Sims) and manage fouls trouble.
It’s not rocket science.
Nice to hear you’re feeling better Bidiong!
Sell high on Randle
We need another Christmas to fulfill that wish…
😉
Grimes looks like a lottery pick. Doubt with his shooting there will be many players better than him when we look back.
Grimes can’t do much inside the arc, but he’s a machine from 3.
Merry Christmas all!
Watched most of game. Best game out of Julius in a long time – not just quick decisions but doing a lot of rolling after the pick, and his defense energy was pretty good.
And… would it be wrong to say the best young wing on the team is not RJ Barrett but Quentin Grimes?
I am very very worried about RJ. I know he’s just coming off COVID but I just don’t know that you can teach touch, and you certainly can’t teach explosiveness. Grimes is just a much better athlete and shooter.
i know i probably shouldn’t share this, but, i have such limited discretion…i absolutely hate the holidays…they’re like any other day – only with more personal activity and engagement required…i got plenty of sick/vacation time, if i need a day off, i’ll take it…
i’m okay with Labor Day…that’s a pretty decent holiday…other than that one though, who the hell actually likes being told when to celebrate, anything…fuck you santa, hallmark and easter bunny…oh, it’s your birthday, good for you, yourself and the other seven and half billion people wandering around having birthdays are so special…
sorry for all that, i hope everyone is having a wonderful day and enjoying themselves…wandering around out in the woods sounds like a beautiful place to be…
RJ might be our worst young prospect outside of Sims
Idk, Sims does have a .966 TS%. Tough to beat that.
Very true
I’m going to give RJ a pass for today coming out of H&S protocols. He clearly didn’t do any work on his game or conditioning while he was out or he would have played the first night. So some rust was to be expected, especially from 3. After his jump last year and that short hot streak he had early this season, it looked to me like he was going to break out and become a plus player on both sides this year. I was overflowing with enthusiasm. But I’ve more or less lowered my expectations for now. At this point I just want him to be a plus defender, make some plays, and get some rebounds. I’ll be patient with the development of his right hand, ability to finish, and 3 point consistency. He’s younger than some of our other young players. He’s going to get better.
Happy Holidays Everybody. Impressive 3 point shooting from Julius today. Maybe he should stick with the braids. By the way, dredlocks take years to grow and cannot be done or undone easily.
Man, who do you root against harder later today, Lakers or Nets?
Loved the NBA clothes ad that was on during the game, naming different kinds of fans, and they said “bandwagon fans” while showing someone looking at a Nets uniform…
The “braids = Good Julias”/”no-braids = Bad Julius” formula hasn’t been quite as reliable this season as last. I will say this, though: Julius seemed genuinely happy with the response Kemba was getting this time. I think in general his pouting is less about needing to be The Man than about being frustrated with his own play. Though the two are somewhat linked.
All things being equal, when everyone but Rose is back, would you rather Deuce or Grimes get that 10th spot in the rotation? Grimes seems like he fits more kinds of lineups, and his shooting sure opened things up for the offense today, plus IQ and Burks kind of combine to be a solid backup PG. On the other hand, I feel like I trust Deuce to run the offense more than either IQ or Burks at this point.
I like your analysis, Alan. Hard to argue with 47% 3-pt shooting. But I do think Deuce is a real point guard in terms of getting the team into its sets, and eye test says he’s a lock-down defender. I’d argue they both have to play.
Small sample size, but I guess Randle can keep his place in the rotation. For now…
Another Christmas gift…Boston blows a 4th lead and loses. Brown and Tatum are fine players but I don’t see them as leaders. Very mediocre Celtics team.
1 game back of the Celtics & Raptors for a play-in spot. 1.5 from CHA & PHI for a top-2 play-in spot. 2.5 back from WAS for 6th & guaranteed spot.
We aren’t playing well enough to close those gaps right now, but there’s still hope to turn the season around.
That C’s collapse was joyous to watch. OAKAAK Wes Matthews with the big 3’s!
The parity right now is ridiculous. In a way, COVID might be a good thing in that it’s flattening records out, making for a more exciting playoff charge…
Intriguing question Alan (or maybe worrisome, knowing our coach…).
I’m in favor to play them both, Grimes could take minutes away from Barrett, Fournier and Burks when they’re ineffective (I loved Grimes in before Burks tonight), Deuce could save Kemba’s knee and sub for IQ when he’s off-target with his shot.
We have a great chance with the next three games, back to back with the depleted Wolves (maybe Edwards can exit the protocol but KAT and Russell aren’t) and the lousy and ravaged Pistons (Grant’s still out with the wrist injury, Cunningham and Stewart in H&S) and then the showdown against the exciting Thunders in OKC.
We need energy, defensive effort and fresh legs, time to exploit every useful resource.
P.S. And who knows with the 4th game, Toronto right now has 12 players in the Injury report, but some can come back from H&S.
We’re also .5 games back of ATL and 1 game ahead of IND who should make their way into the fray.
Left them out cuz they don’t get us in the playoffs.
Dang! I turned it off because I thought it was over. Thibs was right about anything being possible.
Thibs biggest problem for deciding lineups/minutes is the depth of this team. There’s just not that much dfference on any given night between the top 13 players. Obviously the default position if to start/play the vets over the young guys, but the talent/efficacy differential is so small that knowing where to draw that line is tough, and even tougher when you consider contracts.
On the other hand, having guys push each other is probably a good thing.
I have a hunch Kemba and Rose wont be healthy often at the same time. I would probably favor Mcbride for that reason. Fournier also usually misses a decent chunk of games every season so minutes for Grimes should be there.
Thibs isn’t going to play 11 guys regularly. And for now, at least, he’s not going to bench RJ or Evan. I’m sure both rookies will get opportunities thanks to injuries and COVID, but at the moment the calculus is two guys for one slot. You have to pick one or the other. Them’s the rules.
I’d rather have Deuce at the point right now. Burks and IQ are good, but I don’t really trust them with Rose out to run the offense. Having a PG makes too much of a difference.
Also, Deuce’s defense is on another level imo. Grimes looks good on defense, but Deuce is everywhere.
Yeah, and that’s the dilemma. It’s possible that the rookies give him a better chance to win.
mitch looked good today, didn’t realize though he had five blocks…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0zjiyhL3n8
maybe the team is ready to go on a nice 10 – 15 game stretch, play well, grind out some wins, put some teams away earlier…more play from obi, grimes, sims and deuce…
or, maybe they’re just playing lucy with the football…
good game from randle, seemed he held the ball in his hands for much shorter periods of time, shoot, penetrate or pass…was really good to see him go 6 for 9 from 3…i sometimes forget julius is only 27, he’s big, and he kinda looks 30 already…
i’d say we have a lot better chance of winning though with kemba, rose and taj “leading” the group…hopefully one of these young guys can both play well and lead…
Alan, if you’re gonna pressure me — Deuce. We have a great bucket-load of mid-sized wings who can shoot the three and make rookie mistakes. What we don’t have is a lock-down point guard that can deal with the Traes of the world.
It’d make me sad, though.
Deuce breaking out is one of the ways I could see the team really turning it around this season.
That’s exactly my point. Barring injury, it just doesn’t seem possible that both Deuce and Grimew will get anything but situational minutes. And yet they’ve both shown enough that they might be considered valuable trade chips in a deal for a “difference maker.”
That’s where Brock Aller comes in. He has to be able to convince Leon that both of those guys look like will give tremendous value beyond their rookie deals for the next 3 years. I think we’ve seen enough to conclude that their floors are “NBA rotation player.” I wouldn’t deal them until I had a better idea what their ceiling was. To tell the truth, I might feel better about trading RJ and IQ right now…too early to tell, but I’d like more data on that.
i really love tuesdays and thursdays…sunday used to be my favorite day of the week, but it’s tuesdays and thursdays now…
nothing usually very special about a tuesday or thursday (minus the election/thanksgiving stuff)…normally just another day of the week…perhaps a two for tuesday on some rock station, taco thursday at a food place close by…
just days…sun rises, time flows, sun sets…
the last couple of years, if i take a randomish day off – it’s gonna be on a tuesday or thursday…easy to get a lot done, or get nothing done, on just another day…
One thing to say is that this FO didnt draft RJ so we dont know exactly how they feel about him. Would try and trade him before the 3rd pick young potential star label starts to wear off.
The Suns and Warriors are so good, it’s like watching a different sport than the one the Knicks play.
Wish we signed Otto Porter
Very impressing performance for the Warriors.
Winning in Phoenix against a full roster Suns, with Gary Payton II, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Chris Chiozza playing 50 minutes combined and Otto Porter hitting all the clutch shots?
Not for everyone.
I’d pick Deuce for the extra rotation minutes. We will need his ball handling as Rose and Walker rotate in and out of the infirmary. Grimes is kind of redundant with the rest of our sg’s and there’s no way E-4 is going to sit. Barring injuries or a trade, I just don’t see Grimes playing much until next year.
I kind of like Jalen Johnson’s game.
The Deuce/Grimes question is a good one. I would probably lean Deuce by a hair because if we keep playing Kemba 40 minutes a game within a few weeks he won’t have knees anymore.
I’m not a huge fan of the Quickley at point guard lineups (not to mention the Burks at point guard lineups, blech), so I think Deuce being the full-time back up with Quickley playing SG on the same unit is the way to go.
Having said that, I’m gonna cheat a bit and say I really would like Grimes to absorb some minutes from RJ and Burks. Ideally we’d go with a hot hand approach of sorts between those three, but realistically RJ and Burks will both be prioritized over Grimes. That’s fair, but I hope Thibs is willing to go to Grimes when one or both of those guys is having a particularly off night (especially RJ, as those off nights tend to be off by a lot).
fizdale…scratching his head…can’t figure out what the hell is going on…
Yeah, that’s pretty much where I am. Maybe someone will tweak something and both of these guys will get a chance to show what they can really do. I’m just not as excited about RJ’s prospects right now, maybe that changes but right now that’s just how it is. And Evan just doesn’t seem like a piece going forward. But whatever, Thibs is gonna Thibs.
So I watched most of the Warriors-Suns game, and I’m thinking how is it that every player (not just Paul and Curry) knows how to make the extra pass? Both teams are almost impossible to defend, the ball is always moving, they always find the best shot.
Is it coaching? If Monte Williams or Steve Kerr was our coach, would we suddenly have a fluid offense?
As Strat said above, this was a different sport than the one the Knicks play.
whoever posted today or yesterday that we should trade for westbrook….well…put down the egg nog…
I’m sure the Knicks offense would look differently if one of those guys (and many others) was coaching us. But at some point your offense is limited by the players you have. I mean, the offense looks better when the 2nd unit is in….same coach. But it’s certaibly a fair question, and even if the results were the same, it’s so much mor fun to watch when the ball moves.
I’m as hopeful as anyone about Grimes and McBride, but don’t think we should get too carried away off a couple of good games. Almost all young players have stretches where they look better than the level they can sustain. Both will probably continue playing good defense, but we won’t know much about the rest for another 20 games or so where they get significant minutes.
Grimes is a natural shooter. He’s not going to lose that skill.
Happy Holidays to all of you! We even got a Knicks Christmas present today.
I think Grimes defense has actually been a little worse than expected but hes a rookie with good fundamentals so he should be fine. Miles on the other hand looks really advanced but its still too early to tell for both of them.
My guess is that even the best defensive rookies have a steep learning curve, there’ so many things that can only be learned from experience. So Grimes and McBride will not be defensive stoppers by any stretch. They’ll commit dumb fouls, bite on fakes, get duped out of position, go overor under screens at the wrong time, play to far up on or too far off of guys, switch vs not switch, hedge a half-step to close or too far, etc. But they seem to have the makings of plus defenders, especially McBride. He looks very disruptive at point of attack, gets extremely low and wide, moves incredibly well laterally, and has great strength for his size.
Grimes has a great looking release on his jumper, you kind of feel it’s going in every time. Compared to RJ’s ugly release, it’s a thing of beauty.
Patty Mills is carving up the Lakers…
Nets just opened up an eighteen point lead on the Lakers. I know the Nets are our rival, but it feels good anyway
What, he’s got a triple double already! He’s fantastic!
I bet the Lakers are kicking themselves over not picking up Langston…
but he’s like a minus 32…
Jeez, Harden just elbowed Tucker in the groin incredibly hard for seemingly no reason.
13 points on 18 shots is VERY hard to do. As is shooting 22%. You don’t give him enough credit for being… different.
certainly…he’s leading this rally from the bench…he’s speshal
Melo’s carrying the Lakers right now.
Last 5 games Mitch is 23 for 25 from the field
Oof they gotta take Westbrook out here, he’s killing them.
OMG Lakers!
Damn, LeBron is still a beast.
westbrook put the cherry on the top
Patty Mills is da gawd
I almost feel bad for Lebron
Russ with a robust 13 points on 20 shots
fuck lebron…I feel embarrassed for westbrook…he’s horrible now..
Saw someone on twitter the other day proposing Westbrook for Simmons AND Seth Curry.
Not only would I not do it for either one of those guys, I wouldn’t take him straight up unless 1-2 firsts were attached (depending on his contract length). LAL with one of the dumbest trades I’ve ever seen trying to get him.
Guy on twitter insisted he’s still good and not the problem there, lol
I saw another guy advocating for Fizdale to take over as head coach there. He wanted to bet me $100 they’d make the playoffs, fuck yeah I’d do it. Never heard from him again.
Westbrook is bad Randle on steroids. More triple doubles, more dumb shots.
I guess with Westbrook you pay more and you get more.
Westbrook is going to make $47M next year. If he hit the open market instead, what do you think he’d get? The MLE?
LeBron was plus 9 in 40 minutes and Russ was -23 in 37 minutes. How is that even possible?