thelesterlee
Last season, Elfrid Payton was the worst starting point guard in the NBA. The Knicks played 4-on-5 every night because Coach Thibs refused to bench his 43% shooting and 28% from 3. So it made all the season in the world for us all to be excited about the Knicks stealing Kemba Walker prior to this year.
Knicks’ team president Leon Rose says club supports Kemba Walker’s decision to shut himself down for the rest of the season. Rose’s full statement: pic.twitter.com/r9Xtvi0x0I
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 23, 2022
Anddddd it’s over.
Kemba will be on the bench for the remainder of the season. After signing a 2-year deal, 31-year old Walker was supposed to bring his career of scoring 19.5 points a night to Madison Square Garden electrifying New Yorkers and the guy who sits courtside every game even though he hasn’t made a good movie since 1998.
Kemba Walker went OFF for a career-high 60 PTS tonight! 🔥#Hornets30 pic.twitter.com/DkMoFfpnDL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 18, 2018
Unfortunately, this is not the Kemba Walker that showed up to play for the Knicks. He had an incredible 44 point night in December which came with 9 rebounds and 8 assists. It was Jeremy Lin-esque, in that no one saw it coming and it never fucking happened again.
Kemba Walker scored more than 10 points ONE time in his last 12 games. He is completely irrelevant on the court. The team so clearly needs a point guard to take the playmaking responsibilities away from Julius Randle who crumbled under the weight of his own hubris against the Hawks last postseason.
Fast forward to the halfway point of this season and Randle still brings the ball up and dictates the offense while Kemba—the actual point guard—stands in the corner with his hands on his knees as Randle draws a double team and launches the ball into the front row then yells at the ref for some reason.
It’s almost as if either Coach Thibs or Randle just decided at some point they no longer trust Kemba or respect him enough as a scoring threat so they stripped him of any purpose.
Add in young RJ Barrett stepping up and taking on more of a scoring role. Barrett isn’t the type of player who cuts. He doesn’t swing the ball around the perimeter for a better shot. When the ball hits Barrett’s hands, he’s catching and shooting or driving which again, eliminates the efficacy of a Kemba Walker.
The Knicks desperately need a starting point guard capable of truly distributing the ball. Not a shoot-first guard like Kemba or Kyrie but a player who prides themselves in assists. There are too many good shooters on this roster who are struggling because they never get the ball in their shooting pocket. They always get the ball off their sneakers because Randle just rocketed a terrible pass at their ankles.
Why didn’t it work out with Kemba Walker?
The only point guard this coach allows to be a point guard is his adopted son, Derrick Rose. Otherwise, your job is to get the ball to Julius Randle and stand in the corner as he commits a slow-motion offensive foul and then rolls his eyes at you.
And to the Knicks fans excited about the possibility of Duece McBride coming up from the G-League and running this team—lol. We all know Alec Burks will be the starting point guard and Derrick Rose will be his backup.
Fire Thibs. Trade Randle. Free Duece.
