POST GAME THREAD: Knicks | Mavs (FrankfROOTERS unite!!!)

[Tron Carter]

**** SAS and Kellerman they tried to turn my son into a national punchline for the LolKnicks when he’s the embodiment of fans’ hope for some semblance of player development and team basketball..

[Clyde_Style]

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He did his thing. Even came up with some big moments in crunch time. Idk why ppl are still trashing him.

He's still a turnover machine. It takes away from what he does well, especially since it is known he is a capable passer which he has gone away from in favor of forcing the ball into traffic and getting constantly stripped.

If Randle is schemed to dribble less and to receive the ball where he is ready to score, he'll be twice as useful. And that's a coaching issue. Right now, Fiz has the green light on for Randle and Julius is showing a real lack of discretion.

[Capn'O]

Frank is just a winning player, he does all the little things to help a team win. Watch him closely doing unnoticed stuff like backscreens, helping out on D, running hard cuts, calling plays and such things. His defense is just phenomenal. His offense will come with confidence like we saw the last games. I'm not worried, he is one of our best players so far this season.

Moves well without the ball too. It turns out there are plays in the playbook but unless somebody starts them they don't happen. And that's how you become a Coach's Pet.

Man still needed to hit shots though. Without that, it was just hard to play him. Now it's here. Bring it.

[mpharris36]

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for that stretch in the 3rd he was en fuego!

[Clyde_Style]

**** SAS and Kellerman they tried to turn my son into a national punchline for the LolKnicks when he’s the embodiment of fan’s hope for some semblance of player development and team basketball..

I expect that from the professional trolls, but the amateurs here tried to turn Frank into a civil war wedge on this board calling Frank's fans cult members and stans and wishing for their fingers to be broken.

What's worse about that is they picked the nicest guy on the team to troll so now they look even more stupid now that Frank is rising.

[Kampuchea]

Keeping it real, I see.

He'll be a Maverick one day. It was spoken.

I have him being a Raptor or Clipper.

You think we should move him and keep DSJ? Or are you looking to draft a PG

We are seeing some flashes now, not sure why we should try to trade him unless you think it’s selling high

[HEZI]

Do they put players on all NBA teams even if their team sucks? Like Frank deserves to be All NBA First Team Defense right now, because really there isn't a better guard defender than him in the league. If there is one I'd love to know who

[BKlutch]

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It felt like Luka scored at a good clip on Frank early but Frank wore him the hell out which saved the game because that was a tired Luka at the end.

When the Knicks won their 2 championships, they ALWAYS won the 4th quarter. Why? Their defense tired out their opponents so the Knicks could always outscore them in the 4th. They always came back after being behind in the 3rd. It was their trademark - because - THIS is how defense wins games.

[Cookies4Life]

This team doesn't have any offensive superstars; it has a couple 3/4 options in Morris and Randle that have to play like they're the defacto #1 guy so basically this team has to enhance their defensive identity to keep themselves competitive in most games.

I think we've all seen many glimpses on Frank's offensive potential- in fact he's had better offensive games even last season compared to last night's performance. I remember him having back to back games last year when he posted 17 or 18 points in each contest- this was right before his groin injury that caused him to be in and out of the rotation for the rest of the year.

What's really standing out is his defense which is saying a lot. He was always a very cerebral player on that end with good defensive awareness but now his energy and aggression on that side of the ball is transforming him into an All NBA defensive type of player.

I still don't understand all these FA signings we had- this team has tanked for so many years to accrue the young talent that they currently have yet they keep them on the bench for other guys who seemingly don't have a long term future here. I wish Knox was starting, Morris moves to the 4 and Randle can come off the bench like a super 6th man. Randle, Trier and DSJ could form a very potent 2nd unit offense.

[BKlutch]

FWIW I also think KP did foul Frank. KP doesn’t extend his arm but he clearly plants his hand on Frank’s shorts ....

Seriously though — that’s using his hand for leverage and he blocks with the other. Foul.

He absolutely fouled him. He also gets posterized if he didn't push Franks momentum back.

Bulchit they overturned that foul. NBA trying to keep Judas Porzingis in the Game

I don't usually like such obviously negative posts about a good player -
except when they're true!

[thebuzzardman]

Gibson... 12-8-1-1. Ill say it loud. What a GREAT adjustment from Fizdale. Granted Taj started because Mitch is out, but like with Frank hopefully Taj got to earn more future minutes. He was a coach on the floor for us and make it so much easier for Morris and Randle. I very much like Frank and Taj together on the basketball floor to go along with scorers. Looks like Taj has some left in the tank.

Whole write up was great but I wanted to highlight this.

Gibson needs to play more. In fact, I think he should start. He helps Randle, who face it, we are sort of stuck with and have to maximize, but also Frank, in that Frank is good in the P&R but especially with a big who is a threat to pop. So he helps two players.

That doesn't mean I'm down on Mitch. I still want him to get his 28 minutes. I think the only way to play Morris and Randle together effectively is to separate Mitch from them.

Obviously, there is a starting lineup of Knox/Morris/Mitch that would work as well, but Randle isn't goint to the bench.

Start Gibson but keep his minutes at 18-20

[Clyde_Style]

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A lockdown defender is what he is

This is why I said twice in the GT that Frank is the foundation you build around, because a starting unit that plays solid D around him makes it harder for teams to game plan their offense to avoid Frank.

The Mavs were trying to keep the ball away from Frank, but they couldn't always do that as the numbers above show. If Mitch is clicking and the starting unit 5 all play above average D, then you start to have the makings of a # 1 defensive team.

Luka being Luka still tried to confront Frank and it simply did not go well for him. In fact, at crunch time Frank resoundingly outplayed Luka and took the game from the Mavs.

[Clyde Frazier]

One of the few Knicks media folk who stayed on Frank island

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He’s great, but the blind fiz defending is so hard to listen to from him. I’d also say a surprising number of the beat guys are pro frank.

[Capn'O]

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He did his thing. Even came up with some big moments in crunch time. Idk why ppl are still trashing him.

He's still a turnover machine. It takes away from what he does well, especially since it is known he is a capable passer which he has gone away from in favor of forcing the ball into traffic and getting constantly stripped.

If Randle is schemed to dribble less and to receive the ball where he is ready to score, he'll be twice as useful. And that's a coaching issue. Right now, Fiz has the green light on for Randle and Julius is showing a real lack of discretion.

The good news for me is that every time he turns it over I get "Subterranean Homesick Blues' stuck in my head.

The Knicks don't work when Randle's got no handles

[prophet_of_rage]

Lord, this post game is unreadable.

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[Triple C]

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[thebuzzardman]

Taj needs minutes.

Beyond execution on both ends, I loved him chewing out younger players for missing their defensive assignments.

Taj should get Portis minutes,
Start a Mitch, Mookie and Knox frontcourt with Randle at backup C and Taj at PF.

I said it in the preseason and got panned here, but Taj Gibson should be the starter. Mitch should come off the bench.

Let Taj set the tone for execution and accountability, and let Mitch provide a spark while he learns.

Ding!

People get carried away with Mitch. Is he talented and awesome? Yes. But he's only 1 year older than Knox, who is really young. Unlike Knox, or the even younger RJ, he didn't go to a big time college program for a year to develop. In fact, he didn't play organized ball for a year.

Acknowledging how good Mitch looked while skipping college, not playing HS at what looked like some cherry picking "academy" and the fact he skipped a year of organized basketball period, he's looked really really really good. He's also still very raw. He'd benefit, like Knox is this year, playing off the bench, but in a larger role minutes wise than Mitch, so that Mitch still faces starters. 28-30 mpg, Taj 18-20, Portis around for front court foul trouble.

[Capn'O]

Gibson... 12-8-1-1. Ill say it loud. What a GREAT adjustment from Fizdale. Granted Taj started because Mitch is out, but like with Frank hopefully Taj got to earn more future minutes. He was a coach on the floor for us and make it so much easier for Morris and Randle. I very much like Frank and Taj together on the basketball floor to go along with scorers. Looks like Taj has some left in the tank.

Whole write up was great but I wanted to highlight this.

Gibson needs to play more. In fact, I think he should start. He helps Randle, who face it, we are sort of stuck with and have to maximize, but also Frank, in that Frank is good in the P&R but especially with a big who is a threat to pop. So he helps two players.

That doesn't mean I'm down on Mitch. I still want him to get his 28 minutes. I think the only way to play Morris and Randle together effectively is to separate Mitch from them.

Obviously, there is a starting lineup of Knox/Morris/Mitch that would work as well, but Randle isn't goint to the bench.

Start Gibson but keep his minutes at 18-20

Gibson and Frank run the offense. I'd love to see more Taj and less Bobby as the year goes on.

[Red Vines]

Frank deserves the game ball from last night, the best game of his career like Fizdale said. But that he has an entire country of basketball fans behind him, driving his fan club along with a good chunk of regular Knicks fans makes it appear as if it's bigger than it is. You have to put it in perspective with his entire body of work (and this is where the Frankers start booing and throwing things). His really good games have been <.5% of his NBA career. If you have League Pass these types of games by young players happen nightly and sometimes amount to something more but most of the time do not. Caruso and Satoransky have had big games recently and have been more consistent than Frank and so what? I don't any of those guys leading the franchise. Take away a couple of games and Frank has been the one of the worst rotational PGs in the NBA up to this point. So, yes, I appreciate the work he put in, great kid, but no of course I'm not a believer until he delivers on a consistent basis and it translates to team success. The best thing Frank did though was raise the bar for Knicks PGs, now it's like "you want my job, top that." I want it like that, may the best player win. But with the Knicks situation what it is, I won't be content with flashes of good play by mediocre talent, it's time for fans to demand real success.

[Fat Kat]

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