On Monday, I saw a lot more than I am used to. I was at the pregame warmups and wanted to share my observations. Also, I have some insights from right after the game.
I saw four players give an honest pregame warmup. Frank, Emannuel, Mitch, and Kanter. Trier put in a little, but those were the guys that put legitimate work in. I was surprised to not see Courtney Lee, for example. I was surprised to not see guys like Lance Thomas setting an example. THJ? No Kanter wants out - he is the veteran leader that Fizdale has muzzled and neutered.
On the other side of the court, the Thunder had what felt like a full practice. A light practice, but a full practice. Every player you would expect to have warmed up on that team warmed up from Westbrook to Adams and more. I was paying attention to the Knicks but I mean I couldn't see all the players because there were a ton of assistants out there too. Similarly, especially at the beginning of the game, Russ is barking instructions on "communication." That was his primary focus. He was on the bench and engaged and riding guys for not talking enough.
In the other thread, I mentioned how I was screaming "LET'S GO FRANK" and how people knew it was me. Before everyone in the family knew where the courtside seats were exactly, they heard me and found me 10 sections away (are you surprised, I'm sure I come across as loud here). I am not saying that Frank owed me a thank you or conversation but after the game, he wouldn't even look within 90 degrees of me. That struck me, because my four-year-old nephew is better at eye contact. It wasn't just me though, anytime anybody yelled for him he'd turn his head. That was quite unimpressive.
Also, the Knicks got their ass kicked. While all the players are lying and saying good game, Fizdale put his tail between his legs and hustled off the court. It was the most effort any Knick gave all game. He looked like a substitute teacher who just his ass kicked by a room full of kids. It was pathetic. We made eye contact, and maintained it, but he didn't want to hear or see anything. So, combine that with the fact this 'brilliant basketball mind' or whatever starts the game by putting ****ing THJ on PG-13. Are you kidding me? The game was lost before it started because of that. That's the reason it was 20-10 after like 45 seconds. His players don't win, they don't practice, and he looked completely overmatched. I saw nothing inspiring about his gameplan, about his players enthusiasm, or just himself and his personality. He is supposed to be Mr. Personality, right? Well, his personality is broken right now.
The thing that gave me the most hope was KP. I chatted with him briefly after the game. I told him that we were all excited for his return and that we needed him. He took it all in stride and said he knew and thanked me. Do you think he wanted to waste his time on me after watching his team get its ass kicked? He was probably fantasizing about going anywhere other than the Knicks... that fear aside, KP looked like a leader. He wanted to connect with the fans and potentially deal with a little abuse. Hopefully he can turn the rest of the team and honestly I got the vibe that he does want to stick around
The other thing I noticed was how much bigger, longer, more solid and athletic the Thunder are than the Knicks. What's funny is that everyone said that wouldn't be the case for them anymore after trading away everyone for PG13 and Melo. Well, our guys were noticeably less impressive looking when you just looked at them standing next to eachother. It actually kinda altered my stance on Mudiay, for example. He's got similar measurements to Russ but I mean there's a huge chasm between the athleticism of the two. We might have made an attempt to get longer and more athletic but damnit we are well short of where it needs to be.
