AxnJxn

Yeah, you read my mind here, and I'm also wondering if the transfer portal has changed the strategy a bit for coaches, in that you may not need to get the younger guys experience if you can go out and get a guy like X to run the team (and yeah, he had a rough second half, but he's been a pretty good pickup overall). People like to note that KL's really just a freshman, but this is year 2 of major college basketball experience, and he's still not seeing the court at all.

As you said, Rob's game last night was fine for a backup PG. I think the biggest issue for some of us is that (1) Rob really hasn't shown much progress from his freshman year and we thought he'd be much better than this by his senior year, and (2) KL not getting any minutes at all is kind of a head scratcher. I don't think anyone's saying they know more than CMW or the staff on KL, but we're on a message board, and it's legit to have questions as to why he couldn't get into either of the last two games for even a single minute. He made a mistake or two in the Syracuse game, but he also made some dynamic plays that we simply aren't seeing from Rob. I'm not questioning the staff's decisions, I just ... don't really get it, and I'm clearly not alone on that.

I don't think KL should be playing in front of X, especially down the stretch in games, but he must be absolutely putrid in practice to not be able to carve out a few minutes in each half or even the entire game.

Very well said. For those saying this looks like last year, I'm not sure we're watching the same team. Guys are shooting and hitting 3s with confidence, our defense has been outstanding at times, and we've actually shown signs of hitting FTs now and then (last night notwithstanding). X really, really, really needs to learn not to pick up cheap fouls and stay on the court, because it's clear that this is as good as Rob gets (which is pretty average at best), and apparently KL isn't going to see the floor, for whatever reason. Before the game, if you had told us that we would lose by 5 at Wisky, we probably would have been ok with that. I get it, it's how we lost, and I was as frustrated as anyone else with how that went down, but there are a lot of positives to build on here, and the negatives are fixable - we already saw improvement in turnovers, for example. In other words, some patience should pay off this season.

I think CMW got caught waiting for the 8 minute TV TO to get starters back in, and it cost us. I also can’t believe that KL hasn’t seen a minute of floor time in the last 2 games, especially in the second half in this game when our PG play was awful. Kinda bizarre, but i guess he’s just terrible in practice or something. Really bummed that he’s not getting any action. Ugly, ugly loss, but still plenty of things to build on from this game.

I have no issues with adding Kopp, but shooting isn't everything in this situation - Todd Leary could shoot but there were legit reasons why he didn't play much. There are some concerns about what else Kopp brings to the table, and he gets to the line less than 3x/game on a team where he was a primary scorer so, while it's great that he shoots a high percentage when he gets there, he just doesn't get there that frequently. I do like having the option of him combined with JH - they have different skill sets and abilities that will allow us to match up with different lineups, or to create match up problems for opponents.

Agreed, and I'd also like to see the ability to show different looks and change things up (and no, I'm not talking about switching from zone to man in the middle of a possession), and the makeup of this team could allow for a lot of that, depending on who they add if/when they do. Go big, small, slow, fast, whatever. Like you said, make teams match up with us, and have the ability to change that up if they manage to succeed at stopping it.

I'll say this for those who are saying that players should be loyal to a school - I'm sure you're aware that players would come to play for RMK first, and IU second, who specifically wanted to play for RMK. Not really fair to bash a kid for leaving when you've just fired what may have been his primary reason for choosing IU.

I’ve really enjoyed watching AF develop - it was one of too few bright spots in the past couple of years, and I thought we were looking at an Oladipo situation where a mostly unheralded kid completely blows up in the program, so this one is a real bummer to me. But, yah, this is one year with the transfer situation where that loss can be replaced almost immediately, so intrigued to see how those open schollys get filled.

Agreed. I think CMW was low on most people's list, including myself, and I'll admit I was disappointed in the hire and have been very pleasantly surprised by everything that has happened so far. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "negative" reaction, just more surprised that it wasn't someone else.

Agreed, and that's a really nice core to build around, especially in a year where you can almost plug and play with the transfer portal.

Right, but if they're following IU and don't know who CMW is, then the odds are even slimmer for kids who don't follow IU. I'm just not seeing it. My stepson and his buddies had no idea who CMW was when he was announced, and they're all around the same age as recruits would be and, while not hard core NBA fans, they certainly know the players and the teams. I just can't see a whole lot of teenagers caring who the assistant coach for the Knicks is. I know I didn't at that age, and I was a huge NBA fan.

We have people in our own fanbase who didn't know who CMW was before his name came up in this coaching search. The last time the Knicks made the playoffs was, what, 8 years ago? Most of the kids being recruited now were in middle school or earlier. I'm good with the hire, but the name recognition likely isn't going to be there, at least early on.

I’ll take a run at some possible answers for you. One of his negatives is a lack of experience at the college level (which likely kept other schools from considering him), so you hire Matta to help cover for that area (if it ends up being needed). It wasn’t high on my list of boxes to check, but i do see the value of it being an IU guy, too.

Man, there's a lot of gatekeeping with respect to how to be an IU fan. If you don't like the hire, you're a hater, or should be kicked off the board. Nice. Anyone got a copy of the rule book for what is allowed?

JFC, yes!! I really don't understand why so few coaches/players pay attention to this. Jordan was the master of it, and it might seem minor, but it's potentially two extra possessions in a game.

I think the first and most important obstacle for CMW if he gets the core of this group back is to fix what's going on with them mentally.

I will say for those just looking at his overall winning percentage in the NBA that (1) he's coached some really poorly run franchises, and (2) his overall percentage is dragged down because he took over an awful Atlanta Hawks team and turned them into contenders. Similar to FCTC, those first 2-3 years in Atlanta really drag down CMW's overall percentage in the NBA.

I said OR, not AND with those three guys. I think there are a lot of people that would like to see at least one of those guys on the staff. Hey, I agree with you - I don't care if it's an IU guy or not, and I don't really get it, either, but that's where the wagon is going, so I'm getting on.

You don't understand the appeal of an IU guy when we just hired Mike Woodson? I don't really care if it's an IU guy or not, but that's clearly the direction we're going.

Well, I've talked myself into this. One plus is that CMW is clearly someone that wants the job, instead of having to throw the Brinks truck at someone to get them to take it. I also like the idea of grooming another IU guy for the job, like Fife, Lewis, or Cheaney. I don't think any of those guys are ready for the job currently, but they could be in a few years, and there should be an established program set up by that point.

I mean, i appreciate the positives people are bringing up, but it still feels like I’m having to talk myself into this being a good hire rather than knowing it’s a good hire. Agreed that we’ll get a pretty quick indicator of where this is going based on what guys he can get back from the current group.

Yeah, i’d say give it a couple of days. We might hear about assistants and a longer term plan that could change some minds. Not gonna lie - I’m pretty bummed out, but I’ll certainly support the hire when the time comes, just not there yet, and I’m sure there are others in the same boat.

This is very new news, and somewhat unexpected to a lot of people. Some of you guys are going to need to give people some time to vent. We’ve gone from the guy that would have been the perfect hire being a done deal to hiring someone who has never coached in college. When the time comes, I’d wager the vast majority of those disappointed will support Woodson and his staff.

Good question. Makes it look like they had some guys turn the job down first.