New York Knicks
The 2019-20 New York Knicks can be defined by the fact that they did not land any star free agents last summer and by ending up with the #8 pick in the 2020 draft. It’s a harsh truth, but it’s the truth nonetheless.
What did we learn?
It quickly became evident (the Knicks started 2-9) that we made a mistake in our Knicks season preview by pivoting at the last second and picking the Over on a whim. We blame @WorldWideWob and getting caught up in the lure of thinking how fun it would be if the Knicks were actually surprisingly good. (Narrator: They were not.)
Knicks management did not think that David Fizdale was fit for the job. And Knicks upper management no longer thought that lower management was fit for the job. Fizdale’s final record as head honcho for the Knicks was a putrid 21-83, which is actually the worst winning percentage of any coach in Knicks franchise history.
After Fiz was canned in December, the Knicks actually got a little bit better under interim coach Mike Miller thanks to Miller’s willingness to try a wild new concept called “spacing.” The introduction to spacing did help, but it was nowhere close to a grand solution to the Knicks innate and immovable issues.
Offensive Rating: 27th
Defensive Rating: 23rd
Three-point percentage: 27th
Free throw percentage: 30th
Not good.
Let’s check in on some of the notable players:
Marcus Morris had some nice moments this season as a Knick, especially in crunch time which included a game-winner against Cleveland on February 3rd. He was traded three days later.
Highest-paid Knick Julius Randle’s three-point percentage dropped from 34.4% in his one year as a Pelican down to 27.7% upon his arrival to the Big Apple.
R.J. Barrett became the first rookie since Bill Walton in 1974 to have a game with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in the first five games of his career. That is a nice stat and all, but that was just one game. R.J. Parrot’s rookie season as a whole was asi asi.
Mitchell Robinson, when actually in the game and not sitting due to foul trouble, was quite a delight. Lobs to Mitch Rob! Mitchell Blockinson!!
After a seriously underwhelming rookie season, we didn’t think that Kevin Knox could get any worse. Somehow he did.
Frank Ntilikina = still good at defense and still pretty bad at offense. Still has one of the best nicknames in Frankie Smokes.
The good news is that as long as Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier are on the call, we will continue to watch and enjoy Knicks games regardless of the product on the court.
And so long as James Dolan is still the owner of the Knicks, we will continue to scream:
“SELL THE TEAM!!!”
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What is the answer to our Season Preview Final Questions?
Will the NBA ever step in and force James Dolan out? Asking for all of us.
TBD, but it sure hasn’t happened yet.
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Would our preseason Over/Under prediction have hit?
We are feeling crazy. HIT THE DAMN MUSIC, WOB!!! OVER 26.5 wins. (32.3% winning pct)
Knicks 2019-20 final record: (21-45) 31.8% winning pct
It would have been super close, but our preseason Over/Under prediction most likely would not have hit. With 16 games remaining, the Knicks would have had to win 6 more games, a 37.5% winning percentage. And as we know, it would have been smarter for the Knicks to lose those games.
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What’s Next?
Leon Rose is IN, baby! Can Rose actually land the Knicks a star free agent? Can he put together a trade for a decent piece?
Thibs!
Trade up for Lamelo?
Sign Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier to lifetime deals.
Play every game like it’s a revenge game against Kristaps Porzingis!
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Favorite Knicks Highlight from the 2019-20 Season:
Wob’s revenge.
