Give Coach Fizdale and the New York Knicks credit, they went toe to toe with the best team in the western conference (at least by record). The game never got out of hand, which based off of recent history, is a tremendous positive. Tim Hardaway Jr. had another 30 point game finishing with 32 on 10-21 from the field, knocking down 3-6 3’s and going perfect from the charity stripe in 9 attempts.
The Knicks were up by two at the half and only down four going into the 4th quarter. This was no easy task going up against not one but two All-Star caliber players and not letting the game get out of hand. Portland star guard, Damien Lillard, who totaled 29 points, iced the game with a beautiful step-back jumper with Trey Burke all over him. Lillard’s back-court partner in crime, CJ McCollum led the way for Rip City with 31 points.
Both Trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay scored well in their respective rolls, in the end, it was not enough, Mudiay shot 6-9 and ended up with 16, while Burke shot 8-15 and poured in 19 but was a -15 when on the court.
While Fiz may have gotten a great effort from the youngest team in the league, this loss once again leaves a lot of Knick fans scratching their heads.
The majority of the minutes went to former lottery busts, who are all on expiring deals. The French Prince did play 28 minutes, but mostly off ball. Rookies Knox, Trier and Mitch has 13, 15 and 18 minutes. For a developmental year, these youngsters are the future of the team and need to play in the games against teams like Portland and work thru their inevitable struggles.
Kanter, Burke, Mudiay, Vonleh and Mario are all on expiring contracts and will likely be gone next season. Them getting us a moral loss, doesn’t really benefit the rookies on the bench. I hardly doubt that they are building much of any trade value either.
The Good
Let’s just say it. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been very, very good offensively this year. His D can use some work, and as much as fans want to trade him and his contract, the man can score the basketball. Does this add to his potential trade value? I’m not really sure and I doubt that he’ll be traded, however, he can really help a team like Philly or Minnesota with his quick scoring. Now would be the time to shop him.
The Bad
It was a pretty solid game overall no there isn’t much “bad”, but Mario Hezonja continues to show why Orlando gave up on him so quickly. He should be out of the rotation or even cut to make room for Iso Zo. While Trey Burke can score, he really does not get anybody else in rhythm and he should not be on the court with Kevin Knox, Mitch of Frank. Those guys need to fight through their youthful struggles and learn how to play by actually playing.
The Weird
Why was Damyean Dotson a DNP? Has he looked particularly worse in recent games? Would they not have benefited from his Defense against 2 of the best scorers in the NBA? Knox only getting 13 minutes is strange as well. He might look like Bambi out there, but he needs to get going and this needs to become his team before KP gets back.
Up next, New York heads to the Boston Garden to take on the Celtics. Let’s see some more youth development and Maybe Kyrie will change his mind and beg to come to his hometown.