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The Knicks will play their 20th game of the season at Black Friday against New Orleans, and their position as a defenseman remains an obscure dilemma.
The Knicks Merry-go-round is still spinning in the carousel and Trey Burke's spectacular tour de force has only blurred the cards.
Burke, the coach of the first day, had 24, 31, 19 and 29 points on Wednesday, when he ruined Celtics' Thanksgiving in the birthplace of his vacation.
Burke's last two daggers destroyed the Celtics 'return and the Knicks' six-game losing streak. He shot 40 of 68 during the four-game heat.
"We have a deep unity," Burke said of the compositional changes. "We just have to understand. It will not be a match, a week. It's on a course of the season. "
Steve Mills, Scott Perry and Craig Robinson are not the only ones to wonder who is the starting guardian of the present: Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay or Frank Ntilikina.
That's who – where applicable, the lottery trio – should be the next PG.
"Trey is about to ensure that staff and management have decisions to make," said an NBA staff manager.
If the Knicks do not believe in Burke for the long term, they could trade him for a competitor by the February deadline for a preliminary pick.
Regarding free will, Kemba Walker, a native of the Bronx, rips the NBA and has become a good investment as a max type playmaker this summer. Even Charlotte's owner, Michael Jordan, would have been delighted to sign Walker again, who has always dreamed of being a Knick but can earn more money by staying in Charlotte.
And as the Celtics slip says, so are the improved chances of the Knicks at Kyrie Irving.
The chemical composition of the Celtics is not the same as Gordon Hayward and Irving added to a club that, without them, had gotten a game in the NBA Finals. If the 9-9 Celtics collapse this season, Irving can easily turn around in case of premature remarks that he plans to sign again. Irving has publicly stated that the Knicks would be among the favorites if he did not stay in Boston.
"Honestly, we can not wait any longer," Irving said after the Knicks embarrassed the local team by hurrying them. "Of myself and all the others, we do not have time to wait to see if the guys will go the extra mile, including myself."
Burke dominated Irving on Wednesday, scoring 11 assists. Although Fizdale likes the rhythm and pace he has seen from Mudiay as starting for the last five games, and Burke is booming in a bench role, this may change.
Burke, just 26 years old, will be a free agent and has a modest reserve. By putting him to the bench after five games, Fizdale acted as if the choice of the 2013 lottery was not part of his future core.
Before his explosion, Burke had not played in three of the previous four games. To be honest, Burke's game has not been as dynamic as last season.
Burke spoke all week of a new state of mind. The coach felt that Burke was too deferent for rookie guard Allonzo Trier, who often had the ball in his hands and could not find the Knicks point guard in the corners.
"I talked about being part of the game, being conservative and letting the game come to me," Burke said in Boston. "That's not what I am as a player. I do not think I would do so much service to this team if I came in and that I was passive. I must be aggressive. That's what I was. That's what I am naturally. I am an aggressive leader of the attacking type. Things open up, not just for my shot – 11 assists.
"I feel like I have the ability to break a defense and get myself to paint, change defense and be open."
Knicks Brass longs for an offensive leader, but the former concern for Burke's size and inconsistent defense never seems to have dissipated. Ntilikina brings defense but not creative staging or outdoor shooting (25% of 3).
"Frank is open from 3 for a reason," said a scout from the NBA. "They must not keep it there."
Mudiay-Tim Hardaway Jr.'s starting couple earn "chemistry", according to Fizdale. But Hardaway played Michigan with Burke, one of his best friends. The couple of old Wolverines resembles at least the one who finishes.
"Knowing this kid for eight years, every time he was on the Michigan campus, I already knew what kind of mentality he had and what he brought to the table," Hardaway said. "He did not play two or three games this year, but he did not let that affect him. He took part in the competition, attacked the guys from the other side and he wanted this team to win. "
Now the question for Fizdale is what to do with Burke now and for the future.
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