HofstraBBall wrote:

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:I can still remember all those Thibs posts that were claiming Thibs was too stubborn, did not play/develop the yoot and only played his favorites. Thibs has done a great job developing IQ, Grimes, RJ, MR and Deuce. Obi is next. Done a great job playing those, who have earned it, down the stretch.

Thibs has also held everyone accountable on the defensive side.

I think both can be true regarding thibs past and present.

Would love to see the twin tower lineup and small ball line. Of course Obi will have a career year, knowing he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.

This is good for the Knicks and Jules. He gets some rest and watches the team from the outside. It also increases the confidence and responsibility of key role players.

Don't think that, at any point in Knicks career has Thibs not played or develop "Good" young players. Ones who were capable on BOTH sides of the floor. And only played favorites. Ignoring more capable ones.

Hoping Obi can show something other than what he has shown since being a Knick. Which is limited defensive ability, limited rebounding,an ability to leak out in transition and more of a soft outside shooting power forward. As we saw on Wednesday, he will still be looking over his shoulder since Thibs trusts a smaller lineup that can defend and has more impact on offense than him. Which I agree with.

My preference going into playoffs or tournament is to always have your BEST squad in tact. So disagree this is good for Knicks. Do agree that it will allow some players to gain more confidence but feel we already had ENOUGH who have done so. Maybe Obi needed to get going but don't see that as enough to justify an injury to our All Star. .

Hope you are right though and we see some benefits from injury. As I mentioned before, my main hope, going into playoffs, was that we were 100% healthy. We are not.

Randle will probably be back for round 1. Like Bikexec said it’s probably good for him to get some rest before the playoffs

Philc1 wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:I can still remember all those Thibs posts that were claiming Thibs was too stubborn, did not play/develop the yoot and only played his favorites. Thibs has done a great job developing IQ, Grimes, RJ, MR and Deuce. Obi is next. Done a great job playing those, who have earned it, down the stretch.

Thibs has also held everyone accountable on the defensive side.

I think both can be true regarding thibs past and present.

Would love to see the twin tower lineup and small ball line. Of course Obi will have a career year, knowing he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.

This is good for the Knicks and Jules. He gets some rest and watches the team from the outside. It also increases the confidence and responsibility of key role players.

Don't think that, at any point in Knicks career has Thibs not played or develop "Good" young players. Ones who were capable on BOTH sides of the floor. And only played favorites. Ignoring more capable ones.

Hoping Obi can show something other than what he has shown since being a Knick. Which is limited defensive ability, limited rebounding,an ability to leak out in transition and more of a soft outside shooting power forward. As we saw on Wednesday, he will still be looking over his shoulder since Thibs trusts a smaller lineup that can defend and has more impact on offense than him. Which I agree with.

My preference going into playoffs or tournament is to always have your BEST squad in tact. So disagree this is good for Knicks. Do agree that it will allow some players to gain more confidence but feel we already had ENOUGH who have done so. Maybe Obi needed to get going but don't see that as enough to justify an injury to our All Star. .

Hope you are right though and we see some benefits from injury. As I mentioned before, my main hope, going into playoffs, was that we were 100% healthy. We are not.

Randle will probably be back for round 1. Like Bikexec said it’s probably good for him to get some rest before the playoffs

He should go on a meditation retreat.

GustavBahler wrote:Playoffs are where the rubber meets the road. Hope Thibs can keep the good times going.

Would be nice. Our opponent might have something to do with that?
Fans prerogative is we lose, and blame is assigned.
Sometimes you just get beat and you not as good as the other team.
If its Clev, they are good. They will have a better record likely. Not by much.
If our All star PF is out or not healthy, it will matter.
If RJ does not step up, it will matter.
If Brunson is not amazing, it will matter.
But if we win it will be fun as all get out!!!

Kudo’s to Nets for hanging in there after a way weird season.
Kudo’s to knicks for being that suprise team nobody saw coming! Happens every year.
We were relatively healthy for most of year beyond others. Raptors should be where we are.
Parity makes early rounds a snake pit and someone is gonna get really upset.
Lakers could click, Warriors are still champs, Heat are still a threat, and Raptors might too click.

HofstraBBall wrote:

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Playoffs are where the rubber meets the road. Hope Thibs can keep the good times going.

Would be nice. Our opponent might have something to do with that?
Fans prerogative is we lose, and blame is assigned.
Sometimes you just get beat and you not as good as the other team.
If its Clev, they are good. They will have a better record likely. Not by much.
If our All star PF is out or not healthy, it will matter.
If RJ does not step up, it will matter.
If Brunson is not amazing, it will matter.
But if we win it will be fun as all get out!!!

Kudo’s to Nets for hanging in there after a way weird season.
Kudo’s to knicks for being that suprise team nobody saw coming! Happens every year.
We were relatively healthy for most of year beyond others. Raptors should be where we are.
Parity makes early rounds a snake pit and someone is gonna get really upset.
Lakers could click, Warriors are still champs, Heat are still a threat, and Raptors might too click.

+1

Would add that if we beat the Cavs and lose in the second round the Thibs detractors will blame Thibs

So

Why does it matter. A fan might blame a red bird sat on the tree too soon and we lost because of it. Who cares. If thibs met or exceeded your expectations then enjoy that. But trying to understand what every knick fan will do, not do, will blame no blame. That’s exhausting.

Thibs has exceeded my expectations and I’m looking forward to a better playoff performance than our last one. Let’s see if regular season thibs can bring the same adjustment strategies to the playoffs. That’s the key for me.

NYKMentality wrote:The last time the Knicks won @ least 46 games?

2012-2013 (54 Wins).

And the last time with 46+ wins, before that?

2000-2001 of 22 freaking years ago (48 Wins).

MAN.

EXTEND COACH TOM THIBS!!!!!

We have to see how they do in the playoffs but barring a complete collapse, I think Thibbs earned himself another season or two.

Playoffs are always more about the individual players over the coaching and strategy imo. Usually the team with the best player wins the series. Either Randle or Brunson are going to have to outshine Spida. That simple.

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Playoffs are where the rubber meets the road. Hope Thibs can keep the good times going.

Would be nice. Our opponent might have something to do with that?
Fans prerogative is we lose, and blame is assigned.
Sometimes you just get beat and you not as good as the other team.
If its Clev, they are good. They will have a better record likely. Not by much.
If our All star PF is out or not healthy, it will matter.
If RJ does not step up, it will matter.
If Brunson is not amazing, it will matter.
But if we win it will be fun as all get out!!!

Kudo’s to Nets for hanging in there after a way weird season.
Kudo’s to knicks for being that suprise team nobody saw coming! Happens every year.
We were relatively healthy for most of year beyond others. Raptors should be where we are.
Parity makes early rounds a snake pit and someone is gonna get really upset.
Lakers could click, Warriors are still champs, Heat are still a threat, and Raptors might too click.

+1

Would add that if we beat the Cavs and lose in the second round the Thibs detractors will blame Thibs

So

Why does it matter. A fan might blame a red bird sat on the tree too soon and we lost because of it. Who cares. If thibs met or exceeded your expectations then enjoy that. But trying to understand what every knick fan will do, not do, will blame no blame. That’s exhausting.

Thibs has exceeded my expectations and I’m looking forward to a better playoff performance than our last one. Let’s see if regular season thibs can bring the same adjustment strategies to the playoffs. That’s the key for me.

Not trying to "understand what every Knick fan will do" Just posting my opinion on a fan forum that many armchair coaches/YMCA GMs, who think they know anything about coaching at the NBA level, will always resort to blaming the coach for their teams shortcomings. Ignoring other obvious factors.
Especially the ones that were called out for criticizing a COY for some petty BS untrue reasons. "Never plays youth" ie doesn't satisfy my curiosity. "Prefers vets" No ****, every coach trusts guys that are proven over some fans dream hopeful.

My expectations have been met throughout Thibs Knicks tenure. I wanted a defensive minded coach who took no **** and created a winning culture. One who did not care what know it all loud mouthed fans/media said.

blkexec wrote:

Philc1 wrote:

Panos wrote:

Philc1 wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:I can still remember all those Thibs posts that were claiming Thibs was too stubborn, did not play/develop the yoot and only played his favorites. Thibs has done a great job developing IQ, Grimes, RJ, MR and Deuce. Obi is next. Done a great job playing those, who have earned it, down the stretch.

Thibs has also held everyone accountable on the defensive side.

I think both can be true regarding thibs past and present.

Would love to see the twin tower lineup and small ball line. Of course Obi will have a career year, knowing he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.

This is good for the Knicks and Jules. He gets some rest and watches the team from the outside. It also increases the confidence and responsibility of key role players.

Don't think that, at any point in Knicks career has Thibs not played or develop "Good" young players. Ones who were capable on BOTH sides of the floor. And only played favorites. Ignoring more capable ones.

Hoping Obi can show something other than what he has shown since being a Knick. Which is limited defensive ability, limited rebounding,an ability to leak out in transition and more of a soft outside shooting power forward. As we saw on Wednesday, he will still be looking over his shoulder since Thibs trusts a smaller lineup that can defend and has more impact on offense than him. Which I agree with.

My preference going into playoffs or tournament is to always have your BEST squad in tact. So disagree this is good for Knicks. Do agree that it will allow some players to gain more confidence but feel we already had ENOUGH who have done so. Maybe Obi needed to get going but don't see that as enough to justify an injury to our All Star. .

Hope you are right though and we see some benefits from injury. As I mentioned before, my main hope, going into playoffs, was that we were 100% healthy. We are not.

Randle will probably be back for round 1. Like Bikexec said it’s probably good for him to get some rest before the playoffs

He should go on a meditation retreat.

He and Aaron Rodgers can go into one of those hibernation chambers

Hoftra, Randles injury was going to happen. He's an iron man, playing a lot of minutes. But he's also human. There has been plenty of games he shouldn't have played that long. Recently Thibs kept Brunson in the game too long, and he almost re-injured his wrist again.

But the reason why I said Randle's injury might be a blessing, is for several reasons.
1. Randle is probably the hardest working player on the team. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. And he stepped up to the challenge of being the leader on this team. So if anybody can come back from an injury, it's Randle because I trust his work ethic. And the timing of this injury was perfect. Now again, this is all based on him having a full recovery. I have faith Randle will be back by no later than the 2nd playoff game.

Keep in mind, I said this before we won 2 straight games without randle. No I didn't predict that, but I did say this will force players like Obi to step up and show Thibs what he can bring to this team. So it's perfect timing. You also noticed that Thibs said (or I heard he said), the playoff lineup is still up in the air? If this is true, I believe the small ball lineup we've seen lately will give Thibs more adjustment opportunities during the playoffs (with or without Randle).

Also, is this thread title a reverse jinks? Since it was created, Thibs has proved everybody wrong, including myself. And I'm loving it. Proving the doubters wrong, means more wins for the team. #winwin

Think all injuries obviously allow players a chance to step up. IQ did so when JB got hurt. Obi has the talent to come in and get 20 in 30. Question for him has always been is if be is a true starter. Especially one that is so good that defenses put in schemes to defend against. Not to mention rebounding and defense at the 4.

I still disagree that having injuries going into playoffs is optimal. Fact is guys like Obi and IQ
are highly confident and capable NBA players. They don't necessarily need to build on confidence. Believe they think and know they can play. Imo, our best needs to be in tact going into playoffs.
Especially if we believe Thibs will put Randle in as soon as he is back. Giving the possibility that Randle will not be in Playoff ready shape.

Resting players makes sense at times. But not when you are fighting for playoff position. Saying JB should have been rested is easy to say when not facing the consequences of that decision going poorly.

Don't know if Thibs changed most naysayers minds. Maybe the rational ones. Which was the reason for my statement that the ones that are irrational will once again blame him IF we lose.

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

blkexec wrote:

Philc1 wrote:

Panos wrote:

Philc1 wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

blkexec wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:I can still remember all those Thibs posts that were claiming Thibs was too stubborn, did not play/develop the yoot and only played his favorites. Thibs has done a great job developing IQ, Grimes, RJ, MR and Deuce. Obi is next. Done a great job playing those, who have earned it, down the stretch.

Thibs has also held everyone accountable on the defensive side.

I think both can be true regarding thibs past and present.

Would love to see the twin tower lineup and small ball line. Of course Obi will have a career year, knowing he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.

This is good for the Knicks and Jules. He gets some rest and watches the team from the outside. It also increases the confidence and responsibility of key role players.

Don't think that, at any point in Knicks career has Thibs not played or develop "Good" young players. Ones who were capable on BOTH sides of the floor. And only played favorites. Ignoring more capable ones.

Hoping Obi can show something other than what he has shown since being a Knick. Which is limited defensive ability, limited rebounding,an ability to leak out in transition and more of a soft outside shooting power forward. As we saw on Wednesday, he will still be looking over his shoulder since Thibs trusts a smaller lineup that can defend and has more impact on offense than him. Which I agree with.

My preference going into playoffs or tournament is to always have your BEST squad in tact. So disagree this is good for Knicks. Do agree that it will allow some players to gain more confidence but feel we already had ENOUGH who have done so. Maybe Obi needed to get going but don't see that as enough to justify an injury to our All Star. .

Hope you are right though and we see some benefits from injury. As I mentioned before, my main hope, going into playoffs, was that we were 100% healthy. We are not.

Randle will probably be back for round 1. Like Bikexec said it’s probably good for him to get some rest before the playoffs

He should go on a meditation retreat.

He and Aaron Rodgers can go into one of those hibernation chambers

Hoftra, Randles injury was going to happen. He's an iron man, playing a lot of minutes. But he's also human. There has been plenty of games he shouldn't have played that long. Recently Thibs kept Brunson in the game too long, and he almost re-injured his wrist again.

But the reason why I said Randle's injury might be a blessing, is for several reasons.
1. Randle is probably the hardest working player on the team. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. And he stepped up to the challenge of being the leader on this team. So if anybody can come back from an injury, it's Randle because I trust his work ethic. And the timing of this injury was perfect. Now again, this is all based on him having a full recovery. I have faith Randle will be back by no later than the 2nd playoff game.

Keep in mind, I said this before we won 2 straight games without randle. No I didn't predict that, but I did say this will force players like Obi to step up and show Thibs what he can bring to this team. So it's perfect timing. You also noticed that Thibs said (or I heard he said), the playoff lineup is still up in the air? If this is true, I believe the small ball lineup we've seen lately will give Thibs more adjustment opportunities during the playoffs (with or without Randle).

Also, is this thread title a reverse jinks? Since it was created, Thibs has proved everybody wrong, including myself. And I'm loving it. Proving the doubters wrong, means more wins for the team. #winwin

Think all injuries obviously allow players a chance to step up. IQ did so when JB got hurt. Obi has the talent to come in and get 20 in 30. Question for him has always been is if be is a true starter. Especially one that is so good that defenses put in schemes to defend against. Not to mention rebounding and defense at the 4.

I still disagree that having injuries going into playoffs is optimal. Fact is guys like Obi and IQ
are highly confident and capable NBA players. They don't necessarily need to build on confidence. Believe they think and know they can play. Imo, our best needs to be in tact going into playoffs.
Especially if we believe Thibs will put Randle in as soon as he is back. Giving the possibility that Randle will not be in Playoff ready shape.

Resting players makes sense at times. But not when you are fighting for playoff position. Saying JB should have been rested is easy to say when not facing the consequences of that decision going poorly.

Don't know if Thibs changed most naysayers minds. Maybe the rational ones. Reason for my statement that the ones that are irrational will blame him once again IF we lose.

I also agree with your GENERAL statement on injuries or being healthy prior to the playoffs. Obviously you don't want half your team limping into the playoffs, which is why I've been discussing minutes distribution or playing key players too long, when the game is already over.

But my comment wasn't general, it was specific to Randle only. If JB or somebody else had this injury, I would not say it's a blessing in disguise. Without JB we are done. Without Randle, we can get by.

This team has a mix of solid ISO players, a strong 2nd unit and now a small ball lineup. If Randle did not have this injury, Thibs would never employ a small ball lineup in the playoffs. Now I can see him doing this (with our without Randle).

I believe our small ball lineup is just as potent as Randle and the starters.

For one, we play the Cavs. The Cavs have 2 dynamic guards. With our small ball lineup, we can put 2or3 defensive guards on the floor at the same time. If whoever is playing PF can hold that position down (the key is will Alen is back and who can guard Mobley at PF besides Randle), that allows our defensive guards to change momentum for a short time. Thats a secret weapon we always had (especially when we added Hart), but never tried it in a real game. Hart and RJ's ability to play PF is key. Obi's ability to show he still has enough confidence to impact a meaningful game was key.

Also, if we lose, there will be RATIONAL minds saying Thibs is to blame. It's not just the irrational UK fans, but everybody blames coaches, especially during playoffs games. It's the nature of being a coach. Comes with the territory when you sign up. But Thibs is old school and has thick skin. So I'm not worried about the irrational. They will always be there. But Thibs, Randle.....both have thick skin which is good for the NYC media pressure that will build up as we approach the playoffs.

Agree about the small lineup being discovered due to Randle being hurt.
Was a big advocate for small lineup prior to it happening. Prefer JHart in than Obi. But Obi played well the last game.

Right now I like where we are at. Guys all getting it going. Hopefully Randle gets back and fits seamless. We will need him. Especially with the Cavs two bigs. Mobley and Allen. Plus teams looking to take ball out of JBs hands.