The team has several new players who have yet to fully fit into the team. As we expected, replacing Payton and Bullock with Kemba and Fournier raised the offense, but had a slightly negative impact on the defense. But I expect Thibs to get it right.

What I want to say is that some quite unrealistically expected Knicks to suddenly be the top team of the East. Unlike last season, a step forward has been made in the sense that this is a much deeper roster, but we still lack the quality to be able to even think about some kind of contender status.

xavier wrote:Knicks are at 5-3 and while some are already looking for reasons “what’s wrong” and looking at “what needs to be done”, in my opinion things are as we could have expected it to be.

The team has several new players who have yet to fully fit into the team. As we expected, replacing Payton and Bullock with Kemba and Fournier raised the offense, but had a slightly negative impact on the defense. But I expect Thibs to get it right.

What I want to say is that some quite unrealistically expected Knicks to suddenly be the top team of the East. Unlike last season, a step forward has been made in the sense that this is a much deeper roster, but we still lack the quality to be able to even think about some kind of contender status.

I believe we lack team chemistry on both ends. We have enough qualified nba players to play better than we have been. But chemistry takes time on all levels of talent.

xavier wrote:Knicks are at 5-3 and while some are already looking for reasons “what’s wrong” and looking at “what needs to be done”, in my opinion things are as we could have expected it to be.

The team has several new players who have yet to fully fit into the team. As we expected, replacing Payton and Bullock with Kemba and Fournier raised the offense, but had a slightly negative impact on the defense. But I expect Thibs to get it right.

What I want to say is that some quite unrealistically expected Knicks to suddenly be the top team of the East. Unlike last season, a step forward has been made in the sense that this is a much deeper roster, but we still lack the quality to be able to even think about some kind of contender status.

Good take. Expectation was take all the good from last year, forget Payton first 50 games of the season, delete his bad, bring in healthy walker, Think Rose will repeat, and Fournier defense will be enough to forget Reggie. Well, sort of yes and no.
All subjective. Nalod comes to this season with a 47 win total expectation. I thought Pacers would be better this season if healthy. They are getting there. That was not a normal 2-6 team we faced.

If knicks have to play great to win vs middle teams it speaks that we re a middle team also. At least for now.

We have 4th quarter issues and teams are playing us well to guard the 3. We took it to the rim and thy are tall inside. Quick did not shoot a 3 last night and he is moving the ball. He is a work in progress.

RJ is evolving. This is fun to watch.
If Randle is not doubled he goes. Thats what he did last year. Two new starters and the chemistry is not there yet.

All in all the sky is not falling but not all fans have the same design on what the sky should be.

Jmpasq wrote:Average at best this was the easy part of the schedule. Really this roster should be at minimum 6-2 , really 7-1.

Base on what? Dudes saying we are super deep? Some logic that says we ignore Paytons defense, add a healthy Kemba, inflate what Rose did last year and think its duplicated and team is even better?
That anyone we put at there over 30 is resureccted to their best selves?
That we were the 4th seed, even if it was by a hair then disregard all the anomalies from last season, or that other teams might have improved and then IGNORE all writers or Vegas pros who said we’d be there with a half dozen teams vying for spots 4-8 and perhaps play in?
41 games equal a winning % that is 47 games with a full 82 game season.
One can bend things anyway you want.

The boston game. We assume a lead thus “They were lucky” to have tied it up. Fans prerogative. We could have lost it. We could be 4-4. Bulls? We had a lead, we blew it, we should not have! Ok, that was a road game. Mabye we don’t pull it out. 3-5. OMG, Magic, we split! That should not be! Why? We champs from last year? We have ties to god?

We could be 3-5 instead? Maybe. We are what we are. We could improve, but your record speaks loud.
So when ESPN or others say you good, but not great, why not just say “I hope we are better than that”? This expectation thing is like a nagging wife who is never happy. All this “ I want to see this player do this…..” or we need to upgrade by trading……..” Etc. Well, I’d like to see the team win also, but assumption we lose games, no be beaten is assuming the games are ours to win to begin with.
The games tell the truth. Its not god awful what we got, but its not contending status that 57-60 wins demonstrate.

We 5-3. We lost two in a row. We play the champs tonite. Be great to get a win. If not, hope for a close game with perhaps demonstrative improvement in areas we need to impove.

Boston took apart Miami last night, its the NBA. Bucks are 4-4 and won two in a row. We 5-3 and lost two in a row. This is what it is at this moment. Knicks can win. Bucks can win. “Should”? Maybe Bucks fans prerogative to say that just as we did vs. Magic. Have at it.