NFT - NY Knicks - 2023-2024

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Like I said, with the injuries we already had, if you take out Brunson on top of that, you're left with a team that isn't going to be very competitive with NBA teams. You saw that tonight.

Yeah, all I could think as I watched the game is just how much they miss Brunson. Deuce played well, but he doesn't orchestrate the offense the way Brunson does. Brunson sees the whole court and has an offensive plan in mind, and he makes it work. It's not something that comes with great athleticism, but rather the mental accuman that one needs to conduct 5 guys with the ONLY goal - to win. Bird had it (always scanning the court and tracking teammates out of his sight line) and forced wins. Brunson has it. Not sure I can explain what I am trying to say, but I've seen it my whole life watching basketball. There are super-athletic players that dazzle, and have a long, fluid, basketball player body, but there's a different type that doesn't even look like an extreme athlete who just has a mindset to conduct wins and even force wins and will do whatever it takes to win. Brunson has it. Deuce doesn't...and I like Deuce. Brunson is irreplaceable on this team. It is his innate nature to lead, and leadership doesn't come by fancy athleticism...hard to explain

[nb587]

Yeah, all I could think as I watched the game is just how much they miss Brunson. Deuce played well, but he doesn't orchestrate the offense the way Brunson does. Brunson sees the whole court and has an offensive plan in mind, and he makes it work. It's not something that comes with great athleticism, but rather the mental accuman that one needs to conduct 5 guys with the ONLY goal - to win. Bird had it (always scanning the court and tracking teammates out of his sight line) and forced wins. Brunson has it. Not sure I can explain what I am trying to say, but I've seen it my whole life watching basketball. There are super-athletic players that dazzle, and have a long, fluid, basketball player body, but there's a different type that doesn't even look like an extreme athlete who just has a mindset to conduct wins and even force wins and will do whatever it takes to win. Brunson has it. Deuce doesn't...and I like Deuce. Brunson is irreplaceable on this team. It is his innate nature to lead, and leadership doesn't come by fancy athleticism...hard to explain

In the playoffs, and probably the run to the playoffs, Thibs will shorten the bench. Randle's backup is OG and Bogs will play mostly small forward and 2 of these 3 will be on the court when everyone is healthy.  I dont think we'll see very much of Achiewa or Duece as we get to crunch time

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Funniest line I've heard from talking heads on TV was, "who would have ever thought the smartest team in the NBA would be the Knicks?", followed by laughter

[nb587]

Funniest line I've heard from talking heads on TV was, "who would have ever thought the smartest team in the NBA would be the Knicks?", followed by laughter

The best part of the Knicks moves is that while they clearly upgraded their goals from making the playoffs to going very deep inthe playoffs, they've done so with minimal impact for the future.  In fact, their short terms moves probably made their long term moves way more likely.  They're in a much better position to acquire the big star next year than they were at the start of the season.  Usually, the short term moves come at the expense of the long term.

[DaveBrown74]

How good has Deuce McBride been of late? Wow. Talk about a breakout season.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

How good has Deuce McBride been of late? Wow. Talk about a breakout season.

He sure takes the sting out of losing IQ. He is exactly what Thibs expects from a player, and unlike Grimes, IQ, and RJ, Deuce is a soldier who does exactly what the boss tells him to do...play defense like a pit bull, and know when and how to score. And he's learned from Brunson how to do that step back floater shot that enables small guys to shoot over the big guys.

Deuce is a gym rat who spends hours shooting threes from all over the court, pretending he's covered. His ability to score, whilst playing incredible defense...is everything Thibs expects out of him. And Deuce is not a prima donna who complains about anything. If he's on the bench, he cheers on the team and won't complain. If he's asked to play the entire game, he plays "full-throttle" every second he's in. He's a hustler and a great team player, with basketball sense. Gotta love the guy

[Philosophers]

Now is Leon Rose doing a good job?

He is building a team with max flexibility in the future.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Now is Leon Rose doing a good job?

He is building a team with max flexibility in the future.

I think Thibs has more to do with building this team than Rose, Rose just agrees and trusts in Thibs

When the entire team is healthy, the backups are: Deuce, Josh Hart, Bogdanović, Precious, Hartinstein. That's a great second team, so flexibility up the ass. That's better than average in the NBA and pretty much what they've been playing lately, except Brunson and DD are still starting

When healthy, the starters are Brunson, Randle, OG, DiVincenzo, and Mitch, which is a great lineup that can challenge for the championship

Makes one wonder what it'd be like if the whole team was 100% healthy...also wonder who is that magic "missing piece"? And if we get that missing piece, who goes? 

[DaveBrown74]

Now is Leon Rose doing a good job?

He is building a team with max flexibility in the future.

I have liked the job he is doing for years. I loved the way he stockpiled picks and didn't let himself get bullied into a trade for Mitchell by Danny Ainge the way Isiah Thomas or Donnie Walsh might have done. As far as I'm concerned this is the best Knicks team since the 90s, and the Knicks are being run better than they have been since the 90s. The injuries have been very tough this year, but they have handled the challenge well.

They really need to try to get that three seed.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Anyone think that Deuce has been influenced by Brunson? I do. I see him making the same plays and using the same shooting style, but also in playing fierce from the second he steps on the court. Having a JB2 is a good thing 

[DaveBrown74]

Anyone think that Deuce has been influenced by Brunson? I do. I see him making the same plays and using the same shooting style, but also in playing fierce from the second he steps on the court. Having a JB2 is a good thing 

I think that's very possible. If you listen to Brunson talk, he sounds like an intelligent and pretty decent guy, so I'm sure it is in his personality to want to help younger teammates get better. Also, even if Brunson weren't going out of his way to mentor Deuce, for Deuce to just be able to practice with and observe Brunson everyday is additive.

Deuce is playing like a starting caliber point or off guard lately. It's absolutely great to see.

I also saw recently that there is confirmed optimism around Robinson being back very soon. The other two guys are a little murkier. He is what I saw. This was written two days ago.

https://theknickswall.com/latest-injury-news-on-three-knicks-starters/

[Philosophers]

I have liked the job he is doing for years. I loved the way he stockpiled picks and didn't let himself get bullied into a trade for Mitchell by Danny Ainge the way Isiah Thomas or Donnie Walsh might have done. As far as I'm concerned this is the best Knicks team since the 90s, and the Knicks are being run better than they have been since the 90s. The injuries have been very tough this year, but they have handled the challenge well.

They really need to try to get that three seed.

Agree and well said.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Mitch is back, even thought he didn't start. Knicks are on fire and put up their highest point total last night against Toronto 9145 pts). Deuce continues his roll. Kid has got game! Started...played 40 minutes...29pts (9/14 3pts 64.2%)...7 assists...1 steal, and 3 RBs

[DaveBrown74]

The more I think about it, the more I'm concerned about Randle. This injury has been a black hole.

My concern isn't so much that he won't come back this year. I'm pretty sure he will. My concern is more that he'll come back and not be the player he was before the injury, earlier this year. I worry about him being disruptive to the flow of this team by trying to do too much when he physically can't.

I hope they don't bring him back unless they're 100% confident he has no lingering effects from this injury. A dislocated shoulder is no joke. That's not something you just "tough out" if it's on your shooting arm, which I think it is. Randle is a guy who forces shots, handles the ball more than he should, and generally takes chances. When he's on, he's dominant. But when he's not, he can really hurt the team.

I just hope they manage this situation well. To me, OG is the more important player and the one they need most. They need a guy who can D up on the dominant wings in the east, like Jason Tatum and Giannis. That's OG. Not Randle. The Knicks have enough offense without Randle. Plus OG can add some offense when needed too.

[nb587]

The more I think about it, the more I'm concerned about Randle. This injury has been a black hole.

My concern isn't so much that he won't come back this year. I'm pretty sure he will. My concern is more that he'll come back and not be the player he was before the injury, earlier this year. I worry about him being disruptive to the flow of this team by trying to do too much when he physically can't.

I hope they don't bring him back unless they're 100% confident he has no lingering effects from this injury. A dislocated shoulder is no joke. That's not something you just "tough out" if it's on your shooting arm, which I think it is. Randle is a guy who forces shots, handles the ball more than he should, and generally takes chances. When he's on, he's dominant. But when he's not, he can really hurt the team.

I just hope they manage this situation well. To me, OG is the more important player and the one they need most. They need a guy who can D up on the dominant wings in the east, like Jason Tatum and Giannis. That's OG. Not Randle. The Knicks have enough offense without Randle. Plus OG can odd some offense when needed too.

100% agree