martin wrote:BlueKnickers wrote:martin wrote:Knicksfan wrote:So, another “unacceptable game”, another poor performance, another embarrassing performance against another team that jumps over us in the standings on our “most important season in decades”.Ok
It’s been two years of this. This team is what it is: not a traditional championship contender, but a wild card that could either randomly decide to beat anyone on their sight or simply decide they are not going to work harder than the other team on ANY given moment, regardless of reasons.
They truly have everything to power their way into the top, including finally having pieces on the bench. Yet it’s the same issues from time to time, no urgency to cover them and no commitment to a strong effort night in and night out.
Coaching is also an issue, but I still think that Brown is experimenting, so it could improve. But this team obviously runs at its best when the offense runs through Towns and Brunson is either a real distributor or just one of the options after moving the ball around. That third quarter was historically bad. Towns finishing the game with 5 field goals, to me, is the fault of Brown. How can the guy that has been improving on offense and with it the team has improved, how do you go back to ignoring him? Players can ignore him from time to time and that sucks, but when it’s the whole game, you as a coach did nothing to improve it. That is just a terrible non-strategy.
To say you live them when they win and hate everything when they lose is a very disingenuous oversimplification. The truth is that this is, on paper, the best Knicks team we’ve had in so many years, but while there are still some issues that can be fixed, there are many more serious ones up in their heads that just don’t seem to go, but just get good some nights and then revert to being bad.
The Pistons, Celtics and now Cavs are in front of them because, sadly, they are better. Not necessarily in the roster department, but in the execution, consistency and overall focus. The Knicks can beat Any one of them, but they often seem not to care, and that’s the farthest way to the top.
This team is very frustrating and while I normally hope to get some consistency and get a roster settled, this time I think the best for the franchise is a trade of one or two pieces from the top. On any night, this team can be IT, but overall, they are not IT.
Good stuff.
No identity. No leaders who really bring it all the time on both sides of the ball. Brunson and KAT, your best players, only play one side of the court and can get shut out. OG, Bridges, Hart, Mitch are supporting role players.
There is no defensive identity. And you can get the Knicks out of their offense: it may not be easy to do and you have to have the right personnel but put a hounding big win on Brunson and the same withe KAT.
Hello Giannis. It's like the last all in move by Leon.
You can feel it in the air. The conversation will continue to shift slowly and steadily in the direction of the question of:
Is Brunson as much of the problem as the solution?
It may take time to build steam in public, but the rumblings are there and it is just a matter of time that his game will be maybe the biggest question mark about the Knicks.
It is inevitable when your highest usage player does not significantly improve the players around them and they are only an impact player on one end of the court in one capacity only (scoring).
This is not a well-constructed team. You have lots of amazing talent to trade and refactor the whole mix.
Everyone but Diawara and Deuce and Shamet should be available to be traded. Seriously, it is probably going to happen, because this is not going to work with this starting lineup.
I wont disagree with you but I do think this - and the general reaction by everyone - is a bit premature.
As an example, Indiana of last year was much WORSE than the Knicks are right now. Knicks today sit at 37-22. Pacers didn't get to 37 wins until their record was 37-29. And this is all while one of the Knicks' best player is having his worst season ever at the one of the court he is incredibly special at. Records wont reflect the chemistry of the team at a particular point in the season, and the Knicks do have to find it. And it can be flipped on, it's just the inconsistency of it going off on too many important occasions.
At first Brunson was not thought of as a high level starting PG. Then he would never get to be a 1A type guy. He is definitely one of the best closers in the game and you NEED that on any NBA championship team. He has evolved. We need a tiny bit more from him and it is attainable. If KAT would make a shot.
Is it that Brunson is not making guys better or is it that the one role KAT has to fulfill is not being done? We do know he needs another ball handler on the court with him at key moments and that has not been solved.
Giannis.
Posts like mine are always premature because I am taking on the role of the canary in the coal mine.
I have said I don't think you can win a chip with KAT as your center and I'll eat crow without hesi if I'm wrong, but I don't think he has the consistency to do what it takes to win all the way through a finals series.
Whereas with Brunson I would never say you can't win with him as your centerpiece, but it really takes the correct construction around him to make it work at the highest level against the best teams.
The high usage vs. leveling up your teammates metric is going to keep coming up. It is why building around Melo was a huge mistake. He was an All-Star, but he was still a sidekick player who desperately needed leadership to handle him. Our FO sucked and never got the PG to handle him once they foolishly used up their exemption on Billups when they soon would need it for Stat.
But the HU vs. Level Up issue may be deeper with Brunson because HE IS THE PG.
All I can say is this roster is not ideal for him so far and I'm not sure what it will be.
Everyone has to step up now or they'll get bounced. I don't buy the reg season vs. playoff thesis. We will not make it through another playoffs by playing catch-up heroics like we did the past two years to scratch out the wins. That only gets you part of the way.
If this season plays out like I'm seeing it from this vantage point then they will have to go for Giannis because I don't expect them to trade Brunson. That might be a better combo than KAT
