HofstraBBall wrote:

Uptown wrote:I know Dennis aint a very unpopular player here, but I'm rooting for the kid. He's putting in work and hopefully we will see some results this season. For all of his flaws, his athleticism and ability to get into the paint is unmatched by any of the other PG's on this roster. An type of consistency with that Jumper and he would be the clear favorite to win the pg spot....Also, love that he is working with Rauf, one of my all time favorite college basketball players and all time best shooters...

Think he should show fans a bit more this year. If so, he will be more popular. First thing he has to do is leave it all out on the defensive side. He has to have a high motor on the court regardless of the minutes or if he starts. He has to push pace and get guys open looks. My biggest concern is that to be a good shooter you can not think about your mechanics or have any doubt in your mind that the shot is going in. Anyone that is "Working" on their shot does not have either of those things. Especially when its time to play a real game. Add the fact the Knicks just added two starter level PG's. Not exactly a vote of confidence in his mind. Hoping for the best but see a better chance that Rivers, who is coming off a good year and has always had potential, has a better probability of surprising us at the position. In terms of Frank, he has always been solid defensively. Feel that goes a long way for TT who like Dunn in Chicago. feel with TT help he can also make him consistently aggressive. Won't be surprised if he plays him a different positions to take advantage of his ability to guard multiple positions. But I agree with most, if they do not show they can fix their weaknesses, they will both be playing for a different team by mid season.

After Rose got hurt, Thibs won a bunch of games with John Lucas and Nate Robinson running the point. Thibs doesn't mind scoring pgs running the show which is why I think Smith has more than a good chance to get the 1st look at the point.

Welpee wrote:DSJ has got to be 1st team All-Off Season. I've never seen a player generate so much work out/training camp buzz every year and yield so little when the season starts.

Heh. Every year.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/21/knicks-shot-doctor-is-trying-to-save-dennis-smith-jr/

We also get a bit of the same every year with Ntilikina. Boxing. The ropes. The spin moves breaking the ankles of an invisible foe. At least we get some epic video out of Frank.

I'm rooting for all of our Knicks. Especially for DSJ to do a Derrick Rose impression and dominate... but I'm pretty skeptical.

Allanfan20 wrote:

technomaster wrote:

Welpee wrote:DSJ has got to be 1st team All-Off Season. I've never seen a player generate so much work out/training camp buzz every year and yield so little when the season starts.

Heh. Every year.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/21/knicks-shot-doctor-is-trying-to-save-dennis-smith-jr/

We also get a bit of the same every year with Ntilikina. Boxing. The ropes. The spin moves breaking the ankles of an invisible foe. At least we get some epic video out of Frank.

I'm rooting for all of our Knicks. Especially for DSJ to do a Derrick Rose impression and dominate... but I'm pretty skeptical.

Add Mitch to that list.

Yeah. Mitch looks like the second coming of the Greek Freak in his videos. At least with Frank and Mitch, we can see some tangible results on the court and some advanced stats that back up their effectiveness/intangibles. DSJ unfortunately didn't show much at all - totally lost year for him.

Welpee wrote:DSJ has got to be 1st team All-Off Season. I've never seen a player generate so much work out/training camp buzz every year and yield so little when the season starts.

I honestly think his main issue is his health and his back. The guy showed that he is a very good player (though not without shortcomings) in his first two seasons. There was pressure for him to show last year that he was a worthy return on the KP trade, that is why he played while his health conditions suggested he should not have. I do not know where the pressure was coming from - himself, his agent or the Knicks FO - but it was an ugly situation that should not have been brought to that.

Compare with how patient and nurturing Dallas has been with KP.

If Dennis's health is good this season, I am certain he will prove a lot more effective. If not - tough luck. Both for him and for Knicks fans.

TheGame wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

TheGame wrote:It would be great if the kid learned to shoot but I just don’t see it happening. Plus, he still can’t play defense. I would give the kid a month and if he still looks lost, I would just trade him for whatever we can get.

You can say the same for frank, mitch and knox if none of them show any significant progress.

The difference is Mitch and Frank at least have one thing their good at -defense, and Knox has shown signs and is younger than all of them. Smith just does not seem to have his head on straight. Not that he is a bad kid but he just does not seem tough minded, and even if he improves his jumper, he still cannot play defense. I just don’t see anyway Smith shows enough to be resigned, so I would just try to get what we can at the trade deadline.

This. Mitch and Frank bring defense. Smith and Knox when on the floor together last season the Knicks -19 in points differential which, yes, is way worse than the team’s overall point differential

If you cannot shoot, play D or even protect the ball your team is going to lose, alot

Welpee wrote:

ESOMKnicks wrote:

Welpee wrote:DSJ has got to be 1st team All-Off Season. I've never seen a player generate so much work out/training camp buzz every year and yield so little when the season starts.

I honestly think his main issue is his health and his back. The guy showed that he is a very good player (though not without shortcomings) in his first two seasons. There was pressure for him to show last year that he was a worthy return on the KP trade, that is why he played while his health conditions suggested he should not have. I do not know where the pressure was coming from - himself, his agent or the Knicks FO - but it was an ugly situation that should not have been brought to that.

Compare with how patient and nurturing Dallas has been with KP.

If Dennis's health is good this season, I am certain he will prove a lot more effective. If not - tough luck. Both for him and for Knicks fans.

DSJ was in that same "patient and nurturing" environment and didn't play winning basketball so I'm not buying the KP reference. Again, highlight real dunks mean nothing to me if it doesn't translate into winning. College or NBA, when has DSJ contributed to team success? At some point you have stop making excuses for the guy and just accept that (when healthy) he's an athletic player who can make exciting plays but doesn't contribute to winning. DRose led a mid-major to the NCAA championship game in college, so we knew it was in him. Who has DSJ ever led to success? He has one last season to change this narrative.

Your environment plays a key role in how you develop a player. How many students at YALE were Raise in the ghetto, or a poor environment. The knicks have develop losers across the board, the culture has been to tank, tank, tank.

The knicks consistently put together BAD teams, players that don't fit, redundant players, role players in starting positions, players that play for $$ more than pride. Everything the franchise is doing contributes to lousy development process and like clock work, they will continue the process this season with a hodge podge roster. No stars, No leaders, Nobody who really cares because they will more than likely not be there the following season.

That's partly why DSJ, frank, knox, mitch, Trier dotson, Iggy, have shown little to growth

Philc1 wrote:

TheGame wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

TheGame wrote:It would be great if the kid learned to shoot but I just don’t see it happening. Plus, he still can’t play defense. I would give the kid a month and if he still looks lost, I would just trade him for whatever we can get.

You can say the same for frank, mitch and knox if none of them show any significant progress.

The difference is Mitch and Frank at least have one thing their good at -defense, and Knox has shown signs and is younger than all of them. Smith just does not seem to have his head on straight. Not that he is a bad kid but he just does not seem tough minded, and even if he improves his jumper, he still cannot play defense. I just don’t see anyway Smith shows enough to be resigned, so I would just try to get what we can at the trade deadline.

This. Mitch and Frank bring defense. Smith and Knox when on the floor together last season the Knicks -19 in points differential which, yes, is way worse than the team’s overall point differential

If you cannot shoot, play D or even protect the ball your team is going to lose, alot

So frank gets a steal, runs down the court and bricks a shot, mitch blocks a shot and air balls a perimeter shot, if you can't capitalize on the stops you do make, what's the purpose.

cooch2584 wrote:I know they are all young,frank dennis and knox but not ont one of them has shown ANY improvement to me.

Frank showed improvement at the tail end. Miller drummed it into his head that he needs to be aggressive and touch the paint. He showed he can at least be a backup.