The Knicks Are Doing The Right Thing With Kemba Walker
From the Pacers’ poor 2nd half habits to the Knicks’ lineup change, I broke down everything that happened from last night in the NBA.
Portland Trail Blazers (129-107 L)
We still suck!!
Indiana Pacers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
This game was fun. Both of these teams fought tooth and nail in the 2nd half, but Minnesota’s rally, powered by Anthony Edwards, proved to be too much in the end.
It’s another win for the T-Wolves and another blown lead for Indiana. Let’s break this game down.
Indiana Pacers
I so badly want this team to succeed. They have some talented players, but for some reason, the results aren’t showing. More than that, the Pacers are constantly making things harder for themselves to win. Don’t get what I mean? You will in a second.
Shooting Yourself In The Foot Has A New Meaning
The Pacers give their fans constant pain. It’s been a tale of the two halves for the Pacers. They are great in the first half, but they struggle mightily to finish games.
Indiana Pacers In The First Half
116.5 ORtg (1st)
7.3 Net Rating (3rd)
57.5 points (1st)
49.2% FG (1st)
+3.7 plus/minus (3rd)
Indiana Pacers In The Second Half
98.8 ORtg (Last)
-5.5 Net Rating (25th)
48.4 points (Last)
42.7% FG (15th)
-2.6 plus/minus (23rd)
I can’t even tell you how this is possible. The Pacers go from being the best first-half team in the NBA to one of the worst teams in 2nd half.
Could it be that Indiana loses momentum with the halftime break? Maybe they struggle to adjust to the changes that defenses make at halftime? Are they just tired?
Whatever the cause of this is, it is a bad showing for the Pacers’ coaching staff. It’s unacceptable to be this bad in the 2nd half in any context. It’s even worse when you consider how good the Pacers are in the first half.
Oh, you thought I was done? That was just the beginning of the pain. Not only do the Pacers suck in the 2nd half, but they also suck at winning close games.
Indiana Pacers In The Clutch This Season*
11 losses (most in NBA)
-2.4 plus/minus (29th)
The Pacers just haven’t been able to close out games when they need to. With margins being so razor-thin in the NBA, the Pacers are bleeding wins late in games. God, why does this team suck so much?
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are making me proud. They were my dark horse in the West and as of late, they have been playing great.
Anthony Edwards Is Breathtaking
Similar to when Alan Grant first saw those dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, whenever Anthony Edwards has the ball, it’s time to pay attention. From high-flying dunks to his mannerisms in interviews, Edwards is a player that everyone can gravitate towards. Now let’s hope that Wayne Knight doesn’t set him free.
This sequence in the 3rd quarter was electrifying.
Edwards exploded in the 3rd quarter of this game, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the period. Edwards’ antics helped Minnesota come from behind and win this game. The T-Wolves are 7-1 in their last 8 games for a reason. Need more reasons to like Ant?
Reasons To Like Anthony Edwards
- Has flip phone
- Jumps high
- Fan of Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Wants A-Rod to be happy
NBA News Recap
Out of the blue, we’ve had a lot of important NBA news. From injury updates to lineup adjustments, I reacted to all of the news around the NBA.
The Nuggets Are Cursed
Nikola Jokic: $30,510,423
Jamal Murray: $29,467,800
Michael Porter Jr: $29,750,00 (2022-23)
Total: $89,728,223
Denver is paying their three best players nearly $90 million dollars. These three players are, for the most part, worth the money. However, Denver’s investment in these players isn’t exactly working.
Michael Porter Jr’s follow-up season to his contract extension flopped harder than Mars Needs Moms. After undergoing back surgery, MPJ’s season is likely done after just nine games.
Jamal Murray has yet to return from his ACL tear and still has a ways to go in his recovery.
While Nikola Jokic is the best center in the NBA and the reigning MVP, he doesn’t have any help right now. And even Jokic, a very durable player, has dealt with a wrist injury that has caused him to miss the past couple of games.
The Nuggets have been sliding, winning one game in their last seven contests. Injuries have derailed a once-promising season and things look grim.
Their MVP, Nikola Jokic, has been left with an island of misfit toys. The Nuggets have good players, but can those players help them be contenders for an entire season? Probably not.
With that in mind, I think it’s time to think about the future. Perhaps prioritize giving Bones Hyland more minutes and retool for 2023. It’s not a bad idea, considering Denver has almost no shot of contending this season.
The Nets Desperately Need Depth
Joe Harris underwent ankle surgery and will miss 4-8 weeks. While he’s set to come back before the playoffs, this will be a trying time for Brooklyn. Their limited depth will make it very hard for them to cope with this loss.
Harris is one of the best shooters on the planet. There aren’t a whole lot of guys who can do what he does. One of those guys is Patty Mills, who should be perfectly fine in the starting lineup. The problem is, the Nets don’t have anybody good enough to cover up for Mills. For the next few weeks, the Nets will have to do their best to find bench scoring.
And that’s not the only depth problem the Nets are facing. With Blake Griffin getting benched, who’s going to take his place? LaMarcus Aldridge? Nicolas Claxton? Day’Ron Sharpe? I don’t know.
Anyway, the Nets will need to find some offense without Mills on the bench. Rookie Cameron Thomas should get more minutes, but is that it? Do the Nets have any other bodies they can use to give them minutes?
For now, it appears that the Nets don’t have many answers. They need a new option at center.
They need more scoring from the bench.
And to be honest, I don’t know if they have any answers. James Harden playing better would go a long way, but I don’t see the Nets as being contenders with how weak their bench is.
Kemba Walker Got Benched; Clippers Want Him
It’s no secret that the Knicks have been disappointing this season. After an exciting offseason of splurging, the Knicks have struggled to make weight. The main reason for their shortcomings has been the incredibly poor play of their starting lineup.
The starting unit can’t score, but worse than that, they can’t guard a parked car.
It was only natural to expect a drop-off in defense when you add Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker to your team. But the Knicks are playing the worst defense in the NBA with their starting lineup on the floor.
Tom Thibodeau couldn’t tolerate this type of production for much longer without making a major move.
Walker – Fournier – Barrett – Randle – Robinson (287 minutes)
103.3 ORtg (27th)*
118.9 DRtg (37th)*
-15.7 Net Rating (34th)*
-91 plus/minus (last)*
*Ranks amongst all 38 five-man lineups this season with at least 80 minutes played
Kemba Walker wasn’t expected to do much with the Knicks, but he hasn’t been great. Gone are the days when he can single handily take over games and be an elite scorer. While nobody expected him to be great, he hasn’t even passed our low expectations.
So, the Knicks are eliminating Walker from the equation and subbing Alec Burks to the starting lineup. With Walker out, this should allocate more minutes to Quickly and Rose, who have been quite good this season.
I don’t see any negatives to this move. The Kemba Walker move was low risk, high reward. It didn’t work out, but the Knicks are still a good team. With Walker, they weren’t the team they wanted to be. Let’s see if they can fare better with this new look.
Bing Bong.
After the Walker news broke, the Clippers were immediately being linked as the new landing spot for Kemba.
Walker’s contract is now much more moveable (2 years/$17.8 million), so LA can get him. With Eric Bledsoe not being great, I don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world. Walker would give them some more offense, which they need, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.
While the move sounds good on paper, I don’t think LA should follow through. Walker isn’t the player he once was and in my opinion, his career is over.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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Great article