Knixkik wrote:

blkexec wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

Can our Front Office just buy him out already and bring him up already?

Because I've seen enough. He's ready for the NBA.

If younger kids like Deuce, Grimes and Sims have all seen NBA playing time already, then why not Rokas Jokubaitis? Imo he's more NBA ready than any of them.

And he's also a natural/pure PG which is what we're in desperate need of right now.

If the Knicks include him in any trade package I'll become livid. Because he's got the potential to become the NBAs very next European Superstar on an NBA level.

Ok you peaked my interest. More nba ready than deuce and grimes???? Time to pay attention to this kid. Any footage against nba talent? Sorry but if JR Smith can average 50 in one of those top euro leagues, or even score 50…not sure which one it was. Then I would expect a nba ready player to dominate correct?

Everyone watched summer league right ? Grimes and McBride were dominant. Jokubaitis was solid but didn’t stand out in any way. He can definitely be good but he didn’t look NBA ready.

He only played a few games and was slowly getting better before having to go back. Now he's at the point where he's performing nicely in the world's second strongest league. Also, you need to take summer league with a grain of salt. Remember how much better Iggy B looked compared to RJ in summer league.

BigDaddyG wrote:

Nalod wrote:im seeing a trend. Roka, brunson, Westbrook, Deuce all are the answers based on no hope for current roster construction and savior hope that it can be fixed. Kind of like “well, at least I (the fan) is trying! What are knicks doing to fix this and fix this quick!
None of which is assured to work. The assumption it can’t be worse than what we got and at least we tried.
Are we a bit naive?

I've said before that a Brunson trade wouldn't change much this season. The team would still be looking at a first-round exit as the best outcome possible. There is no quick fix. The hope is to have competency at the PG position by the time next season starts. They got lucky getting Rose of the scrap heap. Not so much with Kemba. PG isn't really a position you can push of to the last minute and hope to find value at the last minute.

I'm not in that boat with you. I don't think Brunson would be a quick fix either though but I think he would make a major impact and it would lift every other guy on the court. The things he does do well are exactly the things missing on the Knicks team.

Good at managing an offense. Can get past his man most of the time. Can get into the teeth of a defense. Gets to the rim. Can do his own mid range but looks for others first. Gets ball out of Randle/RJ hands which in turn will reduce their usage and hopefully get them going on their shots.

Just like Trae, he would be attached on the defensive end of things.

blkexec wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

Can our Front Office just buy him out already and bring him up already?

Because I've seen enough. He's ready for the NBA.

If younger kids like Deuce, Grimes and Sims have all seen NBA playing time already, then why not Rokas Jokubaitis? Imo he's more NBA ready than any of them.

And he's also a natural/pure PG which is what we're in desperate need of right now.

If the Knicks include him in any trade package I'll become livid. Because he's got the potential to become the NBAs very next European Superstar on an NBA level.

Ok you peaked my interest. More nba ready than deuce and grimes???? Time to pay attention to this kid. Any footage against nba talent? Sorry but if JR Smith can average 50 in one of those top euro leagues, or even score 50…not sure which one it was. Then I would expect a nba ready player to dominate correct?

You are confusing the Chinese league with the Euro league.

martin wrote:

blkexec wrote:

blkexec wrote:I havent watch any of his games and for me it’s hard to gage a player when they are not playing against nba players. What nba PG does he remind you of?

Also, who’s a better nba prospect right now? Rokas or Deuce. Pick 1 and why? I knew about deuce in college, appt play in the nba and gleague. What’s the big deal on Rokas?

Sorry….just realized my answer is somewhere in this thread 😂 But until I know he’s coming over just not motivated about him. Unless someone says he’s better than deuce, then I will investigate.

From a purely PG perspective of running a team and running offense, Rokas is much better than Deuce. I don't watch full games of either GLeague or Euro games.

Rokas reminds me of a 6'5" version of Doncic albeit less talented. But that's not to say he isn't talented cause he has got plenty of it. If he were to enter the draft this year, I wouldn't put it past a team to draft him 10-15.

I haven't watched a ton of Deuce in college but it feels to me he is more of a combo kid but more PG than say IQ.

Yes that was the chinese league….my bad. He destroyed them. Lol

6’5 doncic is high praise. But even doncic defense is suspect. So I wonder how deuce defense is compared to Rokas. As far as running the team sounds like rokas is better at that and he’s 6’5 which thibs loves I’m sure. I want to see them go at it in practice one day.

Ok so thats a very high ceiling. Deuce is more combo guard like most PGs in the nba these days. But his defense and energy will be his strong point. Smart or Beverly type.

If true then Rose, Rokas, deuce, IQ and Burks are lots of options to pick from at a low cost maneuver next season or via a Kemba trade for a pick of non PG in return. Do we even need (this older version) of Kemba on the team next season?

Hopefully a healthy rose can play more than he has so far, once healthy. I would definitely trade Kemba to a championship contender or just ride this out I guess. After a few days to recover, I’m like whatever. Unless we believe this team can make noise in the playoffs there’s no point in having him on the team but I’m not going to fuss. EF on the other hand with Kemba is the problem for me. Can’t have two bad guard defenders on the floor together. Unless we had Kemba in his prime but we don’t.

Yeah this is a difficult situation to be in for both sides. I wanted the Kemba story to be successful and I would hate to treat him unfairly after taking a pay cut and showing other FA vets how we mis treated him. Maybe cam saves us some how until rose returns. And we all forget how terrible we look against below average teams. West coast trip will be a good test on which direction we go.

martin wrote:

JoeyBagadonuts wrote:In 6 G-league starts, Deuce averaged 27.0 PPG / 9.5 assists. He shot .442 from downtown with 8.7 attempts per game. He had 15 pts and 9 assists the last time (I think) he started for the Knicks. He has a reputation as a tenacious defender. Thibs wanted him in the draft. Our best PG is on the DL. Our supposed starting PG is fragile and can’t play back to back games. The guy that starts when he can’t go is not a point guard. Why on earth isn’t McBride getting more minutes?

Not very good at PnR, not very good at running an offense, zero breakdown ability and can be contained very easily.

The question I have (for anybody) is why so many people think Thibs would hide such a player if he could actually do the things everyone would expect as a PG?

Has anyone actually WATCHED the full GLeague games to give us a testament to how he is doing as a PG running a team?

Or are we at the "Throw suggestions at the wall and see if they stick" stage of things?

To add to that. I don’t think people realize how defense in the G-League is a game by game concept. Teams really only play it when they know a lot of scouts will be there. That sidenote is why I like the G-League ignite because teams always play them hard because scouts are always watching their games.

HarthorneWingo wrote:Rokas will LOVE New York!

https://www.eurohoops.net/en/interviews/1296297/rokas-jokubaitis-i-like-to-read-the-negative-things-about-me-not-the-positive/

Rokas Jokubaitis: I like to read the negative things about me, not the positive
17/JAN/22 15:35
By Antonis Stroggylakis/ AStroggylakis@eurohoops.net

With 26 seconds to play in a rematch of last season’s EuroLeague championship game between Barcelona and Anadolu Efes and the score 80 – 77, Blaugrana guard Rokas Jokubaitis took matters into his own hands.

Jokubaitis got the ball from Kyle Kuric while there were 16 seconds remaining on the shot clock. The Lithuanian guard quickly studied his opponents’ defense and when he saw the opportunity the switches gave him, he began his drive to the basket. He then drew the contact from reigning EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic while scoring a quite tough basket in a sequence that put his team up by six.

Game over with a career-high 16 points for Jokubaitis who turned 21 just in November. The finale of this match carried a pretty similar script to what happened in the first-leg game of Efes and Barca in Istanbul when Jokubaitis pulled off a crucial 3-point play in the last minute of overtime to help his team get the road win.

“It’s incredible,” Jokubaitis told Eurohoops. “Sometimes to lead the team to victories, to play in crunch time. To make decisions in overtime. It has a huge impact on my experience for sure.” The interview took place in December when the playmaker was establishing himself as an important part of Barca’s rotation.

Jokubaitis found himself receiving a more substantial role and increased minutes as one of the youngest members of a stacked squad when leading floor general Nick Calathes got injured in late November. Over the last 10 EuroLeague games, he’s registered 10.8 points and 4.3 assists in 22:54 minutes while Barcelona has gone 8-2.

“Things happened very fast,” Jokubaitis said. “A few players go injured. This situations changed thing fast. It was like this (snaps fingers) that I got more playing time. Me and Nicolas Laprovittola are the only two point guards on the team. It’s not very easy. But when it comes to the experience I’m getting… it’s incredible. Players will come back from injuries but I showed coaches that I can play.”

While Jokubaitis’ star in Europe has been shining brighter and brighter (and right now it will be a shocker if he doesn’t win EuroLeague’s actual Rising Star award), the New York Knicks have been paying attention. And he has been watching them back as well.

“Sometimes my Summer League coaches text me to see how I’m doing,” Jokubaitis said. “They reach out to my agent and my agents in the USA. I think few staff members from the Knicks are coming in February [to watch me]. I’ll be in better touch with them.”

“[I’m watching their games] whenever I have a chance. The schedule doesn’t allow it all the time. I follow them and I know what’s happening. I keep in contact with a few players, rookies that I’ve played with in Summer League. I know what’s happening on the team.”

Before Jokubaitis got drafted with the 34th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, scouting reports pointed out aspects of his physicality, defense and limited right hand use among his weaknesses.

He’s in agreement, more or less. “Every time someone asks what I have to improve, is making decisions with the right hand, 3-point shooting and defense. If we are talking about NBA – and EuroLeague of course – it’s physicality, speed, shooting. When I think about it, these scouts are right.”

“I like to read these things – what’s more negative, not the positive” Jokubaitis admitted.

The 2021-22 season didn’t begin well for the Barcelona organization since the highly decorated soccer team was eliminated in the Champions League Group stage for the first time in 20 years. Does Jokubaitis feel that he and the rest of the basketball department have an extra mission to sort of redeem the club?

“It was a little bit sad to see that not everything’s going right for the [soccer] team,” Jokubaitis said. “We need to step it up on the basketball side. We are the same club. We are FC Barcelona, not BC Barcelona.”

Jmpasq wrote:

martin wrote:

JoeyBagadonuts wrote:In 6 G-league starts, Deuce averaged 27.0 PPG / 9.5 assists. He shot .442 from downtown with 8.7 attempts per game. He had 15 pts and 9 assists the last time (I think) he started for the Knicks. He has a reputation as a tenacious defender. Thibs wanted him in the draft. Our best PG is on the DL. Our supposed starting PG is fragile and can’t play back to back games. The guy that starts when he can’t go is not a point guard. Why on earth isn’t McBride getting more minutes?

Not very good at PnR, not very good at running an offense, zero breakdown ability and can be contained very easily.

The question I have (for anybody) is why so many people think Thibs would hide such a player if he could actually do the things everyone would expect as a PG?

Has anyone actually WATCHED the full GLeague games to give us a testament to how he is doing as a PG running a team?

Or are we at the "Throw suggestions at the wall and see if they stick" stage of things?

Its throw at the wall and see what sticks. I get it, everyone is frustrated and hoping something will work. However, the answers to the Knicks problems are not in that locker room

How can anybody say the answer to our pg problems is not on the roster when deuce hasnt been given a chance to show anything? Martin how do you know he can’t run a team when he’s not given a chance to run a team??

Why are you guys complaining about Kemba, Burks and iq but refuse to play the only available pg on the team??

What are u afraid of? That we will lose exactly how we are losing now??

Has anybody actually played defense as a guard and impacted a team with their defense?? Please chime in if you did. Because that’s who I want to talk to. Everybody else is looking at deuce and over thinking it.

Let’s put it in simple terms please. Deuce is PG #3. PG #1 isn’t working and on the trading block. PG#2 is injured. What are you afraid of? Please tell me.

I’ve played basketball at a high level. Ive been known to be a defensive lock down guard. Im not known to be a floor general or whatever else you trying to make excuses why he shouldn’t play. And my defense alone disrupted the other teams offense. My unselfish play increase the teams play. My defense was contagious and that defensive energy spread to other players.

I don’t get why everybody is afraid to play a defense PG when the alternative is Kemba and rose? Please help me understand? And don’t say what deuce is not when you don’t have enough film on deuce at the nba level.

Instead of saying what deuce is not, why not provide some other solution with the roster we have. Otherwise what’s the point in replying. If ur point is IQ should start instead of deuce, ok. If rokas should start instead of deuce, OK. No argument from me. But to say deuce ain’t ready, without saying who is….then u are basically saying u rather watch Kemba play who has not produced wins. I don’t give a shet if he can’t run a pnr. Which PG produces wins? Kemba doesn’t….what about deuce? IQ? Rokas? We have nothing to lose. Playoffs is a pipe dream. Wining a playoff series is a bigger pipe dream.

blkexec wrote:

Jmpasq wrote:

martin wrote:

JoeyBagadonuts wrote:In 6 G-league starts, Deuce averaged 27.0 PPG / 9.5 assists. He shot .442 from downtown with 8.7 attempts per game. He had 15 pts and 9 assists the last time (I think) he started for the Knicks. He has a reputation as a tenacious defender. Thibs wanted him in the draft. Our best PG is on the DL. Our supposed starting PG is fragile and can’t play back to back games. The guy that starts when he can’t go is not a point guard. Why on earth isn’t McBride getting more minutes?

Not very good at PnR, not very good at running an offense, zero breakdown ability and can be contained very easily.

The question I have (for anybody) is why so many people think Thibs would hide such a player if he could actually do the things everyone would expect as a PG?

Has anyone actually WATCHED the full GLeague games to give us a testament to how he is doing as a PG running a team?

Or are we at the "Throw suggestions at the wall and see if they stick" stage of things?

Its throw at the wall and see what sticks. I get it, everyone is frustrated and hoping something will work. However, the answers to the Knicks problems are not in that locker room

How can anybody say the answer to our pg problems is not on the roster when deuce hasnt been given a chance to show anything? Martin how do you know he can’t run a team when he’s not given a chance to run a team??

Why are you guys complaining about Kemba, Burks and iq but refuse to play the only available pg on the team??

What are u afraid of? That we will lose exactly how we are losing now??

Has anybody actually played defense as a guard and impacted a team with their defense?? Please chime in if you did. Because that’s who I want to talk to. Everybody else is looking at deuce and over thinking it.

Let’s put it in simple terms please. Deuce is PG #3. PG #1 isn’t working and on the trading block. PG#2 is injured. What are you afraid of? Please tell me.

I’ve played basketball at a high level. Ive been known to be a defensive lock down guard. Im not known to be a floor general or whatever else you trying to make excuses why he shouldn’t play. And my defense alone disrupted the other teams offense. My unselfish play increase the teams play. My defense was contagious and that defensive energy spread to other players.

I don’t get why everybody is afraid to play a defense PG when the alternative is Kemba and rose? Please help me understand? And don’t say what deuce is not when you don’t have enough film on deuce at the nba level.

Instead of saying what deuce is not, why not provide some other solution with the roster we have. Otherwise what’s the point in replying. If ur point is IQ should start instead of deuce, ok. If rokas should start instead of deuce, OK. No argument from me. But to say deuce ain’t ready, without saying who is….then u are basically saying u rather watch Kemba play who has not produced wins. I don’t give a shet if he can’t run a pnr. Which PG produces wins? Kemba doesn’t….what about deuce? IQ? Rokas? We have nothing to lose. Playoffs is a pipe dream. Wining a playoff series is a bigger pipe dream.

Well said. #1 and #2 are out. Burks is not a PG. Next man up.

BigDaddyG wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

blkexec wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

Can our Front Office just buy him out already and bring him up already?

Because I've seen enough. He's ready for the NBA.

If younger kids like Deuce, Grimes and Sims have all seen NBA playing time already, then why not Rokas Jokubaitis? Imo he's more NBA ready than any of them.

And he's also a natural/pure PG which is what we're in desperate need of right now.

If the Knicks include him in any trade package I'll become livid. Because he's got the potential to become the NBAs very next European Superstar on an NBA level.

Ok you peaked my interest. More nba ready than deuce and grimes???? Time to pay attention to this kid. Any footage against nba talent? Sorry but if JR Smith can average 50 in one of those top euro leagues, or even score 50…not sure which one it was. Then I would expect a nba ready player to dominate correct?

Everyone watched summer league right ? Grimes and McBride were dominant. Jokubaitis was solid but didn’t stand out in any way. He can definitely be good but he didn’t look NBA ready.

He only played a few games and was slowly getting better before having to go back. Now he's at the point where he's performing nicely in the world's second strongest league. Also, you need to take summer league with a grain of salt. Remember how much better Iggy B looked compared to RJ in summer league.

Perspective. The kid is averaging 22 mpg, 8ppg and 2.5 dimes per game in last 10. 32 year old Nico Laprovittola starts ahead of him. Dante Exum also gets minutes over him at PG.