Comments on: Knicks Morning News (2022.11.19)

By: Knick fan not in NJ

Knick fan not in NJ — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 14:08:34 +0000

I agree with everyone about RJ. And I’ve always been one to give players a lot of time to develop

By: Owen

Owen — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 13:05:55 +0000

I think D’Angelo has always been terribly overrated. He had one good season maybe but overall he’s been just ok in my book and not a true difference maker.

It seems we all agree RJ is in very dangerous waters.

By: Knick fan not in NJ

Knick fan not in NJ — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 10:53:16 +0000

You guys remember the Wiggins Russell trade differently than I do. I remember thinking at the time that Golden State made out like a bandit. They traded an inefficient player that didn’t fit their roster for a player who was useful and a perfect fit for their roster even though overpaid. And they received a great draft pick as part of the bargain. At no time did I feel like Russell was the good player in the deal and Minnesota was getting something nice.

By: ess-dog

ess-dog — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 05:56:28 +0000

As much as I wanted to come here and bash RJ some more, these posts got me thinking about what an unbelievably terrible job this team has done of building around RJ.

Look at Wiggins, for instance, who most here see as RJ’s closest comp. Once Wiggins finally got on a team that didn’t clog the lane with a paint-bound center and could surround him with plenty of outside shooters, he blossomed.

Now imagine RJ in a lineup with Brunson, Grimes, Cam, and Obi at center…

By: Z--man

Z--man — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 05:44:16 +0000

Since we beat UTA, they beat the Suns at home and the Blazers on the road. They have the best record in the WC and their only home loss is to us.

By: Z--man

Z--man — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 05:39:12 +0000

I think that as far as RJ becoming a *star* is concerned, it’s fair to conclude that that ship has sailed.

Put differently, it’s a pretty good bet that he will never be a “bargain” on his current contract.

But can he play somewhere in the vicinity of his contract? Next year he’ll be making $23.8M, then it escalates from there, probably at around the same percentage of the cap. His play this year is a long way from even the $10M he’s getting paid, much less the post-extension figures. All I care about at this time is whether he can close that gap. Anything above that is gravy, and I surely wouldn’t bet on it. But I do think he has a reasonable chance to close that gap if managed correctly. That’s not happening right now.

By: Z--man

Z--man — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 05:11:22 +0000

“Russell isn’t and has never been “very good.” He put up some gaudy counting stats one year but that’s about it.”

This is patently false. In his BKN year when he was an all-star, he had a BPM of 3.4, which was 27th in the NBA and 9th among starting PGs. He was very good that season, and continued to be very good with GSW before he was traded. And he was 22-23 years old at that time. So beyond being very good then, there was a widely held perception (even here at KB) that he would continue to improve and that MIN made a nice trade to unload Wiggins.

He obviously has not lived up to that promise, but there is no need to distort who he was and how he was perceived at the time of that trade to make a point.

By: KBA: 44 or more

KBA: 44 or more — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 04:50:55 +0000

“The bucket of guys who couldn’t surpass average nba numbers after 7200 minute doesn’t have a lot of future stars.”

Totally agree on this, and it is worrying about RJ — for sure.

By: Owen

Owen — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 04:46:55 +0000

I was just trying to make the point that there are a number of buckets that very good and great player comes from.

The bucket of guys who couldn’t surpass average nba numbers after 7200 minute doesn’t have a lot of future stars.

Russell isn’t and has never been “very good.” He put up some gaudy counting stats one year but that’s about it.

By: Z--man

Z--man — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 04:38:34 +0000

“Z-man – D’Angelo Russell is a good player?”

At the time he was traded he was viewed very positively, as a player that was finally making “the leap” that TNFH alluded to. He made the all-star team in BKN before being part of a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant, then played well (2.6 BPM) for GSW before being traded for Wiggins and a #1 pick. So yes, at that time he was considered to be a very good player on the rise.