Knicks Morning News (2022.11.08)

Here were my impressions of the game:
-The main reasons we won were that a) Randle was unconscious from 3 and b) KAT is, as Kobe would have put it, softer than Charmin.

On the latter point, KAT had both NYK C’s in foul trouble all night and should have been demanding the ball and going to the hole until he fouled them out, then feasted on Randle and Obi. Instead, he took 12 fucking shots. TWELVE!!

On the former point, obviously the game plan wasn’t specifically for Randle to take 13 of his 15 shots from 3. But he came out firing and was feeling it, so like any “star” he just rode that wave. The main takeaway is that he only took 15 shots, which was part of a balanced shot distribution. The turnovers and defensive lapses were annoying, but the Randle we’ve seen thus far this year is a mentally healthier version than what we saw last year. He’s still annoying in many ways but at least the fog seems to be lifted.

I thought RJ had a nice game overall, he hit some backbreaking shots and minimized the TOs.

Brunson…man, what more could you ask for at that price?

Obi really used his length well on D, maybe the best defensive showing I’ve seen from him thus far. He’s making Thibs reconsider “the numbers” that he scoffed at going into the season.

Hart is very good in so many ways, but he commits some ridiculously dumb fouls that could have made the difference in the game if it weren’t for a) and b) above.

I have an irrational love for Sims. Maybe when I squint he reminds me of one of my faves from the ’70’s, Wes Unseld…the way he goes for rebounds and power-snatches them with two hands, the way his facial expression never changes…

IQ’s D is really good…I described him as a live wire, he is very pesky on the ball, in passing lanes, helping…and 9 points on 6 shots is encouraging.

Cam’s stats don’t paint a great picture, but he was very active defensively.

Rose looked like he was shooting one of those weighted training balls.

RIP Evan

https://www.canishoopus.com/2022/11/8/23446287/knicks-120-wolves-107-thibs-returns-and-randle-shoots-the-lights-out

Reading this piece in the Wolves’ blog sounds like what you hear right before a coach is fired.

The main thing for me is that all of our players seem to be increasing their market value. Having 11 rotation-level players…12 if you count Sims…is not healthy. Fournier is the obvious guy. But beyond that, has Cam made himself valuable enough to keep? You could probably get at least something for him….but as a situational cog, we don’t really have anything duplicative there (long, switchable defensive wing.)

A short-sighted move would be something like Fournier and Cam for Crowder…

Another wondering…is the Obi-Randle success and Sims potential making Mitch expendable? I know folks were bent out of shape at the prospect of losing him for nothing, but if we could get something good back for him, say a protected first, an expiring contract, and a young 3-and-D wing…would anyone be interested in that? I love Mitch but he does come with some constraints…

As long as it’s a place where the senior discount applies (i.e. the young guys buy my drinks) I’m in.

If you look at Brunson’s highlights from the Dallas-Utah series, he didn’t seem all that bothered by Gobert.

That said, Thibs is marginalizing Fournier and Rose. So Mitch, RJ, Cam, IQ, Obi, and Hart are all mainstays in the rotation, and Grimes will likely join them. He’s both developing and playing the kids. That characterization of Thibs simply does not apply.