The Knicks are 2 games away from mathematically being eliminated from the playoffs.... again. Like last year, remember that?
The second half was a runaway for the Rockets and their brand of Micro-ball. With no player standing above 6ft 8in the Knicks needed to match the intensity and speed late in the game and with that... insert Allonzo Trier.
Iso-zo got some 4th quarter minutes, defying insurmountable odds that he would ever see the hardwood in a Knicks uniform ever again. And get this... HE PLAYED WELL!
Posting nine points in six minutes of action and playing with, shall we call it- Gusto. Hitting some in rhythm 3's, getting to the line hitting 1 of 2 FT's, he clearly added some value albeit some out of control moments but I am comfortable chalking that up to adrenaline and excitement due to seeing live action basically for the first time this year.
Trier's play begs the question; Will he play more given the Knicks are so close to, and for the sake of this article OUT of playoff contention or was this a little breadcrumb Miller and the Front Office threw at Iso-Zo to manage his temper?
If I am handing out minutes, Trier is seeing more time. Elfrid Payton should be shut down and the keys should be handed over to Frank and DSJ to run the point. Both can get solid minutes at the 1 showing the Front Office and possibly other teams that they are capable of running a team, or at least being a solid backup.
Trier should be backing up Bullock at the 2 seeing at least 15 minutes a game. If his defense is a concern, he is not going to get any better by not guarding anyone.
The Knicks literally have nothing to lose at this point and would benefit greatly from hearing the chants of the fans, not just the SELL THE TEAM chants. I mean having the PR department read twitter comments and maybe this blog to see what actual fans want out of this team. Play the young'n's, lets have some fun. If we are losing, at least we will see what these kids are made of and if they fit the "culture" the new regime is going to try to build.
And back to my original question.Was this just a handful of mercy minutes or will Trier actually get to play more this season?
I unfortunately believe that the minutes that Trier saw last night might be the most consecutive he will see for the rest of the season. I hope I'm wrong and he shows up and shows out when given the opportunity but I worry that this was the most we will see from him this season.