Welpee wrote:Knixkik wrote:Obviously we are all ecstatic of Randle's progress and as a player who just turned 26 and is showing all-star production, we would be crazy not to keep him long-term as a foundational piece. But obviously it does create some concerns around Toppin, as their skillsets do overlap. I am encouraged that they can play together though, because both are skilled passers and are improving outside shooters. It's not a natural fit, but it can work. But eventually (not now) Thibs is going to have to let it loose, because using Toppin exclusively as a Randle backup can't last forever.Noel is a solid backup to Robinson, but I think when the team is fully healthy, he needs to be removed from the regular rotation. Here's why;
C M Robinson 30 mpg
PF J Randle 36 mpg
SF RJ Barrett 36 mpg
This seems like the sort of minutes Thibs is settling into with these guys. That leaves 42 front court minutes available per game.
Toppin 24 mpg would put Randle at center for 18 mpg (exactly 1/2 of his minutes.)
Knox 18 mpg would give him the remaining of those minutes as a 3pt sniper and would be 12 mpg as the backup SF and the remaining minutes at PF in a smallball line-up.
Unless the plan is to play Toppin some minutes at the SF, which I don't see defensively as a good option, this is really the only solution going forward. Noel, or another player like him, would have to be ok with just spot minutes in case of foul trouble or injury. But getting Toppin 24 mpg at a minimum has to be the plan eventually. Toppin is a rookie who didn't have a summer league so there is time to let this sort itself out, but he's a 22 (almost 23) year old player who needs to eventually be allowed to contribute and this is the way I see it as possible. But Thibs will have to be ok with not having a defensive anchor at center 48 mpg.
I mentioned this previously, I don't understand this obsession with just giving rookies X number of minutes regardless of whether they earned it or not. We're only 20+ games into the dude's career. What is the rush with Toppin? I suspect what is likely to happen is Obi's first season will be a roller coaster ride, he puts in mega work in the off-season and comes to camp next season leaner and more mobile, and THEN you'll see the minutes and production begin to grow.But for now, he's in a good spot. Randle is balling so no pressure to perform right out the box. He said himself that he and Randle spend a lot of time together watching video and learning to be a pro. Just be patient with Obi.
Knicks fans are just hungry for a “Rookie Sensation”. IQ mania gives us hope and we thirst for more. Fans want IQ to not just start, but play every minute if it helps..........
But it don’t. Thibs gave IQ a chance and he is doing great. Sometimes we think we are holding them back.
OBI for obvious reasons had some conditioning issues and thus got hurt. I’m sure everyone including Randle would like OBI to Earn more minutes and help Randle reduce his time.
How has he handled it? Not sure we know all the facts to fairly judge. I guess soon we can do half season “Letter Grades”.....LOL. As if W-L records don’t speak loud enough.
