thebuzzardman wrote:Clyde_Style wrote:thebuzzardman wrote:
Yup. Let me expand a bit. Listen, I really don't like the way THJr plays, but mostly I don't like him because I don't feel, in my opinion, his style of play is conducive to winning. Then at the salary, I really don't like it.
It doesn't mean he's so terrible.
But what is so terrible is the nature of the signing. Knicks need to undo it. What was the point? That THJr was going to be part of a core for KP? Ok, so that speaks to bad player assessment, because a 6th man isn't part of a "core", not generally. Meaning, no rush to add a 6th man. Also, was financially irresponsible, based on price to performance.
But mostly, it spoke to organizational cluelessness. The team was ready to start putting guys around KP, so they needed to lock in this two guard? Not really. It was a limbo move of "we aren't competing and we didn't decide to rebuild yet" only, when they finally pivoted to the rebuild that every single poster on here saw coming, minus the knucklehead few, THJr's contract is in the way. And he might not even be here when the Knicks are finally done rebuilding, as it feels to me they have two more years of rebuilding....and that's the length of Timmy's contract.
"We're gonna go ahead and do this rebuild but first we got to hamstring ourselves with this here contract"
Ok, so, IF you buy that you needed some talent of certain level around KP, and THJr is that guy, it also makes sense that when the younger cheaper version shows up, you send THJr packing. Except of course Mills is an idiot who loves THJr and gave him a trade kicker, just to raise the degree of difficulty. Yo Mills, it's GM'ing, not a high diving competition.
This franchise has been flawed in the way much of this fan base is flawed.
Once they knew KP was a building block, their # 1 priority for two years now should have been growing a long-term solution at PG.
This club has been in a PG rut for two decades (Marbury was a disappointment) and it rarely priorities the position which is god awful stupid IMO.
Instead, the club, like many fans, always seems to prioritize shooters first. Well, you can always find guys who shoot and can score. It really is not the hardest skill to locate in the NBA. There are guys every year who rise in the G League or very affordable FA's who can give you 15-20 points a night as a SG or SF.
So perhaps Frank is not the PG of the future, but the club drafted him and should have prioritized him, but like idiots they didn't and we saw lots of Jack or Burke instead. and then we had the Mudiay experiment. And he's not the answer so stop starting him!
Guys like Tim and Burke are a dime a dozen. Now that we have Trier on a cheap deal, they are completely pointless players here. You can find a player like Trier every year. That's not a knock on Zo. I like him and think he can get better and maybe even be a starting SG who finds a balance between his own shot making and team play.
This org still does not know how to build a team perhaps. OR Perry is still cleaning up PhilMill's mess and that probably means getting rid of Tim and finding a role for Frank that may not be as a starter or trading him.
But if Perry doesn't figure out the PG position by the end of next year, this club will never go anywhere. You don't start a build with ballhogs like Melo or Tim or Burke being featured in the offense. That's a recipe for mediocrity. You need to have two-way impact players and your stars can't be selfish black holes. And you need a legit PG to keep all of these contemporary players in line on the court. The PG position has never been more important because of how loose the game is played these days. Anyone who says the PG position is now of marginal importance in today's NBA is not paying attention to the product on the court of even the better teams.
May I also point out that Donic was in the draft after Frank, and based on his projected skills, would provide a point solution.
Knicks should have found a way to make it happen. I'd have traded future 1sts. And I never advocate that. Why? Because, generational wings are what makes the NBA go round. And IF Luka wasn't that, and yes, he isn't a point, but at the LEAST he projected as an excellent 3 point shooter, decent shot creator for himself, and excellent secondary facilitator. And every great team has a 2nd guy who can facilitate. Luka's floor would have been an awesome fit. And of course, since Knicks passed, he's hitting his ceiling around game 35 of his NBA career.
Go Knicks.
Agreed, if not a legit PG, then a superior passing wing. I have yet to watch game film on him, but according to everyone else it appears Doncic is the second coming of Larry Bird so he mitigates the dependence on a guard to orchestrate. But that is super rare, so in most cases you still need to prioritize having a solid facilitator in the backcourt. Yes, Doncic should be a Knick, but he ain't and then there's the previous draft.
Anyway, I don't think Frank will be a wasted pick, just not whom the club should have tried to get that year if they had tanked the final games properly the prior year as well. And they could have traded down. I wanted Fox who also went earlier than Frank. If they had Fox now I'd be calm about the PG situation, but they could have drafted him and effed him up too. Imagine Fox playing 12 minutes a game last year while featuring Jarrett Jack. I wouldn't put it past this club.
If paired with a great penetrator, Frank is still a good combo guard. He will also look much better as a playmaker with better players, including tall guys like KP he'd find repeatedly. With Frank in a starting lineup you solve the issue of whom to put on the other teams PG or star wing on defense.
Like most everyone else, I do wonder what happens when KP, Mitch and Frank are on the floor together. Will we see some transcendent D with a flurry of blocks and altered shots? Probably, at least some of the time.
And depending on whom they draft, I still think we could field the tallest starting line-up in the league with
KP
Mitch
Frank
Knox
Draft Pick (Zion/Ja?)
What if that pick actually is Zion? (not holding my breath) You could just make him a massive SG, because the guy clearly is a monster at attacking the paint from the top of the key. And since he can dish off the drive, you'd get what you'd need from a backcourt in him and Frank. Zion is no Doncic, but he might solve the issue by being that attacking wing you speak of.
But if not him, what if Ja is chosen? That's a more conventional backcourt and probably the right step too if that's where we pick.
With KP and the right pick, you have a good squad. The awfulness of this year tends to distract some fans from recognizing it can easily tip into a playoff team with the return of KP and the right pick.
Add in a quality FA signing and you're a contender if not a great team.
Long story short, Frank's situation may depend more on whom they get in the off-season than on whether Frank is ready to run a team full-time yet. His D and unselfishness could become a good fit depending on the off-season mix.
P.S. I don't even care about bringing back Noah any longer. I'm sort of in agreement with Shammgod now that we shouldn't worry about retaining the role players. We have Mitch, Knox, Dot, Zo, Frank and Luke on cheap deals. If they can't dump Tim or deal Lee, then I see no need to tie up even $5M per in any of the other players. Just keep adding good draft picks and keep an open roster for the rest of the pieces. If a deal is there or a great FA wants to come, fine, but the reality is probably simpler. Dump the trash and work with the young, cheap players we already have.
