Suffering three consecutive losses, the Knicks have a luxurious lineup, but they cannot win! The Big Four are about to separate

The new NBA regular season has started in less than two weeks, and the overall pattern is very different from what was expected. In the West, the Rockets + Clippers + Timberwolves all have problems. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue wants to fix Kawhi Kawhi in the starting four position. Everyone is uncomfortable. Collins has not been able to release his maximum value. He has been stumbling in winning and losing. The Rockets do not have a suitable point guard candidate, resulting in a poor team rhythm. The average points per game ranks first in the league. But at the critical moment, it depends on whether the ball can be accurately handed over to Durant. The Timberwolves were even more helpless. Edwards suffered a hamstring injury and it was difficult for the team to win. In the Eastern Conference, many American media believe that with the fall of the Celtics and Pacers, only the Cavaliers and Knicks are the only two teams left in the Eastern Conference that have hope of winning the championship in the new season.

But I didn’t expect that the Bulls would lead the Eastern Conference. They won five consecutive games at the beginning, followed by the 76ers + Bucks + Heat, all of whom were not optimistic about the team. The Cavaliers lost three consecutive away games and their offense dropped sharply; the Knicks were even more embarrassed. They started with two consecutive wins and then lost three consecutive games. The entire team seemed to be less good at playing. The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers and Celtics in the first two games of the season. New coach Mike Brown was in high spirits. He easily changed the team's starting lineup and won Hart. The first two starts were Hooker Bolti and McBride, allowing them to partner with the Big Four. As a result, when they played the Heat in the third game, they couldn't hold back: the Knicks lost unexpectedly when Hooker Bolti was on; in the fourth game when they played the Bucks, Shamet continued to lose.

In the fifth game against the Bulls, Mike Brown started with Mitchell Robinson and continued to lose to the Bulls. The key is continuous lineup changes, and the whole team can no longer play: Towns averaged 18 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the new season, which looks good, and his two field goal percentages are as low as 36% + 30%; Brunson averaged 31.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, which seems to be stable, but he still lost 0.7 points to the opponent in every 100 rounds he was on the field; in several new lineups tested by Mike Brown, the Knicks' five-man team all lost points! Only when the Big Four and Hart are on the court at the same time, the Knicks can return to the rhythm of last season, beating their opponents by 23.3 points per 100 possessions. It's indeed an exaggeration. Thibodeau paved the way for Mike Brown, but Mike Brown had to open up a new path in the thorn bush and was beaten to death.

This is not over yet! The Knicks added Clarkson, Yabusele and other immediate combatants during the offseason, and the depth of the lineup is more solid than last season, but Mike Brown likes to set up a four-guard system in the transition period, with Yabusele inside. For example, if Brunson + Hart + McBride + Shamet play at the same time, this lineup will lose the opponent by 14 points per 100 rounds; for example, if Brunson leads Bridges + Hart + Shamet + Yabusele, the opponent will lose by 44 points per 100 rounds! Brunson is 1.88 meters, McBride is 1.88 meters, Hart is 1.93 meters, Kollock is 1.93 meters, Shamet is 1.93 meters, and Clarkson is 1.93 meters. Does it look familiar? In the past few seasons, the Warriors led by Cole have often played like this, and let Mike Brown learn from it?

I have been working with Cole as an assistant coach for a long time, and I can really see the shadow of Cole in Mike Brown. But using Brunson as Curry and Abuseele as Green is a bit exaggerated. Secondly, the Knicks are not a united team. Anunoby and Towns had internal strife in the playoffs last season. After losing to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, dissatisfaction with Towns erupted in the locker room. They have no cohesion. Essentially, it's because Towns, as a foreigner, has the highest salary in the team, while the team boss Brunson's salary is not as high as that of blue-collar Anunobi. Who can balance it mentally? What's more, during the offseason, there was a delay in renewing the contract with Bridges. He wanted to pursue Antetokounmpo, but was perfunctory by the Bucks, and there was an undercurrent surging within the team.

New coach Mike Brown has a good hand but a bad one. He doesn't want to be said to be stepping on Thibodeau's shoulders. But to be honest, if the Knicks' substitutes were really competitive, would Thibodeau have shortened his substitute time in the playoffs for two consecutive seasons? Finally, the Knicks' total salary this season is US$211 million, second in the league, second only to the Cavaliers. Towns 53.14 million + Anunoby 39.57 million + Brunson 34.94 million + Bridges 24.9 million + Hart 19.47 million. This five-person group has a salary of 172 million. Mitchell Robinson is on an expiring contract, and the salary of Yabusele + McBride + Clarkson can be ignored. This lineup has no continuity at all! Brunson is still waiting for the four-year 320 million super maximum salary in the summer of 28, and Towns has not waited for a two-year 145 million contract extension offer this summer.

Based on the fact that Brunson's high-end playoff limit is limited (defense is easy to be targeted, and his offensive efficiency is not high), the Knicks have always wanted to find a top star. That means that next summer, including Towns + Bridges + Hart, may become victims. Anunoby is also in an embarrassing situation. His salary is too high and it will only become a premium contract if he continues to fight! I originally thought that after the Celtics and Pacers fell in the new season, the Knicks would be closest to the championship in the Eastern Conference, but I didn't expect a lot of shit. What is certain is that no matter what their record is this season, they are not far away from breaking up.