Post#111 » by NYK Dolemite » Sun Jan 31, 2021 9:03 pm
Tons of flights cancelled at O'Hare today. Wonder if Knicks get to Chicago on time for tomorrow's game with this truly monstrous storm stretching from here back near Chi.
My walk calmed me down, but I still feel like we didn't give ourselves the best chance to win. Even if you are wedded to starting Payton (which is insane, I'd rather start Bullock and Burks in the backcourt until Frank can get his ass off the eternal DL) you gotta cap him at like 12-15 minutes a game.
I really think Thibs is trying to tank while be competitive. It's a tough line to walk and it's probably total bull -- but waiting until there was 5:30 to go to put your best lineup out there was upsetting to me. Q was heroic in getting them back into the game, but Thibs just threw the game -- or any real shot to win -- by keeping him out there with Rivers -- who was clearly scared to shoot today, Obi -- who is just learning his game at this level of physical talent, Taj Gibson (insane he played 20 minutes -- i mean just insane), and Burks.
It's just really terrible coaching -- unless the plan is to concentrate on the individual progression of the young talent (IQ and RJ and Julius -- who looks old AF but is young for the purposes of planning a team for next 5 years, and Obi) while hampering them enough that we end up with a shot to get a lucky bounce of the ping pong ball that changes the team's trajectory from "interesting, no longer wretched" to "please use your cap space to sign me, Mr. Rose."
If that's the plan -- truly the plan from the FO down -- I totally get it. I just wish Thibs would call me up and tell me -- or just shoot me a text or a DM.
I don't want to dislike Thibs if this is strategic bad in-game managing.