HofstraBBall wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:Most opinions on here are filled with preconceived notions. With little true perspective. Except for mine. Randle is our best player. He has the ability to get a double double every game. Usually does. Yet NO ONE cares. He shot 70% last night. Had 3 assists in the first 7 minutes. Had 6 and 5 previous two games. Yet all anyone wants to to is emphasize his turnovers(Spinners). Although he only had 2 TO's which for the primary option is nothing. Why? He takes minutes away from the fans dreams? Or maybe cuz of pre conceived expectations. Fans thought we should be winning the East after paying ONE guy over 20 Million. Which btw is one of the reasons NO ONE wants to come here. NY fans just hate anyone that gets paid and does not bring us a chip. Look, Randle is by far NOT the first player I think of as a teams first option but the fact is HE IS. Until we get one that is better or he is traded. But he is not getting benched.

Second reality is that we have promising young players but unfortunately there are no saviors in the bunch. Probably just good rotation players. Too many DREAMERS on the board. Ones who want starting line up changes for any young draft pick that can play a little defense or shows a glimmer of talent. Fact is most will be possible role players on good teams. The thirst for a savior is high. I get it. But lets look at some true perspective from last nights game to bring things into REALITY and to make this point. Quick had a good game. Great energy, motor and made things happen. HOWEVER the kid shot 27%!! from 2. 16% from three!! All against the third string team of the CAVS. He had the same 2 TO's as Smith and Randle but is now hailed as our new starting PG? Randle shot 70% but crickets. Robinson had 3 fouls in first quarter if not for the third string line up that played most of the second half, he would have fouled out within his 20 minute average. Smith as bad as he played in his first 5 minutes, had 5 Steals and 2 Blocks, shot 50% from 2 and 3. If Frank had done that the Frank cult would be storming MSG this morning demanding he be given a max. Toppin had four great lob dunks? What else? Scored just 8 points (Same as Smith less than half of Randle). Not hating on any of the players. Love MR, Tops and Quick. Have come to appreciated Franks role. But lets stop the thing we do.

Like everyone else, I am happy for our young kids that played well yesterday. I like their energy. Feel they are fun to watch. Looking forward to their progress and contribution. Hoping they get lots of playing time the last quarter of the season. Unlike some I am not doing what Knick fans are famous for doing, over hype their own players that they feel "Play how they want them to play" or have one good quarter. Despite the dreams of many(myself included) the reality is we will be a lottery team. We have many unproven young players. Our most experienced and consistent NBA players are still Randle, Rivers, Burks, Noel, Bullock and Barrett. Those are the guys that will be getting the most playing time and who Thibs knows will give him the best chance to win. Of course that is fluid. The rest are works in progress and have yet proven to be good enough to make a good teams rotation. Looking forward to the days we have enough talent to prevent a whole bunch of "Start the mediocre player" threads. Will also keep rooting for this reality with NO expectations. Except for the one that this FO knows this is the reality and will make moves to trade our dreams for a better reality.

But if anyone disagrees I will be happy to read the many dream scenarios? Need my daily fix of them.

So an update on our reality. Randle still our best player. Not too many arguing that this time around. The excitement for our young guys is becoming more realistic. Looks like Knox and Frank will be the next ones to join Dennis and Iggy on their way out of the Knicks future plans. RJ still showing he needs to be a lot more consistent to be considered a solid starter let alone a future building block. MR still frustrating those that think he should be a stretch 5. post up threat or 15 foot STAT like scorer. IQ looking good but still showing the shooting consistency that is expected from a Rook. Obi looking like he may be more like a late first round role player. Hopefully they all continue to improve and take the next big step. With us.

As for our vets. They are still the best formula for a playoff birth. Grant it a 8th seed at best. We now have Rose who is looking more comfortable than I have ever seen him. I hope he plays well enough that he cracks the starting PG position. Payton has been consistently okay. Although most hate him he has been our most consistent PG. Bullock is our best defender in the SL. Has to get his 3pt shot going but the defense is better when he is on the floor. Burks has cooled down but still with the ability to hit 6 in a row from three. Our two backup 5's are showing to be true back ups. Rivers looks like he is expecting to be traded.

All in all I think we are playing well with what we have. Good to see that our squad has improved from last year and we can compete on a night to night basis. It is also promising to watch the young players. They have talent but need to keep working. Squad is looking like it has a chance to really be good if we make the right moves going forward. Can't say that we have been able to say that in quite some time.

Guess you missed the thread I started, praising Randle. The day before yours.

EwingsGlass wrote:

Nalod wrote:LOL, if you thought we’d be a lottery team you did not get “Most if it right”. Quite the opposite.
What you hoped for was correct and thats totally cool!
We saw Randle at times last year DOMINANT. I saw him destroy Charlotte in person. He went to the rim and was unstoppable. But the outside shot was not falling as much. He has improved his ability to create space and get better looks and that has been huge.
Flat out we all happy regardless of our preseason opinions. Knick fans are always OVER optimistic about every year and now those are looking “Smart”. What ever floats the boat and makes you happy.
That Payton is our starter and we this good says a lot. That Thibs has bought an elite approach and Leon supported with with contrasting coaches is awesome. THat he for what ever reason he kept Perry and the moves made even before Leon are panning out are great. If Blame is over rated, then so are accolades.
“Knicks are doing well”. Thats all that matters !!!! Good stuff Hofstra, glad much of the preseason stuff has worked out. I very much was excited for the season but predicted 22 wins. That prepared me for a lot of misery and looking at development and perhaps a late season streak to improve the mood. I say that ever year after big changes. Most impressive is we did not clean the roster out and start over. We built with Payton, Randle, Bullock, Mitch. Thats impressive as hell. Thats we have all our picks and then some is impressive as hell. How we use our capital going forward will be fun!

In fairness to Hofstra, I don’t think anyone predicted this level of success with any level of certainty. And we are really just a bad road trip away from being a potential lottery team — losing bubble teams revert back to the lottery.

What I read was him sticking up for Randle when nearly all of us were ready to trade him and move on. At that moment in time, sticking up for Randle was a bit of a risk and acknowledging that we may not make the playoffs this season was just common sense.

So, where he disagreed with the swarm of arguments against Randle, he was right. Where he agreed with all of us that we were probably a lotto team, we were all wrong.

I’ll give credit.

This team and this coach has exceeded my expectations and then some. It’s a bit more fun being a fan this year. It’s much more fun being a fan this year. Win or lose, this team is bringing the defense and working hard. All I ever wanted. The wins are just the logical result of that hard work.

Cant we be just a little unfair? J/K, Point taken.

EwingsGlass wrote:

Nalod wrote:LOL, if you thought we’d be a lottery team you did not get “Most if it right”. Quite the opposite.
What you hoped for was correct and thats totally cool!
We saw Randle at times last year DOMINANT. I saw him destroy Charlotte in person. He went to the rim and was unstoppable. But the outside shot was not falling as much. He has improved his ability to create space and get better looks and that has been huge.
Flat out we all happy regardless of our preseason opinions. Knick fans are always OVER optimistic about every year and now those are looking “Smart”. What ever floats the boat and makes you happy.
That Payton is our starter and we this good says a lot. That Thibs has bought an elite approach and Leon supported with with contrasting coaches is awesome. THat he for what ever reason he kept Perry and the moves made even before Leon are panning out are great. If Blame is over rated, then so are accolades.
“Knicks are doing well”. Thats all that matters !!!! Good stuff Hofstra, glad much of the preseason stuff has worked out. I very much was excited for the season but predicted 22 wins. That prepared me for a lot of misery and looking at development and perhaps a late season streak to improve the mood. I say that ever year after big changes. Most impressive is we did not clean the roster out and start over. We built with Payton, Randle, Bullock, Mitch. Thats impressive as hell. Thats we have all our picks and then some is impressive as hell. How we use our capital going forward will be fun!

In fairness to Hofstra, I don’t think anyone predicted this level of success with any level of certainty. And we are really just a bad road trip away from being a potential lottery team — losing bubble teams revert back to the lottery.

What I read was him sticking up for Randle when nearly all of us were ready to trade him and move on. At that moment in time, sticking up for Randle was a bit of a risk and acknowledging that we may not make the playoffs this season was just common sense.

So, where he disagreed with the swarm of arguments against Randle, he was right. Where he agreed with all of us that we were probably a lotto team, we were all wrong.

I’ll give credit.

This team and this coach has exceeded my expectations and then some. It’s a bit more fun being a fan this year. It’s much more fun being a fan this year. Win or lose, this team is bringing the defense and working hard. All I ever wanted. The wins are just the logical result of that hard work.

If somebody argued that Randle wasn't very good last year in spite of his numbers, I don't know how anybody could claim that wasn't true. There may have been disagreement on the reason he wasn't good or whether he could improve. In fact, if I'm reading the initial post correctly the point he was really making was against benching Randle. Anybody who had that opinion shouldn't be taken seriously anyway, so not sure why anybody would feel the need to take credit for defending Randle against being benched.

GustavBahler wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:Most opinions on here are filled with preconceived notions. With little true perspective. Except for mine. Randle is our best player. He has the ability to get a double double every game. Usually does. Yet NO ONE cares. He shot 70% last night. Had 3 assists in the first 7 minutes. Had 6 and 5 previous two games. Yet all anyone wants to to is emphasize his turnovers(Spinners). Although he only had 2 TO's which for the primary option is nothing. Why? He takes minutes away from the fans dreams? Or maybe cuz of pre conceived expectations. Fans thought we should be winning the East after paying ONE guy over 20 Million. Which btw is one of the reasons NO ONE wants to come here. NY fans just hate anyone that gets paid and does not bring us a chip. Look, Randle is by far NOT the first player I think of as a teams first option but the fact is HE IS. Until we get one that is better or he is traded. But he is not getting benched.

Second reality is that we have promising young players but unfortunately there are no saviors in the bunch. Probably just good rotation players. Too many DREAMERS on the board. Ones who want starting line up changes for any young draft pick that can play a little defense or shows a glimmer of talent. Fact is most will be possible role players on good teams. The thirst for a savior is high. I get it. But lets look at some true perspective from last nights game to bring things into REALITY and to make this point. Quick had a good game. Great energy, motor and made things happen. HOWEVER the kid shot 27%!! from 2. 16% from three!! All against the third string team of the CAVS. He had the same 2 TO's as Smith and Randle but is now hailed as our new starting PG? Randle shot 70% but crickets. Robinson had 3 fouls in first quarter if not for the third string line up that played most of the second half, he would have fouled out within his 20 minute average. Smith as bad as he played in his first 5 minutes, had 5 Steals and 2 Blocks, shot 50% from 2 and 3. If Frank had done that the Frank cult would be storming MSG this morning demanding he be given a max. Toppin had four great lob dunks? What else? Scored just 8 points (Same as Smith less than half of Randle). Not hating on any of the players. Love MR, Tops and Quick. Have come to appreciated Franks role. But lets stop the thing we do.

Like everyone else, I am happy for our young kids that played well yesterday. I like their energy. Feel they are fun to watch. Looking forward to their progress and contribution. Hoping they get lots of playing time the last quarter of the season. Unlike some I am not doing what Knick fans are famous for doing, over hype their own players that they feel "Play how they want them to play" or have one good quarter. Despite the dreams of many(myself included) the reality is we will be a lottery team. We have many unproven young players. Our most experienced and consistent NBA players are still Randle, Rivers, Burks, Noel, Bullock and Barrett. Those are the guys that will be getting the most playing time and who Thibs knows will give him the best chance to win. Of course that is fluid. The rest are works in progress and have yet proven to be good enough to make a good teams rotation. Looking forward to the days we have enough talent to prevent a whole bunch of "Start the mediocre player" threads. Will also keep rooting for this reality with NO expectations. Except for the one that this FO knows this is the reality and will make moves to trade our dreams for a better reality.

But if anyone disagrees I will be happy to read the many dream scenarios? Need my daily fix of them.

So an update on our reality. Randle still our best player. Not too many arguing that this time around. The excitement for our young guys is becoming more realistic. Looks like Knox and Frank will be the next ones to join Dennis and Iggy on their way out of the Knicks future plans. RJ still showing he needs to be a lot more consistent to be considered a solid starter let alone a future building block. MR still frustrating those that think he should be a stretch 5. post up threat or 15 foot STAT like scorer. IQ looking good but still showing the shooting consistency that is expected from a Rook. Obi looking like he may be more like a late first round role player. Hopefully they all continue to improve and take the next big step. With us.

As for our vets. They are still the best formula for a playoff birth. Grant it a 8th seed at best. We now have Rose who is looking more comfortable than I have ever seen him. I hope he plays well enough that he cracks the starting PG position. Payton has been consistently okay. Although most hate him he has been our most consistent PG. Bullock is our best defender in the SL. Has to get his 3pt shot going but the defense is better when he is on the floor. Burks has cooled down but still with the ability to hit 6 in a row from three. Our two backup 5's are showing to be true back ups. Rivers looks like he is expecting to be traded.

All in all I think we are playing well with what we have. Good to see that our squad has improved from last year and we can compete on a night to night basis. It is also promising to watch the young players. They have talent but need to keep working. Squad is looking like it has a chance to really be good if we make the right moves going forward. Can't say that we have been able to say that in quite some time.

Guess you missed the thread I started, praising Randle. The day before yours.

Going to be wearing that "41 wins baby!" hat for a long time, huh?

Frankly, Im hurt and feeling a little defensive. A quick and humble response..

In a world where high priced pundits, and vigilante internet critics run wild. One man's prediction causes tectonic ripples through professional sports across the globe.

41

Starring Gustav as the humble visionary

Also starring:

Rebecca as the plucky reporter who sees through all the haters

Martin as the moderator who marries the happy couple, with tears in his eyes.

Special Appearance by jrod as the extra, whose slow clapping helps bring the film to its emotional crescendo

Music by Papabear

Coming soon to a theater near you!

jrodmc wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:Most opinions on here are filled with preconceived notions. With little true perspective. Except for mine. Randle is our best player. He has the ability to get a double double every game. Usually does. Yet NO ONE cares. He shot 70% last night. Had 3 assists in the first 7 minutes. Had 6 and 5 previous two games. Yet all anyone wants to to is emphasize his turnovers(Spinners). Although he only had 2 TO's which for the primary option is nothing. Why? He takes minutes away from the fans dreams? Or maybe cuz of pre conceived expectations. Fans thought we should be winning the East after paying ONE guy over 20 Million. Which btw is one of the reasons NO ONE wants to come here. NY fans just hate anyone that gets paid and does not bring us a chip. Look, Randle is by far NOT the first player I think of as a teams first option but the fact is HE IS. Until we get one that is better or he is traded. But he is not getting benched.

Second reality is that we have promising young players but unfortunately there are no saviors in the bunch. Probably just good rotation players. Too many DREAMERS on the board. Ones who want starting line up changes for any young draft pick that can play a little defense or shows a glimmer of talent. Fact is most will be possible role players on good teams. The thirst for a savior is high. I get it. But lets look at some true perspective from last nights game to bring things into REALITY and to make this point. Quick had a good game. Great energy, motor and made things happen. HOWEVER the kid shot 27%!! from 2. 16% from three!! All against the third string team of the CAVS. He had the same 2 TO's as Smith and Randle but is now hailed as our new starting PG? Randle shot 70% but crickets. Robinson had 3 fouls in first quarter if not for the third string line up that played most of the second half, he would have fouled out within his 20 minute average. Smith as bad as he played in his first 5 minutes, had 5 Steals and 2 Blocks, shot 50% from 2 and 3. If Frank had done that the Frank cult would be storming MSG this morning demanding he be given a max. Toppin had four great lob dunks? What else? Scored just 8 points (Same as Smith less than half of Randle). Not hating on any of the players. Love MR, Tops and Quick. Have come to appreciated Franks role. But lets stop the thing we do.

Like everyone else, I am happy for our young kids that played well yesterday. I like their energy. Feel they are fun to watch. Looking forward to their progress and contribution. Hoping they get lots of playing time the last quarter of the season. Unlike some I am not doing what Knick fans are famous for doing, over hype their own players that they feel "Play how they want them to play" or have one good quarter. Despite the dreams of many(myself included) the reality is we will be a lottery team. We have many unproven young players. Our most experienced and consistent NBA players are still Randle, Rivers, Burks, Noel, Bullock and Barrett. Those are the guys that will be getting the most playing time and who Thibs knows will give him the best chance to win. Of course that is fluid. The rest are works in progress and have yet proven to be good enough to make a good teams rotation. Looking forward to the days we have enough talent to prevent a whole bunch of "Start the mediocre player" threads. Will also keep rooting for this reality with NO expectations. Except for the one that this FO knows this is the reality and will make moves to trade our dreams for a better reality.

But if anyone disagrees I will be happy to read the many dream scenarios? Need my daily fix of them.

So an update on our reality. Randle still our best player. Not too many arguing that this time around. The excitement for our young guys is becoming more realistic. Looks like Knox and Frank will be the next ones to join Dennis and Iggy on their way out of the Knicks future plans. RJ still showing he needs to be a lot more consistent to be considered a solid starter let alone a future building block. MR still frustrating those that think he should be a stretch 5. post up threat or 15 foot STAT like scorer. IQ looking good but still showing the shooting consistency that is expected from a Rook. Obi looking like he may be more like a late first round role player. Hopefully they all continue to improve and take the next big step. With us.

As for our vets. They are still the best formula for a playoff birth. Grant it a 8th seed at best. We now have Rose who is looking more comfortable than I have ever seen him. I hope he plays well enough that he cracks the starting PG position. Payton has been consistently okay. Although most hate him he has been our most consistent PG. Bullock is our best defender in the SL. Has to get his 3pt shot going but the defense is better when he is on the floor. Burks has cooled down but still with the ability to hit 6 in a row from three. Our two backup 5's are showing to be true back ups. Rivers looks like he is expecting to be traded.

All in all I think we are playing well with what we have. Good to see that our squad has improved from last year and we can compete on a night to night basis. It is also promising to watch the young players. They have talent but need to keep working. Squad is looking like it has a chance to really be good if we make the right moves going forward. Can't say that we have been able to say that in quite some time.

Guess you missed the thread I started, praising Randle. The day before yours.

Going to be wearing that "41 wins baby!" hat for a long time, huh?

Frankly, Im hurt and feeling a little defensive. A quick and humble response..

In a world where high priced pundits, and vigilante internet critics run wild. One man's prediction causes tectonic ripples through professional sports across the globe.

41

Starring Gustav as the humble visionary

Also starring:

Rebecca as the plucky reporter who sees through all the haters

Martin as the moderator who marries the happy couple, with tears in his eyes.

Special Appearance by jrod as the extra, whose slow clapping helps bring the film to its emotional crescendo

Music by Papabear

Coming soon to a theater near you!

You know darn well thats from..

Slow Clapping with Eli

Eli teaches Giants fans how to clap in 20 easy lessons.

technomaster wrote:So the new reality is:
1. Randle is an emerging superstar. Think Lebron James without the hops.
2. RJ is an emerging star at age 20.
3. Quickley was the steal of the draft. We don't know what he'll be in his prime, but minimally we're pretty sure he'll be a legit 6th man of the year candidate as a scoring combo guard, if not starting PG/All-star.
4. The Knicks are chock full of 6th man of the year candidates - you can make strong cases for Rose, Burks, and Quickley
5. The aging Bulls are quite good. Taj - 63%FG! Rose - taking over starter minutes!
6. The Knicks usually win when Frank gets ANY minutes.
7. A healthy Bullock is a pretty effective 3&D guy, and lately has shown some scoring ability beyond being a spot up 3pt shooter
8. Burks has been a revelation. A pro's pro.
9. Obi is still a weird fit on the team.
10. Frank & Knox still haven't found their niches on the team (unless benchwarmer is a niche).

Good take!
If I had to guess and being a fence sitter I’d have to say one of Burkes or Bullock is back.
Same for either Kevin or Frank. Can’t say which. I’m just guessing as it’s easier to say one or the other.
If I had to guess maybe Thibs has a thing for frank’s defense and wants to keep working with him.
Given the contracts, same for either Noel or mitch.
With 4 picks, I can see us pushing some out to the future as well.
We got Vildoza coming in as well. Harper, Pinson are likely gone.
Cap space, Picks, I my head spins with whats possible.

Nalod wrote:LOL, if you thought we’d be a lottery team you did not get “Most if it right”. Quite the opposite.
What you hoped for was correct and thats totally cool!
We saw Randle at times last year DOMINANT. I saw him destroy Charlotte in person. He went to the rim and was unstoppable. But the outside shot was not falling as much. He has improved his ability to create space and get better looks and that has been huge.
Flat out we all happy regardless of our preseason opinions. Knick fans are always OVER optimistic about every year and now those are looking “Smart”. What ever floats the boat and makes you happy.
That Payton is our starter and we this good says a lot. That Thibs has bought an elite approach and Leon supported with with contrasting coaches is awesome. THat he for what ever reason he kept Perry and the moves made even before Leon are panning out are great. If Blame is over rated, then so are accolades.
“Knicks are doing well”. Thats all that matters !!!! Good stuff Hofstra, glad much of the preseason stuff has worked out. I very much was excited for the season but predicted 22 wins. That prepared me for a lot of misery and looking at development and perhaps a late season streak to improve the mood. I say that ever year after big changes. Most impressive is we did not clean the roster out and start over. We built with Payton, Randle, Bullock, Mitch. Thats impressive as hell. Thats we have all our picks and then some is impressive as hell. How we use our capital going forward will be fun!

Lottery team prediction was vegas odds Nalod! Still put $100 on them winning the chip. Lol

Hey, like you said, all that matters is we are playing well. All fan predictions are for ****s and giggles. Most, me included, just guess on most. The only thing that is certain is Knick fans over hype the 15th man and undervalue guys they feel don't play the right way or get big contracts and can't single handedly win a chip. Randle was a solid young double double guy but fans just preferred ignoring his age and skill level and were ready to trade him for scraps.

HofstraBBall wrote:

Nalod wrote:LOL, if you thought we’d be a lottery team you did not get “Most if it right”. Quite the opposite.
What you hoped for was correct and thats totally cool!
We saw Randle at times last year DOMINANT. I saw him destroy Charlotte in person. He went to the rim and was unstoppable. But the outside shot was not falling as much. He has improved his ability to create space and get better looks and that has been huge.
Flat out we all happy regardless of our preseason opinions. Knick fans are always OVER optimistic about every year and now those are looking “Smart”. What ever floats the boat and makes you happy.
That Payton is our starter and we this good says a lot. That Thibs has bought an elite approach and Leon supported with with contrasting coaches is awesome. THat he for what ever reason he kept Perry and the moves made even before Leon are panning out are great. If Blame is over rated, then so are accolades.
“Knicks are doing well”. Thats all that matters !!!! Good stuff Hofstra, glad much of the preseason stuff has worked out. I very much was excited for the season but predicted 22 wins. That prepared me for a lot of misery and looking at development and perhaps a late season streak to improve the mood. I say that ever year after big changes. Most impressive is we did not clean the roster out and start over. We built with Payton, Randle, Bullock, Mitch. Thats impressive as hell. Thats we have all our picks and then some is impressive as hell. How we use our capital going forward will be fun!

My bad, went with Lottery prediction and vegas odds. Still put $100 on them winning the chip. Lol

Hey, like you said, all that matters is we are playing well. All fan predictions are for ****s and giggles. Most, me included, just guess on most. The only thing that is certain is Knick fans over hype the 15th man and undervalue guys they feel don't play the right way or get big contracts and can't single handedly win a chip. Randle was a solid young double double guy but fans just preferred ignoring his age and skill level and were ready to trade him for scraps.

GustavBahler wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:Most opinions on here are filled with preconceived notions. With little true perspective. Except for mine. Randle is our best player. He has the ability to get a double double every game. Usually does. Yet NO ONE cares. He shot 70% last night. Had 3 assists in the first 7 minutes. Had 6 and 5 previous two games. Yet all anyone wants to to is emphasize his turnovers(Spinners). Although he only had 2 TO's which for the primary option is nothing. Why? He takes minutes away from the fans dreams? Or maybe cuz of pre conceived expectations. Fans thought we should be winning the East after paying ONE guy over 20 Million. Which btw is one of the reasons NO ONE wants to come here. NY fans just hate anyone that gets paid and does not bring us a chip. Look, Randle is by far NOT the first player I think of as a teams first option but the fact is HE IS. Until we get one that is better or he is traded. But he is not getting benched.

Second reality is that we have promising young players but unfortunately there are no saviors in the bunch. Probably just good rotation players. Too many DREAMERS on the board. Ones who want starting line up changes for any young draft pick that can play a little defense or shows a glimmer of talent. Fact is most will be possible role players on good teams. The thirst for a savior is high. I get it. But lets look at some true perspective from last nights game to bring things into REALITY and to make this point. Quick had a good game. Great energy, motor and made things happen. HOWEVER the kid shot 27%!! from 2. 16% from three!! All against the third string team of the CAVS. He had the same 2 TO's as Smith and Randle but is now hailed as our new starting PG? Randle shot 70% but crickets. Robinson had 3 fouls in first quarter if not for the third string line up that played most of the second half, he would have fouled out within his 20 minute average. Smith as bad as he played in his first 5 minutes, had 5 Steals and 2 Blocks, shot 50% from 2 and 3. If Frank had done that the Frank cult would be storming MSG this morning demanding he be given a max. Toppin had four great lob dunks? What else? Scored just 8 points (Same as Smith less than half of Randle). Not hating on any of the players. Love MR, Tops and Quick. Have come to appreciated Franks role. But lets stop the thing we do.

Like everyone else, I am happy for our young kids that played well yesterday. I like their energy. Feel they are fun to watch. Looking forward to their progress and contribution. Hoping they get lots of playing time the last quarter of the season. Unlike some I am not doing what Knick fans are famous for doing, over hype their own players that they feel "Play how they want them to play" or have one good quarter. Despite the dreams of many(myself included) the reality is we will be a lottery team. We have many unproven young players. Our most experienced and consistent NBA players are still Randle, Rivers, Burks, Noel, Bullock and Barrett. Those are the guys that will be getting the most playing time and who Thibs knows will give him the best chance to win. Of course that is fluid. The rest are works in progress and have yet proven to be good enough to make a good teams rotation. Looking forward to the days we have enough talent to prevent a whole bunch of "Start the mediocre player" threads. Will also keep rooting for this reality with NO expectations. Except for the one that this FO knows this is the reality and will make moves to trade our dreams for a better reality.

But if anyone disagrees I will be happy to read the many dream scenarios? Need my daily fix of them.

So an update on our reality. Randle still our best player. Not too many arguing that this time around. The excitement for our young guys is becoming more realistic. Looks like Knox and Frank will be the next ones to join Dennis and Iggy on their way out of the Knicks future plans. RJ still showing he needs to be a lot more consistent to be considered a solid starter let alone a future building block. MR still frustrating those that think he should be a stretch 5. post up threat or 15 foot STAT like scorer. IQ looking good but still showing the shooting consistency that is expected from a Rook. Obi looking like he may be more like a late first round role player. Hopefully they all continue to improve and take the next big step. With us.

As for our vets. They are still the best formula for a playoff birth. Grant it a 8th seed at best. We now have Rose who is looking more comfortable than I have ever seen him. I hope he plays well enough that he cracks the starting PG position. Payton has been consistently okay. Although most hate him he has been our most consistent PG. Bullock is our best defender in the SL. Has to get his 3pt shot going but the defense is better when he is on the floor. Burks has cooled down but still with the ability to hit 6 in a row from three. Our two backup 5's are showing to be true back ups. Rivers looks like he is expecting to be traded.

All in all I think we are playing well with what we have. Good to see that our squad has improved from last year and we can compete on a night to night basis. It is also promising to watch the young players. They have talent but need to keep working. Squad is looking like it has a chance to really be good if we make the right moves going forward. Can't say that we have been able to say that in quite some time.

Guess you missed the thread I started, praising Randle. The day before yours.

Going to be wearing that "41 wins baby!" hat for a long time, huh?

Frankly, Im hurt and feeling a little defensive. A quick and humble response..

In a world where high priced pundits, and vigilante internet critics run wild. One man's prediction causes tectonic ripples through professional sports across the globe.

41

Starring Gustav as the humble visionary

Also starring:

Rebecca as the plucky reporter who sees through all the haters

Martin as the moderator who marries the happy couple, with tears in his eyes.

Special Appearance by jrod as the extra, whose slow clapping helps bring the film to its emotional crescendo

Music by Papabear

Coming soon to a theater near you!

You know darn well thats from..

Slow Clapping with Eli

Eli teaches Giants fans how to clap in 20 easy lessons.

No, it's actually a deleted scene from

WE HAVE FOUR RINGS
(subtitled as: We don't import our saviors, we grow them ALL ourselves)

Nothing's more irritating than a bitter, slightly defensive prophet who's actually right.
Remember thy humble beginnings, oh Whiner of Winston