Knicks Bulletin: ‘Could we do better? I always believe we could do better’

Will New York really lose to Philly? Hope not!

The Knicks play the depleted Sixers on Wednesday, which means 1) New York basketball is back and 2) another loss might see Tom Thibodeau fired because of who that defeat would come against.

Anyway, we’re here to be positive, which means taking a look at what was said coming off Tuesday’s practice in Tarrytown.

Here’s the latest from Coach Thibs, a few Knickerbockers, and a plethora of national pundits.

Tom Thibodeau

On the meaning of missing Robinson—supposedly the starting center—for most of the season:

“We’ve gone fifty-something games without our starting center.

“I think guys have done a really good job stepping in. Could we do better? I always believe we could do better.”

On Robinson’s practice on Tuesday:

“Active. Very active.”

On what Robinson brings to the table:

“Mitch is an elite pick-and-roll defender. [He’s] an elite rim protector [and] an elite offensive rebounder. Those are the things that you know are critical.

His size and knowledge of the league. He’s a hard guy to measure statistically, but the value he brings to the team is great.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On playing with Mitchell Robinson:

“Money-making Mitch is good. I think that we’re going to be very fortunate that his presence out there is going to be a huge benefit to our team.

“He brings a lot to us on the locker room side. It’ll be great to have him lace up his shoes and be on the court with us.”

Josh Hart

On getting fined for his egregious flopping against the Celtics:

“Dang no Oscar for me.”

Cameron Payne

On Robinson’s return:

“Seeing him out there, it’s good. He blocked my shot today. I was a little sick [about it]. I was like, ‘I normally get that.’ He was like, ‘No, I’m back.’

“That’s what’s up. Covering for each other is huge and he does a great job at it.”

On the need for better communication on defense:

“In order for us to win tough games against these good teams who have been together a long time, we have to communicate more.

“It’s a thing we have, ‘ELC’: Early, loud and continuous. So [on] pick-and-roll coverages, we need to be more loud, be more vocal. And in our arena, we need to be more loud.

“The communication part is a trust factor.”

On needing to showcase leadership and accountability:

“That’s got to come from the guys that’s older, that’s been around and done and seen things. We’ve seen it. We’ve been in there.

“We have to talk more so we know what’s going on and just help our teammates a little bit more.”

Greg Anthony (Former NBA Player)

On the Knicks’ season outlook:

“I never thought of this as a championship-or-bust season for the Knicks, and I do think long term they’ve put themselves in a better position to compete for a title. If this season ends early, [Knicks president] Leon Rose and the front office are going to have to figure out why and the other areas to address.”

On what the Knicks need to improve:

“I think by watching these games in particular, they need to be better defensively, they need to improve their depth and they still need some more athleticism. That much is obvious.”

On how the Knicks are judged:

“Listen, there’s no question you’re ultimately going to be judged by how you fare against the best teams. And obviously to have success in the postseason, you’re gonna have to play them and beat them. They have not fared well at all, but having said that, I think they’re better than they’ve shown so far in those moments.”

On their defensive performance under Thibodeau:

“I think from a defensive standpoint, they haven’t performed like Tom Thibodeau teams historically have. Obviously, from defensive and depth standpoints they still aren’t where they need to be. I really like their lineup at the top with [Jalen] Brunson and KAT at the offensive end, but they still have a lot of work to do to close the gap.”

Tim Legler (NBA Analyst)

On the Knicks struggling against elite teams:

“The first thing I would say is, we all have to be cognizant of the fact that those three teams are doing this to everybody.

“But the Knicks, with the expectation level coming off of last season, then you make the trade for [Karl-Anthony] Towns, that’s now the measuring stick. How do we stack up to the Celtics? How do we stack up to the Cavs? And even OKC? It clearly has not gone well for them, and for me, what it comes down to is offensively they can go toe-to-toe with those teams.

“The difference is that those three teams have a level that they can go to defensively with their pressure and their team speed and just with their commitment to it that the Knicks just can’t match at that end of the floor.”

On the Knicks’ inability to slow down top teams:

“And then they were down by 20 in the first quarter (against Boston). I know they made it a game briefly in the second half, but what we are seeing is that these three teams are so hard to guard, and the Knicks are just not an elite defensive team.

“So when you throw an average defensive team at any of those three teams when they’re playing with sharp focus—which I don’t know if Boston was doing earlier in the year, but they definitely are now—you can get some of these margins where these buzzsaw games take place and you can’t slow it down.”

On the challenge the Knicks face:

“And then the question becomes, what do you do about it? Well, it’s difficult because I think a lot of it is personnel-based.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns being targeted by opposing offenses:

“Towns is totally being picked on. These teams in particular will just destroy you in that action. That’s all Boston runs. The difference is they have five guys who all can run it at a high level and all of their guys can really shoot. So they force the Knicks’ other defenders into rotation and just count on the fact that it’s going to be overwhelming for them. In these matchups, it has been.”

Tim Bontemps (NBA Analyst)

On the Knicks’ defensive struggles against top offenses:

“When Karl Anthony-Towns is on the court against any of the top-10 offenses in the league this season, the Knicks’ defensive rating is 127. The worst defensive rating in the league is 118. So to say that is bad is an understatement.”

On where the Knicks rank defensively against top teams:

“If we isolate games playing against the top-10 offenses in the league. So all the teams, you play the top-10 offenses in the league, how do you fare? The Knicks rank 29th in defensive efficiency. The only team that’s worse are the Toronto Raptors, who basically have not had their team at any point this entire season.”

Stephen A. Smith (TV Personality)

On the impact of the Towns trade in the Knicks outlook:

“When the New York Knicks traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, even though they ain’t doing so great with that trade either, my friend said to me, ‘The New York Knicks traded two dogs for a KAT.’

“That hurt because Karl-Anthony Towns is a bad brother—he can play, and I’m happy to have him as a New York Knick. But when I see the personality transplant, the grit that was there last year, that is no longer there…

“See, the New York Knicks last year don’t get blown out like they did this weekend. Them brothers were scrappy.”

On the Knicks’ defensive decline this season:

“When did we ever think we would see a Tom Thibodeau team have one of the worst defenses in basketball, and the absolute worst against the three-point shot, when do we ever believe we would see that?

“I’m just asking legitimate questions. There’s no way around it, we have to pay attention to that.”

Bill Simmons (Writer Turned Podcaster)

On Jalen Brunson’s flopping:

“I think [Brunson’s] become the preeminent flopper in the NBA.

“He’s doing it on both ends, he’s doing it on defense and offense. He’s flopping on picks, he’s flopping coming off screens, he’s flopping when somebody bumps into him on a drive, he’s flopping for charges.

“Brunson’s top of his game. I think he’s the complete package. Some of the best flopping I’ve ever seen.”