Nalod wrote:41-31 and elf was your starting PG. But not your finisher.
Can we talk about the 3rd period?

I mentioned this in the gamehtread, but this is beyond W's and L's. Thibs preaches playing a full 48 minute game. Of late, Payton has lacked of effort, looks totally disinterested and has been going through the motions on the court while everyone else plays hard for second of every minute that they are given or rather, they have earned. Payton's play (if you can call it that) goes against all of Thibs principles. Not sure how Thibs can watch game film and look at the +/- and justify given this dude anymore mins

fishmike wrote:SL should be Burks/RJ/Bullock/Randle/Noel
with Rose/Taj/IQ being the bench and maybe a splash of Obi when Randle sits for 3 minutes a half and Frank for offense/defense and situational.

+1, that's the rotation for first series. Book it.

Elf would be wise to come down with a situational "flu" in the next few days...or develop some personal reason to need time off. Anything to save face. Dude gotta ride the bench now. Non-contributor...unless you're counting turnovers and bricks.

Nalod wrote:41-31 and elf was your starting PG. But not your finisher.
Can we talk about the 3rd period?

3rd quarter has been an issue for years. I can't believe after changing FO...changing the coach....and top players on the team have all improved. With that said, what the hell? Is there something going on in the locker room at halftime 🤔? Or is it as simple as having a coach that lacks adjustments and in game situational changes. Seems like every coach we play makes a half time adjustment, and we continue to look weak, lost and unprepared coming out of halftime. Now it's better this year, but the issue is still there. That will be something I look at during the playoffs.

Elf might be part of the issue for now. Once a coach realize there's only 1 or 2 people they have to guard outside the 3 pt line, they will leave certain players open. RJ is shooting better, but if he miss 2 in a row. Combined with Elf missing...combined with Randle getting frustration TOs....Thibs continues to look for Ross to save us. That's the reason why Ross isn't starting. Thibs uses him like a speciality tool. If Rose was starting, I don't think his health wouldve lasted this long.

In Thibs I trust.

Pre-Rose - Quickly was our best PG and ably ran the offense when asked. Obviously Randle carried a lot of that weight as well, and still would. Throw Quick back into more of that PG role, all while offering Randle another shooter to kick it back out to.

I think we've definitively proved Frank can't run the offense, but I still like him off ball and defending in the backcourt. Pair him with Rose. Offense is still going to be the Achilles heel (got to hit those open shots, Frank!), but is it really worse than Elf at this point? 7 games is a long stretch - let Frank make Trae really work for his points and hopefully wear him down.

At the end of the day, we're still finishing with Rose/Randle/Noel and the hot hands out of RJ/Burks/Bullock/Quick.

martin wrote:

Nalod wrote:read the Berman article and interesting note That Frank is considered. I do believe we did start Frank vs. ATL at some point this season. Hounding Trae for a few games might take him out of a rhythm. Knicks are a grinder team.
That the rest of the offense has clicked as I said has negated the need for Elf to halve the ball. Frank is a willing passer and good to go sit in the corner if asked.
Question is who will shoot the ball better when left open? Elf or Frank?
Elf might be a bit injured as his getting blocked more seems to insinuate something is not all there. If he cannot go strong to the rim as he has this season he loses his effectiveness. Frank we know is not a strong penetrater.

Frank hurt for the first 2 games and played couple of seconds in the last

Remembering the good old days when Frank used to clamp rookie year. The world was pre-Covid, KP was looked at as a future cornerstone and the world was full of hope that our aspiring French point guard was on his way to stardom.

technomaster wrote:I get the sense that Elf is *probably* playing hurt. I've never seen a player play with so much tape on his legs. He hasn't had many good outings since returning from a few missed games mid-season.

I wish fans would back off his case - it's his coach's decision to put him out there. It's like when a manager in baseball puts in his closer when he obviously can't spot his strike zone and leaves him in there to finish a game, win or lose. It's not like a prideful NBA player is going to pull himself out - he'll do the best he can with what he has.

You know he's not right if he's putting up lines like Ntilikina - 0's (aka "intangibles"). That's odd because this guy is a living empty stat hog at his best - he'll quietly fill up your fantasy metrics across the board. Lately he's done very little of that.

He's not playing like the free-spirited guy who in 2019 between 3/10-3/18 channeled his inner Westbrook had 5 triple doubles in a row, or even the guy who'd sometimes have his jumper falling early in the season and put in some pretty solid games. Right now he looks like a broken man running on fumes.
Here's his line during that streak:

pts/ast/reb
15/10/10
14/11/15
14/16/12
16/16/13
19/11/10

Let's cheer on the guy - and if he leaves this off-season, we'll wish him well. Or if he returns... let's hope he gets his sh1t together.

So you're asking people NOT to fixate on the guy in the rotation who is the weakest link?

You know this is a new york sports message board, right?

You'd have better luck asking fish not to swim.

SupremeCommander wrote:If we're being honest I think we don't have much at PG. Game to game I don't think you can count on 35 minutes with Rose. So, I kinda like give Elf a few minutes and then depending on how the game is unfolding you cherry pick the right player. If Rose can go, great, if not then the matchup would dictate who makes the most sense. I think that's exactly what's been happening and I like it

How dare you?!?!?

His morale and confidence is at a career low, you can tell from his body language. Maybe thibs is keeping him in the starting line up to hang what little confidence he has left

fishmike wrote:SL should be Burks/RJ/Bullock/Randle/Noel
with Rose/Taj/IQ being the bench and maybe a splash of Obi when Randle sits for 3 minutes a half and Frank for offense/defense and situational.

“Dance with the one that brought you.”