Knicks Morning News (2019.06.11)

  • [Hoops Rumors] Lakers, Knicks Top Anthony Davis’ Wish List
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:24:38 PM)

    Anthony Davis is focused on joining either the Lakers or Knicks as his long-term destination, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. Davis, who can become a free agent next summer, has not formally told Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin that he has narrowed his list. Davis submitted a four-team list to the Pelicans […]

  • [Hoops Rumors] Eastern Draft Notes: Hawks, Barrett, Knicks, Pistons
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 4:53:38 PM)

    With six of the top 44 picks in the 2019 NBA draft, the Hawks have been understandably busy when it comes to bringing in prospects for pre-draft workouts. While Atlanta is unlikely to keep all six of its selections, the club is doing its due diligence on players who might be available at each spot […]

  • [Newsday] Lakers, Knicks Top Anthony Davis’ Wish List
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:24:38 PM)

    Anthony Davis is focused on joining either the Lakers or Knicks as his long-term destination, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. Davis, who can become a free agent next summer, has not formally told Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin that he has narrowed his list. Davis submitted a four-team list to the Pelicans […]

  • [Newsday] Eastern Draft Notes: Hawks, Barrett, Knicks, Pistons
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 4:53:38 PM)

    With six of the top 44 picks in the 2019 NBA draft, the Hawks have been understandably busy when it comes to bringing in prospects for pre-draft workouts. While Atlanta is unlikely to keep all six of its selections, the club is doing its due diligence on players who might be available at each spot […]

  • [Sports Illustrated] RJ Barrett on the Knicks: ‘This Is the Place I Want to Be’
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 4:49:19 PM)

    Former Duke star RJ Barrett said Monday he will not be meeting with or working out with any other teams besides the Knicks ahead of the June 20 NBA draft. 

  • [Sports Illustrated] NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis ‘Now Focused’ on Deal to Lakers, Knicks
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 1:22:45 PM)

    Anthony Davis has reportedly narrowed his focus to two teams as the Pelicans begin trade talks. 

  • [YahooSports] With Anthony Davis available, here’s how Knicks’ trade assets stack up against others
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 1:00:00 PM)

    The upcoming offseason is already being referred to as the most important in New York Knicks history, potentially carrying enough star power to turn the franchise around almost overnight. The Knicks would have to outbid several teams in order to land The Brow. There’s the No. 3 overall pick, the ability to take on a longer contract like Solomon Hill’s and whatever future picks New York is inclined to deal, including the two first-rounders they netted from the Dallas Mavericks in the Kristaps Porzingis deal.

  • [NYPost] Knicks are living Kevin Durant’s nightmare
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 9:45:57 PM)

    For now, the concern has to be for the player, even here, even in Manhattan, where so much hope — real, imaginary, virtual — has been tied up in the vision of Kevin Durant wearing an orange “35” against a classic white Knicks uniform opening night next year. Or across the East River, where lately…

  • [NYPost] RJ Barrett confesses Knicks NBA draft dream that may never happen
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 12:42:14 PM)

    RJ Barrett has enough family in New York to call it home, and wants to be a Knick. We’ll find out if they want him. After finishing an individual workout for the Knicks at MSG Training Center on Monday, Barrett, who turns 19 on Friday, said he hasn’t met with any other teams and doesn’t…

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ path to Anthony Davis just got a lot more complicated
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 11:02:47 AM)

    TORONTO — There’s now some clarity regarding both what the Pelicans want and what Anthony Davis wants. The Knicks’ chances of landing Davis, New Orleans’ superstar big man, by throwing a load of future assets at the Pelicans apparently could need a third team to get something accomplished. According to ESPN, the Pelicans’ new executive…

  • [ESPN] Barrett says Knicks only team he’s meeting with
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 5:13:06 PM)

    Former Duke star RJ Barrett made it clear he wants to be a New York Knick after working out with the team on Monday.

  • [SNY Knicks] Kevin Durant has Achilles injury and Knicks could be in trouble
    (Tuesday, June 11, 2019 2:23:56 AM)

    Kevin Durant is the Knicks’ top target in free agency this summer but his Achilles injury could disrupt things.

  • [SNY Knicks] Anthony Davis narrows trade destinations to Knicks and Lakers: report
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:18:45 PM)

    Anthony Davis is reportedly down to just two teams he wishes to be traded to, and the Knicks have made the cut.

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on Knicks free agent target Kevin Durant: Warriors fear Achilles tendon tear
    (Tuesday, June 11, 2019 12:13:29 AM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [SNY Knicks] RJ Barrett dreams of playing with Knicks amid Anthony Davis trade rumors
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:33:02 PM)

    Amid the rumors surrounding the Knicks and Anthony Davis, projected No. 3 pick RJ Barrett is excited about the chance that he could call Madison Square Garden ‘home.’

  • [SNY Knicks] R.J. Barrett after Knicks workout: ‘This is the place I want to be’
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 5:16:25 PM)

    Plain and simple: R.J. Barrett wants to be a New York Knick. The Duke standout worked out for the team on Monday, and afterward noted that The Mecca is where he wants to begin his NBA career.

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on Knicks target Anthony Davis: AD has two teams on his list
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 5:55:04 PM)

    Pelicans star Anthony Davis has requested a trade, informing the team he has no interest in re-signing. With news of Davis wanting out came reports that the Knicks have strong interest in trading for him. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [SNY Knicks] Swin Cash hired by Pelicans, adding Knicks link to potential Anthony Davis trade
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 12:52:56 PM)

    A UConn legend and former New York Liberty player in Swin Cash has reportedly secured a senior front-office position with the New Orleans Pelicans. So what does that mean for the Knicks?

  • [SNY Knicks] With Anthony Davis available, here’s how Knicks’ trade assets stack up against others
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 9:00:00 AM)

    The Knicks will be competing against the recruitment efforts of many other teams in the NBA, though they’re part of a select few targeting one specific prize: Anthony Davis.

  • [NYTimes] Kevin Durant has Achilles injury and Knicks could be in trouble
    (Tuesday, June 11, 2019 2:23:56 AM)

    Kevin Durant is the Knicks’ top target in free agency this summer but his Achilles injury could disrupt things.

  • [NYTimes] Anthony Davis narrows trade destinations to Knicks and Lakers: report
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:18:45 PM)

    Anthony Davis is reportedly down to just two teams he wishes to be traded to, and the Knicks have made the cut.

  • [NYTimes] Latest on Knicks free agent target Kevin Durant: Warriors fear Achilles tendon tear
    (Tuesday, June 11, 2019 12:13:29 AM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [NYTimes] RJ Barrett dreams of playing with Knicks amid Anthony Davis trade rumors
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 6:33:02 PM)

    Amid the rumors surrounding the Knicks and Anthony Davis, projected No. 3 pick RJ Barrett is excited about the chance that he could call Madison Square Garden ‘home.’

  • [NYTimes] R.J. Barrett after Knicks workout: ‘This is the place I want to be’
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 5:16:25 PM)

    Plain and simple: R.J. Barrett wants to be a New York Knick. The Duke standout worked out for the team on Monday, and afterward noted that The Mecca is where he wants to begin his NBA career.

  • [NYTimes] Latest on Knicks target Anthony Davis: AD has two teams on his list
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 5:55:04 PM)

    Pelicans star Anthony Davis has requested a trade, informing the team he has no interest in re-signing. With news of Davis wanting out came reports that the Knicks have strong interest in trading for him. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [NYTimes] Swin Cash hired by Pelicans, adding Knicks link to potential Anthony Davis trade
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 12:52:56 PM)

    A UConn legend and former New York Liberty player in Swin Cash has reportedly secured a senior front-office position with the New Orleans Pelicans. So what does that mean for the Knicks?

  • [NYTimes] With Anthony Davis available, here’s how Knicks’ trade assets stack up against others
    (Monday, June 10, 2019 9:00:00 AM)

    The Knicks will be competing against the recruitment efforts of many other teams in the NBA, though they’re part of a select few targeting one specific prize: Anthony Davis.

  • 111 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2019.06.11)”

    The best thing that could happen now is Durant forces the Warriors to give him the 5 year mega max contract and he slowly rehabs on their dime.

    And declines on their dime, too. They should be the ones paying $48mm for him to hobble around at age 33 after what they did.

    I know the focus is on the toronto fans but the warriors are the real villains of last night.

    An achilles tear at age 30?
    Not sure I want the Knicks to sign KD. We already knew we are getting him own the likely downside of his career.
    If this is a tear, he likely will lose a step.
    Knicks luck.

    It’s normal or at least something that happens that a player would come back from injury too soon to play in a game 5 of the finals. It’s just really sad that it happened to a great player, and tainted a great series.

    As for the Knicks their plan A was to count on a 31 year old to be the messiah. It was a crappy plan A. Now they’ll probably overpay to ged AD.

    It’s not normal for a team to be leaking news that he should be playing through the injury.

    As for the Knicks their plan A was to count on a 31 year old to be the messiah. It was a crappy plan A.

    Yeah, like when Cleveland banked on LeBron in his post 30 years. That was a terrible plan, too, right? Nothing but disappointment there.

    Feel bad for Durant. Criticized for being soft for joining the Warriors (I’ll admit I was in that bucket), won two finals MVPs but never really embraced by the fan base for anything more than his basketball. And even then some people suggested the Warriors were better without him.

    Will there be a team that gives Durant a contract? Age 30 + achilles just doesn’t make sense for anybody. What would a team friendly contract for something like that be? He is going to make $31 million if he opts in and rehabs next year. Would some team give him a 1+1 or 2+ team option? Does that get it done? Will be interesting to see what NBA teams do.

    This really sucks. Worst of all for KD, who obviously felt pressured by media etc to play.
    I really am not sure where the Knicks go at this point. Everything seemed predicated on KD coming and then building around that.

    To be honest, unless Kawhi unexpectedly decides to come to the Knicks, I would be happy doing the Atlanta Hawks-like rebuild. I do not think there are any other franchise changers available in FA, and trading the house for AD (who is a franchise changer) without another franchise changer in place seems unwise.

    The talking heads on the radio seem to think that KD will get a max offer in FA regardless of the Achilles. I’m not sure exactly where the surgical field is with Achilles ruptures nowadays, but it seems Rudy Gay and Cousins have been ok athletically. I wonder if it matters which Achilles is torn. My feeling is that R-handed players probably mostly jump off their left foot if they’re going to jump off one foot, and so perhaps a right achilles injury is less devastating for KD than a left one would be.

    It just really sucks for everyone involved. Sucks for KD, sucks for the Warriors, and it sucks for Toronto in a way also, since it’s a black cloud over the whole series. And it sucks for the knicks.

    Yeah, I think now he’ll take the max in Golden State. It makes sense for him and the team, it’s more $ for KD, and they remain the best team, even with KD in a post-tear state.

    I think last night also showed that GS is in fact dominant when fully healthy, regardless of who wins this asterisk series now. He will come back and they will still be an amazing team, just an aging one.

    KD to the Knicks never made sense anyway. Let’s do a real rebuild and then steal a guy like Giannis once we actually have a winning team. We are looking at some good draft picks coming up, especially in 2021. I trust Perry.

    It’s not normal for a team to be leaking news that he should be playing through the injury.

    It happens, players toughness is always in question. i.e. Pippen, in his time. Remember the migraine stories about him?

    Yeah, like when Cleveland banked on LeBron in his post 30 years. That was a terrible plan, too, right? Nothing but disappointment there.

    LeBron was 29 when the first season of his 2nd Cleveland tour started. Durant was going be 31. LeBron is also more durable, albeit not by much if you discount the year KD played only 27 games.

    The other possibility is to sign KD to a max (with significant safeguards/opt-outs?), let him rehab for a full year, then tank next year also. We’d have another lottery pick, then possibly AD in FA (although I am sure NO will trade him to prevent losing him for nothing).
    I just don’t see KD signing onto a team that doesn’t have anyone else though.

    There goes 2020? What a blow. At least he’s not on our books. Does that take us to AD? We can’t mortgage the future. So upsetting. Do we sign KD and sit him? Comeback at 31? Does he get the super max from GS? I doubt it. Does this mean a discount? So bad.

    LeBron was 29 for 2 months when he started his 2nd tour. That was his age 30 season. They got his age 30, 31, 32, and 33 seasons.

    Durant turns 31 in September. We would have gotten his age 31, 32, 33, and 34 seasons. Yes, Cleveland got one better year, but it’s ridiculous to say adding Durant was a crappy plan to begin with.

    I think the only way Durant gets a max is if he uses public pressure on the warriors for the appalling way they handled him. They might feel the need to do it just so players don’t stay away from them going forward. That’s the kind of thing players and agents never forget.

    The potential silver lining is maybe he really does want to come here so much for other reasons (like building his media company, which he can work on while he’s rehabbing) and he can’t get a max and we can get him at something of a discount that enables us to tank again this year, build some equity, develop the kids more, and hope that he comes back ok the following year on a contract he can outperform.

    It is really mind-boggingly. I have no idea what their plan is now. None. I thiiiiiiiiiiiink they still sign him, but then if they do that, then they can’t sign any other max free agent, right? Or trade for AD. It wouldn’t make any sense.

    Frank mentioned it above, but AD to the Knicks works a hell of a lot better for us if we sign him next year instead of trading for him. Here’s hoping we don’t sign KD this year tho.

    Yeah, and I think a lot of teams will be emboldened by Masai’s trade for Kawhi and be willing to trade for one year of AD. Our best case scenario is that someone like Portland decides to go all in and offers a good package around McCollum. Or the Celtics make the trade and he doesn’t like it there.

    Here’s hoping we don’t sign KD this year tho.

    There’s a non max level at which you’d still do it, though, right?

    KD at 3 years, $90mm, with a player option after year 2. Isn’t that worth the risk? What are we really risking, anyway? The ability to sign max free agents? He’s the only one who ever wanted to come here. We give up the ability to rent cap space, and that’s significant. But we never do that anyway.

    it’s ridiculous to say adding Durant was a crappy plan to begin with

    I’m pretty sure players in their decline phase get injured more often then in their peek years and their recovery takes longer. So that one+ year is significant.

    Ian Begley’s latest post at SNY says it’s unlikely the Knicks pursue an AD trade unless they somehow land Kawhi. Does not seem he think it’s likely the Knicks pursue Durant now that he has this injury.

    Man this just sucks for everyone.

    RJ Barrett seems by far the most likely outcome now. If you’re not going to sign an alpha in FA then you will need to draft an alpha.

    This is ok for me.
    Question is what we do now with all the cap space. There are a lot of bad contracts out there that we could take on for a year.

    Parsons and Whiteside both expire next year.
    Batum has a PO for 2020-21 — could probably get very significant assets for that contract especially if they’re planning on supermaxing Kemba. I would consider Biyombo + Batum for 2 unprotected 1sts + Miles Bridges. We’d be taking on $46MM in contracts which would leave Charlotte with almost 20MM in cap space even after maxing Kemba. And we would still have >$20MM in space ourselves.

    I’m skeptical that this team is going to patiently roll over the cap space, absorb bad contracts and acquire assets. I hope that’s what happens, because slowly and patiently building a home grown winner is not a bad consolation prize to the instant gratification that would have come with signing a healthy KD.

    I won’t be surprised if the Knicks just sign KD anyway, and I won’t be surprised if they spend the cap space on lesser free agents. If they do the right thing and try to collect assets, that’s the thing that will surprise me.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Assuming it’s a tear, this is obviously horrible news for Durant and basketball in general.

    However, if you put emotions aside, it’s not necessarily bad news for the Knicks. The only reason we should have been on board with signing him was because it was “Kevin freaking Durant”. I still wasn’t 100% sold on this direction despite who it was. Virtually any other player would have been a mistake.

    We just spent several years tanking trying to rebuild.

    Durant will 31 at the start of next season.

    We were going to get the downside of his career, have a very short window, and be exposed to injuries like these no matter what. This wasn’t even his first calf injury.

    This was NOT a Knicksy outcome. It may have been a gift from God. A Knicksy outcome would have been him coming back, playing well, winning another championship, choosing NY, and then going down next year.

    I’m not sure what their plans will be now, but I’d be fine with selectively adding good young players in free agency and via trade and continuing on the same long term path.

    Question is what we do now with all the cap space.

    That’s why I think it still makes sense to sign Durant *if* you can get him at the rate I described above.

    If I were Durant I would damn sure pressure the warriors to give me the 5 year mega max that everyone knows they would have extended him anyway. They’d look like dicks if they don’t. And there’s no way I’m taking that player option if they refuse to do that.

    And there’s no way I’m taking that player option if they refuse to do that.

    Why wouldn’t you? You get to rehab on their dime and make a lot of money for not playing. And then some other team can pay you when you’re ready to play again the following year.

    Why wouldn’t you? You get to rehab on their dime and make a lot of money for not playing. And then some other team can pay you when you’re ready to play again the following year.

    Because someone else will offer you a lot more guaranteed money than that 1 year player option.
    What if he rehabs and he’s obviously no longer the same player? If I’m KD I ask for multiple guaranteed years. Question is whether someone will give that to him.

    It doesn’t really matter at this point, but maybe this wouldn’t have happened if KD wasn’t so obsessed with internet hot take culture himself, and didn’t care about whatever dumb ruff rydah narrative was being peddled by moron columnists. It’s water under the bridge now, but KD is no doubt sitting in his bed right now wishing he would have let those ingrates just lose without him.

    Why wouldn’t you? You get to rehab on their dime and make a lot of money for not playing.

    What Frank said.

    The one year option carries the most risk for Durant. He should be able to put that risk to another team, most likely either he Knicks or Warriors.

    And I think the warriors would have a hard time swallowing the PR hit if they didn’t take care of him.

    It doesn’t really matter at this point, but maybe this wouldn’t have happened if KD wasn’t so obsessed with internet hot take culture himself, and didn’t care about whatever dumb ruff rydah narrative was being peddled by moron columnists. It’s water under the bridge now, but KD is no doubt sitting in his bed right now wishing he would have let those ingrates just lose without him.

    I think the man just wanted to win. I know that shit annoys him, but if I had to guess, 99%, maybe even 100%, of the reason he came back was because you only have a short window of being the best player on the planet and he was desperate to play in these finals for himself. He’s a competitor and we wanted to go at these guys. I honestly think he would have risked it if it was an empty gym and there was no internet. That’s how these guys are.

    It was up to the organization and the training staff to hold
    him back, if there was reason to.

    At some level the media also has to stop with this suggestive reporting that a player is ready to play but just won’t. The number of dudes in the freaking NBA that just won’t play in the freaking NBA finals because of spite or whatever reason other than the actual injury has to be fewer than the number of thumbs I have typing right now (2). Why do they even bother with these innuendo stories? All it does is cause problems.

    He’s a competitor and we wanted to go at these guys. I honestly think he would have risked it if it was an empty gym and there was no internet. That’s how these guys are.

    Well, Kawhi sort of did the opposite at the end of his tenure in San Antonio: he didn’t let the Spurs get involved in his rehabbing decision and instead rehabbed his quad under the supervision of his own advisors. He recognized the conflict of interest. When the fans started to turn on him, his reaction was “tough titties.”

    This isn’t exactly the same situation because there is an NBA Finals happening, and time is of the essence. But this screams “conflict of interest.” The Warriors’ medical team is probably not going to be urging utmost caution considering their window is small and KD might not be a long-term asset.

    One of the worst cases I’ve ever seen of that was when Isola was shaming Jeremy Lin for not coming back in the playoffs when he was “85%” recovered from his injury.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    I’m no medical expert, but it’s probably safe to assume the achilles injury and calf injury are related. However, that does NOT mean playing in a game and the achilles injury are necessarily related. He was medically cleared to practice after a month of rehab. If you look at the game move that caused the injury, it was not especially tough. He was making tougher moves than that in pre game warm ups. He was almost certainly making way tougher moves than that in his rehab practice too. It’s at least reasonable to think that even though this injury occurred in the game, it was a totally freak accident that could have just as easily occurred in rehab practice had he chosen not to play.

    Yeah, and I think a lot of teams will be emboldened by Masai’s trade for Kawhi and be willing to trade for one year of AD. Our best case scenario is that someone like Portland decides to go all in and offers a good package around McCollum. Or the Celtics make the trade and he doesn’t like it there.

    I think AD will end up in Houston, Philly, or OKC all of whom would sell the farm on future 1st-round picks to win now and can offer proven commodities (Capela, Steven Adams, etc.). I think that David Griffin is less interest in packages around RJ Barrett and (sorry) Mitch Robinson or Brandon Ingram and Jarrett Culver.

    If Kyrie leaves Boston, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to give up guys like Tatum and Brown for a 1-year rental. Anthony Davis won’t stay in the PNW just to play with Lillard, me thinks.

    If the plan is to sign KD anyhow, run the kids out there and probably lose a bunch for another season, then sign AD in 2020 plus have another good draft pick, that would not be the worst plan the Knicks have ever had.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Sign a 31 year old Durant now anyway?

    Hold on, I have Amare’s number. Let’s see if he’s willing to come out of retirement to join him.

    Yeah, Kawhi made a very tough, very bold decision, and I applaud him for it.

    But his team wasn’t in the middle of the NBA finals. That was a 47 win team seeded 7th in the west with a dominant Warriors team in a year that he had completely sat out.

    Durant’s in the middle of the best run of his life, he’s the two time defending finals MVP, he’s been part of this team all year, he’s only been out a few weeks, and the opportunity in front of him is *extremely* hard to walk away from. I get that it seems almost the same, but I think when you drill down into it, it’s almost two completely different scenarios.

    EDIT: pardon me for writing this before reading your second paragraph.

    One of the worst cases I’ve ever seen of that was when Isola was shaming Jeremy Lin for not coming back in the playoffs when he was “85%” recovered from his injury.

    I stopped paying attention at “Isola.”

    If the plan is to sign KD anyhow, run the kids out there and probably lose a bunch for another season, then sign AD in 2020 plus have another good draft pick, that would not be the worst plan the Knicks have ever had.

    It’s arguably the best plan the Knicks have ever had.

    As long as you get KD’s AAV low enough to bring in AD. If you pay for his rehab and give him a player option year as insurance, that should be enough compensation to get the discount off the max.

    It’s at least reasonable to think that even though this injury occurred in the game, it’s also a totally freak accident that could have just as easily occurred in rehab practice had he chosen not to play.

    Nah. If you’re in rehab practice you’re probably being VERY cautious in your athletic movements. In a high-pressure elimination game, you can’t really do that. Of course the Achilles injury is related to the calf injury. Your other body parts have to compensate for your bum calf.

    They mishandled him, and there’s just no way around that. If he was signed for another three years they would probably not have sent him out there, they would have exercised more caution.

    Durant played 12 of the game’s first 14 minutes. That doesn’t seem like super responsible. Were they going to play him 40+ minutes in this game? Probably.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Nah. If you’re in rehab practice you’re probably being VERY cautious in your athletic movements.

    I understand what you are saying, but in this case I disagree.

    The move that caused the injury was not stressful at all. It was less than what he was doing repeatedly in warmups. So it was certainly less than what he normally does in the practices and scrimmages he was medically cleared to do. If this were mid season he still would have been medically cleared to practice. He just would have come back to games slower to avoid the kind of really stressful moves that occur in games (which this wasn’t) . This was a related but freak accident.

    They mishandled him, and there’s just no way around that. If he was signed for another three years they would probably not have sent him out there, they would have exercised more caution.

    Oof. I hope that it’s not that sinister. Did you watch Myers at the press conference?

    I have a question. Tobias Harris is a name that is thrown out here a lot as a worst case scenario this summer. Why is that?

    He’s 26 and so his “max” would not be as high as Kemba or Butler or Durant, etc. And he’s a pretty damn good basketball player who’s age fits in nicely with our younger players. Is it Hardaway 2.0 to sign him? Is it the idea of signing him and another non superstar player that’s bad or would signing just Harris alone be ok with people? Just curious.

    It’s at least reasonable to think that even though this injury occurred in the game, it’s also a totally freak accident that could have just as easily occurred in rehab practice had he chosen not to play.

    If he wasn’t being pressured to play, he almost certainly would’ve been ramping up basketball activities on a far less aggressive timetable. The way the Warriors handled this situation honestly disgusts me–it’s the kind of thing I’d have a very hard time reconciling my fandom with if I was a Warriors fan.

    Durant on a 2 + 1 deal still makes plenty of sense for the Knicks, but who the hell knows how his thinking has changed since last night. I will be content if they just don’t do stupid stuff.

    I just don’t think Harris moves the needle enough to justify how much cap space he would take up, even at the lower max. Yes, the Clippers showed that you can at least temporarily build a playoff-caliber team with him as your best player, but he was a lot cheaper at the time and they also had more talent around him than the Knicks would. Harris on a max as your best player puts you on the hamster wheel battling for the 7th or 8th seed.

    I’m going to choose to believe everyone had the right intentions in putting him on the floor. KD wanted to play. His teammates wanted him to play. The trainers and medical staff thought he was ready to go. It was just a bad outcome.

    The only people that didn’t have the right intentions were the media members who wrote these stories, quoting anonymous players questioning whether he really wanted to come back. These stories are just clickbait, and nothing else. Of course everyone wants him to come back, but when they frame these stories like they do, it inevitably ends up causing undue pressure on the player and medical staff to clear him. I’m not saying that anything different would have happened if these stories weren’t out there, but they certainly didn’t help.

    I think these writers who write these things should think about what they would do in the same situation – if they were ill but looked mostly ok on the surface. If they had cancer and were undergoing chemotherapy but their hair hadn’t fallen out. Hey Kawakami, how come you’re not at the Finals busting your butt? Are you just milking that “cancer” diagnosis? Just because an anonymous player on the team says “why isn’t KD back” doesn’t mean you have to write that article.

    The sports media industry can just make a self-policing decision — we are just not going to write these stories anymore. It’s a completely different field / degree of magnitude, but it’s like how reporters won’t identify victims of sexual assault. There’s no law saying they can’t do it, they just choose not to.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    They probably have way more space than they can use effectively on players now. Assuming no miracle developments, they should look to sign or trade (the Dallas picks?) for some good players in their 20s, rent out cap space, and give out short term contracts to roll the space over depending on what is available at what price.

    It’s a shame this season turned out like it did.

    I’d be in a better mood if we were going into next year adding KP, Barrett and whoever else we added into less space to the upsides of Robinson, Knox, Dotson, Frank etc.. But with no KP and probably less useful space, it feels like we lost a couple of years.

    I’d be in a better mood if we were going into next year adding KP, Barrett and whoever else we added into less space to the upsides of Robinson, Knox, Dotson, Frank etc.. But with no KP and probably less useful space, it feels like we lost a couple of years.

    Still, we did the best we could do, I guess.

    KP is an overrated, inefficient chucker who has a crummy attitude, wilts in December of every season, doesn’t rebound, is injury prone and is about to be way overpaid.

    Talk about dodging a bullet.

    They probably have way more space than they can use effectively on players now. Assuming no miracle developments, they should look to sign or trade (the Dallas picks?) for some good players in their 20s, rent out cap space, and give out short term contracts to roll the space over depending on what is available at what price.

    Names, Strat. Who are these productive players in their 20s who are willing to sign here and wouldn’t just rack up marginal wins? This team has a 17 win core. If you want to be optimistic about development, let’s say that gets up to 25 next season. What free agents, besides the obvious ones about whom we all agree, would get this team to a place that’s worth surrendering the flexibility to take on bad contracts for assets?

    I’d be in a better mood if we were going into next year adding KP, Barrett and whoever else we added into less space to the upsides of Robinson, Knox, Dotson, Frank etc.. But with no KP and probably less useful space, it feels like we lost a couple of years.

    After everything that has come out about Porzingis it boggles my mind that there are still people thinking “I’m so sad we couldn’t pay this guy $31M AAV.” He has yet to be all that productive in general, he has yet to prove he can be even remotely productive after November, he has yet to prove he can stay healthy for extended periods of time, and he has yet to prove he isn’t a fuckin’ asshole. Now there’s a contract that would’ve been Knicksy as hell.

    KD at 3 years, $90mm, with a player option after year 2. Isn’t that worth the risk?

    Assuming it’s a tear, I don’t particularly want to, no. That deal could easily backfire. I’d want relatively low guaranteed money in years 2&3 and I’m doubtful about being able to get significant injury protections. I don’t think Perry takes that risk. But as DRed wrote above, that plus adding AD in 2020 isn’t the worst plan. Longshot though, a lot can happen between now and then.

    By the way, I’m still holding out a little hope that KD’s injury isn’t quite as bad as it seems. For instance, I think Kobe’s injury was worse. It’s a ruptured Achilles, which is terrible, but it might not be a full rupture like Kobe’s.

    I for one am looking forward to running out Vucevic and Boogie as an unstoppable low post duo making a combined $60 million next year. Who needs Durant?!

    If the plan is to sign KD anyhow, run the kids out there and probably lose a bunch for another season, then sign AD in 2020 plus have another good draft pick, that would not be the worst plan the Knicks have ever had.

    The problem with that plan is AD will very likely be on another team by 2o2o. There’s no way Griffin lets his contract run out.

    I believe DRed is working under the assumption that AD will be traded to a team where he won’t commit to signing there longterm. Like the Raptors with Kawhi.

    By the way, how in the world is anyone bringing up LaPhonso fucking Ellis up in discussions of torn Achilles? How could you possibly compare injuries from 25 years ago to injuries now? They obviously do a much better job nowadays.

    Yeah, exactly. He’s the same shitty player he was before. He didn’t get worse. This isn’t the death knell that it used to be.

    It’s not a death knell for his career. But it still introduces serious risk to a long term contract that would have held relatively little risk before.

    Durant was likely to be a $40m-level player next year, with gradual declines for the each of the remaining three years. Now he’s going to be worth $5m next year, and anywhere from $10-35m the year after that.

    Well, I still think we make a pitch to Kawhi, even though it’s a long shot. And I honestly think Kyrie is still in play. Brooklyn just isn’t that good, particularly since Kyrie and DLo are duplicative. Kyrie and Kawhi might be a better fit together anyway.

    I wonder if we’d still make an AD trade before the draft? You’d think no, but “a bird in the hand,” etc. A rent-a-team like Boston that isn’t hoping for a big free agent signing seems like the best candidate — and Boston could make the trade AD now to try and keep Kyrie around.

    I think now we’re seeing the backlash to players demanding trades, especially to specific locations: It often bankrupts the teams they want to join and causes everyone to wonder if the trade was worth it. I think in the future, players will stay mum about their plans and just relocate when they are free agents.

    Home court advantage isn’t what it used to be in this series with each team winning twice on the opponent’s floor. That’s unusual especially how it sets up for game 6 and 7 if necessary. I don’t see how Golden State will have enough in the tank to win 2 more, but that’s why they actually play the games.

    You have to feel badly for Durant, he was put in a no win situation, came back to play under pressure, and then it all went south. Finally a star apparently wants to come to the Knicks and then suffers a devastating Achilles injury. That’s about as screwed up an outcome as you could dream up. We Knicks fans were put on earth to suffer…….and then suffer some more.

    The icing on the cake will be when the fucking Lakers trade for AD and sign Kyrie Irving just because they are the Lakers and everything works put perfectly for them.

    This is pretty fascinating:

    This medical staff is a new one by league standards. The Warriors have undergone significant changes to their medical staff in recent seasons, which is a bit unusual for a dynasty. Celebrini, a highly-regarded physiotherapist from MLS circles, replaced Chelsea Lane as the director of sports medicine last year. Lane left the Warriors last summer to lead the Atlanta Hawks’ medical staff. Before Lane, the team parted ways with its former director of sports medicine, Lachlan Penfold, after just one season. Keke Lyles, who helped the Warriors with the 2015 NBA Finals as the team’s director of player performance, left that summer to join the Hawks in a similar position.

    That’s a lot of new faces. And a lot of winning, nonetheless.

    Does anyone have any idea how long or how well respected the Knicks’ medical staff is? The hospital / surgeons are from HSS which is widely recognized as the best orthopedic hospital in the country, but I’m not sure about the people that actually work for the team.

    Marvin Williams just opted in for his $15MM player option for next year.
    Biyombo + Williams would be nice to take on to get some picks and/ or Miles Bridges.

    Uh, guys, I thought about it some more and I think I found a good comparison for a post achilles tear KD: it has to be 30-something Dirk, right?

    Sad to see KD get hurt. But, if the Knicks cannot land Kawhi, then I really really really really hope they “trust the process.” Rent that cap space!

    BTW, when I think of a pro franchise botching a player injury situation, I think Mets. Year after year that team has no clue. This year, see: Nimmo, Brandon, and now Cano, Robinson.

    The only people that didn’t have the right intentions were the media members who wrote these stories, quoting anonymous players questioning whether he really wanted to come back. These stories are just clickbait, and nothing else.

    A lot of those takes were terrible, but the Sam Amick story wasn’t a hot take. That was actual reporting of news that the Warriors wanted made public, presumably to pressure Durant into risking his health for them.

    That deal could easily backfire.

    It definitely could, but I’m wondering what the opportunity cost is.

    If Kawhi wants to come here, then yeah you don’t do that. But if it’s that or signing Jimmy Butler and Khris Middleton, I’d rather take the chance on Durant.

    Even if it backfires, we’re not in a terrible position.

    Next year is another year of rebuilding. That’s good. Young players get to develop, we don’t have to give up on 19 year olds.

    It puts us in a great position to add a second max player in 2020. That’s good.

    If we can’t sign AD then, we’re in a great position to trade for the next great disgruntled star in 2020 with all our young kids and picks. That’s good.

    Now the risk is he flames out in the second year. Well, that risk is capped at one more season.

    Seems like reasonable risk management.

    Also, I may be in the minority, but I’m interested in seeing these kids play next year.

    I love the potential of a Barrett-Knox-Mitch frontline. I’m kind of intrigued to see a Smith-Frank backcourt, too. Being with two primary ballhandlers like Smith and Barrett *might* get the best out of Frank, whatever his best is.

    Give me all that and an extra lottery pick while Durant is rehabbing and I’m pretty happy . Gives us more time to assess who is worth keeping around. And it precludes us from doing something stupid, like maxing someone not worth it.

    On the other hand, there has been zero evidence — either in college or the pros — that either DSJ or Knox will ever be good at basketball. You might as well put Frank in that category too. I don’t think it’s a huge risk to trade them all for AD. Even Barrett remains a question mark. We should definitely keep Mitch, though. If we can do the trade and keep 1. all our own picks and 2. Mitch, I would do it. AD is only 25.

    I just think it’s because NYC has the best doctors in the world (they just don’t work for the Knicks).

    Wow, according to S.I., Memphis has definitely not decided on their pick yet. That would be an interesting turn of events, huh?

    @43. I think the issue is that some ‘max’ players produce at WAY above what they’re paid and others just at around that level. If you have one or two of the first kind and one of the third coming up due for an extension it might be ok to max him (I guess this is what the Wiz thought when they maxed Porter). But if you’re signing an FA to be your top dog you need it to be someone in the former category. I’m a vacuum I personally don’t think Harris at 30m is terrible ‘value’ and it’s definitely what it’s going to cost to get him. But can we afford to pay him that to be our best player? Personally I’d say no…

    Also keep in mind we have so much cap space we can pay for Durant’s rehab year *and* rent out $30-$40mm for picks and players. How much cap space can you rent?

    I’d do it, as long as it was no more than a 3 year commitment and it was for under the max. I would probably even do 3 years, $105mm, player option after 2 years, structure the contract so we get the maximum salary drop in year 2 to have more cap space in 2020, and take the risk.

    What are we *really* risking? The chance to maybe sign Giannis in 2021? If he blows up and we’re bad for the next 3 years. I can handle that. We’d be bad anyway.

    We can’t ignore the fact that the only reason people are talking about us as a destination is him. It’s not like Kawhi Leonard or Kyrie Irving would join this shit show on their own.

    There needs to be some outside the box thinking now.

    I don’t know who the Grizz are going to draft but if there is a large difference in Morant and Barret in the Knick’s mind, absorbing Chandler’ Parson’s 25M saving the small marker Grizz a bundle this year (and then they can say liked Barrett better anyway like Mr Shark Tank) for a pick swap ?

    Maybe Miami would love to dump Whiteside, Dragic and Ryan Anderson’s 61 million for the #13 pick and Bam Adebayo to open up 45 ish million in cap space today?

    I’m just spit-balling but there are possibilities to use the space to improve the roster while preserving the space for next year. Just tell KD to rehab on GS’s dime and AD not to sign an extension 🙂

    BobNeptune, that is exactly why Memphis is suddenly floating this bullshit rumor the day after the Knicks stupidly had a public love-in with RJ.

    Memphis is taking Morant and we should give them nothing to move up.

    I just think it’s because NYC has the best doctors in the world (they just don’t work for the Knicks).

    Or maybe he wants his precise information to be in other hands than GS???

    I would not trade 2/3 of the team for Davis. Best case would be him, Kyrie, and pretty much nothing else. it’s not enough. I’d prefer to take the risk of going somewhere else for a year and maybe being an FA next year. If LA or Bos deals for him now and signs him long term, that’s fine.

    BobNeptune, that is exactly why Memphis is suddenly floating this bullshit rumor the day after the Knicks stupidly had a public love-in with RJ.

    Memphis is taking Morant and we should give them nothing to move up.

    Just curious as to the logic of if the Knick’s FO thinks (like most here) there is a big drop from Morant to Barrett…. they why should we not consider giving them anything to move up? Ego? Seriously, I don’t get the logic.

    Seriously there is a myriad of options that have opened up for the Knicks. The “silver lining ” sez hai…..possibilities abound….

    I would lowball the Pels: Knox, DSJ, Frank, and the 2 Mavs picks for AD. The only problem is making the money match. Does Hezonja have a team option? Is a deal where we don’t ship everyone out even possible?

    why bother low balling them though? so they can say no? the haul you offered is pretty much what we got for KD (except you want to offer knox in frank, where from dallas we got rid of our bad deals). NO would never do that deal. I think that deal, plus Barrett, plus our 1 next year instead of one of the dallas ones ….maybe?

    I think you mean KP, but yeah, offering any more than that bankrupts the organization and pretty much makes it impossible to field a decent team around AD during his prime years, so why do it unless it’s a reasonable return? Maybe we can throw in one of our 1st in like, 2022? We could use RJ instead of DSJ in the trade if it’s after he’s signed to a contract.

    Maybe something like Knox, Frank, and a 2022 pick for “All Star X”, and then you include that player with RJ and the 2 Dallas picks? But who would do that first trade?

    Shit. This is now the tenth thing that has happened that underscored how unnecessery it was to waive Joakim Noah before we had to. Could have just eaten that final year now.

    On the plus side, we could find ourselves in position to extract an asset from Dallas for taking Courtney Lee back. That would be rich.

    they why should we not consider giving them anything to move up? Ego? Seriously, I don’t get the logic.

    Ok, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant the Knicks should trade up to get Barrett bc they’re afraid of him going 2nd.

    Shit. This is now the tenth thing that has happened that underscored how unnecessery it was to waive Joakim Noah before we had to. Could have just eaten that final year now.

    I wasn’t going to bring it up, but now that you have….yeah. 😉

    Only way the numbers work with AD is trading almost all our guys or only signing 1 max contract. Might also work if we sign a non-KD FA as he makes a bigger max.

    I think with KDs injury it may be better to sign KD & DeAndre Jordan this year. Then just sign AD as a FA next year. We don’t get Kyrie, but I wouldn’t be super broken up about it.

    Bol Bol is holding a workout for “select” teams Wednesday so he must be pretty close to ready to go…….

    But Noah was destroying our locker room and being a bad influence for the 20% of the roster who will actually remain on the Knicks for next season!

    I think the safest course of action right now is to gauge Leonard’s interest after the finals, then lowball the Pelicans with a starting offer to see where it goes. The Lakers will probably offer everything they have, since they should be desperately trying to avoid another wasted Lebron year, and if they drive the price up too much we should be out of the talks. Then pick Barrett or trade down if it’s a good offer and wait on Leonard’s decision, if he comes then chase Irving and Walker, if he doesn’t, keep the young guys and stay bad for another year, rent cap space and acquire more picks.

    Idk, maxing KD and then renting out the rest of the cap space for picks while he heals could be sort of genius. A lot of KDs game is shooting-based anyway, and he’ll still be good at that unlike Amare whose game was all about athleticism…

    Idk, maxing KD and then renting out the rest of the cap space for picks while he heals could be sort of genius. A lot of KDs game is shooting-based anyway, and he’ll still be good at that unlike Amare whose game was all about athleticism…

    I’m fine with this plan, as well. It’s kind of nuts to have to tank yet another season, but better than the alternatives.

    Cavs friendnof kine has an interesting idea, but not sure if it works with the

    “Read about an interesting idea – Cavs give up Love and 5th, get Frank N and 3rd from Knicks. Knicks send Love, D Smith, Knox and a couple of first round picks (Dallas and/or their own). “

    Idea is griffin would be ok getting love and trading with his protege in Cleveland. But I have a hard time believing anybody wants to take ages 31-34 of Kevin love.

    I have a question. Tobias Harris is a name that is thrown out here a lot as a worst case scenario this summer. Why is that?

    He’s 26 and so his “max” would not be as high as Kemba or Butler or Durant, etc. And he’s a pretty damn good basketball player who’s age fits in nicely with our younger players. Is it Hardaway 2.0 to sign him? Is it the idea of signing him and another non superstar player that’s bad or would signing just Harris alone be ok with people? Just curious.

    Because he’s not that good. He’s good if you think that every player who puts on the blue and orange become immediately better, but… we’re not that kind of fan, are we? ; )

    It is kind of curious why KD is having his MRI in NY today

    What’s more likely: that NYC has, like many of its other amenities, the highest concentration of elite surgeons and consultants in the Western hemisphere, or that it’s some kind of tell that he really, really wants to be in NY so badly that he’d fly with a major leg injury just to breathe in the hot, humid NYC piss smell while he hobbles into the doctor’s office?

    It’s not a death knell for his career. But it still introduces serious risk to a long term contract that would have held relatively little risk before.

    It was a risky contract before the injury. Signing a 31-year-old max player while you have a 17-win core is a major risk, no buts about it. For the Warriors, it wouldn’t be risky — you have no cap space whether you re-sign Durant or not, so of course you throw every available dollar at him if your goal is to field a competitive basketball team.

    This board was real optimistic about the prospect of paying Durant $45M in his age-35 season, and in this very thread, we received LeBron James as the counterpoint to the “too risky” argument. If there’s any player to be held up as an example of normalcy, it’s LBJ.

    I vote to stay away from Durant. There’s no way the warriors aren’t offering him the absolute max they can, specially with all this talk of them rushing him or mishandling it. That means that there’s no chance he accepts a different contract structure or anything with injury failsafes etc, specially since even before this injury he has said that he is in it to get the most money he can get.

    Simply offering a 4 year max to post Achilles injury 31 years old KD is simply not a good idea. There’s way too much risk to consider it, and if it backfires it could be catastrophic, Amare levels of we’re stuck with this dude forever clogging our cap for nothing.

    The focus should be entirely on Leonard, and then see what happens from there. Don’t give away max contracts to anyone unless Leonard is coming, or maaaaybe Kyrie + Anthony Davis if the trade price isn’t too high for AD.

    Yeah the whole idea of signing Durant was that we’d be instant contenders, he’d have the gravity to lure a second star and we’d be off and running. Now he’s probably not suiting up until what, like fall 2020? The whole concept of him coming here just crumbled to dust.

    I’d say there’s a very good chance the Knicks sign him anyway, based on the literal decades of poor decision making we have just witnessed. It would not surprise me at all to see this. I’m fully expecting it actually.

    If Durant’s not coming (and I’d say there’s still a decent chance he is thanks to Dolan) I’d look to swap the three for multiple picks and load up on youth. Even if he is coming renting out that second max slot for picks and playing a bunch of 25 and under guys while tanking seems like the best play. If the Knicks come out of next season with another top five pick, hopefully some decent young talent, and a fistful of first round picks while keeping their cap clear they should be in pretty good shape.

    and in this very thread, we received LeBron James as the counterpoint to the “too risky”

    Did we? Or are you making shit up again.

    The amazing part is that actually used quotes for the words you made up. That’s literally the opposite of what quotes are for.

    LeBron James was brought up as a counterpoint to the idea signing Kevin Durant was “a crappy Plan A”. That’s the quote. Sorry, but signing arguably the best player on the planet is *never* a crappy plan A. It can be too risky, but those are two entirely different arguments.

    This board was real optimistic about the prospect of paying Durant $45M in his age-35 season

    This is also incorrect. We can only offer Durant 4 years. Those would be his age 31, 32, 33, and 34 seasons. He wouldn’t turn 35 until the September after his contract ended.

    There’s no way the warriors aren’t offering him the absolute max they can, specially with all this talk of them rushing him or mishandling it.

    If this is true I agree with all of the rest of your post.

    If it isn’t true, I don’t think anyone would offer the max and there might not be many teams willing to go past 1+1.

    It all depends on the warriors. I’m not as convinced as you that they will do the right thing by Durant. I mean, it’s a *terrible* idea to give him a five year mega max now. They’d have to *really* feel pressured.

    For whatever it is worth, David Aldridge says that the Knicks (and other teams) are still willing to max Durant out.

    They don’t need to give him a megamax. They just have to give him better than the max everyone else can, which is the extra year of max level before he gets dumped off. The fifth year is the advantage in this situation. 4 years max and then your next contract starts at 13 million vs one more year at 40 million prior to your next contract being lower.

    This is all speculation until we know the extent of the injury, but hey, Dominique Wilkins came back nicely after his Achilles tear… it’s not impossible. Durant could age nicely up to 35 even if he’s no longer a “high flier.” There’s a lot of flexibility in his game.

    He would actually be an amazing fit next to Zion. Too bad that didn’t happen.

    Also, I know it’s Berman, but he’s saying the Knicks have the least attractive package of young players among the teams vying for AD. I believe that. It would take a trade for an all-star type + Barrett + 2 picks to even contend. So yeah, it would mean gutting the team and us losing this year’s pick.

    Some names that could maybe get it done: Beal, Gordon, Valanciunas, Whiteside… there aren’t many.

    So basically an AD trade is very unlikely. A trade to the Celtics before the draft (so they can try to keep Kyrie) seems most likely.

    My point is more that the Warriors have nothing to lose re-signing Durant. They are capped anyway and will be forever capped with Klay and Draymond’s new contracts, they have no room to replace Durant with anyone. Even if he’s damaged goods, they might as well keep him to see if he ever recovers. Durant only leaves if he wants to, in my opinion, and obviously it’s possible he wants to, but if he’s sticking to what he said, about maximizing the money he’s getting, then the logical play is to simply stay.

    My point is more that the Warriors have nothing to lose re-signing Durant. They are capped anyway and will be forever capped with Klay and Draymond’s new contracts, they have no room to replace Durant with anyone. Even if he’s damaged goods, they might as well keep him to see if he ever recovers. Durant only leaves if he wants to, in my opinion, and obviously it’s possible he wants to, but if he’s sticking to what he said, about maximizing the money he’s getting, then the logical play is to simply stay.

    100% agree with this.

    Draymond is kind of a dick and the fanbase in the Bay Area hasn’t really embraced KD as one of their own. I think he might not want to sign up for staying there for the rest of his career. Pre-injury, I think he was halfway out the door already.

    One way he could go is to opt in, then pull a Kawhi, and have his own people take care of his rehab, and go about it very conservatively. Basically take the whole year off, and keep saying “nah, I’m not healthy enough to go, we all remember what happened last time.” Sit out the whole year, which is probably the prudent thing to do anyway. Then hit free agency in 2020.

    He owes Golden State nothing. He’d still get a mega max in 2020.

    If he has a tear he won’t be playing next season regardless. That wouldn’t be a bad option for him. Maybe he comes back for next year’s playoffs. That might be a good idea for him. Showcase during the playoffs that he’s still the best scorer in the league and then bolt.

    Yeah, if he’s confident that he will return playing well, that’s the right move. Even by reputation alone he’ll probably get a max offer in 2020 anyway, so if he wants to bet on himself it makes a whole lot of sense, as he gets another year to consider his options and rehab with no pressure.

    Some data with achilles tendon injuries:

    According to a 2013 research paper published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, seven of the 18 NBA players (38.9%) who sustained major Achilles injuries between 1988 and 2011 did not come back to the league. Those who did return missed an average of 55.9 games the rest of their career, with only eight of the 11 playing a second season.

    The few who did stick in the NBA for a while saw their playing time and production dip. ESPN’s SCHOENE projection system, which accounts for age and other factors besides injury that could affect someone’s performance, found that players coming off torn Achilles tendons have performed about 8% worse than projected.

    However, there are reasons for optimism. Medical advances over the past decade have upped players’ chances of a successful recovery. Spurs forward Rudy Gay, for example, has enjoyed two of his most efficient seasons since suffering a torn Achilles in January 2017.

    a few other notes:

    Cousin’s re-hab time…. 357 days
    Kobe’s rehab time….. 240 days
    Dominique’s rehab time… 9 months.

    With KD’s lithe build it is perfectly reasonable he is back playing mid-March.

    Side note… according to a podcast I heard yesterday maybe the Lowe Post if GS maxes Durant and resigns Draymond and Klay…. they are on the hook for $230,000,000 in tax per year to the NBA (gulp) that’s a lot of coin even to Silicon Valley guys.

    Yeah, they’ve obviously been improving how they handle these injuries in recent years. That’s what irks me about the list that has names like LaPhonso Ellis on it, whose career was ruined by his achilles injury. How in the world could you compare what happened to Ellis in the 1990s to how Durant would be treated today? It’s absurd.

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