CoolBreeze44 wrote:Kek, Cam, how is Thibs doing this year?
The Knicks as a team have performed below expectations, specifically Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett, and that will certainly fall on Tom Thibodeau's shoulders to some degree.
However, Thibs is also largely responsible for those expectations being raised this year due to a fantastic season last year in which he won Coach of the Year for the second time. Fun fact, but there are only 10 NBA coaches ever that have won that award two or more times. Anyways, it's entirely possible that the Knicks outplayed their talent level last year and are simply playing up to their talent level this year despite the overall disappointment.
I suppose you should be happy about taking the under on the Knicks win total this year, but I'm confused why you bring it up. Is it for the validation? I guess I could understand that. Is it because you loathe Thibodeau? What's the angle?
Good question. I guess the angle is two-fold. 1, I was never a Thibs guy as you know. And 2, You and Kek were relentless last year in pointing out how well Thibs was doing. I wasn't a Ryan Saunders fan, but I got tired of the Thibs rhetoric. I respect people that have strong opinions, and I'm no stranger to them myself. But if you're going to champion and belabor a position, you have to be able to take accountability for those stances. Otherwise strong opinions don't really mean anything. I'm a really competitive person in just about everything I do. I live to compete. And naturally I tend to keep score. Some people don't like that but it's who I am.
Fair enough. I enjoy pounding my chest here and there too. When someone has a take that turns out to be a good one they should receive some sort of kudos for it. Good call, Cool.
I maintain that you and I butt heads frequently because we have some commonality.
Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 20 / 11 / 53% fg / 48% 3fg since being handed the controls in Indiana (6 games).
Now, don't get me wrong... Anthony Edwards still has top-end All NBA superstar potential and was definitely worth that #1 pick... but I will still continue to wonder what types of trade-down options were available in that draft that would have landed the franchise Haliburton and another top option. As a basketball guy, I simply like watching Haliburton play more than Edwards despite the glorious glimpses of other-worldly feats of athleticism from Edwards that has me perking up from the couch often.
I also touted Brandon Clarke as a trade-down option in a previous draft. He's now shooting 65% fg.
[Note: In the esteemed tradition of "look at how right I was" threads, I'm going to casually and conveniently act like I've never been wrong about any other prognostications despite a laundry list of obvious examples.]
AbeVigodaLive wrote:Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 20 / 11 / 53% fg / 48% 3fg since being handed the controls in Indiana (6 games).
Now, don't get me wrong... Anthony Edwards still has top-end All NBA superstar potential and was definitely worth that #1 pick... but I will still continue to wonder what types of trade-down options were available in that draft that would have landed the franchise Haliburton and another top option. As a basketball guy, I simply like watching Haliburton play more than Edwards despite the glorious glimpses of other-worldly feats of athleticism from Edwards that has me perking up from the couch often.
I also touted Brandon Clarke as a trade-down option in a previous draft. He's now shooting 65% fg.
[Note: In the esteemed tradition of "look at how right I was" threads, I'm going to casually act like I've never been wrong about any other prognostications despite a laundry list of obvious examples.]
Yesterday I was noticing his numbers also Abe they are like pretty good and stuff.
I remember wanting to take a shot at getting Miles Bridges as a part of 2020 trade down draft scenarios. I assume Charlotte is happy to have stayed right where they were.
It will be interesting to see how various players that were moved during the trade deadline end up doing. Every trade deadline someone surprises that wasn't supposed to be a factor in the deal. Justice Winslow has done some nice things in Portland since ending up there. I wish he could stay healthy I like him.
monsterpile wrote:Hey Cool are you still watching Bucks games? Have you seen Wiggington play and did he show anything?
I saw the Celtics picked up Kelan Martin on a 10-day contract.
Yes I have seen Wiggington play in a few games. He brings some energy in his relatively short stints, but by and large hasn't stood out in any meaningful capacity. He should get more chances with Connaughton and George Hill out.
I think the concern with Haliburton is whether he can carry the usage of a #1A type player. In his brief stint with Indiana so far, he's raised his usage slightly but has been super efficient.
It's interesting how Indiana has made these sorts of trades and at least one of the guys they get back immediately takes a leap forward. Think Victor Oladipo a few years ago, where he went nuts with Indiana in that first season with them. Then there is Sabonis where he really grew into quite a force. Now early signs are that Halliburton is stepping up. The problem is it never seems to lead to anything bigger for the team! Speaking of Oladipo, what ever happened to him? Does he still play? Seems like the injury gods got the best of him.
To your point Abe, with Ant it's all about top end potential. He's 18 months younger than Halliburton and has one year less of D-1 college ball. We'll see how these two look in a couple years, but I wouldn't be surprised if either one comes out on top I guess. There is no basketball law that says young players with potential automatically keep improving.
