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The Insults Keep Coming; March 30, 2019: Miami 100 Knicks 92

Lou V — Sun, 31 Mar 2019 16:00:45 +0000

Dwayne Wade’s last game at the Garden. And so he was honored and he had a great 4th quarter to beat the Knicks in their own building. For 18 years now the story has been the same — Knicks lose at home and are embarrassed by some other team’s player doing something special.

The Garden was even loaded with Miami fans who cheered Wade — and Knick fans also, who had ‘nothing better to do since the Knicks were doing nothing’ said one fan on twitter.

It makes you long for Isiah Thomas the coach — and he was a mediocre coach (good GM) — who made sure Knicks players fought back on the court, instructing players to take another guy out after an injustice, and was lambasted by local media (and then the fans) for doing so.

At least Mitchell Robinson blocked Dwayne Wade three (3) times. He is our hope for the future.

The Pursuit of Last Place

Other than that — it was more of the same. Another loss. Knicks trailed throughout. There are 6 games left and Knicks are 2.5 ahead of Phoenix for worst record. And they lost to Phoenix both times this year so if it’s tied, Knicks should get the top lottery probability position. That’s like having a 3.5 game lead with 6 games left. If they clinch last place will they try to win their remaining games?

The Knicks Twin-Headed Monster

Mitchell Robinson started. That was a main story for the Knicks. The subhead: Luke Kornet also started.

Robinson’s line: 37 minutes, 4-4 (1-2 free throws) 9 pts, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Fantastic and fun to watch as usual.
The other underlying story: Luke Kornet’s line: 5-14 (5-13 from 3) 17 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 3 assists in 36 minutes. And Kornet also played pretty good defense.

Unfortunately, this didn't count. But it sure was awesome from @23savage____ ! #Knicks #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/sY9gyUd9Rz

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) March 31, 2019

The Other Important Story Lines

Another main story line: Kevin Knox started out on fire — hitting 3’s and attacking the rim. He finished 7-16 (2-8 from 3) 16 pts, 1 rebound in 40 minutes. Played well but has to work on the rebounds and the defense still.

Air Knox pic.twitter.com/zihgEYjq6m

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 31, 2019

Emmanuel Mudiay drove the Knicks offense 6-12 (10-12 free throws) 24 pts, 4 assists. As usual, he got his fair share of criticism by some Knicks fans on twitter for his defense and penchant for looking for his shot first and passing second.

Another underlying story line — Damyean Dotson was horrible again: 0-8 (0-6 from 3, 2-2 free throws) 2 pts in 24 minutes and mediocre defense. We were reminded — in fact it was THRUST IN OUR FACE — that Dotson is not Dwyane Wade.

Dennis Smith Jr had a nice full-court drive and SLAM and played fairly well 6-14 12 pts in 18 min, 1 assist.

pic.twitter.com/uu0Y2Tz09N

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 31, 2019

Coach Fizdale said Mudiay was the best passer on the team before the trade for Dennis Smith Jr. Smith looks like a better passer to us.

.@Dennis1SmithJr @MrLance42 pic.twitter.com/FpNC3qpjAB

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 31, 2019

The Other Knicks

Kadeem Allen (2-6, 8 pts) and Lance Thomas (1-3, 4 pts) rounded out the team. Henry Ellenson, Mario Hezonja, DeAndre Jordan, and John Jenkins did not play coach’s decision. Allonzo Trier, Frank Ntilikina, and Noah Vonleh continued to be injured.

For Miami

Dion Waiters (11-23, 6-16 from 3, 28 pts), Kelly Olynyk (12 pts 11 rebounds), Goran Dragic (10 pts 10 assists), Dwyane Wade (6-16 16 pts 7 rebounds), and Hassan Whiteside (7-10 for 17 pts 13 rebounds 1 block) carried Miami. Mitchell Robinson blocked a Whiteside interior shot at one point. Bam Adebayo had 8 pts.

The Boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071814

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Game Log — Dec 27, 2018: Milwaukee 112 NY 96

Lou V — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 13:48:18 +0000

And just like that Luke Kornet became the starting center of the NY Knicks. A 20-ppg, shot-blocking 7’1″ interior defender who is deadly from 3. A “stretch 5”. More accurate from 3 than Porzingis. An active defender who verbally orchestrates his teammates in the paint.

What happens when Kristaps Porzingis comes back? Do they trade him? If they sign Kevin Durant — what then? Porzingis had better come back prepared to raise his game a level.

Luke Kornet and Noah Vonleh

Last night, Luke Kornet not only started, but played 34 minutes, scored 23 points on 7-11 from 3. Noah Vonleh (15 pts, 13 rebounds) was his power forward sidekick — playing great defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first half — at the break they were near even in points and rebounds. Enes Kanter only played 14 minutes off the bench.

During the game on MSG they played some highlights of Luke Kornet‘s dad — former NBA player Frank Kornet who played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1989-91.

Milwaukee pulled away in the second half and you never felt the Knicks had a chance, although they stayed within 10 points most of the night. Greek Freak got on a roll in the 4th and finished with his usual 30+ points anyway, making Vonleh’s terrific defense on him in the first half a forgotten tidbit.

The Greek and The Turk at War

Antetokounmpo plays with a Russell Westbrook-like FIRE but he sometimes goes overboard and plays too aggressively — and tries to block a shot on a runaway slam dunk that risks injury to the other player, or gets into altercations with players on the court. A month ago he had the altercation with Mario Hezonja after trying to block his runaway dunk — everyone wants to be Lebron James blocking Stephen Curry in the 2016 NBA finals game 7. In this game it was Kanter who Antetokounmpo got into an altercation with. Kanter got ejected in the 4th for taking down Antetokounmpo hard, and then the chest-to-chest words between the two. But it was Kanter with the bloody red eye from a Thon Maker elbow.

The Greeks and the Turks go way back.

How did Ntilikina Do?

Frank Ntilikina played well in this game — 21 minutes, 5 pts, 5 rebounds and looked smooth, confident and aggressive on the court. Emmanuel Mudiay played ok — 13 pts on 6-15, and Kanter did his thing (8 pts on 4-9 and 5 rebounds in those 14 minutes). Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer has the Bucks playing a Tough defense and some Knick shooters had poor nights: Kevin Knox was 4-15 for 12 pts, Damyean Dotson was 1-9 for 4 pts, and Allonzo Trier was 2-10 for 7 pts. Trier got fouled but no call on two drives — and complained to the ref each time causing him not to get back quickly enough on defense. Coach David Fizdale pulled him for that in the 4th.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was nowhere to be seen, on the court or in the boxscore. He is either injured or the Knicks traded him.

For Milwaukee, Khris Middleton had a good game (25 pts) after a poor game on Christmas against the Knicks and Brook Lopez was tough. Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and D.J. Wilson all played well.

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071189

The post Game Log — Dec 27, 2018: Milwaukee 112 NY 96 appeared first on Knicks.City.

The 13 Knicks Rebuilds Since their Last Title in 1973: Rebuild #4

Lou V — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:39:45 +0000

4. The Ewing Rebuild I (Bomb Squad)

Orchestrator:

GM Al Bianchi

Highlights:

The night Dave DeBusschere won the lottery and the right to pick Patrick Ewing, it looked like the Knicks were destined to win 5 championships.
Knicks put up two horrible 20+ win seasons in Ewing’s first two years. There was talk of making Ewing a power forward or even trading Ewing and keeping Cartwright.
Out went DeBusschere and coach Hubie Brown and in came Al Bianchi as GM, who hired college wiz kid coach Rick Pitino.
Got Charles Oakley & 1st-round pick (ended up being Rod Strickland) in trade for Bill Cartwright
Drafted Mark Jackson.
Drafted Gerald Wilkins in 2nd round.
Picked up Johnny Newman off waivers from Cleveland.
Pitino stressed full-court, pressure defense and shooting 3’s.
The Knicks had the bomb squad of Trent Tucker, Mark Jackson, Gerald Wilkins, Johnny Newman and Rod Strickland — youth, athleticism, 3-point shooting, defense, and Ewing (and Oakley).

Results:

Pitino’s 1988-89 club won 52 games, famously swept the 76’ers in the first round, with Charles Barkley crying on the floor and the Knicks young players literally taking out brooms.
Knicks lost to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round, 4-2.

The End:

Live by the 3, die by the 3. The 3-pt offense was deemed a gimmick — you couldn’t win in the NBA that way. Ahead of his time. Pitino quit to accept a job back in the college ranks with Kentucky.
Stu Jackson replaced Pitino and the Knicks went into purgatory (45 wins).
John MacLeod replaced Stu Jackson and the Knicks plummeted more (39 wins), and it was on to Rebuild #5…

Your Thoughts?

Your thoughts on any of the above? Additional comments? Please feel free to provide your feedback below.

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If Knicks were a Stock Now Would be Time to Buy — Top 10 Reasons

Lou V — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:49:37 +0000

If the Knicks were a stock — now would be a good time to buy. They are 9-26 but have:

1	Three (3!) rookies who may make the All-Rookie 1st or 2nd teams (Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and Allonzo Trier).
2	Two (2!) guys who will receive votes for most improved player (Noah Vonleh and Emmanuel Mudiay).
3	Kristaps Porzingis waiting in the wings to return possibly this year but probably next year.
4	Enough cap space to sign an elite free agent and rumor (and logic) has it that Kevin Durant will sign with them this summer and if not him, Anthony Davis and if not either of them — then maybe Knicks wait a year and see if Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play here.
5	Shot blocking and the potential for future interior defense. Mitchell Robinson (currently injured) is 2nd in the league in blocked shots per minute. Luke Kornet looks like a secret weapon off the bench with deadly 3-pt accuracy from a 7 footer and a penchant for blocking shots and playing active defense in the paint. When Porzingis comes back this team will have him, Robinson and Kornet as three elite shot blockers — crazy! Plus Kevin Knox can block one now and again — this could be formidable interior-defensive team forming.
6	Elite (possibly top-3) draft position in this June’s draft (unless they go off on a 2nd-half run which is starting to look extremely unlikely).
7	The youngest team in the NBA. Besides the above-mentioned talent, they have other good young players like Damyean Dotson, and perhaps or perhaps not Frank Ntilikina who may or may not be a good, very good, or not so good player. He is only 20 years old and plays pretty good defense (although could be overrated) and has a smooth jumpshot.
8	A good GM. Maybe very good. Possibly great. Scott Perry seems to have an eye for talent and knows what he’s doing. The roster will continue to evolve and it’s great as a Knick fan to know Perry is making the decisions. For example, the trade of Carmelo Anthony for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a high 2nd round pick (which turned into Mitchell Robinson) may be one of the best trades in Knicks history. Remember, Phil Jackson wanted to dump Melo and his salary for nothing a year after having resigned him to the huge extension.
9	A “player’s coach”. Not sure if David Fizdale is a great coach or just a good coach, or maybe an average coach, but he is certainly a “player’s coach” and a top free agent like Durant wouldn’t be turned off by him. Especially if the Knicks play better defense as a team in the second half.
10	Trade-able veterans playing well: Tim Hardaway is averaging over 21 pts a game and leading the league in drawing charges defensively. Hardaway is a streaky shooter with poor shot selection but is is a big-time scorer who isn’t afraid to take big shots, is extremely athletic and terrific at driving to the basket. He makes about $17 Million a year which is high but not too bad considering NBA salaries these days. He could certainly help a contender for a title run. Kanter continues to score and rebound like a beast. Kanter also makes $17 Million a year but his contract runs out at end of this season making him ideal for a playoff-run team with need for inside scoring, rebounding, energy, and leadership. Courtney Lee and Trey Burke also have value. This is a far cry from past Knicks teams which had players nobody else wanted. Look at Ron Baker — released by the Knicks because there was no room for him — and picked up a day later by a team (Washington) with a much better record than the Knicks.

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The 13 Knicks Rebuilds Since their Last Title in 1973

Lou V — Sat, 15 Dec 2018 14:53:00 +0000

Since the NY Knicks last won a title in 1973 it seems like they’ve had 35 rebuilds over the last 45 years. It’s actually been over a dozen — of all kinds:

Rebuilds based on free agents,
Rebuilds based on youth and the draft,
Rebuilds built on sign-and-trades and the draft,
Rebuilds based on new GM’s and regime changes, new coaches, etc.

The current one under Scott Perry is based on youth and the draft — so far — and perhaps a sprinkling of an elite free agent coming. Over the next 13 days, we’ll take a look at the Knick rebuilds since 1973.

1. The Bob McAdoo Rebuild

One of the best rebuilds on paper was the Bob McAdoo rebuild of 1975-77. The 1st rebuild.

Orchestrated by:

Knicks GM Eddie Donovan.

Highlights:

On paper one of the greatest Knicks teams ever — in 1976-77 they had, all in their prime:
- C: Bob McAdoo (age 25)
- PF: Spencer Haywood (age 26)
- SF: Jim McMillian (age 24)
- G: Walt Frazier (age 31)
- G: Earl Monroe (age 32)
- Reserves: Lonnie Shelton (21), Ray Williams, Toby Knight, Glen Gondrezick
After the entire Knicks all-star front line retired at the end of the 1974 season (Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, and Jerry Lucas) — the Knicks needed to rebuild their front line. They started by signing George McGinnis to a contract even though he was property of the 76ers after the ABA dispersal draft. The Knicks were hammered in penalites and denied McGinnis.
Knicks then signed Spencer Haywood, still in his prime at age 26, in 1976 — a 20 pt/12 rebound power forward, hero of the 1968 Olympics and first superstar of the ABA where he scored 30 ppg in 1970.
Midway through the 1976-77 season, the Knicks made the big McAdoo trade — getting him and Tom McMillen for almost nothing (John Gianelli)! McAdoo was 25 yrs old coming off 3 consecutive scoring titles and was a league-leading rebounder.
They then got Jim McMillian (the next Bill Bradley) from Buffalo for cash.
That new, elite front line was added to the Hall of Fame backcourt still in their prime of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe.
Just-drafted Ray Williams came off the bench with Lonnie Shelton, Toby Knight and Glen Gondrezick.

Result:

After a half season of the McAdoo trade not propelling the Knicks (they finished 40-42 in 1976-77) the Knicks signed Jim Cleamons and gave Cleveland Walt Frazier as compensation. (Word at time was Frazier had lost a step defensively and GM (and friend) Willis Reed wanted to trade him before he lost value.)
On paper one of the best Knick teams ever, the 1977-78 Knicks won 43 games — Haywood was injured and missed most of the season. The Knicks blew past Cleveland in the 1st round. Then Philly double-teamed McAdoo and swept the Knicks in 4 in the 2nd round.

The end:

The Knicks finally had McAdoo and Haywood playing together in 1978-79, but started badly, and gave up on the McAdoo/Spencer Haywood team — trading Haywood in January and McAdoo in February.
Knicks were deemed to have offensive individual players that didn’t jive, and not enough defense. It was on to rebuild #2..

Your Thoughts?

Your thoughts on any of the above? Additional comments? Please feel free to provide your feedback below.

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Game Log: Dec 8, 2018 — Brooklyn 112 New York 104

Bobby Lyle — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 15:25:17 +0000

Brooklyn beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden despite New York’s 4th quarter comeback.

Knick Youth Made 4th Quarter Run

Knicks were down by 19 early in the 4th. Fizdale put in Frank Ntilikina, who had been benched the previous 3 games, along with Alonzo Trier, Damean Dotson, Kevin Knox, and Mitchell Robinson. Ntilikina got cheers as he moved the ball upcourt. And soon the Knicks defensive energy — keyed by Robinson, Ntilikina, and the others — and a hot shooting streak by Dotson — got the Knicks back in the game.

The young Knick lineup played the entire 4th quarter — they pulled to within 5 and almost 3 when Dotson drove right baseline for a reverse that rolled in and out.

Kanter Wrecked Havoc on Jarrett Allen

Earlier in the game, Enes Kanter destroyed the Nets interior defense — Jarrett Allen could not stop him on his post up and inside moves. But the Knicks fell behind as the Nets 3-point shooting — especially Allen Crabbe — vaulted them ahead. At the heart of the Knicks falling double digits behind, as usual, was a piss poor shooting performance by Tim Hardaway Jr. It was Nets 3, Hardaway miss, Nets bucket, Hardaway miss, Nets 3, Hardaway miss — that kind of thing.

Hardaway finished 2-12 and 0-5 from 3 and was benched for the 4th quarter.

Ntilikina the Story of the Game for Knicks

Ntilikina led the 4th quarter comeback — he even made a layup which excited the crowd, and drove to the basket then flipped a bad alley oop pass to Mitchell Robinson that Robinson had to reach back for to get. Ntilikina played pretty good defense on D’Angelo Russell, as the Nets were running Ntilikina through screen after screen after screen.

The controversy over whether Ntilikina is really a lockdown defender or a bit overrated continued to be discussed on Twitter after the game.

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071063

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Game Log: Dec 2, 2018: Washington 110 NY 107

Bobby Lyle — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:33:49 +0000

The loss to Washington was a tough one. Knicks looked like they had game in hand then Wizards came out of halftime intent to take it — layed down Defense; John Wall & Bradley Beale played like stars; and Otto Porter & Kelly Oubre combined for 8-10 from 3-pt range.

Knicks were down by 16 with 4 minutes to play then the comeback to fall by 3.

A game that showed the Knicks youth and inability to stay with a veteran team when it put afterburners on. But they came back.

Will be tough to knock off Boston second time in a month.

News Story this Week: Ntilikina

This week Marc Berman of the NY Post came out with a story that named unnamed scouts who did not have kind words to say about Knick rookies Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina. The scouts said Knox was a shoot-first lazy player who didn’t look to pass, and Ntilikina was even overated defensively — didn’t fight through picks. The story came out on Thursday (Thanksgiving).

On Saturday in a terrific overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks (#2 record in NBA), Knox had a breakout game with 26 points. He followed it up with a nice 8-point/9-rebound performance on Monday vs Washington. Ntilikina however was benched for both games. And so Knick fan scuttlebut on twitter has been whether Knicks should trade Ntilikina now while he still has value.

Ntilikina will probably never be a penetrating point guard — you don’t learn how to do that at age 20; the great ones were doing it at age 8 or 12.

One can only hope he becomes a Tony Parker kind of point. More likely a good shooting guard if he can get his shot to fall!! He has good form and a soft shot (unlike Shumpert who had good form but a hard shot) — Hornacek said they liked Ntilikina’s shot — but he always misses!!! Needs to take thousands more in practice or develop some confidence! To that end he can get much better and he is only 20. Most guards of the past came into the league at 23.

Remember when Knicks drafted Trent Tucker #6 overall? He was 23. Never did learn to penetrate, even as a shooting guard. Did shoot 46% from 3 as a rookie.

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