DLeethal wrote:Right now our ORTG is 3rd. DRTG is 23rd. NETRTG is 9th. Also, the gap between the top 3 offenses and 4 and beyond is really big. Right now Boston, NY, CLE are well ahead of the pack and historically good on offense. Getting from 23rd to 15th on defense would probably bump our NETRTG up a significant amount.

We've seen over the years how trades on the margins can have a crazy impact sometimes. Rose trade a few years back? Hart trade? Those trades transformed our seasons. OG too obviously but he's basically a star. Why can't Precious, Mitch, Shamet being added to the mix make a significant impact on this team? They can, and I bet they will along with some good old fashioned gelling.

DLeethal wrote:

Knicksfan wrote:You see other teams playing defense (currently watching ATL v CLE) and the teams look balanced and set up on defense. The Knicks ALWAYS look late to cover, hunting for nonexistent steals and then ALWAYS leaving a man open for three. They are ALWAYS scrambling like crazy. Everyone plays them exactly the same: run the offense fast, constant screens and just wait for the definite open man that you will get, and always crash the boards because the Knicks can’t get consistent defensive rebounds. It’s been 19 games and I see no adjustment. Instead, Thibs is trusting less on his bench, keeping sorry-azz Bridges on the floor as long as he can even though he clearly isn’t right.

I’m very down on this team. Their offensive highs aren’t as trustworthy as their defense was last season, so it’s very hard to root for such an inconsistent and uninspired team. It’s ironic that we have the most talent we’ve had in years, yet this team sucks and it’s turning into a story that goes beyond an adjustment period. No, many things are already becoming trends hard to see them change. The defense seems to be a philosophical problem, Bridges’ seems to be mental and the trust on the bench is alarming considering this is probably the team we’ll have moving forward after Precious returns and then Mitch next year.

This team honestly sucks. Next amazing offensive performance won’t fool me anymore. Until they care to improve their defense, this team is nothing more than an overrated pretender. Yes, I’m mad. One thing is a few mistakes or some shots not falling. Today, it was embarrassing.

Precious and Shamet are not nothing when it comes to bench additions. Both fill huge needs for us right now.

I was semi excited for Shamet but now I don't anticipate Thibs will even dust him off the bench every night --- maybe 5 minutes.

Knicks have been quoted to love Shamet but also heard good things when we wanted Matt Ryan who is now collecting dust every game.

Not killing Thibs but man he is just a hard line when he's going to play or not play a guy.

Hopefully he finds it in his heart to give Precious 20-24 minutes a night and some with KAT please!!!

franco12 wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

VDesai wrote:

franco12 wrote:for all of Randle's flaws (finger waving at fans, grump, arguing with refs, slacking on D), it certainly seems like he was the heart of the club last year.

Are you a joke? You know he didn't play the last 30 games or the playoffs?

Seriously Franco --- anyone with eyes could see Knicks teammates weren't in love with Randle and front office tried all summer to get rid of him. T-Pup fans already hating on him and Aunt Man saying their team is growing farther and farther apart. Who you think might be driving that situation who is new in Minny?

Look - Randle in Minny is not a great situation - he didn't want to go there - and they don't want him - he is salary filler - that is a toxic situation.

I'm not proud of saying we miss Randle, but I'm looking at how we play - where we're missing - and Randle was the guy that came here when no one else wanted to, and got things turned around.

We miss Donte - sure. Do we miss iHart - absolutely.

But on paper - Kat & Bridges should at least hold their own production/win wise vs those two.

I don't buy that guys on the team didn't like him - yes, it was stupid when he pushed the video coach who was trying to help Randle be a better player.

Randle was not perfect, but I am thinking we have a bunch of soft ass players and Randle might have been the difference in having a will to win.

Randle ABSOLUTELY was our bully on offense - no question - and there was value in that.

On the flip side -- he was disconnected physically/emotionally on defense, hard to read off the court and even offensively he was so hit or miss with shot selection and ball stopping.

I get your primary point --- I tend to think we are missing more so the energy/tenacity that I-Hart and Donte brought. Kat has been fine (though a dud defensively) but Bridges is just weighing this group down right now --- plus NO PRECiOUS.

If Bridges were just playing real solid ball right now we'd probably have 2 or 3 more wins and be very comfortable with our wing D.

But with his current performance it's putting the whole project into ?

LivingLegend wrote:

DLeethal wrote:

Knicksfan wrote:You see other teams playing defense (currently watching ATL v CLE) and the teams look balanced and set up on defense. The Knicks ALWAYS look late to cover, hunting for nonexistent steals and then ALWAYS leaving a man open for three. They are ALWAYS scrambling like crazy. Everyone plays them exactly the same: run the offense fast, constant screens and just wait for the definite open man that you will get, and always crash the boards because the Knicks can’t get consistent defensive rebounds. It’s been 19 games and I see no adjustment. Instead, Thibs is trusting less on his bench, keeping sorry-azz Bridges on the floor as long as he can even though he clearly isn’t right.

I’m very down on this team. Their offensive highs aren’t as trustworthy as their defense was last season, so it’s very hard to root for such an inconsistent and uninspired team. It’s ironic that we have the most talent we’ve had in years, yet this team sucks and it’s turning into a story that goes beyond an adjustment period. No, many things are already becoming trends hard to see them change. The defense seems to be a philosophical problem, Bridges’ seems to be mental and the trust on the bench is alarming considering this is probably the team we’ll have moving forward after Precious returns and then Mitch next year.

This team honestly sucks. Next amazing offensive performance won’t fool me anymore. Until they care to improve their defense, this team is nothing more than an overrated pretender. Yes, I’m mad. One thing is a few mistakes or some shots not falling. Today, it was embarrassing.

Precious and Shamet are not nothing when it comes to bench additions. Both fill huge needs for us right now.

I was semi excited for Shamet but now I don't anticipate Thibs will even dust him off the bench every night --- maybe 5 minutes.

Knicks have been quoted to love Shamet but also heard good things when we wanted Matt Ryan who is now collecting dust every game.

Not killing Thibs but man he is just a hard line when he's going to play or not play a guy.

Hopefully he finds it in his heart to give Precious 20-24 minutes a night and some with KAT please!!!

Shamet looked well on his way to a significant bench role before he got hurt IMO.

Either way, it’s not about any 1 guy. It’s 3 guys.