Knicks · Article: Knicks enter 2017 at a crossroads (page 1)
Ian Begley
ESPN Staff WriterIf you’re looking for a strong summary of what you’ve seen from the New York Knicks thus far, listen to what center Joakim Noah had to say the other day:
“We have three guys on this team that can score with the best of them. If we can just somehow find a way to build defensively, I think we can really make some noise.”
The Knicks haven’t built much on defense lately, and they’ve barely made any noise.
New York enters 2017 on a four-game losing streak after dropping all three games on a road trip to close out December, including Saturday night's 129-122 loss to the Houston Rockets. They’ve lost seven of nine overall and will have to answer an important question starting with Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic:
Have the past two weeks been an aberration, or is it the new normal?
New York has struggled to defend on the perimeter -- in both pick-and-roll situations and one-on-one matchups -- which is one factor in its struggling defense. The Knicks entered play Saturday at Houston with the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
We should find out the answer to that question this month. The Knicks play 17 games in 30 days in January and have four back-to-backs.
They enter the month with a 16-17 record that feels a bit hollow. The Knicks have the 15th-best record in the league but rank 23rd in net differential (minus-3.5).
The good news for the Knicks is that their first seven opponents this month have a record of at or below .500. The opponents are a combined 31 games under .500.
So New York has a chance to bounce back. But, as Noah notes above, they need to find some answers on defense to do so.
Mixed bag for Rose: Derrick Rose had just one assist in 38 minutes against the Pelicans on Friday but tallied seven in 41 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday. The Knicks lost both games, so the assist totals were a minor footnote. But Rose’s ability to distribute the ball and orchestrate a competent offense has far-reaching implications for the Knicks. New York will have to decide whether it wants to re-sign Rose as a free agent this summer or re-sign him before he hits the market.
The take here is that it’s way too early to make any hard conclusions. But it’s worth noting that Jrue Holiday, who played well in a win over the Knicks and has had a strong season thus far, will be on the market as well. And if recent history is any indication, the Knicks may have interest in Holiday. Phil Jackson expressed interest in trading for Holiday earlier in his tenure as Knicks president, according to sources.
It’s unclear if his opinion on Holiday has changed. The Knicks are probably evaluating all of their options at this point. With a few minor roster moves, they can create the cap space needed to offer a max contract this summer.
New year, same old Knicks: Saturday’s loss to the Rockets left the Knicks at a game under .500. The Knicks have entered the new year under .500 for four straight seasons and in 12 of the past 15 seasons overall (excluding the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season).
Each year has its own specific set of circumstances, but this year feels like a pivotal one for Jackson’s presidency. The team president will have to decide what he wants to do at point guard and will have an important draft pick to make (the Knicks own their 2017 first-rounder).
The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.
It will be interesting to see if Jackson takes that approach -- or if he continues to put together teams built to compete in the present.
On paper, this roster seems capable of so much more that you just want this team together for longer than a season to prove their worth.
On reality, it has been surprising how hard has it been for this tean to show a steady play that suggest an identity, how hard it is for them to play an extended stretch of good defense and how certain egos seem to step on the way to the ball movement that seems to be their best style of play. Its hard to see the last weeks of play and want an encore of this same roster. They are flawed to the point where you wonder if its structural and some changes need to be made.
They seem to need better defenders, but then again, Noah was brought for that and has been disappointing. They need better ball movement, but Jennings has faltered as of late. They need better 3-point shooters, but Lee has been underwhelming.
At one point of the season, it seemed we were finally building an identity and building towards a strong hold to the upper part of the conference. Since then, we have regressed, exposing our lack of effort, lack of focus and lack of motivation.
The most talented Knicks team in years is heading towards another losing season again. Would you wand a sequel to them?
So I say stop trying. Go full on with an open style featuring a spread floor, PnR and kick outs. Stop trying to force so many Post Ups! Screen people to death and use less ISO. Simplify this thing so guys can play on instinct and perhaps that will make them less prone to stagnation.
On D I think they are kind of screwed. LT was supposed to be one of our stoppers but his feet are messed up! Noah is not able to bring it on the level we need. I think we'd be better with KOQ, Willy and Plumlee for goodness sakes! All of them bring more energy and offense at this point. I really thought Noah would be more impactful but he can't. Better have him come off the bench IMO but I don't see Jeff embarrassing Phil. Phil has to be big enough to tell Jeff it's OK to bench one of his big signings!!!
yellowboy90 wrote:This team needs to find away to play good basketball at the same time instead of a couple of players looking good one game and another few players playing well another game. If the team could gel there is little reason why each starter shouldn't average at least 3 asts each. with Rose around 7-8
It depends.
If you want to build players value for future trades you need players look good not the team.
Knicks are not going places until Melo expires so we need to look for roster improvements with getting 2-way young upcoming players in the draft and by trades.
2 years is a long time to improve things.
The current record and stuff is irrelevant to team building to became a contending high quality winning organization.
yellowboy90 wrote:This team needs to find away to play good basketball at the same time instead of a couple of players looking good one game and another few players playing well another game. If the team could gel there is little reason why each starter shouldn't average at least 3 asts each. with Rose around 7-8
Golden State and Spurs don't even have this, actually the Spurs don't even have a starter that averages over 4 a game. Way too unrealistic, but that's the goal on here it seems, just throw the ridiculous of things out and everyone "yes, yes" til the team show they aint shit.
knickscity wrote:yellowboy90 wrote:This team needs to find away to play good basketball at the same time instead of a couple of players looking good one game and another few players playing well another game. If the team could gel there is little reason why each starter shouldn't average at least 3 asts each. with Rose around 7-8
Golden State and Spurs don't even have this, actually the Spurs don't even have a starter that averages over 4 a game. Way too unrealistic, but that's the goal on here it seems, just throw the ridiculous of things out and everyone "yes, yes" til the team show they aint shit.
i actually meant per 36 which would be pretty easy without the isolation the knicks usw so much. To make it a tad more reasonable 2.5 ast per 36 for each non pg starter would be a goal I'd shoot for.
nixluva wrote:I think this team could be MUCH better if they actually played for the 3 Point shot more than they have. What I mean is to run the offense actually TRYING to open up 3 point shooters. Since Jeff came here he's been trying to force Triangle and his style together but the team has been HIGHLY inconsistent and inefficient doing that.So I say stop trying. Go full on with an open style featuring a spread floor, PnR and kick outs. Stop trying to force so many Post Ups! Screen people to death and use less ISO. Simplify this thing so guys can play on instinct and perhaps that will make them less prone to stagnation.
On D I think they are kind of screwed. LT was supposed to be one of our stoppers but his feet are messed up! Noah is not able to bring it on the level we need. I think we'd be better with KOQ, Willy and Plumlee for goodness sakes! All of them bring more energy and offense at this point. I really thought Noah would be more impactful but he can't. Better have him come off the bench IMO but I don't see Jeff embarrassing Phil. Phil has to be big enough to tell Jeff it's OK to bench one of his big signings!!!
yup
nixluva wrote:I think this team could be MUCH better if they actually played for the 3 Point shot more than they have. What I mean is to run the offense actually TRYING to open up 3 point shooters. Since Jeff came here he's been trying to force Triangle and his style together but the team has been HIGHLY inconsistent and inefficient doing that.So I say stop trying. Go full on with an open style featuring a spread floor, PnR and kick outs. Stop trying to force so many Post Ups! Screen people to death and use less ISO. Simplify this thing so guys can play on instinct and perhaps that will make them less prone to stagnation.
On D I think they are kind of screwed. LT was supposed to be one of our stoppers but his feet are messed up! Noah is not able to bring it on the level we need. I think we'd be better with KOQ, Willy and Plumlee for goodness sakes! All of them bring more energy and offense at this point. I really thought Noah would be more impactful but he can't. Better have him come off the bench IMO but I don't see Jeff embarrassing Phil. Phil has to be big enough to tell Jeff it's OK to bench one of his big signings!!!
That MDA porn last light was irresistible huh...
Knicksfan wrote:Ian Begley
ESPN Staff WriterIf you’re looking for a strong summary of what you’ve seen from the New York Knicks thus far, listen to what center Joakim Noah had to say the other day:
“We have three guys on this team that can score with the best of them. If we can just somehow find a way to build defensively, I think we can really make some noise.”
The Knicks haven’t built much on defense lately, and they’ve barely made any noise.
New York enters 2017 on a four-game losing streak after dropping all three games on a road trip to close out December, including Saturday night's 129-122 loss to the Houston Rockets. They’ve lost seven of nine overall and will have to answer an important question starting with Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic:
Have the past two weeks been an aberration, or is it the new normal?
New York has struggled to defend on the perimeter -- in both pick-and-roll situations and one-on-one matchups -- which is one factor in its struggling defense. The Knicks entered play Saturday at Houston with the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
We should find out the answer to that question this month. The Knicks play 17 games in 30 days in January and have four back-to-backs.
They enter the month with a 16-17 record that feels a bit hollow. The Knicks have the 15th-best record in the league but rank 23rd in net differential (minus-3.5).
The good news for the Knicks is that their first seven opponents this month have a record of at or below .500. The opponents are a combined 31 games under .500.
So New York has a chance to bounce back. But, as Noah notes above, they need to find some answers on defense to do so.
Mixed bag for Rose: Derrick Rose had just one assist in 38 minutes against the Pelicans on Friday but tallied seven in 41 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday. The Knicks lost both games, so the assist totals were a minor footnote. But Rose’s ability to distribute the ball and orchestrate a competent offense has far-reaching implications for the Knicks. New York will have to decide whether it wants to re-sign Rose as a free agent this summer or re-sign him before he hits the market.
The take here is that it’s way too early to make any hard conclusions. But it’s worth noting that Jrue Holiday, who played well in a win over the Knicks and has had a strong season thus far, will be on the market as well. And if recent history is any indication, the Knicks may have interest in Holiday. Phil Jackson expressed interest in trading for Holiday earlier in his tenure as Knicks president, according to sources.
It’s unclear if his opinion on Holiday has changed. The Knicks are probably evaluating all of their options at this point. With a few minor roster moves, they can create the cap space needed to offer a max contract this summer.
New year, same old Knicks: Saturday’s loss to the Rockets left the Knicks at a game under .500. The Knicks have entered the new year under .500 for four straight seasons and in 12 of the past 15 seasons overall (excluding the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season).
Each year has its own specific set of circumstances, but this year feels like a pivotal one for Jackson’s presidency. The team president will have to decide what he wants to do at point guard and will have an important draft pick to make (the Knicks own their 2017 first-rounder).
The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.
It will be interesting to see if Jackson takes that approach -- or if he continues to put together teams built to compete in the present.
The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.
^ This. Big Time. Porzingis is 21 and in Year 2. In Year 5 or 6, when he is 24 or 25, LeBron will be 35 or 36 and clearly in decline. There will be an opening in the East, and hopefully this will be our time.
stopstandthere wrote:This team is not repeating the last year. They will go to playoff man~!This.
holfresh wrote:nixluva wrote:I think this team could be MUCH better if they actually played for the 3 Point shot more than they have. What I mean is to run the offense actually TRYING to open up 3 point shooters. Since Jeff came here he's been trying to force Triangle and his style together but the team has been HIGHLY inconsistent and inefficient doing that.So I say stop trying. Go full on with an open style featuring a spread floor, PnR and kick outs. Stop trying to force so many Post Ups! Screen people to death and use less ISO. Simplify this thing so guys can play on instinct and perhaps that will make them less prone to stagnation.
On D I think they are kind of screwed. LT was supposed to be one of our stoppers but his feet are messed up! Noah is not able to bring it on the level we need. I think we'd be better with KOQ, Willy and Plumlee for goodness sakes! All of them bring more energy and offense at this point. I really thought Noah would be more impactful but he can't. Better have him come off the bench IMO but I don't see Jeff embarrassing Phil. Phil has to be big enough to tell Jeff it's OK to bench one of his big signings!!!
That MDA porn last light was irresistible huh...
The CRAZY thing is Jeff is MUCH closer to MDA's thinking than Phil's but since coming to NY Jeff has been trying to please Phil and in a way Phil tied his hands with a roster that is built like a Triangle team in some ways and only partly built to play the way Jeff likes to play.
Still the 3 ball should be a bit more important for this team. We've got a great penetration guard in Rose but he's not really a drive n kick guard. Jennings can do that but we don't FOCUS enough on spreading the floor. It helped in the Houston game playing Kuz more minutes. Even Willy took a 3! The way Houston plays kind of rubbed off on the Knicks. But we don't have the commitment to that style. MDA has his team SUPER CONFIDENT in taking 3's as usual. MDA has full support from his GM and that was lacking in NY and LA! Jeff needs to be unchained to do what he wants.
Erniecat wrote:Knicksfan wrote:Ian Begley
ESPN Staff WriterIf you’re looking for a strong summary of what you’ve seen from the New York Knicks thus far, listen to what center Joakim Noah had to say the other day:
“We have three guys on this team that can score with the best of them. If we can just somehow find a way to build defensively, I think we can really make some noise.”
The Knicks haven’t built much on defense lately, and they’ve barely made any noise.
New York enters 2017 on a four-game losing streak after dropping all three games on a road trip to close out December, including Saturday night's 129-122 loss to the Houston Rockets. They’ve lost seven of nine overall and will have to answer an important question starting with Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic:
Have the past two weeks been an aberration, or is it the new normal?
New York has struggled to defend on the perimeter -- in both pick-and-roll situations and one-on-one matchups -- which is one factor in its struggling defense. The Knicks entered play Saturday at Houston with the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
We should find out the answer to that question this month. The Knicks play 17 games in 30 days in January and have four back-to-backs.
They enter the month with a 16-17 record that feels a bit hollow. The Knicks have the 15th-best record in the league but rank 23rd in net differential (minus-3.5).
The good news for the Knicks is that their first seven opponents this month have a record of at or below .500. The opponents are a combined 31 games under .500.
So New York has a chance to bounce back. But, as Noah notes above, they need to find some answers on defense to do so.
Mixed bag for Rose: Derrick Rose had just one assist in 38 minutes against the Pelicans on Friday but tallied seven in 41 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday. The Knicks lost both games, so the assist totals were a minor footnote. But Rose’s ability to distribute the ball and orchestrate a competent offense has far-reaching implications for the Knicks. New York will have to decide whether it wants to re-sign Rose as a free agent this summer or re-sign him before he hits the market.
The take here is that it’s way too early to make any hard conclusions. But it’s worth noting that Jrue Holiday, who played well in a win over the Knicks and has had a strong season thus far, will be on the market as well. And if recent history is any indication, the Knicks may have interest in Holiday. Phil Jackson expressed interest in trading for Holiday earlier in his tenure as Knicks president, according to sources.
It’s unclear if his opinion on Holiday has changed. The Knicks are probably evaluating all of their options at this point. With a few minor roster moves, they can create the cap space needed to offer a max contract this summer.
New year, same old Knicks: Saturday’s loss to the Rockets left the Knicks at a game under .500. The Knicks have entered the new year under .500 for four straight seasons and in 12 of the past 15 seasons overall (excluding the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season).
Each year has its own specific set of circumstances, but this year feels like a pivotal one for Jackson’s presidency. The team president will have to decide what he wants to do at point guard and will have an important draft pick to make (the Knicks own their 2017 first-rounder).
The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.
It will be interesting to see if Jackson takes that approach -- or if he continues to put together teams built to compete in the present.
The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.
^ This. Big Time. Porzingis is 21 and in Year 2. In Year 5 or 6, when he is 24 or 25, LeBron will be 35 or 36 and clearly in decline. There will be an opening in the East, and hopefully this will be our time.
That's so true. We need to keep an eye on ensuring high draft picks while somehow still competing now.