[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 7:15:13 AM
Knicks’ RJ Barrett: Excels with huge second half CBS Sports
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 7:00:51 AM
NY Jets news: Aaron Rodgers attends Knicks game, Quinnen Williams extension The Jet Press
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 5:30:00 AM
7ft Knicks Star Walks Out of Lakers Game $700,000 Richer After Locking up Anthony Davis, as per Reports EssentiallySports
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 5:30:00 AM
NBA power rankings 2022-23: Bucks, Warriors, Heat rise while Celtics, Knicks fall DraftKings Nation
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 3:41:00 AM
Randle, Knicks hold off Lakers 112-108 to snap 3-game skid The Washington Post
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 2:13:11 AM
Anthony Davis ‘didn’t do my job’ as Lakers lose to Knicks ESPNJulius Randle bounces back as Knicks hold off Lakers to end skid New York Post Knicks 10 Games Over .500 in Playoff Push After Upset of Lakers: NBA Tracker Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 2:10:05 AM
Trail Blazers face the Knicks on 3-game skid The Associated Press – en Espa?ol
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 2:00:51 AM
Knicks End Their Slump in L.A. and the Nets Stay Hot on the Road The Ringer
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 1:42:00 AM
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson wears walking boot while missing second straight game New York Post Knicks: Jalen Brunson’s final status vs. Lakers, revealed ClutchPointsJalen Brunson’s X-ray on foot comes back negative in Knicks injury boost New York Post
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 1:33:06 AM
Randle, Knicks Win 40th The Knicks Wall
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 1:33:00 AM
Knicks: Tom Thibodeau hits back at Julius Randle doubters ClutchPoints
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 1:07:48 AM
Lakers fall to the Knicks, missing chance to reach .500 Los Angeles Times
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 1:00:00 AM
New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers live online: stats, scores and highlights | NBA AS USA
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 12:50:00 AM
NBA Eastern Conference playoff picture: Standings, tiebreakers, current matchups, projections CBS Sports
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 12:15:40 AM
RJ Barrett scores 30 as Knicks defeat Lakers to end skid Gwinnettdailypost.com
[news.google.com] — Monday, March 13, 2023 12:00:44 AM
Knicks 112, Lakers 108: Scenes from a gritty win in Tinseltown Posting and ToastingLakers on the outside looking in of the play-in after loss vs. Knicks as margin for error continues to shrink CBS SportsKnicks 10 Games Over .500 in Playoff Push After Upset of Lakers: NBA Tracker Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 11:46:38 PM
N.Y. Knicks 112, L.A. Lakers 108 Greenwich Time
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 11:41:42 PM
Jules Rules! Knicks Rebound in LA, Snap Losing Streak vs. Lakers Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 10:23:00 PM
Knicks: Julius Randle’s outburst has fans going nuts ClutchPoints
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 10:00:00 PM
New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers Mar 12, 2023 Game … NBA.com
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 9:35:32 PM
Spike Lee And Denzel Washington Skipped The Oscars To Watch … UPROXX
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 9:28:33 PM
Knicks’ Duane Washington: Returns to action for G League club CBS Sports
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 9:19:00 PM
Knicks Waive Moses Brown, Re-Sign Trevor Keels hoopsrumors.com
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 8:52:34 PM
Lakers News: Starters Revealed For New York, Los Angeles Ahead Of Bout Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 8:44:00 PM
Lakers: Anthony Davis cleared to play vs. Knicks ClutchPoints
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 8:16:00 PM
Knicks Sign Trevor Keels to Two-Way Contract NBA.com
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 8:01:02 PM
Michael Scotto: The New York Knicks have signed Trevor Keels to a … Hoops Hype
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 6:48:51 PM
Nets jump over Knicks in playoff race after stunner in Denver Empire Sports Media
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 6:05:17 PM
Knicks at Lakers: Will Jalen Brunson Return From Injury? Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 6:00:00 PM
What does the future hold for Knicks’ second-round pick Trevor Keels? Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 5:57:09 PM
Portland Trail Blazers’ Cam Reddish Knocks New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau in Recent Interview Blazer’s Edge
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 5:27:00 PM
NBA standings, East playoff picture: Celtics close gap on top seed; Bulls into play-in; Nets jump Knicks CBS Sports
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 5:27:00 PM
NBA standings, East playoff picture: Celtics close gap on top seed; Bulls into play-in; Nets jump Knicks CBS Sports
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 5:06:02 PM
Knicks shooting woes hurting chances at victory Empire Sports Media
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 3:49:38 PM
Knicks: Jalen Brunson’s final status vs. Lakers, revealed ClutchPoints
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 1:39:46 PM
Post-Deadline Dreams: Knicks Trade For Zach LaVine? Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 11:00:00 AM
Knicks legend responds to lame comment made by Dillon Brooks Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 9:00:00 AM
3 reasons fans should be rooting for Knicks-Cavaliers playoff chaos Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Sunday, March 12, 2023 8:53:31 AM
Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Targets, Values for March 12 DraftKings Nation
87 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2023.03.13)”
Huge win that keep us clinging to the Nets (Vaughn shortened his rotation recently, benching some interesting names) and gives us a chance to get out of the west bruised but still breathing.
Every game add more and more evidence about JB’s importance for this team* and our near collapse at the end made no exception.
Having to rely on two low BB-IQ players like Randle and Barrett down the stretch is like playing russian roulette with 4 bullets in the chamber…
The Bench Mob saved the day while both Julius and RJ had their moments, with Randle carrying the offense in the 1st half and Barrett doing the same for most of the 2nd, but with both unwatchable on defense.
Next:
Portland has been a bad matchup for us lately, but Dame didn’t play yesterday (tightness in his right calf) and he’s day-to-day.
I’m expecting Reddish to attack RJ and Grimes on every possession and Knox to shoot a lot. We need a win.
Plays Of The Game:
4th 9:26 RJ Barrett makes two point shot (NY 95 LAK 93)
4th 8:50 RJ Barrett makes driving layup (Isaiah Hartenstein assists NY 97 LAK 93)
4th 8:18 RJ Barrett makes 4-foot layup (Miles McBride assists (NY 99 LAK 94)
RJ’s minute is becoming a classic, and in this game this 68 seconds broke the last tie and gave us the lead for good.
Stats Of The Game:
81% vs. 58.8%. Knicks’ FT% advantage.
It’s so nice to win a game watching the other team clunking free throws instead of us…
Grades
Randle B+
Great first half… on offense. Watching him carrying the ball up makes me sick, and I hate when he starts hoisting threes without even looking at his teammates.
And why he’s still shooting technical FT’s?
Barrett B+
Nice stretch in the 2nd half… on offense. He nearly cost us the game in the last 4 minutes (where he went 1-6) including a boneheaded play with 20-something seconds to go.
Quickley B+
Strange game.
Grimes C+
Russell cooked, ate and digested him. Wasn’t defense his best skill?
Mitch D
AD’s a tough customer but a very bad night.
Hart A
All the little things plus two game-sealing FTs and a couple of timely threes. Fantastic role player.
Hartenstein A
Zero points but everything else, including really unexpected moments of high-level defense on AD.
Deuce A
He surely isn’t shy. Would we had won this game without his 8 points? 3 steals too.
Toppin B+
Two good games in LA, if you put aside his threes (now at 32% for the season). Defense’s still a problem and always will be.
Thibs B+
Brunson makes him a better coach. He has the Bench Mob to thank for the win and sitting Mitch for most of the second half was the right thing to do.
I’ll never understand Fournier’s exile when we costantly endure Barrett’s and Randle’s defensive lack of commitment.
*
A subtle consequence of the loss with Charlotte is that it “forced” us to play JB in Sacramento, while probably he would have rested if we had beat the Hornets and went west with a larger cushion.
30 points on 30 possessions but you have to give RJ some credit for just the one turnover. What was his line at the half?
Russell was cooking in the first half, as hot as I have seen anyone this season. I am inclined to give Grimes and Deuce the benefit of the doubt.
The Lakers didn’t go to AD as much as they could have. Not sure why.
I agree with Owen, you can’t fault Grimes’ defense when Russell was hoisting and making long contested 3’s. Yeah he got to the basket a few times, but when a guy starts out that hot there’s not a lot you can do.
As for RJ, as maddening as he can be, we don’t win that game without his 4th quarter scoring spurt. Kudos to him for being aggressive and shouldering the scoring load while Randle was out.
The ability to go to the rack is RJ’s best skill and it’s a good one.
I hope he gets some lessons from JB about “how to finish”, sometimes it looks like he’s just “throwing” the ball up.
He needs to lose some weight (he’s much slower and less reactive on defense this season) and learn how to keep his focus for longer stretches.
He probably always will be a streaky shooter…
I couldn’t watch the game-weird box score from the Lakers. I assumed AD gave us a lot of problems but it was D’Angelo Russell?
AD did to Mitch what Mitch usually does to other Cs (Mitch had 1 DReb). iHart pretty much shut AD down.
Russell destroyed us, completely and utterly. They had nothing when DLo sat.
I believe Hachimura also blew by Grimes a couple times, it wasn’t just Russell.
I thought the Harts were key to the win. Very good games from both. And if you want a laugh, click on the article about the 7-foot Knicks player getting a bonus – not for the article, but for the photo of iHart “blocking” AD.
My son and I listened to the game on the drive to FL, got us from SC to St Augustine, glad it ended in a win. Enjoying your comments from a beach chair…
Yeah, IHart made a big big impact. The team looked totally different when he was out there. I said it in the thread but I don’t think Mitch looks right. Not moving with his customary alacrity.
I don’t think my opinion about RJ has moved much. He can get to the rim but usually has run out of momentum or is off balance when he arrives. For whatever reason he gets blocked or misses a ton. He does get fouled a fair bit.
For all the people who say he is a couple finishes and a made three away from being a star in this league, I can totally see it. It just needs to happen.
Also, Mikal Bridges is going to be a first ballot entry in the Usage/Efficiency Debate HOF. The guy has gone from scoring 23 per 100 on a 57.5% ts% in PHO to scoring 36 per 100 pm at 64.5%. Just wild.
RJ can get to the rim, because he’s relatively strong and has a decent handle. Problem is, he’s just a little bit slow, so by the time he gets to the cup, defenders are usually in good position to challenge his shots. Despite that, he’ll usually just force up a shot right into the teeth of the defense. He’d benefit from passing as often as he shoots, but seems to lack the vision or discipline to do that consistently.
He seems like very easy player to game plan against. He had a pretty nice game yesterday despite the outrageous number of shot attempts, but his lack of explosiveness and vision really puts a ceiling on him.
Pretty solid win on the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers sans LeBron have been feisty enough and while this could just be Knicks fan PTSD talking, it felt like things could really spiral with another loss.
The bar for RJ to help us more than he hurts us isn’t terribly high because we’re a low eFG% team as is. If he could consistently eat innings in the .520 eFG% range, that would at least be worth something until we made our next upgrade.
The problem is he can’t even do that.
Deuce seemed to be supercharged last night. Obi showing a bit more lately, another solid albeit brief showing. JHart and iHart are dynamic. Bench mob was pretty awesome!
I am hoping that the JHart mentality will rub off on RJ and Randle. They could learn a ton from him. Deuce seems to be imitating him in a smaller package.
Couldn’t watch last night. Why was IQ’s game “strange”?
If Deuce could play like he did last night on a regular basis— play some disruptive D, knock down some open jumpers— he’d be a nice piece even if he’s not a true PG. Those were quality minutes yesterday.
Josh Hart continues to be a pro’s pro, a guy who truly contributes stuff that doesn’t show up in a boxscore. Excellent game from him yesterday too. Our role players are good, it’s the variance from the star players that determines our fate.
Thinking out loud here. I wonder how bad RJ’s 3PT shooting needs to be before it’s optimal for him to just stop taking them entirely, or at least limit himself to 1-2 genuinely wide open looks per game a la Jimmy Butler.
To be clear I think for both basic math and spacing reasons, you really have to be piss poor before that determination is made.
But the fact that RJ has made some improvement from inside the arc that basically isn’t registering at all in his overall efficiency has me thinking about it.
Telling him to stop shooting would probably be bad for his development no matter its effect on the team because his upside is, um, not high if he doesn’t become a shooter. This is not a guy who can swear off 3PT shooting and be efficient anyway by pounding the ball inside and being a midrange killer like Butler. But it’s worth asking if the team would be better off.
Not sure about the second half but in the first half IQ sort of appeared out of nowhere a couple of time for a couple of very exciting flurries but also seemed a little absent the rest of the time. The dynamic when he is the lead scorer is so much different than when he is out there negotiating shot attempts with RJ and JR. Just doesn’t feel right.
Deuce made an impact. He had three steals in a row and a few really good offensive boards, so that’s tangible. Less tangibly, the game did seem to tilt for a while but then it tilted back when Russell came in and hit a few shots right over him after switches.
I am just happy Randle didn’t blow a gasket. You could kind of feel him bubbling at the beginning of the game but then he went on a mega-tear and I think he mentally settled back in.
Brunson has more of an ability to direct the offense and take shots from JR and RJ. That is very clear.
TNFH – I was thinking the same thing about RJ last night. His 3 point shot looks broken right now, some of the misses are alarmingly bad. The problem is, as you pointed out, he doesn’t have the mid range game of Butler or DeRozan, so if he’s left wide open, he almost has to take the shot.
So I guess we hope against hope that he can at least be a respectable 3 point shooter, but I’m not all that optimistic.
Thx, Owen
@KBA (sorry for being late 🙂 )
exactly as Owen said, there were moments where he looked a bit out of synch and “absent”.
Randle and Barrett tend to hijack the ball so IQ had minutes without seeing the ball in the right place (“only” 12 shots in 31 minutes yesterday) and maybe he felt the responsability of “feeding the main scorers”.
He’s much more assertive when his main duty is to provide the offensive spark.
RJs FG% from 0-3ft by year:
.568
.605
.596
.642
League average is something like 70%, probably a bit lower for wing players.
NP 😉 — I’m hoping IQ gets better at knowing when to take over.
RJ’s problem with 3s is that he should be almost exclusively taking catch and shoots… 91% assisted 3s are generally fine in itself but he’s been shooting poorly all year but instead of continuing to keep at it he’s responded recently to jack up more ill advised pullup 3s that he most certainly should not be taking… his percentages have tanked as a result….
if he could just take out the bad opportunities from his shot selection…. an attempt here or there… his efficiency would actually skyrocket…. and that’s generally his problem with 3s….
Some of our 3pt woes, RJ included, is about our iso-heavy, pass-light offense. Seems like lots of our threes are of the “I have the ball and there’s 5 seconds left on the clock” variety.
Looks like the Knicks won because RJ was out-RJed by Troy Brown jr.
Z–Man, totally agree. There were a ton of possessions, even more than usual, of our getting right down to a last-second desperation heave. It was part of the problem with the LA comeback at the end. Since we basically missed everything for a while.
Partly due to the Brunson absence. I love IQ and I do think he’s a perfectly adequate point guard (and hella fun), but he’s yet to master managing a team at the end of a game. That’s a particular skill, and our alpha dogs make it even harder. Brunson has their respect, the skill set to take over if need be, and the willingness to ignore Alpha A and B as necessary.
Who is Alpha B? Josh Hart? 😀
It’s maddening to see RJ not look to pass on his drives even on fast breaks. In a bit of fairness, lots of young guards don’t do that anymore: with the advent of the euro-step and advancement in body control moves, guards and wings have gotten better with eluding defenders 1-on-1 when taking it to the hole. Even the guys on our college team do this.
It’s not just an RJ thing. Just saying.
Cyber, good point. I guess I’m using Alpha as a short-hand for shot-takers.
Not makers.
Ball hogs?
Cdiggy, yesterday felt better than most recent games, but still immensely sub-optimal. It felt like 50% of RJ’s head-down, no-look drives were good choices. Which is way up from what felt like 25% during previous games.
I mean, the definition of ‘good choice’ is partly determined by if they go in. But also if it’s a drive into a tall double-team with teammates wide open on the periphery. That’s just bad basketball. Even if by some miracle it goes in (which it usually doesn’t, although a few times yesterday he had some miracle lay-ins…).
It did seem like that, especially in the 4th quarter. Again, this team w/out Brunson doesn’t have the chops to get the defense shuffling where you can pass around to find an open shooter in rhythm.
Also, I just looked at the boxscore and it confirms that iHart deserves his flowers for his rebounding and defense on AD, especially late. AD could have gone for 30 the way he was abusing Mitch early on. That plus a hot-shooting Russell could’ve been too much for us.
We actually needed RJ’s driving last night. Don’t get me wrong: the idea of a more efficient shot selection from Grimes is better, but Grimey wasn’t on his game yesterday on either end.
You’re right, Raven. Yesterday was both a better RJ experience than usual, and it still demonstrated why he needs to be upgraded. The Lakers just happen to be one of those teams where he can get away with the majority of those kinds of drives bc they’re aren’t that good. And you could clearly see the times when, he got bottled up in the paint, his only thought process was looking for some sort of opening or angle to get a shot up. Better teams have and will make the Knicks pay more dearly for that.
In a bit of fairness, lots of young guards don’t do that anymore: with the advent of the euro-step and advancement in body control moves, guards and wings have gotten better with eluding defenders 1-on-1 when taking it to the hole. Even the guys on our college team do this.
was at first son’s* 6th grade game the other day – i can attest – if there’s a steal, or if a kid just has a first few good steps with the ball in their hand – we are all screaming: TAKE IT TO THE HOLE!!!
* maybe not fair, i tend to think of the youngest as: second son…maybe someday when he reads or watches game of thrones i can explain it to him…
just looked at josh hart’s stat page – he’s playing his best ever, right now…
hopefully he takes the same deal evian took…
reading anything, or just sitting, watching, breathing…
oh, just need one more comment to bump cdiggy off the page 😛
then it shall all be me, as proper and intended as can be…
couldn’t do it…the baby pic melts my heart too much…
@geo, I hope they took it to the hole. when I coached my school’s 5th-grade team and a player stole the ball, he would dribble downcourt, ignore my ” take it to the hole”, pull up, and airmail a 3-pointer.
When confronted with their insubordination, the most frequent reply was ” That’s what Kyrie does”.
ha 🙂
the game was good – it was a school game – so much chiller than the league games…
it gets weird during the league games, coaches and parents just lose it all the time…
i may need to start taping my hands before going to those games…
Two things on RJ’s shots near the hoop. As noted, they are often not planful in the sense of second or third option awareness, resulting in a force. The only other thing I would add is that he needs to use glass more effectively since he is not a leaper and doesn’t shoot over folks. Using glass allows for a higher arc. He’s frustrating, but he does get to spots and I don’t think he is a lost cause!
Well, the good news is that I got to hang with Frank for a little while today. The bad news is that I am still here, waiting for my procedure.
Thus my comment yesterday on Kyrie being a layup master – that dude knows how to use glass like almost no one else.
I don’t think RJ has it in him to get to that level of layup-shot mastery, but I think you could do a lot worse than, say, having him study 1000 hrs of Kyrie layups in the offseason.
geo, glad to see you in good spirits my guy. You can out-post me on here anytime 😉 haha.
Alan, hang in there sir, you are the rock of this blog!
Good luck Alan. Keep us posted.
By the way, the Knicks waived Moses Brown and signed Keels to another ten day contract. It’s hard to understand all the machinations. All I can think of is that this is a way to pay their G league guys a little more money and maybe this helps with recruiting.
“reading anything, or just sitting, watching, breathing…”
Mostly the latter…I brought a book I’ve been reading (Jim Thorpe: Path Lit by Lightning) but don’t think I’ll open it much…Delray is too beautiful and too much fun! Looking forward to live band karaoke tomorrow night!
I wonder if they see any raw JHart vibe in Keels….I don’t see much of it myself but there must be a reason they picked such a young kid in the second round…
Was at the game last night.
Bad news – Mitch is hurt:
– Wore a back brace during warm-ups
– Walked with a pronounced limp during pauses in the action (though he seemed to get up and down the court OK)
– On the last free throws before Hartenstein replaced him for the evening, was sort of squirming around & stretching like someone in back pain
Owen said:
“I said it in the thread but I don’t think Mitch looks right. Not moving with his customary alacrity.”
I agree with this.
A few games back I recall something happening and he looked a little gimpy after that. I went into a panic. He played through it, but maybe he tweaked his knee or something else. He’s probably less than 100% but just playing through it.
https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1635345919871950848
And that’s interesting about Mitch. Definitely does not look right.
Yes, those things could explain Mitch’s shaky performance…
Thanks for the update MK. That is not good news.
We should probably sit Mitch for the Blazers game if he’s banged up. Take 5 days off.
Kyrie and Luka out again tonight.
At this point, it looks like we’re either getting a very nice draft pick or no pick at all.
“At this point, it looks like we’re either getting a very nice draft pick or no pick at all.”
It’s kind of shocking that we are in the position of hoping they win some games.
Don’t worry.
I spoke to Frank and told him to put up a line 2 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 2 TOs, 3 PFs and a +10 on and off. So we should be safe. 🙂
“https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1635345919871950848
And that’s interesting about Mitch. Definitely does not look right.”
That was great clip of I-Hart’s defense. He looks a million times better now than he did early in the season. He must have been really hurting back then.
“Kyrie and Luka out again tonight.”
Wood is also out.
It’s starting to feel like the Mavs are going to tank to keep the Knicks 1st round pick. It’s all on THJr’s shoulders to kill the tank. 🙂
Back from surgery, which seemed to go well. Ate food for first time in nearly 24 hours. Have you guys heard about this eating thing? It’s great!
I’m happy to hear it went well, Alan. And very nice that you’re in good mood. 🙂 I’ve heard rumblings of the eating thing you’re talking about, i think i have to try to know more about it. 😉 😛
Eating? No clue. Sounds intriguing.
Good to hear it went well Alan!!!
good to hear alan
Meanwhile…
good news Alan…best wishes for a speedy recovery..
Great to hear Alan, hope this is the last time you have to deal with this!
i remember being young and going to speak to someone one time cuz i thought i might be an alcoholic…i drank hard in my teens and early 20’s…a lot of indulgent behavior with minimal brakes…
all i seen was the insta vid, but, he did kind of seem to be really in to the whole getting lit thing…hopefully now he’s more aware and can put some stuff in place to help himself to not wild out too much…
got folks sneaking you in some goodies = calzone, coke and ice cream
or, are you behaving and sticking with the hospital stuff…
my mind must be restless today, usually don’t think too much of the past – i do though remember a few years ago being a little concerned about losing some of my colon cuz my diet was so terrible…that scared me straight for awhile…
Edit: favorite calzone fillings: meatballs and green peppers…yum…with some sweet marinara to dip in to – double yum…
So with three members of the Mavs rotation out, Kidd has still played ten players significant minutes, not one of which is Ntilikina.
Feel better Alan!
“So with three members of the Mavs rotation out, Kidd has still played ten players significant minutes, not one of which is Ntilikina.”
He’s been really really bad on offense this year, even for him. And that’s me saying that. But still a good on/off. 🙂
Eating? It’s like talking but backwards. The Venus fly trap and similar flora do it.
Hope Ja comes back in a better place, it’s difficult for people to change.
Great news Alan and best wishes for a speedy recovery!
My friend Simone is giving hell to the Heat, let’s go Jazz!
If Utah can beat Miami tonight that would be huge.
get well Alan…. we need your juju for the stretch run….
At this point if Boston drops to 3rd Knicks should tank to get the 6th seed to play Boston in the 1st rd.
Recently I’ve been wondering about the role of some assistant coaches. A Boston assistant, Damon Stoudemire is leaving for a five year contract as a University head coach and this corresponds to a slump in Boston’s results. Mike Brown left the Warrior’s assistant job to be a head coach, and, Golden State is struggling more than expected. It’s not that Mazzulla or Kerr are bad coaches and Kerr is certainly an excellent coach with or without Brown. But it still seems possible that having good assistant coaches matters to a team’s success.
https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-isaiah-hartenstein-was-ready-to-return-to-la-but-making-most-of-knicks-run
Hartenstein on his role with the Knicks: “Maybe it’s a little different than the role I thought.” – “I think I’ve shown a lot of what I can do with the Clippers and now it’s just adjusting to a role where maybe its a little less, but it’s still helping a winning team win.”
Isiaah is genuinely a good kid and will sacrificise his game and do whatever the coach says the team needs. However, Thibs either mis-represented his Knicks position role when Knicks recruited him or there was some mis-communication and Isiaah misunderstood. Either way, CAA didn’t do him any favors. Also, that minutes bonus was a bad long term reason to play hurt for over a month. He now can’t have another lackluster season next year.
Ps. That blood game didn’t get any attention from anyone. If that was Brunson, the media would have hyperventilated.
We also paid Hartenstein more than the Clippers could
All I really care about is whether iHart plays well in his role, whatever that is. He got a very nice contract and there weren’t many other who could both pay and play him. Who really knows about internal discussions involving his agent, Knicks management, and what role Thibs played?
Celts lost to the Rockets? Something has to be up there…
It sounds like I-Hart is a little frustrated with his smaller role in NY and would have preferred playing in LA if the money was even close.
It’s one thing if he’s starting while Mitch is out and Brunson, Randle and RJ always have the ball, but I think we should be using him more in that 2nd unit. It’s on Thibs to find situations where his passing skills can be used effectively with that unit.
Wouldn’t it be precious if the Mavs tanked to get the 10th spot in the lottery to keep their pick but someone jumped them and they fell to #11?
Just to clarify my prior post, imo we have a very good young backup in I-Hart. He can do more than he’s being asked to do now. We should be trying to keep him happy so after next year he wants to stay. In this case, keeping him happy would probably also make that second unit even better because it’s not like it’s loaded with playmakers.
***it still seems possible that having good assistant coaches matters to a team’s success.***
Maybe Mike Brown was the Switzerland that was keeping Draymond’s fist off of Poole’s neck all last season, but, more likely, the Warriors are just getting old and are not that into the regular season, and Steph was hurt, and Andrew Wiggins has, I guess, unofficially retired. That’s a lot for one Mike Brown to theoretically overcome.
Good point Early Bird. Apparently the Clippers spent their available salary slot on John Wall and Hartenstein would have had to take a big pay cut to stay. He would have stayed if they had been able to pay him.
Oh sure, but I think he still comes to NY if LAC doesn’t get Wall. He’s still getting more money and hasn’t made enough in his career to be turning down a couple extra million. Maybe he liked LA enough to stay or taxes/cost of living make up the difference, but I’d guess the extra cash brings him here.
They still probably told him he’d have a bigger role. I feel bad for him, he’s going to make a lot less on his next deal if he can’t display his other skills.
I also imagine that the future Mrs. iHart played some role in where he went once the Clips couldn’t afford to pay him. I mean, if he had been offered $20 mil per year to play in Salt Lake City or Minneapolis, he would have taken that. But for a more reasonable backup center salary, it sure helps that he’s based in a city where she can find lots of modeling/sponcon opportunities.
Are we trying to create a problem where there’s none? Since recovering from the injury that was bothering him at the beginning of the season, iHart is always smiling, constantly talking to his teammates, and giving his all on every play. If that’s a guy that is frustrated with his role, then an Oscar is probably in his future. 😀
I agree Thibs could use more of his passing skills, but that’s just about it, don’t come to me with the stretch 5 fantasy, he’s taking the same number of 3Ps, he’s just not making them. And it’s very little 3PAs to call him a stretch 5, same for last season. He has improved a lot on rebounds and FT%. The latter might come in handy in the playoffs.
“Are we trying to create a problem where there’s none? Since recovering from the injury that was bothering him at the beginning of the season, iHart is always smiling, constantly talking to his teammates, and giving his all on every play. If that’s a guy that is frustrated with his role, then an Oscar is probably in his future.”
Exactly. iHart has had plenty of opportunity to showcase who he is and who he isn’t, both in practice and in games. Beyond that, players who change teams often have to manage their emotions through new teammates, coaches, roles, etc. iHart knew that Mitch was in front of him, and also how Thibs tended to utilized his bigs.
If iHart is actually complaining that he was sold a bill of goods, I’d lose respect for him. Personally, it sounds like he’s just providing reasons (not necessarily making excuses) for why it took so long for him to adapt to his role on this team for this coach.