Around the Offseason, Take 2

[F N 11]

I need training camp videos and interviews man

[Jalen Bluntson]

I need training camp videos and interviews man

I assume that will happen...you know...when camp starts in a couple weeks.

[Indomitable]

https://www.sportsgossip.com/a-chubby-james-harden-making-the-rounds-on-the-internet/




https://us.blastingnews.com/sports/2018/08/james-harden-looks-out-of-shape-in-recent-photos-that-surfaced-on-twitter-002682979.html

Those photos are from 2018. He always been fat but still.

[F N 11]

Coach K likes what the Knicks have done.

“I think the older guys understand who they are, and they’re getting paid for who they are,” he said. “And so they don’t have to be somebody else. It’s the people who don’t know they are or they think they should be something else, they’re not secure then.”

[3toheadmelo]

Read on Twitter

[Jalen Bluntson]

Coach K likes what the Knicks have done.

“I think the older guys understand who they are, and they’re getting paid for who they are,” he said. “And so they don’t have to be somebody else. It’s the people who don’t know they are or they think they should be something else, they’re not secure then.”

Huh?

[Fat Kat]

Read on Twitter

[god shammgod]

Read on Twitter

will they take the bang bus to the arena ?

[KnicksGod]

Read on Twitter

will they take the bang bus to the arena ?

The Heat screw their fake fans out of a lot of money.

[jvsimonetti0514]

Read on Twitter

will they take the bang bus to the arena ?

The Heat screw their fake fans out of a lot of money.

Still can’t get over that finals game the fans left and the Heat came back and won against the Spurs. I think it was the game Pop pulled Duncan and Lebron and Allen hit back to back threes to win. The fans that left were like banging on the doors trying to get back in. Even when they were good they were a bad fan base.

[taj2133]

Current, former coaches on challenges facing Knicks' David Fizdale in Year 2
'It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy'
By Ian Begley | 9:45AM
Share:
David Fizdale
David Fizdale
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Knicks training camp has some intriguing storylines.

We'll all be keeping an eye on RJ Barrett, the position battles (Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton at point guard, for one), Mitchell Robinson's progression, Frank Ntilikina's status, etc.

It will be interesting to see who starts and who comes off the bench in preseason games and who earns a spot in the regular-season rotation.


Clearly, David Fizdale has plenty of options with his lineups this year. It also seems like he has some difficult decisions to make.

The Knicks, on paper, have at least 12 players who you'd think have a shot at making the regular rotation. (That doesn't count Reggie Bullock, who is expected to miss at least one month of the regular season.)

So there will be nights when players who entered training camp expecting minutes/a regular role don't see the floor.

Of course, all NBA coaches are faced with several tough calls on lineups/rotations. That's the nature of the business.

But there's an added wrinkle for Fizdale that, in one coach's mind, makes his job this season "really difficult": Fizdale will have to balance the goal of winning games with developing the Knicks' younger players.

Those two objectives can sometimes be at odds, as we saw last season.

The Knicks have several veteran free agents on short-term deals who, presumably, expect to get minutes and shots this season. That's an element that probably makes Fizdale's job this season all the more challenging.

"It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy," the coach said.

With all of that in mind, we asked several coaches to share their thoughts on Fizdale's mission this season -- winning games, developing young players, navigating a roster with several vets on short-term deals -- and the inherent challenges it brings.

(All coaches spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could feel comfortable expressing their opinions.)

Current NBA coach
"I think it's a huge challenge. In order to develop those younger players, they have to play. That's the No. 1 part of development. Drills in practice are only so good. If you're going to really grow and improve, you have to play in this league. And when you have these veterans that are on these short-term deals, they want to play too. They'll help the younger guys in some ways but they want to be on the floor, they want to perform so they can get the next contract. Then you run into, if (Julius) Randle and (Kevin) Knox play the same position, and Randle's better, where is Knox going to play? He has to see the floor. So it's going to make it difficult. And he can't play all of the guards and wings they have. There's only so many minutes to go around."



Former NBA coach 1
"(Balancing the goals of developing young players with soon-to-be free agents on the roster) can definitely be difficult. The guys who signed on short deals didn't come here to be on the bench. But I think he has an obligation to play those young guys - Barrett, Knox, Robinson and the rest of them. Because the Knicks need to find out who to keep going forward. So do you play the lineups that give you the best chance to win? Or do you play the younger guys because you need to see what they have? In a perfect world, those young guys are part of your best lineups."

Of course, it's way too early -- and probably unfair -- to assume that the free agents who signed here will cause friction if they don't play. It's also unfair to assume that the young players wouldn't except a reserve role behind one of the free-agent signees.

In a perfect world for the Knicks, all players accept their roles and Fizdale finds a combination of lineups that helps them win some games. Then, the division of minutes shots shouldn't be a major issue for Fizdale. Players who get DNPs on winning teams are less likely to grumble publicly about their roles.

And not all coaches believe that the veterans who are on short-term deals will hurt the development of the younger players. One former coach believes the Knicks' approach - surrounding the young players with vets - can be beneficial to New York's youthful core.

Former NBA coach 2
"Putting veteran guys around the (young players), I don't think it hurts. These veteran guys are on short-term contracts. I've had that before. The vets are going to be hungry enough to play and prove themselves. And if they do it right, you know, most veteran guys are not going to show their ass to the point where they become disruptive for the coach. Because they're still trying to get paid too, get another deal. So it's kind of a two-way street. You can come in there as a veteran and try to be an a--hole, then you screw yourself down the road. But in this day and time, I think veterans are a little smarter than that. To the point where they'll try to do what the coach asks them to do and hopefully in doing that, you win. And then you'll get that next contract. But look, at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching and it comes down to chemistry. And the coaches have to show that they've helped the young players get better this year."

Current NBA coach
"With the Knicks, you're also thinking, 'What's their identity? How do they want to play?' You look at Brooklyn (over the last few seasons) and they had a plan and a style. They shot threes, they played fast, they defended. I didn't know the Knicks' identity last year. And in general, you just hope that (Fizdale) gets a fair shot. I don't know if their other recent coaches got a fair shot. You just hope that he's part of the plan and that the team fits who he is as a coach."

To that point, team president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and Fizdale said several times last season that they work collaboratively. So the Knicks' triumvirate should be on the same page ahead of what feels like a crucial year.

With Mills and Perry are entering their third season together, it's safe to assume that the Knicks need to show some progress in 2019-20.

You get the sense that no one at the Garden is going to be thrilled with another 17-win season. The Knicks have lost at least 50 games in five straight seasons; this summer was supposed to be the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, but New York missed out on its top free agent targets. Two of those targets (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) signed with their cross-town rivals.

So it's safe to assume that this group needs to take a step forward in 2019-20 to keep everyone at MSG happy.

Does that mean winning 30 games? Thirty-five? Only top decision-makers know the answer to that question.

All we know is that Fizdale will play a crucial role in how it all unfolds.

[GONYK]

Current, former coaches on challenges facing Knicks' David Fizdale in Year 2
'It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy'
By Ian Begley | 9:45AM
Share:
David Fizdale
David Fizdale
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Knicks training camp has some intriguing storylines.

We'll all be keeping an eye on RJ Barrett, the position battles (Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton at point guard, for one), Mitchell Robinson's progression, Frank Ntilikina's status, etc.

It will be interesting to see who starts and who comes off the bench in preseason games and who earns a spot in the regular-season rotation.


Clearly, David Fizdale has plenty of options with his lineups this year. It also seems like he has some difficult decisions to make.

The Knicks, on paper, have at least 12 players who you'd think have a shot at making the regular rotation. (That doesn't count Reggie Bullock, who is expected to miss at least one month of the regular season.)

So there will be nights when players who entered training camp expecting minutes/a regular role don't see the floor.

Of course, all NBA coaches are faced with several tough calls on lineups/rotations. That's the nature of the business.

But there's an added wrinkle for Fizdale that, in one coach's mind, makes his job this season "really difficult": Fizdale will have to balance the goal of winning games with developing the Knicks' younger players.

Those two objectives can sometimes be at odds, as we saw last season.

The Knicks have several veteran free agents on short-term deals who, presumably, expect to get minutes and shots this season. That's an element that probably makes Fizdale's job this season all the more challenging.

"It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy," the coach said.

With all of that in mind, we asked several coaches to share their thoughts on Fizdale's mission this season -- winning games, developing young players, navigating a roster with several vets on short-term deals -- and the inherent challenges it brings.

(All coaches spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could feel comfortable expressing their opinions.)

Current NBA coach
"I think it's a huge challenge. In order to develop those younger players, they have to play. That's the No. 1 part of development. Drills in practice are only so good. If you're going to really grow and improve, you have to play in this league. And when you have these veterans that are on these short-term deals, they want to play too. They'll help the younger guys in some ways but they want to be on the floor, they want to perform so they can get the next contract. Then you run into, if (Julius) Randle and (Kevin) Knox play the same position, and Randle's better, where is Knox going to play? He has to see the floor. So it's going to make it difficult. And he can't play all of the guards and wings they have. There's only so many minutes to go around."



Former NBA coach 1
"(Balancing the goals of developing young players with soon-to-be free agents on the roster) can definitely be difficult. The guys who signed on short deals didn't come here to be on the bench. But I think he has an obligation to play those young guys - Barrett, Knox, Robinson and the rest of them. Because the Knicks need to find out who to keep going forward. So do you play the lineups that give you the best chance to win? Or do you play the younger guys because you need to see what they have? In a perfect world, those young guys are part of your best lineups."

Of course, it's way too early -- and probably unfair -- to assume that the free agents who signed here will cause friction if they don't play. It's also unfair to assume that the young players wouldn't except a reserve role behind one of the free-agent signees.

In a perfect world for the Knicks, all players accept their roles and Fizdale finds a combination of lineups that helps them win some games. Then, the division of minutes shots shouldn't be a major issue for Fizdale. Players who get DNPs on winning teams are less likely to grumble publicly about their roles.

And not all coaches believe that the veterans who are on short-term deals will hurt the development of the younger players. One former coach believes the Knicks' approach - surrounding the young players with vets - can be beneficial to New York's youthful core.

Former NBA coach 2
"Putting veteran guys around the (young players), I don't think it hurts. These veteran guys are on short-term contracts. I've had that before. The vets are going to be hungry enough to play and prove themselves. And if they do it right, you know, most veteran guys are not going to show their ass to the point where they become disruptive for the coach. Because they're still trying to get paid too, get another deal. So it's kind of a two-way street. You can come in there as a veteran and try to be an a--hole, then you screw yourself down the road. But in this day and time, I think veterans are a little smarter than that. To the point where they'll try to do what the coach asks them to do and hopefully in doing that, you win. And then you'll get that next contract. But look, at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching and it comes down to chemistry. And the coaches have to show that they've helped the young players get better this year."

Current NBA coach
"With the Knicks, you're also thinking, 'What's their identity? How do they want to play?' You look at Brooklyn (over the last few seasons) and they had a plan and a style. They shot threes, they played fast, they defended. I didn't know the Knicks' identity last year. And in general, you just hope that (Fizdale) gets a fair shot. I don't know if their other recent coaches got a fair shot. You just hope that he's part of the plan and that the team fits who he is as a coach."

To that point, team president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and Fizdale said several times last season that they work collaboratively. So the Knicks' triumvirate should be on the same page ahead of what feels like a crucial year.

With Mills and Perry are entering their third season together, it's safe to assume that the Knicks need to show some progress in 2019-20.

You get the sense that no one at the Garden is going to be thrilled with another 17-win season. The Knicks have lost at least 50 games in five straight seasons; this summer was supposed to be the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, but New York missed out on its top free agent targets. Two of those targets (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) signed with their cross-town rivals.

So it's safe to assume that this group needs to take a step forward in 2019-20 to keep everyone at MSG happy.

Does that mean winning 30 games? Thirty-five? Only top decision-makers know the answer to that question.

All we know is that Fizdale will play a crucial role in how it all unfolds.

[Capn'O]

So that's the way he looked before dropping 36 a game?

There's hope for me yet. Put me in coach. I just haven't been used right yet.

[Capn'O]

harden has never really been in good shape. this aint much different then how he looks during the season.

I mean I wouldn’t say he’s never been in good shape. He’s played a lot of basketball at a very high level. I don’t think you can be out of shape and do that. Is it his optimal physical conditioning? I don’t know. Not sure. But I don’t think you can really judge that by looking to see if he’s pudgy or something anyway.

Also, some people have body types where they never get that chiseled look but they can run anyone out of a gym. On the flip there are people who look very cut but you them running out of gas after a few laps. Basically body type doesn’t necessarily correlate to conditioning.

agreed. i should have said, he never looks to be in great shape. i personally think getting down to a very low body fat is overrated for everything except appearances. it always makes me feel slower and weaker. there's a point where it becomes a detriment unless you're very young. although harden looks a little over that point in the opposite direction.

i don't really believe that anyone can't be chiseled though. there are people who are more genetically predisposed to it than others but if you lift enough and control your diet you can be somewhat chiseled. whether that helps them perform better athletically is another thing but it can be achieved.

Look at all those Euros. Jokic, Nurkic, maybe Doncic. As soon as they lose their fat, it's like cutting off Samson's hair.

[shtolky]

Current, former coaches on challenges facing Knicks' David Fizdale in Year 2
'It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy'
By Ian Begley | 9:45AM
Share:
David Fizdale
David Fizdale
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Knicks training camp has some intriguing storylines.

We'll all be keeping an eye on RJ Barrett, the position battles (Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton at point guard, for one), Mitchell Robinson's progression, Frank Ntilikina's status, etc.

It will be interesting to see who starts and who comes off the bench in preseason games and who earns a spot in the regular-season rotation.


Clearly, David Fizdale has plenty of options with his lineups this year. It also seems like he has some difficult decisions to make.

The Knicks, on paper, have at least 12 players who you'd think have a shot at making the regular rotation. (That doesn't count Reggie Bullock, who is expected to miss at least one month of the regular season.)

So there will be nights when players who entered training camp expecting minutes/a regular role don't see the floor.

Of course, all NBA coaches are faced with several tough calls on lineups/rotations. That's the nature of the business.

But there's an added wrinkle for Fizdale that, in one coach's mind, makes his job this season "really difficult": Fizdale will have to balance the goal of winning games with developing the Knicks' younger players.

Those two objectives can sometimes be at odds, as we saw last season.

The Knicks have several veteran free agents on short-term deals who, presumably, expect to get minutes and shots this season. That's an element that probably makes Fizdale's job this season all the more challenging.

"It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy," the coach said.

With all of that in mind, we asked several coaches to share their thoughts on Fizdale's mission this season -- winning games, developing young players, navigating a roster with several vets on short-term deals -- and the inherent challenges it brings.

(All coaches spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could feel comfortable expressing their opinions.)

Current NBA coach
"I think it's a huge challenge. In order to develop those younger players, they have to play. That's the No. 1 part of development. Drills in practice are only so good. If you're going to really grow and improve, you have to play in this league. And when you have these veterans that are on these short-term deals, they want to play too. They'll help the younger guys in some ways but they want to be on the floor, they want to perform so they can get the next contract. Then you run into, if (Julius) Randle and (Kevin) Knox play the same position, and Randle's better, where is Knox going to play? He has to see the floor. So it's going to make it difficult. And he can't play all of the guards and wings they have. There's only so many minutes to go around."



Former NBA coach 1
"(Balancing the goals of developing young players with soon-to-be free agents on the roster) can definitely be difficult. The guys who signed on short deals didn't come here to be on the bench. But I think he has an obligation to play those young guys - Barrett, Knox, Robinson and the rest of them. Because the Knicks need to find out who to keep going forward. So do you play the lineups that give you the best chance to win? Or do you play the younger guys because you need to see what they have? In a perfect world, those young guys are part of your best lineups."

Of course, it's way too early -- and probably unfair -- to assume that the free agents who signed here will cause friction if they don't play. It's also unfair to assume that the young players wouldn't except a reserve role behind one of the free-agent signees.

In a perfect world for the Knicks, all players accept their roles and Fizdale finds a combination of lineups that helps them win some games. Then, the division of minutes shots shouldn't be a major issue for Fizdale. Players who get DNPs on winning teams are less likely to grumble publicly about their roles.

And not all coaches believe that the veterans who are on short-term deals will hurt the development of the younger players. One former coach believes the Knicks' approach - surrounding the young players with vets - can be beneficial to New York's youthful core.

Former NBA coach 2
"Putting veteran guys around the (young players), I don't think it hurts. These veteran guys are on short-term contracts. I've had that before. The vets are going to be hungry enough to play and prove themselves. And if they do it right, you know, most veteran guys are not going to show their ass to the point where they become disruptive for the coach. Because they're still trying to get paid too, get another deal. So it's kind of a two-way street. You can come in there as a veteran and try to be an a--hole, then you screw yourself down the road. But in this day and time, I think veterans are a little smarter than that. To the point where they'll try to do what the coach asks them to do and hopefully in doing that, you win. And then you'll get that next contract. But look, at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching and it comes down to chemistry. And the coaches have to show that they've helped the young players get better this year."

Current NBA coach
"With the Knicks, you're also thinking, 'What's their identity? How do they want to play?' You look at Brooklyn (over the last few seasons) and they had a plan and a style. They shot threes, they played fast, they defended. I didn't know the Knicks' identity last year. And in general, you just hope that (Fizdale) gets a fair shot. I don't know if their other recent coaches got a fair shot. You just hope that he's part of the plan and that the team fits who he is as a coach."

To that point, team president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and Fizdale said several times last season that they work collaboratively. So the Knicks' triumvirate should be on the same page ahead of what feels like a crucial year.

With Mills and Perry are entering their third season together, it's safe to assume that the Knicks need to show some progress in 2019-20.

You get the sense that no one at the Garden is going to be thrilled with another 17-win season. The Knicks have lost at least 50 games in five straight seasons; this summer was supposed to be the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, but New York missed out on its top free agent targets. Two of those targets (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) signed with their cross-town rivals.

So it's safe to assume that this group needs to take a step forward in 2019-20 to keep everyone at MSG happy.

Does that mean winning 30 games? Thirty-five? Only top decision-makers know the answer to that question.

All we know is that Fizdale will play a crucial role in how it all unfolds.

Now that we have actual talent, this is the year people can give Fiz crap for his team identity, or lack thereof. The Nets identity that's bolded for example...it's hard to shoot threes when you're 28th in the league percentage wise, hard to play fast when you don't have decent athletes and hard to defend when you have garbage defenders on your team (yes I know about Frank). Is it possible we could have had an identity last year given the state of things, I have no idea. I also don't remember people going nuts over the Nets until around December of last year when they won some games. Before that their system was not being lauded.

If he plays inconsistent lineups, plays vets who won't be here over younger players who need development, and don't utilize the strength of the players this year, go nuts on Fiz, but you know I think it's silly to give him crap given what he was working with last year.

We'll obviously keep disagreeing about last year, but this year I do agree Fiz is on the clock.

[GONYK]

Current, former coaches on challenges facing Knicks' David Fizdale in Year 2
'It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy'
By Ian Begley | 9:45AM
Share:
David Fizdale
David Fizdale
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Knicks training camp has some intriguing storylines.

We'll all be keeping an eye on RJ Barrett, the position battles (Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton at point guard, for one), Mitchell Robinson's progression, Frank Ntilikina's status, etc.

It will be interesting to see who starts and who comes off the bench in preseason games and who earns a spot in the regular-season rotation.


Clearly, David Fizdale has plenty of options with his lineups this year. It also seems like he has some difficult decisions to make.

The Knicks, on paper, have at least 12 players who you'd think have a shot at making the regular rotation. (That doesn't count Reggie Bullock, who is expected to miss at least one month of the regular season.)

So there will be nights when players who entered training camp expecting minutes/a regular role don't see the floor.

Of course, all NBA coaches are faced with several tough calls on lineups/rotations. That's the nature of the business.

But there's an added wrinkle for Fizdale that, in one coach's mind, makes his job this season "really difficult": Fizdale will have to balance the goal of winning games with developing the Knicks' younger players.

Those two objectives can sometimes be at odds, as we saw last season.

The Knicks have several veteran free agents on short-term deals who, presumably, expect to get minutes and shots this season. That's an element that probably makes Fizdale's job this season all the more challenging.

"It's safe to say that it's going to be tough to keep everyone in that locker room happy," the coach said.

With all of that in mind, we asked several coaches to share their thoughts on Fizdale's mission this season -- winning games, developing young players, navigating a roster with several vets on short-term deals -- and the inherent challenges it brings.

(All coaches spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could feel comfortable expressing their opinions.)

Current NBA coach
"I think it's a huge challenge. In order to develop those younger players, they have to play. That's the No. 1 part of development. Drills in practice are only so good. If you're going to really grow and improve, you have to play in this league. And when you have these veterans that are on these short-term deals, they want to play too. They'll help the younger guys in some ways but they want to be on the floor, they want to perform so they can get the next contract. Then you run into, if (Julius) Randle and (Kevin) Knox play the same position, and Randle's better, where is Knox going to play? He has to see the floor. So it's going to make it difficult. And he can't play all of the guards and wings they have. There's only so many minutes to go around."



Former NBA coach 1
"(Balancing the goals of developing young players with soon-to-be free agents on the roster) can definitely be difficult. The guys who signed on short deals didn't come here to be on the bench. But I think he has an obligation to play those young guys - Barrett, Knox, Robinson and the rest of them. Because the Knicks need to find out who to keep going forward. So do you play the lineups that give you the best chance to win? Or do you play the younger guys because you need to see what they have? In a perfect world, those young guys are part of your best lineups."

Of course, it's way too early -- and probably unfair -- to assume that the free agents who signed here will cause friction if they don't play. It's also unfair to assume that the young players wouldn't except a reserve role behind one of the free-agent signees.

In a perfect world for the Knicks, all players accept their roles and Fizdale finds a combination of lineups that helps them win some games. Then, the division of minutes shots shouldn't be a major issue for Fizdale. Players who get DNPs on winning teams are less likely to grumble publicly about their roles.

And not all coaches believe that the veterans who are on short-term deals will hurt the development of the younger players. One former coach believes the Knicks' approach - surrounding the young players with vets - can be beneficial to New York's youthful core.

Former NBA coach 2
"Putting veteran guys around the (young players), I don't think it hurts. These veteran guys are on short-term contracts. I've had that before. The vets are going to be hungry enough to play and prove themselves. And if they do it right, you know, most veteran guys are not going to show their ass to the point where they become disruptive for the coach. Because they're still trying to get paid too, get another deal. So it's kind of a two-way street. You can come in there as a veteran and try to be an a--hole, then you screw yourself down the road. But in this day and time, I think veterans are a little smarter than that. To the point where they'll try to do what the coach asks them to do and hopefully in doing that, you win. And then you'll get that next contract. But look, at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching and it comes down to chemistry. And the coaches have to show that they've helped the young players get better this year."

Current NBA coach
"With the Knicks, you're also thinking, 'What's their identity? How do they want to play?' You look at Brooklyn (over the last few seasons) and they had a plan and a style. They shot threes, they played fast, they defended. I didn't know the Knicks' identity last year. And in general, you just hope that (Fizdale) gets a fair shot. I don't know if their other recent coaches got a fair shot. You just hope that he's part of the plan and that the team fits who he is as a coach."

To that point, team president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and Fizdale said several times last season that they work collaboratively. So the Knicks' triumvirate should be on the same page ahead of what feels like a crucial year.

With Mills and Perry are entering their third season together, it's safe to assume that the Knicks need to show some progress in 2019-20.

You get the sense that no one at the Garden is going to be thrilled with another 17-win season. The Knicks have lost at least 50 games in five straight seasons; this summer was supposed to be the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, but New York missed out on its top free agent targets. Two of those targets (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) signed with their cross-town rivals.

So it's safe to assume that this group needs to take a step forward in 2019-20 to keep everyone at MSG happy.

Does that mean winning 30 games? Thirty-five? Only top decision-makers know the answer to that question.

All we know is that Fizdale will play a crucial role in how it all unfolds.

Now that we have actual talent, this is the year people can give Fiz crap for his team identity, or lack thereof. The Nets identity that's bolded for example...it's hard to shoot threes when you're 28th in the league percentage wise, hard to play fast when you don't have decent athletes and hard to defend when you have garbage defenders on your team (yes I know about Frank). Is it possible we could have had an identity last year given the state of things, I have no idea. I also don't remember people going nuts over the Nets until around December of last year when they won some games. Before that their system was not being lauded.

If he plays inconsistent lineups, plays vets who won't be here over younger players who need development, and don't utilize the strength of the players this year, go nuts on Fiz, but you know I think it's silly to give him crap given what he was working with last year.

This is a cop out to me. The Nets played the same way for Atkinson's entire tenure. The results are irrelevant. We were losing anyway. The identity is what matters. You always knew what Kenny was trying to do.

When Kenny established a system, it made the job of acquiring the right players much easier for Marks. You just need to plug in the right players in the right roles. Marks knew what to look for.

Fiz did absolutely nothing of the sort, which is why we enter this season with even more question marks than last year.

That's bad coaching regardless of the talent level.

And we still won 17 games. Would establishing a system have disrupted all that success?

But yes, either way, we'll see what he's got this year. If it's the same nonsense, I hope we do something about it.

[malik959]

Like I said before people are going to complain regardless of what the Knicks do. The plan was to get a top pick and let the rooks play. But people complained because we didn't have an identity. Well how can you establish an identity I your purposely trying to lose? So why does this even come up? The coach is not going to run the perfect offense if we are trying to lose!

The Knick may not have gotten the player they truly wanted, but they put themselves in the position to get the highest chance in getting him, that was the goal. They weren't thinking about an identity. How can we be a top defensive team and get a top 5 pick? Or how can we be a good/great offensive team and still be in the lotto?

Coach came on this team knowing that this was a throw away season, just throw out something and let it fly. To me this will truly be his first year because we're expecting to compete and you picked up vets that aren't ready to lose. They well come in expecting to be bullies and do whatever it takes to win in a weak conference.

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[GONYK]

Like I said before people are going to complain regardless of what the Knicks do. The plan was to get a top pick and let the rooks play. But people complained because we didn't have an identity. Well how can you establish an identity I your purposely trying to lose? So why does this even come up? The coach is not going to run the perfect offense if we are trying to lose!

The Knick may not have gotten the player they truly wanted, but they put themselves in the position to get the highest chance in getting him, that was the goal. They weren't thinking about an identity. How can we be a top defensive team and get a top 5 pick? Or how can we be a good/great offensive team and still be in the lotto?

Coach came on this team knowing that this was a throw away season, just throw out something and let it fly. To me this will truly be his first year because we're expecting to compete and you picked up vets that aren't ready to lose. They well come in expecting to be bullies and do whatever it takes to win in a weak conference.

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Nets did it while only winning 20 games and getting the #1 pick in the draft

[Kampuchea]

Read on Twitter

will they take the bang bus to the arena ?

What’s a bang bus?

[god shammgod]

Like I said before people are going to complain regardless of what the Knicks do. The plan was to get a top pick and let the rooks play. But people complained because we didn't have an identity. Well how can you establish an identity I your purposely trying to lose? So why does this even come up? The coach is not going to run the perfect offense if we are trying to lose!

The Knick may not have gotten the player they truly wanted, but they put themselves in the position to get the highest chance in getting him, that was the goal. They weren't thinking about an identity. How can we be a top defensive team and get a top 5 pick? Or how can we be a good/great offensive team and still be in the lotto?

Coach came on this team knowing that this was a throw away season, just throw out something and let it fly. To me this will truly be his first year because we're expecting to compete and you picked up vets that aren't ready to lose. They well come in expecting to be bullies and do whatever it takes to win in a weak conference.

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

Nets did it while only winning 20 games and getting the #1 pick in the draft

They may have shot a bunch of 3s, but I’m not sure any 20 win team can claim they played defense.