NY Knicks: Defending different segments of the fan base

NY Knicks: Defending the “The Kids” Defenders — Bradley Dressler

The easiest and simplest defense of ‘The Kids’ (Grimes, Quickley, Obi, and Deuce) is just that…they’re kids. It’s the defense some of you RJ Barrett apologists have been using for the better part of 3 years since the ‘kid’ has been drafted.

I’m no RJ Barrett hater, but the guy has been given one of the longest leashes I’ve ever seen.

He’s regressed mightily this year and everyone still thinks he’s our savior…

But I digress.
This is about the actual ‘kids’ on the roster…the rookies and sophomores.

Funnily enough, some of these guys are actually as old, if not older than RJ Barrett, but they’ve clearly had less time to develop as NBA players within the confines of an NBA team’s development staff.

And yet, they play harder when given the opportunities and look like they give a crap when they’re on the floor.

They’re more appreciative of the chances they’re being given and it shows up in the box scores, too.

Before the 2020-21 season had begun, I was excited about a rebuild.
I  was a big fan of Thibs, although I was personally on the Kenny Atkinson bandwagon prior…and I was an even bigger fan of the Knicks’ new President of Basketball Operations, Leon Rose, and all those he would be bringing in underneath him.
After the 2020 NBA draft was all said and done, it seemed like the Knicks were looking toward the future.

They drafted Julius Randle’s replacement in Obi Toppin and after a few savvy trades, they ended up with the 25th overall selection and took a combo-guard out of Kentucky in Immanuel Quickley.
These were the guys I believed would round out the starting 5 alongside RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson for years to come.

Then, the actual season happened and the NY Knicks shocked the world.
But this was not a part of the plans…and while the front office did a great job with pivoting and adjusting during this past offseason, this wasn’t the direction the Knicks should have taken to begin with.

The Knicks are in one of the worst positions a franchise can be in and they either have to go all-in on trying to win a title…building around Julius Randle and getting him an even better running mate than he is himself.

Or they can chalk up last year to be a fluke, take their lumps, and go back to the youth movement…building around ‘The Kids’.

The current regime has an emotional attachment to the guys most recently drafted…I say, let’s get back to the drawing board and have the Knicks be The Kids’ team.