By Jon Terry
October 24, 2023
Knicks fans, you are me, and I am you. It pains me to write this article.
But I see the future, or at least the 6-8 months. And it’s not that good.
The Nets were supposed to be better than the Knicks, pretty much every year since 2020. They were for a little bit, then, as we all really enjoyed, it all went bad, the Big Three were collectively the Big Ego then the Big Fail, and the Knicks made some noise.
The Knicks are supposed to be better this year. They wont be. Here’s 3 reasons why:
Thibs is now an “Every Other Year” Coach, and not very good in the Playoffs
Double T was hugely successful over his first 5 years in Chicago, at least during the regular season: he won at a 65% clip over 5 seasons, a span of almost 400 games.
He has yet to approach that consistent success again, not posting back-to-back winning seasons since.
And those Chicago teams fizzled in the playoffs, finishing over .500 only once, and posting a 23-28 record.
Thibodeaux’s crash and burn in the Twin Cities is well-documented, wo abysmal seasons sandwiching one mediocre campaign, one playoff win, and one epic Jimmy Butler meltdown. It all added up to a 97-107 regular season record, 1-4 in the playoffs, and a one year hiatus from head coaching.
The Knicks are a decent 125 and 111 since Jim “Sphere no Evil” Dolan rescusciated Thibs after his disastrous stint in Minnesota. But the same troubling patterns have emerged: Up and down regular seasons, and poor playoff performances.
Thibs teams can’t shoot. They are inelegant offensively, a Charles Oakley pump fake had more flow, don’t get easy buckets, and without prime D. Rose, don’t play downhill.. They are like a Football team that always gets it on their own 5 yard line … it takes a lot of good plays, and some good fortune, to get a score.
And they lose every other year. This is the other year.
The Nets 3 Best Players are Better Than the Knicks 3 Best Players
In not-so-breaking news, Julius Randle is not Him. Neither is Jalen Brunson. RJ Barrett’s shot is an offense to basketball, and some sort of rule should be invented so we don’t have to look at it anymore.
For Randle and Brunson, let’s remember all the players that put up great stats on mediocre, offensively-challenged teams, only to fade against the best, or with better squads. Oh wait, that’s right: we CAN’T remember them – because they weren’t that good.
Randle’s game doesn’t work in the 4th quarter. He’s too sloppy with the ball, and does not have enough variation in his attack repertoire. Brunson has a nice little shoulder-fade game, and enough 3 point touch to keep a defender honest, but lacks the quickness on both ends to hang with top NBA point guards.
All jokes about Barrett’s shot aside, in all seriousness, his shot does not appear fixable, and the right side of the rim is the Forbidden Zone. He’s not overcoming the same limitations he came into the League with.
For the Nets, Mikal Bridges is smooth and versatile, plays both ends of the court, and with a year of confidence under his belt as the main option, will take it up a level. Cam Johnson shoots it better than the Knicks best shooters combined, and like Bridges, hugely benefitted from a 0 pressure season with lots of touches. He, too, will be vastly improved.
Apply the eye test: who would you rather have taking shots in the 4th quarter, Randle and/or Barrett, or Bridges and/or Johnson?
And yes, we think Ben Simmons is better than Jalen Brunson. In fact …
Ben Simmons is Back, He’s Really Good, and he’s wayyyyy better than Jalen Brunson
They forgot.
Philly fans are not known for their overall patience, or kindness, or, in fact, any other redeeming qualities. And they really blew it with Simmons.
He’s 6-10, 240. He’s quick and explosive. In his down year, he averaged 6.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds. Throw out his down year, and those stats jump to 7.5 and 8, along with about 16 points per game … good enough for 3 straight all-star appearances. We think, after a de facto 2 year hiatus, that’s he’s back.
Comparitively, Brunson has averaged less than 5 assists every year except 2022, and gets a couple rebounds a game. He’s a much better shooter than Simmons, but does not, and cannot, change and control pace the way Ben does.
Fearless Predictions:
Knicks: 40-42, 0 All Stars, borderline playoffs
Nets: 48-34, 2 All Stars, surprising play-off run
Quick Hits
The only thing more cringey than a Buick commercial is watching Taylor and Brittany do their special handshake …. Taylor and Brittany have way too many teeth, we see way too many of them, and we fear they are not good kissers …Thibs is more Brooklyn than Manhattan, sweaty, physically distorted and a master face-maker, while Jacque feels more Manhattan, smooth jazz, good-looking, Upper West, sushi … Juluis Randle reminds us of Josh Smith, and that’s not a compliment … as critical as we are of our Knicks, we are very happy NY wasn’t cool enough Ky and KD.