Anybody else watching the Knicks....

[Déjà Bru]

Just read the headlines - I don't mean to provide the article itself - and notice something else: Porzingis is filling out and bulking up as he matures. He is becoming a force.

[Déjà Bru]

I really am trying not to get excited but, man, what a difference. Instead of looking at names like these in the box scores from the past several years . . .

• Carmelo Anthony
• Joakim Noah
• Derrick Rose
• Jose Calderon
• Andrea Bargnani
• J.R. Smith
• Amar'e Stoudemire
• Raymond Felton
• Pablo Prigioni
• Kenyon Martin
• Jason Kidd
• Tyson Chandler

. . . every one of them an underachiever and/or over-the-hill, now we have names like these in the lineup:

• Hardaway, Jr.
• Porzingis
• Kanter
• Ntilikina
• Jack
• O'Quinn

. . . and a bunch of others who are actually playing HARD. Last night, it was not just Porzingis' 40 points. It was the team clamping down on defense and getting stops when they needed them. Playing hard on defense. The New York Knicks?

My one developing concern: Don't let Porzingis go the Anthony route. Don't let the others start standing around, waiting for him to do his thing.

Ntilikina came up big in the fourth quarter: four assists, two steals, two three-point goals. Sure I dumped on him earlier in this thread but that was because he had been repeatedly injured from the start. I had enough of that with Noah and Rose. Maybe Ntilikina will be different and manage to stay on the court.

[knightdreamer2k]

I too am along suffering Knicks fan. KP is a breath of fresh air and if we get the right pieces we may be competitive. Going to see the other New York team tonight will see how that goes.

[Déjà Bru]

Heh. Newsday is calling yesterday's 104-101 loss to the Cavs "painful." That in itself is a sign of progress. Last year, it would have been considered "routine." (Cleveland's "slow start" this year, regardless. Any team with LBJ on it is formidable.)

Another thing I liked: Enes Kanter standing up to James in defense of his teammate Ntilikina (whom James had disrespected before the game, then looked like he was going to get physical with the rookie as well).

Face to face and no, LBJ is not kissing Kanter!

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Just read the headlines - I don't mean to provide the article itself - and notice something else: Porzingis is filling out and bulking up as he matures. He is becoming a force.

He certainly is. But I can't help but think of how some "fans" booed him when he was drafted. I'm happy for him now, but I felt really bad for him that night.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Antonin

He certainly is. But I can't help but think of how some "fans" booed him when he was drafted. I'm happy for him now, but I felt really bad for him that night.

Yes, I was one of those "fans" as evidenced by my post #71 in this thread. Look at the photo of KP on draft night in post #86 and you tell me that you could see him as a force in the NBA without current hindsight. However, someone with real basketball smarts saw it in him, fortunately. Porzingis is the only highlight of . . . Nope, I said previously that I would not mention his name here again.

[Antonin]

Understood. Of course, we (the wife and I) had no idea that he would be a great player, but we hoped he would be. On draft night, who can tell? I do remember us saying "Wow, is he tall! I wish he played for us."

We think NBA draft night is a fun time, no matter who goes where. We always enjoy seeing where the guys wind up. You just never know which of them will turn out to be super stars. It's fun to see how proud they all look at the start of their young careers as NBA players. On that night only, before all the tough practice sessions begin, before all the grinding games in January, the sky is the limit.

We especially enjoy seeing the families. At long last, for so many of them, the long struggle is over. They've guided their son through all the ups and downs of life, and finally he has reached his dream. For the kids that come from poor, single-mom families, you can practically hear the mother sighing with relief. She's managed to keep the kid away from gangs and drugs, and now she can relax. All the hard work has finally paid off. And of course, the first thing the son will probably do is buy mom and dad a nice house.

For the foreign kids, they've also achieved their dream: a spot in the best basketball league in the world. Sure, many countries have good pro basketball leagues, but would any of those players turn down a chance to play in the NBA? If you are a young man from Latvia or France or DR Congo, surely you are thrilled to get picked up by an NBA team and have a chance to make your mark next to players like LeBron, Carmelo, Nowitzki, Curry, etc etc etc. You want to follow in the footsteps of your childhood idols like Shaq, Kobe, Jordan, Bird, etc.

We were really happy to see a kid from a small country in Europe get drafted by what is one of the three or so legendary NBA franchises. Hearing some boos probably made that night a little less special for him.

[Antonin]

Well, here's a dumb question: where in the New York area would a guy like KP and other Knicks players live? Do you see them around town? It must be very difficult for a guy like KP to go shopping or anywhere without getting spotted and mobbed. But then again, I've heard that New Yorkers don't make a big deal out of celebrities in their midst.

When Shaq played for the Cavs he did go out in public and do some regular-guy things. He used to go to a yoga place not far from where I live--so I heard. And there were restaurants that he used to frequent in the area we call the "near west side."

Most pro athletes here live in the western suburbs as far as I know. LeBron of course lives in the Akron area. When our niece was visiting us from the Philippines last spring she wanted to see his house, so we drove down (about 20 minutes from where we live) and posed for pictures in front of the gate. The police were very nice about it.

During his first go-round with the Cavs LeBron used to go to downtown restaurants (we do have a nice entertainment district in Cleveland), but now that he's older and more of a family man, I'm not sure he still does that as much.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Antonin

Well, here's a dumb question: where in the New York area would a guy like KP and other Knicks players live? Do you see them around town? It must be very difficult for a guy like KP to go shopping or anywhere without getting spotted and mobbed. But then again, I've heard that New Yorkers don't make a big deal out of celebrities in their midst.

When Shaq played for the Cavs he did go out in public and do some regular-guy things. He used to go to a yoga place not far from where I live--so I heard. And there were restaurants that he used to frequent in the area we call the "near west side."

Most pro athletes here live in the western suburbs as far as I know. LeBron of course lives in the Akron area. When our niece was visiting us from the Philippines last spring she wanted to see his house, so we drove down (about 20 minutes from where we live) and posed for pictures in front of the gate. The police were very nice about it.

During his first go-round with the Cavs LeBron used to go to downtown restaurants (we do have a nice entertainment district in Cleveland), but now that he's older and more of a family man, I'm not sure he still does that as much.

I cannot answer for sure because I am not a professional athlete or live in NYC but I do know that quite a few live out on Long Island.
There are many wealthy communities out there like Hewlett Bay, Cove Neck, Oyster Bay etc

It also depends on where the practice facilities are. You have games 41 nights a year but when your not on the road you are either home or at the practice gym.
The Knicks practice facility is in Westchester which is north of the city. Its also an affluent area so many probably live there since getting to 'work' is easy.
It may of changed by now but the Nets I known as recently as 2015 still had their practice facility in northern NJ.
The Rangers and Islanders also have practice facilities not in the city so I am guessing many of their players also live close to them for convenience sake.
Then in the offseason it seems like 75% of the league goes out to LA.
Even some of the European players are skipping going back home and spending the offseason out in LA to work out and be around other players.

[rudel.dietrich]

When I worked in London during the week many of the footballers would live outside of London due to the crazy traffic.
However I lived in Mayfair which is one of the most wealthy places in London (and the world) and I had a few footballers as neighbours including two that lived in my building.
When my company paid for dinner at expensive restaurants (which was often) it was not uncommon to see a small group of players with their own table dining. Most of the time they were left alone but every now and then someone would come up to their table.
But for the most part they could have dinner in peace.

[Déjà Bru]

Wow, I was surprised at my reaction to the article about Carmelo visiting the Garden tonight and expecting/hoping for appreciation from the crowd. I have nothing against Carmelo other than he was a ball hog and prima donna who ultimately could not save his team by himself from decrepitude. Ultimately, that's none too rare in the NBA these days.

No, my reaction was . . . NO reaction! I didn't even read past the headline. I am so beyond the Carmelo years and everything that went on with the Knicks now that I felt no inclination to revisit them for old times sake.

These are new Knicks, competitive Knicks, hard-playing Knicks who are being well-managed and well-coached. It is actually a pleasure to watch Knicks games again, win or lose, because I see a bunch of guys pulling together and giving their all.

What a pleasure.

[Déjà Bru]

Just a follow-up to take note of a classy gesture: Before the game, the Knicks ran a minute-long video of Anthony highlights, ending with the message "Thank you, Melo."

Knicks beat the Thunder, though, and Anthony finished with 12. Star of the game? Not KP; he was out with an injury. No, it was somebody named Michael Beasley who scored 30.

That's the difference in this year's team. Different guys able to step up and make a contribution when needed. And everybody is playing hard, all the time. I'm no BB expert, but I believe I can see these improvements.

[Déjà Bru]

Knicks are a respectable 17-15 heading into tomorrow's Christmas Day game. They'll be headed downhill after that, though; 19 of the next 25 games on the road. Forget about it.

Still, for what they have accomplished so far, for how much better they look as a team now, these are Christmas presents for me.

EDIT: Heh, I just read that the Knicks played in the very first NBA Christmas Day game back in 1947, defeating the Providence Steamrollers, 89-75. Take that, Providence! Whaddayu think, you come inta da Garden and jest roll on us? Huh? What? Where da heck is Providence, anyway?

EDIT 2: Heh, I also just read that the Knicks last year were 16-13 heading into this game, which they lost, and then proceeded to lose eight more for a total of nine out of 10. That sealed the deal for their season and began the latest Knicks nightmare from which we hopefully have emerged now. Hopefully. Key word.

[Déjà Bru]

Next season, I am in favor of a regionally unbalanced schedule for the New York Knicks - at least 40 games against the Brooklyn Nets!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Next season, I am in favor of a regionally unbalanced schedule for the New York Knicks - at least 40 games against the Brooklyn Nets!

You see, the reason is, they play somebody respectable like the Celtics the next night, they get blown out by 30 points. They just gotta play the Nets more often. Please?

[rudel.dietrich]

Not a Knicks fan but that was a real gut punch.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Not a Knicks fan but that was a real gut punch.

Heh, a casual reader of this thread would think that you are referring to my post above yours in which the Knicks as a team got gut-punched by the Celtics the other night.

But not. No doubt you are referring to the headline "Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis tears left ACL in loss to Bucks" and yes, the Knicks season is over. Here's to another year of New York Knickerbocker futility.

But of course, I will revive this thread in November once again. Maybe sooner if there is any good news. Fancy that happening.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

...No doubt you are referring to the headline "Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis tears left ACL in loss to Bucks" and yes, the Knicks season is over....

That's really, really, really bad news. The kid is so fun to watch. I hope he will take the time to heal properly. I've heard it said that Ricky Rubio came back too quickly from his ACL injury and was never the same player again.

I love watching young guys come into the league and blossom into stars. Even though my Cavaliers are (or used to be) one of the NBA's elite teams, it's always fun watching players elsewhere learn how to be great.

[Déjà Bru]

Look, it's obvious, isn't it? I use this thread as therapy. Even just posting this article here makes me feel a bit better. Not that I expect sympathy from anybody, but for some reason it's good just to have someplace to vent.

SAME PLACE AS LAST SEASON

The Knicks’ loss in Toronto on Thursday dropped them to 23-33. That was their record after 56 games last season, and their record after 56 games in 2015-16. No matter how much things change, they seem to remain the same.

This season mirrors last year somewhat. The Knicks were 16-14 both times and had everyone in New York thinking playoffs. Then things fell apart for different reasons. Last season,it was the Phil Jackson-Carmelo Anthony soap opera and Derrick Rose going AWOL.

This year, the Knicks took advantage of a home-heavy early schedule. But losing Tim Hardaway Jr. for 20 games and a long stretch of road games caught up to them.

The Knicks are on their way to their fifth straight year of missing the playoffs and could lose at least 50 for the fourth consecutive season. The last time they did that was 1960-64.

[rudel.dietrich]

They need to play Frank and Mudiay as much as poosible and see what they have there. At the same time, they need to lose as many as possible since this is the last tanking friendly draft.
Get another high draft pick and try and nail it and hope Porzingis recovers fully. Let him take all the time he needs and get him the best doctors and training possible.

Things are no fun right now but after years of mismanagement it takes years to recover.