Day: June 7, 2021

I legit still don’t know how to spell Thibodeau without looking.

Anyhow, wow, in an upset victory over former Knick Monty Williams, Thibs edged out a win in the Coach of the Year voting through Williams inexplicably only appearing in the top two on 77 of the 100 ballots, while Thibs appeared in the top two on 85 of the ballots, so even with weighted voting and Williams receiving more first place votes (hence him being the odds-on favorite to win the award, due to more sportswriters naming him as their top pick in their various columns before the voting was announced), Thibs edged it out!

It was like a Knicks regular season victory, it was very unlikely (the person with the most first place votes almost always wins. It’s hard to get vote totals, but it’s been that way for at least the last 15 years before I gave up looking for more), but it was appreciated and well-earned!

Congrats, Thibs!

From the great Ian Begley:

The offseason is here, so here’s a look at a few options at point guard for the Knicks and a few things they may consider as they approach the position during free agency:

HOW DOES DERRICK ROSE FACTOR IN?
As noted last month, some teams keeping an eye on the point guard market feel that Derrick Rose’s strong play for New York will factor in to their approach at the position. Since Rose showed that he’s more than capable of handling 20 minutes per game, those teams wonder if the Knicks will be less inclined to pursue a big-money guard that plays significant minutes. Those teams are speculating, of course. But it’s informed speculation, based on the idea that New York will re-sign Rose and play him at least 15-20 minutes per game. Rose averaged 15 points on 49 percent shooting for New York in the regular season.

If the club eschews the traditional ball-dominant guard this summer, options include Devonte Graham, Lonzo Ball and Kendrick Nunn. All three guards are restricted free agents. The Knicks spoke to New Orleans about a potential Ball trade prior to the deadline but nothing materialized. As recently as late in the regular season, there was no consensus on Ball among Knicks decision makers.

Nunn, per sources, is among the guards who have been on the Knicks’ radar as they consider their offseason plans. Nunn shot 38.1 percent from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game this season and shot it remarkably well in the second half of the season. One member of an opposing organization analyzing the market drew a comparison between the 25-year-old Nunn and Terry Rozier, who averaged nine points per game in his last season with the Celtics before signing a three-year, $56 million deal with Charlotte. Rozier’s role increased. His production also increased. The opposing team thought Nunn, who averaged 14.6 points per game last year, could follow a similar path if his opportunities increased.

What could the market be for Nunn? The Athletic’s John Hollinger recently wrote that Nunn should command a contract in the 15 million per year range.

The rest of the post suggests Chris Paul, Dennis Schroeder and Kyle Lowry

I guess things could go worse than signing Kendrick Nunn and hope that he’s ready to take that next step.

If I had to bet on it, I think the Knicks end up with Kyle Lowry on a short-term, big money deal.