Clean wrote:

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I don't know how it happened but Rose since last year has become my favorite player. Also it is interesting that he loves playing so much now in NY in his new role. He no longer has the burden of being a superstar and having to carry his team. With all the talent he has I never would have thought it would have affected him so much.

It was odd how his contract this offseason seemed to get universally panned from Knick fans and bball writers alike- it's a bargain

smackeddog wrote:Can't believe we have the third best offense in the league and we're not close to firing on all cylinders yet

Exactly and we also have only the 21st Defensive rating as of right now. And we all know, under coach Thibs? We'll become top 5 on Defense by seasons end.

We're 6-3 and aren't even peaking yet.

This is an awesome sign of things to come.

BigDaddyG wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Can't believe we have the third best offense in the league and we're not close to firing on all cylinders yet

Exactly and we also have only the 21st Defensive rating as of right now. And we all know, under coach Thibs? We'll become top 5 on Defense by seasons end.

We're 6-3 and aren't even peaking yet.

This is an awesome sign of things to come.

Might not be the case. That Minnesota team Thibs took to the playoffs maintained the same trend of efficient offense and below average defense. But, I'm inclined to believe the offensive efficiency will probably drop and the defense will get better.

We finished with the NBA's #1 Defense last year. Big difference in terms of trying to compare this NY team to that Minnesota team (regarding Defensive ability).

And no. Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton weren't the reasons why we had the NBAs #1 Defense last year. Tom Thibs was.

Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton went to Dallas/Phoenix and those two teams aren't playing at a top 10 D level let alone #1 and why? Because it was never "them" was and always Tom Thibs.

We had both Elfrid/Bullock in 2019-2020 too and they never led us to the NBA's #1 Defense and why? Because coach Tom Thibs wasn't here.

Once Mitchell Robinson gets back into playing shape and Nerlens Noel gets rolling again and with R.J. Barrett becoming an A+ wing defender etc we're going to see an elite NY Defense under coach Thibs and imo sooner rather than later too.

Top 5 Defense by seasons end.

BigDaddyG wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Can't believe we have the third best offense in the league and we're not close to firing on all cylinders yet

Exactly and we also have only the 21st Defensive rating as of right now. And we all know, under coach Thibs? We'll become top 5 on Defense by seasons end.

We're 6-3 and aren't even peaking yet.

This is an awesome sign of things to come.

Might not be the case. That Minnesota team Thibs took to the playoffs maintained the same trend of efficient offense and below average defense. But, I'm inclined to believe the offensive efficiency will probably drop and the defense will get better.

We finished with the NBA's #1 Defense last year. Big difference in terms of trying to compare this NY team to that Minnesota team (regarding Defensive ability).

And no. Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton weren't the reasons why we had the NBAs #1 Defense last year. Tom Thibs was.

Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton went to Dallas/Phoenix and those two teams aren't playing at a top 10 D level let alone #1 and why? Because it was never "them" was and always Tom Thibs.

We had both Elfrid/Bullock in 2019-2020 too and they never led us to the NBA's #1 Defense and why? Because coach Tom Thibs wasn't here.

Once Mitchell Robinson gets back into playing shape and Nerlens Noel gets rolling again and with R.J. Barrett becoming an A+ wing defender etc we're going to see an elite NY Defense under coach Thibs and imo sooner rather than later too.

Top 5 Defense by seasons end.

I'm not defending Elf; But you have to appreciate the fact that the team is took a step backwards defensively in the starting lineup. Thibs is a good coach, but he's more adaptable than people give home credit for. The team's identity has shifted and I'm sure Thibs is still figuring out the best path for success.

I 100% agree about coach Thibs being able to adapt because being one of only 5 NBA coaches All-Time with multiple coach of the year award honors doesn't happen by fluke luck; this man is our best coach since dating back to Pat Riley.

But have we really taken a step back on Defense this year?

Last year we were 5-4 after 9 games and allowed 937 points after 9 games (104.1 points allowed per game).

This year we're @ 6-3 after 9 games and allowed 981 points after 9 games (109.0 points allowed per game).

Last years Defense didn't get off to an excellent start either but yet by seasons end they finished #1 and I believe the same Defensive improvement will happen under Thibs this year as the season continues moving forward.

Right now Thibs is still experimenting with different rotations, waiting for Mitchell Robinson to get his durability back and just returned Nerlens Noel etc.

I'm not worried about Defense because as long as our key players remain healthy I believe this 2021-2022 NYK team has elite Defensive ability and imo it's only a matter of time before we begin to dominate on D.