Knicks Morning News (2024.12.06)

110 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.12.06)”

I watched the game and I have a question. What is this thing that Thibs does, that has one player step off the court (!) and another player come in? It’s very bad on so many levels!

First, during the time until the “replacement player” (is this how its called?) comes in, the opposing coach can take advantage and score 5 on 4!

Second, these “replacements” are so very bad! They don’t know how to play basketball! Why is Thibs sending them into a den of lions and risks losing the game, and I mean by a lot?! I mean by a lot of points! It’s so very very bad!

Third, the good players ego may get bruised. This will be terrible, because a bruised ego is a big risk physically, as we all know that the body and the soul and interconnected. The good players will get hurt while sitting on the bench! It’s too big of a risk!

Thibs, who is the coach of the team, should be informed that the good strategy to avoid bad things is Straight Forty Eight. The good players should never step off the court, and the bad players should never, ever step on it!

The straight forty eight is Dolan’s other band

The sport has been soft since they introduced the 48 minute rule. It’s not basketball unless you’re collapsing from exhaustion after 4 days and no sleep.

Just eyeballing scores so far this year, and the Knicks are wildly variant in terms of points scored against, going from 120-130 to sub-100 all season. Last four games, however, they’ve averaged 97.5. Nice on its own, but unfortunately they were all against teams that struggle to score.

Brunson scored 24 points on 8 shots and 8 fts. Pretty pretty good.

Also Alan, if my 10 and 8 year old have never watched a Star Wars film would it be crazy to drop them right into Skeleton Crew?

So we’re #2 in FG%, #5 in 2PT%, #2 in 3PT% and #1 in FT%.

What is this world coming to?

Owen, I think they’d be okay with it. It’s certainly written from the perspective of hardcore Star Wars fandom, but it doesn’t really require any knowledge of the lore, and it’s definitely kid-friendly. Might not be a bad entry point.

Our DRtg is up to 18th. Not good enough yet, but headed in the right direction.

OG’s block spree was ridiculous.

Once we stopped playing with our food, that game was awesome. At the same time, even after hearing James Edwards talk about how Thibs doesn’t really run in-season practices at all — saving a lot of wear and tear that then allows him to play them longer in games — it is still insane that he kept Mikal in for all but the last 90 seconds last night. I know Payne being out — and Dadiet being unavailable because they assigned him to Westchester that morning — didn’t help, but way to lean into caricature, Thibs.

Maybe Thibs is trying to turn Mikal into Jimmy Butler 2.0?

Also, I missed part of the second half, so I put on the NBA’s official highlight reel on YouTube, which unfortunately was with the Hornets’ call. I had heard their play-by-play guy was the most shameless homer in the league, but I still wasn’t prepared for it. Even when the Hornets were down by 20+, he called every one of their made baskets like Charlotte was neck-and-neck in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

8-2 in our last 10 and the only team we’ve gained ground on in the top 5 in the east is one game on the Cavs

Maybe Thibs is trying to turn Mikal into Jimmy Butler 2.0?

Isn’t Luol Deng the most infamous of Thibs’ overuse of his guys? Leon has to make a trade this season for one more person Thibs will put into the Circle of Trust, just so Mikal and/or OG’s legs don’t fall off by the All-Star break.

ETA: That, or we have to hope Landry Shamet eventually gets healthy, because that would solve the 9th man problem without requiring us to give up an asset. We don’t need a world-beater. We just need someone competent whom Thibs won’t hesitate to play small minutes with a healthy rotation, and big minutes when someone is hurt.

Thanks Alan, got some vacation time to fill.

OG was a beautiful thing to watch last night. The metrics might ding him for Miller canning some 40 footers but he had four steals last night and one of them was one of the best I have ever seen.

The sport has been soft since they introduced the 48 minute rule.

… and stopped using a severed head for the “ball”

If OG continues this level of production (currently sporting a TS of 61%) shouldn’t he be considered an all-NBA candidate, maybe second or third team? I mean, right now he’s gotta be right up there in the best defender in the league conversation, and couple that with his offensive production, you have a pretty damn good player.

Reminds me of Kawh…never mind (-:

An added benefit of OG being in the all–NBA conversations is that he would have played 65 games!

I had heard their play-by-play guy was the most shameless homer in the league,

he’s startlingly histrionic, but he’s not even a top ten homer as i’d define it. those are the guys who complain about every call against and say next to nothing interesting or complimentary about the opponent. bob fitzgerald, craig ackerman, bill land, et al.

OG for All-NBA? But he’s massively overpaid!

Seriously, All-NBA tends to be pointzz-driven, and there are a lot of scoring forwards in the NBA. I’m thinking his 19% usage will hurt him there. But first-team all defense is a real possibility, and I suspect that being on a winning team and having decent offensive numbers will help him even though it’s theoretically a defense-only award.

KAT and Brunson have good chances to be All-NBA, have the Knicks ever had teammates both make it in the same season?

“Isn’t Luol Deng the most infamous of Thibs’ overuse of his guys?”

Yeah, and then Butler took the mantle. Really crazy.

Walt and Willis did it twice. Willis and Dave DeB did it once

“Missed calls, blatant missed calls right in front of you,” Udoka said of referee John Goble after the game. “You’re calling ticky-tack moving screens, little s— like that, but you don’t want to call the obvious ones right in front of you. That was it. Thought [Sengun] got fouled a few times on that drive and on the layup and they don’t want to call it. So I told him to get some f—ing glasses and open your eyes.”

Ime Udoka might be an excellent young coach, but seems like a real a-hole. For all of Thibs’ weirdness, the fact that he has never been ejected is pretty special. And it’s mainly because he doesn’t say nasty stuff like this to refs.

Yeah I figured back then it could’ve happened just didn’t know how long ago they started naming All-NBA teams.

Hollinger just wrote about the biggest disappointments of the season so far, and it’s a good article. Mikal Bridges is one of them, but he’s not the biggest disappointment by any means.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5973502/2024/12/06/lebron-james-philadelphia-sixers-nba-biggest-disappointments/

chandler melo too

Was Chandler 3rd team in 2013?

Knicks Fan, I read that, and the opening sentence made me flash onto Kevin Knox:

“At some level, horrible players can’t disappoint us.”

no it was the year before when he won dpoy

bob fitzgerald,

ha…i thought of him immediately too…i had 15 yrs of listening to that dude when i lived in the bay area…he became more obnoxious when they went on their title run(s)…it was great to listen to him and the other clown when they sucked that one year…really had to suck it up.

But the team that has played the highest percentage of their possessions up 20 or more this season may surprise you: the New York Knicks. They were at 19.86 percent entering Thursday night’s game. They have played nearly one-fifth of their season up by 20 or more.

Interesting note from the Athletic. The short list of teams below (!!) us include most of the dominant champions of the last debate – Celtics, Warriors a few times, the Durant Suns in the toe-over-the-line year. Far below us this year at 13 percent and below are the Celts, Cavs, Thunder and Rockets.

Al, I thought the same thing about that play by play guy. I take milo’s pt, but it was really weird when I watched the recap. Didn’t know whether to be appalled or impressed (since his job is to make Charlotte fans feel good about watching their team).

I wonder if Charlotte would be best served by moving on from LaMelo while he still has value. I don’t really see him as a winning player and he’s also injury-prone.

I doubt that they will because LaMelo is very popular with Hornets fans, he has that NBA2K kind of appeal.

the melo chandler combo is interesting as Tyson wasn’t even an all star in his all nba season.

Mitch tweeted “ LETS GOOOOO GOT SOME GREAT NEWS 🫣” last night after the game. Hopefully it was about his ability to play basketball and not Bitcoin hitting $100k or something. Would be great to get some kind of look at him before the deadline.

While I still don’t care about the IST Cup all that much, it has added two much needed competitive games to the schedule. At the very least, we will play ATL and either MIL or ORL. If we lose that first game, it will be mega-disappointing. I personally care a lot less about the second game. It would be great to win both and get to the Cup finals, but at the same time, I worry about an exhibition game having physicl repercussions. Honestly I would not blame Thibs at all for playing his starters less than 20min apiece as if it were a preseason game and letting the scrubs earn their bonuses. Alas…

Yeah, hopefully the great news is that his x-rays and MRI came back clean and he can start running. That would coincide with a January timeline, which is fine by me!

Hollinger just wrote about the biggest disappointments of the season so far, and it’s a good article. Mikal Bridges is one of them, but he’s not the biggest disappointment by any means.

I don’t agree with some of this.

Other than his non corner 3s, imo he’s been fine on offense. Even those non corner 3s have to be qualified a little. His % is being dragged down a little by 6 heaves – which is already more than he’s had in any other season and we are still very early. He’s got to be better there, but between the form change possibly contributing to the slow start and some random noise I think he’ll ultimately be fine. If I have any complaints I think he’s still forcing a few I’d rather he not take. He was never such a strong outside shooter that he should be taking so many tough ones.

We talked a little about the FT attempts. He believes that in the playoffs you don’t get the same foul calls that you get in the regular season. So he’s focusing on mastering fadeaways and being less dependent on getting to the FT line. There’s probably some truth to what he’s saying. Maybe he needs to find a better balance, but it’s not a major issue given how efficient he has been from 2 overall.

I know I’m a broken record, but the only real issue is his defense. Based on eye test, I think he’s already doing better lately.

Mitch mentioned something about trying to make it back for Christmas. I’m not sure if that was a realistic target but if he’s been cleared for more that would give him close to 3 weeks to get ready.

Mitch tweeted “ LETS GOOOOO GOT SOME GREAT NEWS 🫣” last night after the game. Hopefully it was about his ability to play basketball and not Bitcoin hitting $100k or something. Would be great to get some kind of look at him before the deadline.

This is 100% about a new truck fender or Luke something-or-another’s new tour

I have nothing to say except Thibs pissed me off last night. Really Thomas Joseph? KAT, Anunoby, and Bridges playing heavy minutes in an end to end blowout?? Hwhat in the entire fuck??

Seldom optimistic when Mitch and tweet are in the same sentence

“I have nothing to say except Thibs pissed me off last night. Really Thomas Joseph? KAT, Anunoby, and Bridges playing heavy minutes in an end to end blowout?? Hwhat in the entire fuck??”

To be fair, it definitely was not an “end-to-end” blowout. We were well behind in the first quarter, and only led by 3 points at halftime. Other than that, I totally agree with the sentiment. The starters should have been out with about six minutes left. Doesn’t Thibs know that if he takes them out and the other team somehow closes the gap to 12 points or something, that he can *then* put them back in if need be? I don’t like the short-sightedness. We have bigger and longer-term goals here!

We’re playing our starters such an absurd amount of minutes that you have to take our net rating and SRS with a grain of salt. We’ve been playing a playoff rotation since game one and have three of the top ten players in the league in minutes per game.

It’s pretty annoying, to be honest. Hasn’t really come back to bite us yet, but it certainly could. “Let’s see what happens if we try to turn OG Anunoby into an Iron Man” might not end up panning out all that great.

Lots of fun stats going here:

-Current SRS of 6.01 is 4th in franchise history behind only our championship teams and the ’94 finalist.

-Current relative Ortg of +9 over league average is the best in our history by miles. Next best is +5.2 for Melo’s best team in 2013.

-Towns now very softly leads the league in rebounding with the highest DRB% in franchise history. Yes, he is rebounding better than Patrick Ewing ever did.

-Josh Hart’s .715 from 2 would rank 2nd for a season in franchise history to 2020 Mitch. TS% of .701 would rank third. He’s now rocking shooting splits of 60/40/87 (lmao)

-Three players from the current team are among the top 10 in season 3p% (Towns, Deuce, and Payne). Brunson not far behind.

-Towns is currently sporting the highest PER in the history of our team and the 5th highest TS%.

-Brunson and Towns’ current OBPM are 5th and 6th in franchise history. Didn’t actually know this but Brunson’s 5.8 BPM last season is our all-time best.

This team is getting fun!

I feel like someone told Thibs that Bridges had never missed a game and he took that as a personal challenge. It really is a case of unstoppable force vs immovable object.

You know the vibes are good when even Pags can’t ignore them.

All we need is to fix the minutes distribution and break into the top 15 on defense and we’ll really have a stew going.

This team is getting fun!

It won’t last. They play the Rockets on February 3rd in a game they are sure to lose 175-43. Everything leading up to that is just fools gold.

I guess Thibs just thinks that in the new NBA with teams shooting so many 3’s that a team could get hot and even with 6 minutes left a 20 point lead is not THAT much. And if you take the starters out, then if the other team goes on a run, you risk the starters having to re-find their mojo and stop the opposing team’s momentum.

Not saying he is right but I’m guessing Thibs feels like a 20 point lead is like a 10 point lead a decade ago and he doesn’t feel comfortable unless it’s like a 30 point lead.

Hopefully with Precious back, we can expand to a 9 man rotation again and Precious can help cut back on the minutes for Hart, OG, and KAT at least.

He is playing Deuce a lot of minutes for a bench player, which is good. And he seems to trust Payne and Sims well enough. but I agree.

Those extra few minutes in the 4th when we’re up by 20…for me it’s not just about the starters getting rest. It’s also about Kolek and Huk getting more experience in real games. Over the next month we should in theory have a fair amount of these blowout games. If you wait until 2 minutes left, that really isn’t enough time for them to get any real experience. And the difference between putting them in at 4 minutes vs. 6…over 10 blow outs that’s like an extra 20 minutes of PT.

If they really wanted rest, they should’ve been up 50 by the end of the third

hat tip to Benjy Ritholtz but the Knicks AS A TEAM are shooting 50/40/84 this year.

In my entire knicks fandom I have never seen a Knicks team bury other teams offensively like this. That 3rd quarter went from up 3 to up 23 in a blink of an eye. Unreal.

I know Charlotte isn’t great but they’ve been a middle of the pack defense recently (without Lamelo, prob not a coincidence). And they had no chance. And similar avalanche of points against Orlando which is unequivocably a great defense.

The revelation that the Knicks hardly “practice” does mitigate the crazy minutes somewhat.

First, we know that players can get hurt in intense scrimmages just like they can in real games.

Second, if you aren’t getting reps for various looks in practice, then you kind of have to get those reps in games. Thibs is a game film geek, and non-game film probably doesn’t do much for him.

So it’s possible that the big starter minutes last night were more about practice time than fear of blowing a lead.

As an aside, it’s been helpful that we’ve had a very friendly calendar. Even with the road-heavy schedule there have been an abundance of rest days.

Not that this absolves Thibs of all of his minutes-related high crimes and misdemeanors. Only that there is a rationale that he buys into that goes beyond fear of blowing a big lead or playing deep bench players.

That may be, Z-Man, but I don’t like it. If nothing else it shatters the aesthetic of a win. Just when you should be going “That was great!” instead you’re going “WTF!”

When the other team throws in the towel and subs out, you should, too. If nothing else, it’s the gentlemanly thing to do. It’s an 82 game season, the starters will get their reps. Give the kids some. It’s not like the starters aren’t screwing around the last few minutes anyway. I don’t know how much film Thibs needs of his players high-fiving each other.

Kinda wish we had a tougher schedule coming up… I want to see what this team can really do

I feel like with the minutes thing we’re tiptoeing through a minefield. And if you tiptoe through that field over and over one day you’re gonna step on one of those mines.

If a starter ever gets hurt in garbage time, Thibs will have to answer for it. And it could get really ugly.

I hear ya, EB, but at the same time the Knicks are still ironing out some kinks (Mikal, the defense, our falling on our faces right out of the gate, etc.), so it’s kind of nice being able to do that and actually win games.

I’d like to apologize, Pags had a breakthrough moment and I mocked it. I should do better. It wasn’t even a good mocking, it was weak. I’m going to try to be the change I want to see in the world, which, when I boil it down, is really just for Pags to change his negativity about the knicks.

Caring about players minutes is like caring about Dolan’s dollars.

Aside from Brunson in the first quarter we were listless. Thibs probably just didn’t count it against workload.

I just don’t get it though. Thibs had a full complement of rotation worthy players available with Achiuwa back and Kolek available. He could have given Kolek some of Payne’s minutes and stretched the rotation to 9 or 10 if he wanted to use Dadiet some. Maybe Ryan if he hadn’t been pressing and taking shots he normally wouldn’t or shouldn’t take. Blowouts are the only opportunity guys have to rest under Thibs, and yet again- he did not use that option. It’s too early in the season for that. I could let it go if it was late season and we were jockeying for position. What’s next? Play Mitch 35 minutes in his first game back? I trust Thibs and rarely second guess his decisions on the court, but playing guys heavy minutes in blowouts this early in the season is a bit much

It’s too late, Donnie. When I saw your post I immediately started day-drinking and gathering my dog’s turds from my backyard, then placing them in gasoline-doused paper bags, all the while weeping in despair. They’ll be left ignited on the doorsteps of each key member of the organization after our inevitable 30-point loss to the Pistons tomorrow.

Poindexter, this made me laugh out loud:

“Maybe Ryan if he hadn’t been pressing and taking shots he normally wouldn’t or shouldn’t take.”

We seem to know different Ryans…

(Also I don’t think Dadiet was available. Not an excuse.)

It feels like we’re kind of gaming the system here with our W-L record. We’re 14-8, Pythag of 16-6, but we’re using a playoff rotation in December to get those results.

On the other hand, the last three games have been the best stretch of play we’ve had all year long, and “gelling” does appear to be a thing. We’re just wrecking opponents on the offensive end. I’ve complained a lot about the team looking like it’s not particularly well coached, but this has been a very impressive stretch of play.

And I’ll say it again, JK, the last four games other teams are averaging 97.5 against us. They’ve all be scrubs, so it might just be noise. Still, impressive, and hopeful.

“It feels like we’re kind of gaming the system here with our W-L record. We’re 14-8, Pythag of 16-6, but we’re using a playoff rotation in December to get those results.”

E couldn’t have said it better.

That may be, Z-Man, but I don’t like it. If nothing else it shatters the aesthetic of a win. Just when you should be going “That was great!” instead you’re going “WTF!”

Yeah, it does. Alas, the only aesthetic Thibs cares about is the shape of the letter W.

And I don’t see any way for that to change beyond an intervention from Leon, which probably wouldn’t go well. And I doubt Leon would even go there unless and until there are more injuries that could be attributable to overuse, or the kind that d-mar alludes to. This will probably (hopefully?) be his last carte blanche year.

Wasn’t there a story a few years ago that Thibs was having a morning practice every day for 1st and 2nd year players? Kind of contradicts today’s no practice story.

I, for one, welcome the December cupcake schedule. This is the perfect time for us to have an easy stretch like this. Precious is coming back and integrating him into the rotation will be very important.

My guess is Mitch won’t be back in time for this easy stretch of games. would be nice if he could but guessing early January at this point is the best case scenario.

But right now is a time for the team to build confidence, Thibs to tinker with rotations, get Precious up to speed, and maybe GIVE THE STARTERS A REST and PLAY THE KIDS some! Come on, Thibs! Don’t be a mean one, Mr. Grinch!

“Wasn’t there a story a few years ago that Thibs was having a morning practice every day for 1st and 2nd year players? Kind of contradicts today’s no practice story.”

If those practices are strictly for players getting little playing time, it actually makes even more sense.

It feels like we’re kind of gaming the system here with our W-L record. We’re 14-8, Pythag of 16-6, but we’re using a playoff rotation in December to get those results.

I’m generally with you on the minutes, but it really is only the 3 wings. Thibs is doing ok with their two stars:

Brunson, minutes played, last 5 games: 27, 27, 26, 37, 36 (he is playing his lowest minute average since coming to New York)

KAT, minutes played, last 5 games: 39, 36, 25, 39, 35 (so yeah, a couple of high minute games, but he is right at his career average on minutes/game at 33.8).

Maybe this is Thibs’ cry for help to Leon. They need a playable wing on the bench (playable = trusted by Thibs).

I am a moderate on the minutes issue. There have absolutely been times this season Thibs could’ve gotten guys some extra blow with no risk. Up 20+ with 5 minutes left, that kind of thing. He should do that for obvious reasons–if an important player gets seriously hurt while we’re up 27 with 92 seconds left in a game, I’ll want Thibs fired tomorrow.

I can’t get on him too much for his rotations during the competitive portions of games this year, though. We already knew we were consolidating high-end talent in exchange for depth when we made the OG and KAT trades, and then basically our entire projected bench got injured between Mitch, Precious, Shamet, and Payne here and there (which isn’t to say we’ve been unlucky, in fact you could argue we’ve had good luck in that this only happened to our bench players, but it does obviously affect the minutes situation for the starters). There’s also the fact that we apparently barely practice, for whatever that’s worth.

Hopefully the situation starts to take care of itself as guys make their way back.

Maybe this is Thibs’ cry for help to Leon. They need a playable wing on the bench (playable = trusted by Thibs).

The problem is playable wings in the NBA tend to get $20M AAV. So when Shamet went down we were kind SOL here, since I’m not sure how many competitive minutes we want Dadiet and/or Matt Ryan playing.

Donnie, definitely have to catch Pags being good. That’s something you have probably learned from having thirteen children.

Didn’t realize Achiuwa was a blood in the ground situation. Good to have him back.

“The problem is playable wings in the NBA tend to get $20M AAV. So when Shamet went down we were kind SOL here, since I’m not sure how many competitive minutes we want Dadiet and/or Matt Ryan playing.”

It’s also a bit of a stretch to call Shamet a wing. He’s really more of a straight SG. TJ Warren is more of a wing. Is he playable?

Beyond that, I don’t think Shamet’s shoulder is going to be particularly stable w/o surgery. I worry that Warren might just be washed, although he’s looked pretty good in the G-League. So it may be best to hope that someone decent gets waived or cut, or becomes otherwise available at the pro-rated vet’s minimum.

Despite being a strict minutes policeman, I’m strongly in favor of what Thibs has been doing thus far.

Remember this is the first ~ 20 games these guys have played together — ever. Therefore, I would argue the starters should play together as much as possible, within reason. They need the reps as a group, and I believe the improved play over the last few games is a direct result of the long minutes played.

Of course, if this roster had already played all last year together, I would be screaming my head off, but, in this particular case, I think Thibs is correct, even in blowouts, to let the main guys play extra time. They are still learning each other’s tendencies, working through set plays, and improvising as a group where necessary. Blowouts also raise their confidence and remind them the game is supposed to be fun.

Specifically, we have all just watched Mikal play himself into (nearly) the player we expected. I don’t think that happens if he had been benched for sucking.

Likewise, we have just seen OG play himself into a short slump and back out again. In the long term, I think all the guys will benefit from big minutes over these first few weeks.

Then, once we are a reliable, well-oiled machine, I will clamor to reduce the load on all of them.

Already, over the last three games, Brunson’s minutes were downright cushy (26, 27, 27) so Thibs knows what’s up, IMO.

I don’t think Shamet is really the answer since McBride does all of the same things better and is also a SG.

I’d love to see us get a bigger wing. Preferably more defensively focused. I think Okeke is the simple answer since he is on Westchester and also was in training camp. Warren would be okay but his defense isn’t great. Covington would also be okay if he’s not completely washed. Or Troy Brown Jr or Jordan Nwora (though also not a great defender). All of them seem better options that Matt Ryan.

If we don’t like those options and really want a shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV seems like a much better choice than Shamet.

I think the idea was to play Achiuwa and Mitch or Sims together who can hold down the defense while the guards pile on 3s. We can always stagger Hart/Mikal/OG if we need a bigger defender.

If it comes down to it, we can move Mitch.

Between him clutching his side and getting a body wrap later, I’m thinking Brunson’s minutes are down cuz he’s dinged.

I wonder how many pushups Sims is going to have to do while singing the Friday Night Knicks song to get back in Thibs’ good graces…

Isn’t Luol Deng the most infamous of Thibs’ overuse of his guys?

Sort of, he had one serious basketball injury in his 3 years with Thib (and the Bulls doctors almost killed him in a non-basketball related event). Did he break down with the Lakers because Thibs played him a lot 4 years earlier? Maybe. Lebron played 42 minutes a night in Luol’s rookie season and he’s still going.

I saw a tweet eariler that said Thibs was letting Mikal get his confidence back by playing him heavy minutes against scrub teams and I’m going to chose to believe that

Was just reading about how the Detroit Lions went for it on fourth down five times last night.

It’s like shooting threes in the mid aughts. Except people were saying the same thing about fourth down back then and little has changed, in contrast to the NBA.

It’s going to be interesting to see if everyone hates it when the whole league converts to going for it on fourth most of the time.

Although who the heck loves punts….

Yeah, I think the analytics have shown that going for it on fourth down has been the right thing to do in many/most cases for quite a few years now. But because there are so many eyes on the NFL and because it is discussed so much, coaches have been loathe to try it because of how much media attention it would get when/if it didn’t work. They’re slowly getting over that, led by a few brave groundbreaker types.

from espn+ today
Two months into the season, what’s the verdict on the Knicks-Wolves trade?
Windhorst: Randle has scored efficiently in Minnesota, but it hasn’t been a perfect fit. He doesn’t stretch the floor like the player he’s replacing, Towns, and scouts and executives have repeatedly mentioned his penchant for how his ball-stopping has at times gummed up the Wolves’ offense. That Minnesota is hovering around .500 isn’t helping, though the Wolves’ improved effort on defense during a three-game win streak hints at a potential turnaround.

“When you watch them you can see the guys who can be free agents [Randle and Naz Reid] get frustrated at times,” one scout told ESPN. “If they were winning more it probably wouldn’t be an issue, but it’s one of the things that happens when a team underachieves.”

Bontemps: That’s why Minnesota has been labeled by league decision-makers as a potential player between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Yes, the Wolves are coming off comfortable victories against the reeling Lakers and shorthanded Clippers, but they have higher aspirations than battling for the last play-in spot, which is where they currently sit.

“Just because you’re trading for talent, it has to be the right fit. They have to learn and adjust,” a scout said. “Making a trade that late [right before training camp] is hard. So I’m empathetic.”

Not only has Randle’s fit been clunky, but multiple opposing scouts and executives said they say Donte DiVincenzo’s changing role has played a part in the Timberwolves’ slow start (he’s shooting 35.6% overall and 33.1% from 3 after shooting 44.3% and 40.1%, respectively, in New York last season). Guard Mike Conley’s struggles (he’s shooting 33.3% on 2-pointers) haven’t helped either.

“Donte is being asked to playmaker more than he ever has before,” an East scout said.
Windhorst: For the Knicks, Towns is crushing it at the offensive end, averaging his most points in five years (25.1 per game) and shooting a career-high 45% on 3s. With the Knicks short on size with both Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa sidelined, Towns has been tremendous on the boards, averaging a league-leading 13.1 per game.

Internally, the Knicks believe that with returns of their centers — Achiuwa made his season debut Thursday, and Robinson could return early in the New Year — the overall view of the Towns acquisition will turn hugely positive.

Bontemps: Of all of the stars to join new teams, Towns is the one who has truly delivered. Yes, Towns’ rim protection numbers remain concerning for a defense that ranks 21st in the league. “Would I like to challenge shots better? Yeah,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said this week.

But Towns was acquired to juice New York’s offense. And the two-man game between him and Jalen Brunson has helped create the league’s most efficient offense. “He’s been exactly what they hoped he would be,” an executive said of Towns’ early impact.

The Towns trade is working for New York. What about the Mikal Bridges deal?
Bontemps: When asked for an assessment of Bridges’ start with the Knicks, one scout’s response was immediate. “Disappointing. He has to find himself again,” they said

After hitting seven 3-pointers in Sunday’s rout of the New Orleans Pelicans, perhaps that process is underway for the star wing. But after trading five first-round picks to drag him away from the rival Brooklyn Nets via trade, Bridges has struggled to the point that last week teammate Josh Hart gave an impassioned locker room speech in Bridges’ defense after he was benched down the stretch in a narrow win over the Hornets. Still, the Knicks have the league’s top offense despite Bridges career-worst numbers: He’s now 16-for-73 on above-the-break triples and is shooting 32.8% overall.

Windhorst: “Fair or not, the price they paid to trade for him will follow him,” one league executive said.

But Bridges’ acquisition should be looked at beyond those picks. Brunson signed a team-friendly extension right after the Knicks acquired Bridges, his close friend and former Villanova teammate alongside Hart. That contract will continue to bear fruit when it comes to roster building. Bridges is also playing a more classic 3-and-D role for New York and being asked to do less on offense compared with his time in Brooklyn. The Knicks’ play was for a three- to five-year window with this core group, and Bridges could end up being very valuable in that period — even if there will be some legacy from the trade to get him.

@stevepopper.bsky.social‬
Jalen Brunson is questionable for Saturday with a lower back contusion. Payne remains question with left elbow effusion.

Not great, Bob.

I’m not kidding when I say seeing Pags turn positive has been a completely unexpected pick me up. The game last night too. I really needed something after having been in the hospital much of the past 2 weeks dealing with a family medical emergency.

did they accidentally leave mitch off the injury report?

https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-12-06_05PM.pdf

You know the vibes are good when even Pags can’t ignore them.

I guess it might relate to Mitch’s tweet

I love that Pags going positive can heal the sick.

Wait. Where is Robert Randolph? I’m getting delirium tremens.

He is somewhere wishing the Knicks were playing tonight

By the way, GoldClub, really sorry to hear about the medical emergency. Just to be clear I was not making fun of your misfortune, for which you have my greatest sympathies — family emergencies can be an enormous strain. I just really liked the idea of Pags having a positive super power, and especially that he was wasting it so prodigiously all this time.

And I challenge anyone to hate the new Ringer layout more than I do. I’ve always disliked The Ringer (and of course Bill Simmons), but I go there now and again as a few of their writers do fun stuff. But it’s not worth my time wading through whatever that shit is they’ve done.

I like Ben Lindbergh, but other than that, The Ringer is kind of Gen X dudes trying way too hard to sound cool so that they can pretend to fit with Gen Z.

I think the Mikal Bridges 47 minutes was specifically because he finally seems to be figuring himself out on this team and Thibs wanted him to get a ton of game reps to do it.

But it’s been a thing for a while that he likes to have his starters playing 38-40 minutes a night and I don’t think getting Shamet or Mitch back will change that number much, so I guess I just made peace with it and whatever happens, happens. This is the coach we have and he’s responsible for a lot of what made these past few years some of the best in my Knicks watching life, so I’ll accept his stubbornness and hope we get better injury luck in the playoffs.

I suppose this makes me an old person, but I find the Celtics offense so utterly boring aesthetically.

Looks like reports of the Bucks’ death were greatly exaggerated…

My husband walked into the room and said that this Celtics green is itchy. It’s hideous on them.

Jayson Tatum looks swole…

Dame maybe not washed

Looks like reports of EC’s death were greatly exaggerated…

Heck of a game

Tatum is definitely 1st team All-Crybaby, incessant whiner

Giannis with a moronic shot

Giannis blowing the game by taking a 3 is pretty funny

And another Giannis brainfart to seal it…

Whatever the opposite of poise is, that was the Bucks down the stretch

And the Hawks just beat the Lakers, they’re on a major roll… their defense finally makes sense and Trae is finding his rhythm again, they’ll be tough in the cup.

i give the hawks credit for sticking with trae and building out the roster around him…

it’s him and everyone else about 6’8″ or more, except for bogdan…

probably would not have been my choice, but yeah, they got a lot of tall and long guys out on the floor with trae…surprised to see hunter coming off the bench…seems like it’s working for them…

that meter for remaining lebron minutes is ticking away fast…too bad about that overtime loss to the hawks…

i wouldn’t mind seeing jalen, KAT or OG take a game off for maintenance…

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