Game Thread: Knicks vs Spurs 4:30 EST (3:30 CST, 11:30 Riga Time)

[aal04]

A part from Bertains catching fire in game 1, he hasnt impressed me. If his shot isnt falling hes useless.

Lalanne and LVC are hackers. They need to do another 2-3 years of college and then development league.

Kyle is another level above these guys, though he has glaring holes in his game.

[Marcus Bryant]

I felt like Simmons was doing the same thing at first, but I think he was just really really amped up. He got some steals, but he gambles way too much, and he goes one on three too often. He also chirps at the refs a bit too much.

Hmmm. He got off the plane and played like that. Have to like the aggressiveness and energy. I think he was amped up given the situation. Those kind of issues are generally coachable. But it's hard to push a pussycat to be a lion, to quote a famous philosopher.

For all the complaining about Kyle, you look up and he completely outplayed everyone on both teams. The pass he made at the end was amazing, as was the steal and layup he had. He's not going to be Kobe Bryant on the big team, so trying to be such on the SL team makes no sense. He's watching the coaches and playing a team game. I was sickened by his first game in Utah, but he's been solid since then. Will be interesting to see how he does against even better players.

Anderson was a steadying presence on the court and helped keep the Spurs in a position to have a chance at the win. Definitely encouraged to see this game from him. He's a glue kind of player and his skills definitely fit the Spurs' system.

[Darkwaters]

Simmons is obviously the story of this game. He made some really nice plays and I think we can all see why the Spurs signed him. That being said, I can definitely see why his turnover numbers are so high. His handle is definitely a little loose and he really wants to be a slasher and get to the rack every time. I'm glad hes got a solid 3 point shot, but from the looks of this game he definitely prefers to jack up dunks more than 3's. Still - about as good of a showing as we could hope for. He'll be an exciting player that fans and crowds will love.

Kyle Anderson very quietly had a pretty stellar statistical game. I still feel like he almost gets stripped or loses the ball most times he touches it. His handle is also loose and a lot of his passes are lazy. But tonight his shot was falling and it made a ton of difference. 8-15 is a great shooting clip and his rebounding numbers continue to be steady (his most consistent attribute). Right at the beginning of the game he got blocked so bad by Porzingis that I thought it might effect him all game (it was pretty terrible, really). But he bounced back and I was very surprised to read his stat line at the end of the game. Good job.

Cady Lalanne has regressed a bit since his first game. He went 1-7 tonight and that shooting touch we saw doesn't seem to be around much anymore. He did have a very nice block though and rebounds reasonably well. One bright spot is that his fouling has gone down over the last few games. Tonight he only registered 2 fouls in over 17 minutes. For Lalanne thats actually a huge improvement. The Spurs should be helping him to aggressively pursue an overseas contract and talk him into coming back next season. Hes not ready. But hes definitely intriguing. I definitely think he was a coup of a selection at 55. He very well might have an NBA future one day.

Dairis Bertans' shooting woes continue. He just hasn't been able to replicate the success of the first game. He continues to move on the court well and do a lot of other good things (including a very nifty assist tonight), but that shooting touch just isn't there. If he would be interested in coming to training camp he'd be a good player to practice with. But he'll be back in Europe next season. Still, considering his obvious basketball smarts and all the goods things hes doing on the floor it makes me that much more interested in his taller and more skilled younger brother Davis. Hopefully next year we bring in our 2011 second rounder.

Livio Jean-Charles continues to do what hes been doing all along. Hes intimidating on defense and totally inept on offense. Nothing new today.

Jerrell Eddie notoriously missed a wide open 3 that would have tied the game at the very end. It was in and out and just barely missed. Otherwise he spent most of the time on the floor shooting. 3-10 including 2-6 from 3. Didn't really contribute in any other statistical area (1 rebound, 1 assist) in nearly 21 minutes. Hopefully he can have a prolific shooting night or two because hes not really doing a whole lot else.

Will Cherry - kill me now.

[RayTdropout]

BUMS

[SnakeBoy]

Ok Simmons and Anderson will make it.

There's never been any question on Anderson.

[Emperor]

Was at the game. That dunk by Simmons was incredible. You can tell he wanted that one pretty badly and had been waiting for the right moment. As long as he can hold on to the ball when getting to the rim, he should be able to provide decent offense and solid defense, that is if he stays motivated and aggressive like he was today. He was out there to make a point to everyone that he deserves to be on this team.

[Nathan89]

If people were hitting shots from Simmons passes his stats would look a lot better. Scrubs just couldn't make him look good. Gambles with the reach around steal too much. Can't wait to watch more of him tbh.

[SpursFan86]

[Cactus Jack]

Have you ever seen Stan van Gundy in a two-piece? No? I'd shut up, then, if I were you.

lol, my mistake.

[Nathan89]

Have you ever seen Stan van Gundy in a two-piece? No? I'd shut up, then, if I were you.

[ace3g]

[ace3g]

[DJR210]

[kobyz]

Lalanne is similar to David Robinson in his style of play...

[slick'81]

Maybe Simmons got a little tony Allen in him?

[TheMulletMan3000]

Maybe Simmons got a little tony Allen in him?

I hope so!

[tatteredprince]

Kyle Anderson played well today, imo

[tatteredprince]

Was at the game. That dunk by Simmons was incredible. You can tell he wanted that one pretty badly and had been waiting for the right moment. As long as he can hold on to the ball when getting to the rim, he should be able to provide decent offense and solid defense, that is if he stays motivated and aggressive like he was today. He was out there to make a point to everyone that he deserves to be on this team.

do you have a link?

[tatteredprince]

good potential in Kyle and Simmons

but its just a small sample size

[ceperez]

Maybe Simmons got a little tony Allen in him?

That would be a great development.

[Obstructed_View]

Hmmm. He got off the plane and played like that. Have to like the aggressiveness and energy. I think he was amped up given the situation. Those kind of issues are generally coachable. But it's hard to push a pussycat to be a lion, to quote a famous philosopher.

Excellent point. When posting my impression, I had not yet read his tweet about just arriving, which makes his impressive showing that much more impressive. There is almost ALWAYS a use for a guy who plays hard and give effort. If you can throw him into a game where everyone else seems to be going through the motions, it's a nice asset to have.

[Obstructed_View]

Was at the game. That dunk by Simmons was incredible. You can tell he wanted that one pretty badly and had been waiting for the right moment. As long as he can hold on to the ball when getting to the rim, he should be able to provide decent offense and solid defense, that is if he stays motivated and aggressive like he was today. He was out there to make a point to everyone that he deserves to be on this team.

He wasn't doing a lot of waiting. I think that one was his third monster dunk attempt. He got a great steal early in the game and decided to tomahawk it on the breakaway and got it blocked by the guy behind him.