knicks1248 wrote:If that's max effort and we still get blown out, that's clear evidence that he's been giving a role not suitable to help the team in where it's lacking tremendously..PG.

Except they were not blown out when he was on the floor. I know some b-ball fans hate +/- because it busts the superficial narratives they love so much, but you don't hold a role player responsible for things that happened while he was on the bench any more than you blame a starting pitcher for giving up runs while he was in the dugout.

Welpee wrote:This man crush some have for Ron Baker is fascinating!

Did you read the article I posted? It’s not about a man crush. Baker even at this stage of his development MAKES THE KNICKS BETTER when he’s on the court. We need to keep developing this kid and having him as a good part of the rotation off the bench!

When Ron Baker entered the game on Thursday, the Knicks were losing 17–12 and #KnicksTwitter was ready to explode because rookie Frank Ntilikina wasn’t the first guard off the bench. It didn’t help that Baker promptly turned over the ball on a lazy pass and then let Russ spin right around him on D.

But from that point, until Ntilikina replaced Baker early in the second quarter, the Knicks went on a 15–7 run to tie the game. Baker was a Swiss Army Knife of statistics during the run — accumulating one assist, one rebound, one steal, one foul, and one turnover.

However, there is a reason why the Knicks played their best last night with Ron Baker on the floor (+4 in 23 minutes). Part of it, an easy explanation, he had Kristaps Porzingis by his side. But so did the starters. And if you’re going to point to the difference in match ups, consider this: Baker with Hardaway Jr., McDermott, O’Quinn, and Porzingis shot 53.3 percent (8-of-15), compared to the starting lineup of Sessions, Lee, Hardaway Jr., Kanter, and Porzingis, which shot only 38.1 percent (8-of-21).

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/maxwellogden/status/921256362671267841

This is tangible and positive impact. He has a chance to get better from here!