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100 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2023.02.03)”
Hooray, my reverse-jinx worked and this morning a rested me got to watch the Knicks win, not without the need to change underwear after the viewing.
Taking into account JB and Mitch absences it was a great win.
I’m in a little hurry today so no grades, only impressions:
– RJ can’t hit a three and made dumb mistakes (5 TO) but he went to the rim at will (against the bloodthirsty Heat!) and we can’t whine about the results (13-18 2FG). He also had 8 rebounds, 4 assists and (on balance) was at least decent on defense. Good game and the right way to react after the long (and deserved) benching against LA.
– Grimes had a bounceback game too, Deuce finally hit some shots (way to go kid!) and the bench had its moments. Obi, I-Hart, Fournier all did mistakes but at the same time did something useful to the win.
– On the other side, IQ wasn’t hot today but he gave a big help on the boards, newly minted All-Star Randle was up & down all night (7 TO) and Jericho… well, Jericho did play, I’ve seen some footage.
– The inbounds plays were pathetic. Please tell me it had nothing to do with coaching.
– Hot take #1: we had nice stretches where the ball moved better than usual. Grimes, Fournier, I-Hart and even Deuce all like to pass and they benefit in an offense with good ball & players movement. I think even RJ is better in a more free flow offense. Does that means that Brunson is harmful? No, JB’s a very good player and I’m happy we have him, It does simply mean that I’d like to see a better balance between free flow and iso and…
– Hot take #2: … that I’d be eager to watch this roster play under another coach before doing any meaningful move. Alas I know this will NEVER happen.
Really fun game minus the heart attack of the last 5 seconds.
props to RJ for coming up big after getting benched in the previous 4Q/OT (minus the brain farts of the last 15 seconds). He was basically unstoppable – played the entire 4Q and was 4-5 from the field and a few hockey assists. The nasty Brunson-move at about 6:00 left in the game… that was special. And Herro just cannot guard him.
Defense was clearly better without Brunson on the floor. Team can’t survive with Brunson/RJ/Randle on the floor without Mitch cleaning up the messes. Quickley and Grimes might be my favorite duo to watch on defense – they are just so tenacious.
Quick is extension eligible at end of year… does 4/80 get it done? Mikal Bridges got 4/90 and he’s proooobably better than Quick, if for no other reason than he’s bigger. (ball goes in a lot more when Mikal shoots it too, but Quick is much more capable on the ball)
Last thing – very happy for Randle. He sounds like he really did some introspection after last season and came out a more mature person. He’s never going to be perfect, but NY fans don’t need perfect – they just need all-out effort. I mean, our favorite players over the years are guys like Starks and Mason – who were limited players but gave every ounce on the court.
In hindsight, how much more time could Randle have taken off the clock at the end if he’d dribbled around rather than dunking the ball? I can see the argument that a 5-point lead with only 5 seconds to go should have been insurmountable, and thus it was better to guarantee that lead rather than waiting to be fouled and potentially missing one or both. But given how bad this team seems to be at end-of-game execution, I really would have done all I could to erase time off the clock.
I’d be surprised if Quick gets much more than 4/60. Just a month ago we couldn’t take him for a first round pick.
I think he’s worth more than that, personally, just saying.
I watched the end of the Bucks-Clippers game. The Clips were leading the whole game and then went into hero ball mode, with PG and Kawhi taking turns throwing up bricks. Reminded me of the Celtics before they figured out that sharing the ball works in crunch time too. But Giannis, I mean what can you say?
Going to the game tomorrow night, should be a tough one, LA has a lot of weapons (when used properly)
I think a few things have changed the FO’s attitude towards IQ:
1)IQ’s defense (as detailed in yesterday’s great Fred Katz article) has emerged as one of the most important parts of the team, and his game as a whole has evolved to the point that he is now treated as essentially a sixth starter.
2)Between Julius’ enormous rebound from last season and Obi’s regression, it no longer seems likely that Randle will be traded (sorry, E) and/or that Obi will be getting a big contract extension. (If he’s still on the team next season, that is.) I imagine the FO assumed they could only afford to extend one of IQ and Obi, but not both, and previously they had planned on Obi being the guy.
RJ makes diagnosing this team very difficult. Even I, a historic RJ basher, thinks we should probably wait and see what we have in him because if he can find more consistency, he will become a nice player.
On the other hand, he could be a crucial part of any star trade we make during the summer… or maybe not?
But it’s also not hard to take his successes with a grain of salt. I vividly remember Al Harrington having moments where he took over games—briefly—but he could never become “that guy” on a consistent basis.
Granted, he was older than RJ and had already peaked as a player, which is part of why I still have hope for RJ.
Any ESPN+ subscribers want to paraphrase what Zach Lowe said about the Knicks in today’s column?
(I also haven’t gotten to the point in yesterday’s podcast where he talked potential Knicks trades.)
Still processing Dillon Brooks’ heel turn.
I didn’t watch the game and I am delighted people were happy with RJ last night. But 30 points on 26 shots with five turnovers seems kind of lackluster for someone having had a great night. I mean, Jokic had 22-14-16 with three turnovers on 15.5 t-shots.
Giannis had 54-19-2 with three turnovers on 46.5 tshots.
Obviously RJ doesn’t have to be those guys but if he has a great night I kind of wish it could look a little more like a true star’s good or great night.
Alan, Lowe profiled IQ very approvingly, pointing out that we have been plus 6 with him on the court and -4 with him off across three seasons. Basically raved about him. Only Knicks thing I saw..
Besides his passing and shooting, I thought Glue Grimes had a significant impact on Jimmy Butler’s 5-13 with one FT. If Glue can come close to putting up the numbers he did last night with that type of D, he’s a starter.
I’m one of those who believes that trading guys right after you extend them is bad business. An extension is a long-term commitment to a partnership. If the Knicks traded RJ (or Randle, Brunson, or Mitch) in the first year of their extensions, that would send a bad message around the league. I seriously doubt that any of them are going anywhere short of a top-10 player opportunity so might as well root for RJ and Randle full throttle and not propose trades.
Re: IQ’s next contract, we should be able to reap benefit from the strange correlation between where you were drafted and how much you get paid. Something like 4 years, $54 million, starting high and descending should be able to get it done. I just can’t see IQ willing to Aaron Judge his walk year when he plays for a coach who could bury him on a whim.
Perhaps we end up underpaying IQ as much as we’re overpaying RJ, and at the end of the day we’ll have the two of them for the right amount, just distributed incorrectly.
As for RJ, his range of likely outcomes seems to be pointing more towards Jamal Crawford than I ever thought it would. As djphan articulated recently, I understand the disappointment but I don’t see the benefit of dumping him. He’s never going to be great but I do believe he’ll be better.
Keeping him, though, should not mean starting, playing 35 mins, and taking over 16 shots a game. IQ and Grimes are the ones who belong in the starting lineup now.
That’s an incredibly gritty win considering how shorthanded we were. What a tale of two halves for RJ, was looking like another crunch time benching in the first half. Seemed like he was going all the way to the rack more rather than settling for garbage floatery type shots. He’s at 59% at the rim now, which is still only in the 30th percentile leaguewide but is a career high. Baby steps!
Hart is one of the main reasons the non-Mitch games have *so far* gone a little better than expected, IMO. I guess his stats were nothing special last night but it felt like he racked up some hockey assists and the like. Glad Thibs didn’t listen to a guy who posts on a blog using an abbreviation for “thenoblefacehumper” and stuck with him.
Grimes is super fun to watch. I think he will work on his mid-range game this off-season. He could become like a Herro with better D lol
I’m with Owen on RJ’s night.
It wasn’t a great night, especially when you add in the TOs. It was a good night for RJ compared to his usual game. But he’s not going to do that every night. We are still going to get the trash nights where he leads the teams in shots at the lowest efficiency of the starters.
IMO, that’s all tolerable for now because he’s still young and going to move forward on offense.
The problem is defense.
Unless you are a very efficient scorer, subpar defense means you are a bench player on a contender. He has to become an asset on defense (maybe lose some weight, get quicker, and go back to SG) or we should probably look to use him in an eventual trade.
“ Seemed like he was going all the way to the rack more rather than settling for garbage floatery type shots.”
I didn’t want the entire game, but I saw some real Swiss cheese defense by the Heat at times where he got the rim very easily. I think Herro might be a pretty bad weak link for them on defense.
I didn’t watch the game and I am delighted people were happy with RJ last night. But 30 points on 26 shots with five turnovers seems kind of lackluster for someone having had a great night. I mean, Jokic had 214-16 with three turnovers on 15.5 t-shots.
Giannis had 54-19-2 with three turnovers on 46.5 tshots.
Obviously RJ doesn’t have to be those guys but if he has a great night I kind of wish it could look a little more like a true star’s good or great night.
it was better than the boxscore, and not just bc his 3s didn’t fall. he really bent the #4 defense in the league when no other knick was really doing it, bc tyler herro could not survive on him. and when they tried to put herro on iq or grimes, we would hunt the switch and rj would burn him again. and he wasn’t hitting floaters or fading left handed right side fades, he was getting to the rim and making layups. and when they started blitzing the screen so we couldn’t get the herro switch, he managed to make a couple of good plays (looking awkward, yes) to exploit it, leading to one wide open grimes 3 down and one hart dunk down that stretch. a lot of our offense last night was bc herro couldn’t stay in front of rj and they couldn’t solve it with the switch. he even beat butler a couple of times when he went for steals. it was a very good offensive game despite the merely good line. he did some really stupid shit toward the end but our effective second half offense was like 90% rj centric.
But given how bad this team seems to be at end-of-game execution, I really would have done all I could to erase time off the clock.
I wonder if this was a directive from tHibs bc they’ve been so iso oriented at the end of games
I like that Thibs starts RJ so long as he adjusts him minutes according to his play like he did vs. LAL…not starting him would be a major disruption at this time and I doubt it would make much difference.
Thibs also pointed out that RJ had put together a long stretch of excellent play before his finger injury and that he hopes he is getting his rhythm back. It’s coddling him a bit, but there’s some truth to it. of course, he doesn’t discuss RJ’s defensive lapses much.
Nice way to put it, pt. I felt the same way, that RJ was finding seams and mismatches and attacking them. It also helped that Randle was getting so much defensive attention…he didn’t get to the rim much at all, which seemed partly due to Miami’s zone and partly due to double-teaming.
as an aside, we again looked like shit against the zone. i thought spoelstra made a mistake not going back to it harder near the end game. or alternative at least having bam sag more off randle when we used as a spacer as we wisely did. but that whole dynamic is also a quiet nod to the fairly uncomfortable fit between rj, randle and brunson. i think with both quickley and grimes out there, who are far better ball movers and self movers off the ball, spoelstra was maybe more reluctant to sag and go zone than he would have been with our typical lineup.
[extremely fake Gary Cole in Office Space voice]
Yeah, just wanted to remind you all about the blockquote functionality. You put [blockquote] in front of your quoted text, and [/blockquote] behind the quoted text, only you use >< instead of ][. Or, at least, you can put quotation marks around previous comments, to make things easier to follow.
Yeah. And also, don't forget we're now putting new cover sheets on the TPS reports.
I saw a lot of people on Twitter highlighting how RJ completely destroyed Herro. He went 7-9 against him. That is awesome and something the Heat have to worry about which is nice. And If RJ hits one three he has a 63% ts%. Clearly there was some good process.
I just am ready for RJ to go out there and have 40 point night on 26 shots where he fills the boxscore.
I kind of love the way Wally is still in Tyrese’s head. It’s hilarious.
https://twitter.com/shwinnypooh/status/1621537395702218752
Interesting article on Johnny Bryant’s role in getting Julius to reflect on his atttiude behavior in 2021-2022. Kudos to Randle for reflecting and changing, even though he has occasional relapses.
https://nypost.com/2023/02/03/julius-randles-attitude-adjustment-led-to-all-star-return/
Would have been quite funny if Randle’s son, when asked by Rebecca in post-game interview to comment last night , would have said:
A big FU to the KB haters!
Even though we nearly collapsed epically (if that Herro shot went in, I might have passed away) that was a very gritty win with lots of small plays that loomed large in the end. Deuce going 3-3 in his 7-minute late 3rd-early 4th stint…Hart doing his best to deal with Bam “Hakeem Olajuwan” Adebayo and making some great reads, Fournier making multiple efforts on D in the 4th, Grimes finally hitting a clutch 3 and making an excellent pass…Randle’s work on the defensive boards…
On a game where the 3’s were mostly not falling, Brunson was out, and Randle was being largely contained, this was a great team win against a team that has had the most come-from-behind 4th quarter wins in the NBA with as high of stakes as you can have at the 53-game mark…that’s a big deal.
“ Yeah. And also, don’t forget we’re now putting new cover sheets on the TPS reports.”
As an ex computer programmer that experienced 25 years of terror working on major financial systems for the largest bank in the US, I love that movie.
I also loved the day they announced layoffs, I was not included, I insisted they package me out and save someone that actually wanted the job, they refused, I threatened to go on short term disability from the havoc they wreaked on my nervous system, they gave me the package, I saved someone else a job, and I spent 6 months at the track getting healthy again.
“Hart is one of the main reasons the non-Mitch games have *so far* gone a little better than expected, IMO. I guess his stats were nothing special last night but it felt like he racked up some hockey assists and the like. Glad Thibs didn’t listen to a guy who posts on a blog using an abbreviation for “thenoblefacehumper” and stuck with him.”
Well to be fair to you, what are the alternatives? Sims is fun but a very low-level replacement for Mitch. Obi-Randle is not the answer.
Hart is so maddingly intriguing. He seems to think/reads the game at a pretty high level but his execution is often slow, soft, or clumsy. Seems like he does at least two “get up and scream WTF” things every game…but also does good things that would never happen with Mitch in there. It’s just such a different look. I wish some of Hart could rub off on Mitch.
Which is why I am less enamored with Mitch even though I agree he’s excellent at what he is asked to do. He’s clearly way better than Hart, and a fine starting C for this team. But I hope we keep looking for a better answer there.
Malik Beasley sucks and is an atrocious defender, Thibs isn’t going to play him.
blockquotes .. i could not figure that out for the life of me when i couldn’t quote anymore…. thank you alan…
RJ got 30 points on 23 shots.. that’s good anyway you slice it…. but i also wasn’t all that impressed either.. he does tend to demolish certain kinds of opposition… which is why he’d be really good as a 6th man where he can exploit weaker benches but also where high usage and mediocre efficiency is actually pretty good….
RJ is inching towards respectability tho…. the 2pt fg% is up to .488 driven largely by his rim attempts and improving his floater % to non-dogshit levels which looks to be sustainable… he’s taking those floaters willingly instead of being forced into it on bad drives which still isn’t great.. but what he was doing before was terrible….
i have been looking for him to break .500 on 2pt fg and 78% on his ft% .. which even if he comes up just short of both wouldn’t be bad either… that would be enough for me to keep the lights on RJ island….
The Knicks seem to kicking the tires on possible trades in a lot of places.
***30 points on 26 shots with five turnovers seems kind of lackluster for someone having had a great night. ***
That would have been the worst game Lillard has played in a month. And he’s somebody who is largely an afterthought in MVP voting each and every year.
There was a sequence last night in the 4th quarter where there was a loose ball near the foul line and Hart and a Heat player (I think it was Bam) were chasing it. It looked like Hart was running in mud and I couldn’t believe how unathletic he looked and I was cursing him as Bam grabbed it.
Turns out someone grabbed his jersey and the refs didn’t see it. So apologies to Hart (and his hot girlfriend)
My brother, a very casual fan, flew down to visit me in Florida from NY. We watched the game together and even as RJ was driving to the hoop, scoring point after point, I had complaints about him. My brother asked, how long does it take you to sour on a player? The honest answer I gave him was that I’m usually the last person to hate on a player.
Even with last night’s performance seemed super on the surface but even as he laid ball after ball in the hoop I shook my head because the Heat defense was a matador defense when it came to him. He still does stupid stuff. He still can’t hit a 3 pointer. He still only hits two out of three foul shots.
When I look at the starting 5 (Brunson, Grimes, RJ, Julius and Mitch), the one I replace and try to upgrade by trading away is RJ. RJ scored because Spoelstra put an emphasis on stopping Randle.
BTW, congrats to Julius. He deserves the All-star berth. As I said to start this post, I’m the last to hate on a player and I felt all last year that he was unfairly getting dumped on. We all know about his behavior and attitude and hero ball but few considered what it was like to be the father of an infant, the pressure to repeat his 2020/21 performance and deal with the adjustments that teams made playing him. I’m super happy that we have him on this team.
Oh, and I’m also on Team Thibs. That’s another dude that gets bashed a lot but I think he’s awesome.
Finally, I can see why Thibs has benched Fournier. He doesn’t play defense at all. I’ll forget the 1 for 7 from the field if he played defense. Given the choice between McBride and Fournier, I go Deuce all the time.
there is a mo bamba rumor. i assume it would be reddish?
The Heat are a ball-hawking team, they’re #1 in the NBA in defensive TOV%, so I can live with the 5 turnovers from RJ. There were at least a few occasions where the Heat defender tried to strip RJ on a drive and he simply beat the defender and got an easy bucket. So that was nice.
The Heat are a good defensive team, and are kind of the inverse of how we play: they allow a high eFG% but crush the defensive boards and generate lots of turnovers, so they’re stingy with possessions.
I listened to rest of Zach Lowe pod while making lunch. The only real Knick scuttlebutt was really only speculation:
1. He said he’s heard from a GM not connected to Chicago, LAL, or NYK, basically, “If I’m the Bulls, I’d try to play the Knicks and Lakers against each other for Zach Lavine.”
2. He and Kevin Pelton both felt we might be better off keeping our powder dry until summer. Zach thinks there might be a lot of would-be contenders who go into blow-it-up mode if they don’t get as far in the playoffs this year as they expect to.
So maybe a trade around the edges for more bench firepower, and/or to get something back for Cam, but then we wait til the offseason for Leon to again attempt a signature move?
Just a quick KB note seeing how it is Friday and all.
I think we can all kick in with a little esprit de corps and go with a Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.
Yeah, that’s it. Great.
oh, and by the way – anyone have any cool otter porn they can link me to?
Really liked Julius’ post-game quote from last night:
More from Fred Katz on Randle’s offseason reinvention here: https://theathletic.com/4152773/2023/02/03/julius-randle-makes-all-star-game/
This seems like a good idea to me. But it’s not revolutionary thinking. Already they already seem to be waiting for a good deal and otherwise won’t do much except for small moves.
howdy al, i hope you’re feeling a bit better these days…i seen a pic of you the other day and you seemed to be looking pretty healthy…
whatever you’re doing to take care of yourself, keep it up sir 🙂
I always felt that the fever for dumping Julius with pick attached was one of the most curious “widely held” positions ever taken on this board. Nothing that Julius is doing this year should be the least bit surpising. And while I get the disgust with Julius’ performance and attitude last year, the complete lack of belief in his ability to change things up was really not fair to him as a person who comes across as a dedicated family man and a tireless worker. It was pretty validating to listen to him last night talking about his conversation with Johnny Bryant.
I don’t love his in-game decision-making, nor the aesthetics of his game, nor his demeanor in crunch time, and would not be upset if we traded him in a reasonably neutral deal. But I have enormous respect for what he did. Winning over a hostile NYC fan base that you essentially gave the finger to while selfishly stinking up the court isn’t easy. It required humility and soul-searching, followed by massive hours of hard work and acceptance of help.
I’m very happy for him that he got recognized by his peers and is representing us at the ASG. Whatever else happens this season, that is a feel-good story for me.
I’m hoping that RJ will follow this example and take ownership of all the negativity about him he must see in the media. Just like we really needed a humbled, revitalized Julius, we really need a humbled, revitalized RJ. For now, I’m going to keep believing in him and his resilience. It wasn’t perfect last night, but he definitely bounced back from the “I have nothing to say” vibes. Good for him.
I would kick the tires on Bamba…
“The Knicks seem to kicking the tires on possible trades in a lot of places.”
The Knicks are always linked to every trade or free agent possibility imaginable. Knicks for clicks. I’ll believe it when I see it.
@Geo I refuse to Google sea otter porn, but I thought you might have some. Sounds like some pretty disturbing stuff! I think it’s time for a new avatar for you.
The swing skill for RJ has always been his shooting. He’s just not a natural shooter, and it feels like his mechanics have to be perfect in order for him to be a good shooter, and that those mechanics get out of whack relatively frequently.
But no doubt he’s made marked improvements this year. He’s shooting about 64% in the restricted area now – up from about 56% as a rookie, then 60% in years 2-3. 64% is pretty darn good for a relatively unathletic low-flying guy — players like Ja Morant and Kyrie are generally around that number. His floater range % is not great, but improving at 39%.
He is just really not suited to this particular team/lineup where Julius and Brunson are all attacking the same place, with none of the 3 being a knockdown shooter off-ball. I’m glad Thibs has been playing him more with the 2nd unit, both to get him easier matchups but also with dudes who are ok playing off ball shooting 3s like Quick, Obi, Deuce, Fournier, etc.
And Grimes – I just love Grimes. Obviously the defense is very good. But he’s such a quick processor on offense. Trying to decide who a comp would be for him… not nearly as good a shooter as Klay, but probably better with the ball in his hands (off the dribble), better passer, and at least equal to Klay defensively before all of the injuries.
Between Brunson (obviously not going anywhere while Leon is in charge), IQ, RJ, and Grimes, it’s going to be hard to find appropriate minutes for all fo them. All 4 deserve to be in the closing lineup, but rumor is that only 5 players are allowed on the court… and Julius + Mitch are clearly going to be on the court.
ha g-man do doubt…no otter porn brother, but i do got an amusing story (to me at least) from the other day…
was in a group meeting (about 35 folks or so), and towards the end of the meeting there was acknowledgement for folks with a work anniversary, i hit 15 years this month…
it’s my bosses boss whom hosts the meetings, he’s familiar with my health stuff, but, we haven’t spoken a bunch one on one…
he asks me if i ever thought i’d still be working with the company 15 years later?
in my mind, all i could think of was the fact that i didn’t think i’d be able to return to work last august (after sitting out for 7 months) – i didn’t want to say no and kill the meeting vibe – so, i just settled with: i feel very thankful to still be working here…
that didn’t seem to please him too much, so he then asks: did i ever think this company would be my final stage of my work career?
i’ve stopped trying to be “brave” and do in person meetings sober (they just take so much out of me)…so, when i know i’ll be at work in a bunch of meetings i start the day with an edible and an anxiety med…
breakfast of champions, yes it is…
i think it hurts me that i’m a new yorker also, that new york arrogance kind of compels me to tell the truth most times when i speak of myself…
i replied that: i don’t really think this will be my last career stop, my dream is to be a stock person at the local grocery store (Stater Bros)…and that, i would really enjoy stocking shelves most of the day at work…
the whole humor of the story comes in the fact that i’m not longer working operations for the warehouse/Logistics group, i’m now in a corporate/Sales group…much different kind of folks…
sales kind of folks…
everyone laughed and the young lady next to me scoffed aloud and and mumbled out: Lofty Dreams
it did kind of fuck me up, i wasn’t expecting to be sharing personal thoughts…
on the other hand – as i’ve learned from my knick fandom – sometimes it’s good to lower the expectations around you…
Saw on twitter that Grimes is shooting 63% on 2’s and 74% at the rim. Contrary to some trolling on this board hes starter in this league.
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned this previously, but supposedly Hart said he’s finally healthy. That could account for the recent better play. We’ll see.
I think Vanderbilt would be a great get in a vacuum. He’s a good defender, has some passing chops, and at least this season has shown some ability to stretch out to the three point line. He’s also only 23 years old, and is on contract for another year. But, of course, he’s going to be fighting for minutes with Obi. Perhaps the idea is that while Obi/Randle isn’t doable as a lineup combo, Vanderbilt/Randle is, and we move Obi on to greener pastures. I’d be amenable to that, maybe. I’d also be mildly interested in Kelly Olynyk, who would be, on offense, what we were hoping Hart would be. Though at that point you might as well trade for Mo Bamba, probably.
Yeah Strat I think he had an achilles issue earlier in the year iirc.
Give me Brunson any day over this jabroni
Geo, if it helps I’ve always thought that bagger at the local grocery store is the best possible end point for me. So I’m totally with you on your shelf stocking dream.
And I did google search otter porn, but didn’t click on the endless series of links as it is clearly something real (but I don’t think it’s really about otters) and probably horrible and my laptop would probably become hideously infected.
A few thoughts about the game, which I may dribble out over the day. I’ll start with Hart — he’s slow and clumsy but I thought his defense on Bam was spot-on. He was rarely beat and almost always in position — Bam’s just terrific, especially with that turn-around jumper. I can see why Thibs played Hart over Sims yesterday (and I love Sims).
And d-mar, I saw that play too, where Bam actually ran completely AROUND Hart while Hart was trying to run to the ball. The shirt pull makes it much more sensible — it looked like Hart was literally frozen in place.
Irving ?
lmao
The Nets recently showed that when healthy they are a serious contender and this idiot is melting down again?
Trade him to the Siberia Snowmen.
Kyrie, man. Just an incredible personality.
I wonder if this is the trade where the Lakers will include both picks along with Russ, or if even they recognize that he’s more trouble than he’s worth.
Just when you thought he was settling in…
please send him to the Kings please god please god please
I know they’re inexplicably the 3rd seed right now but you need to disrupt this sudden change of fortune with a sudden rabbit punch of fate
A lot of people don’t understand wanting to do anything other than killing yourself for a couple hundred extra dollars a month or being a “professional”.
Bones is also available and likely to move before the deadline. Don’t think the Knicks have what the Nuggets want, but that’s out there. Jamal Murray threw some heavy shade at him and Bones didn’t play.
Imagine season 3 Immanuel Quickly passing to season 2 Immanuel Quickley for a 3. Sign me up
I hope the Lakers Kyrie trade doesnt materialize.
“I hope the Lakers Kyrie trade doesnt materialize.”
Of course it will. I hope it does and fails spectacularly for both teams, if that’s even possible!
What GM in his right mind would give up anything of value for Kyrie, since any trade would presumably come with the privilege of maxing him out on his next contract, thereby giving a totally unstable narcissist complete control of your franchise.
The only team is the Lakers, and the only trade that would make any sense at all is one in which Russ and the 2 FRPs get routed elsewhere for more win-now player(s). I for one would be happy to contribute Derrick Rose, Fournier, and Cam to this trade and take back Russ and even just 1 Laker FRP.
And if I’m the Lakers… both AD and LBJ have player options after next season… if the Kyrie show is too much, they can both bolt…
kyrie has no leverage and the nets could just ignore him and try to win this year, but i would probably pivot and trade kd to phx for their whole draft plus find a third team for ayton and make the la teams bid against each other for kyrie. just doesn’t seem to that fun to be the nets right now even when they win.
Feeling very good about my 2018-9 anti Kyrie takes currently
Irving/Randle/Barrett/Anunoby/Robinson/Brunson/Quickley/Grimes/Hartenstein/Toppin is a contender.
I think Brooklyn just takes Ayton themselves in that trade to build around him & Simmons.
They don’t own any of their own picks anyways as Houston owns or has swap rights to everyone for another 8ish years. There’s no purgatory due to playing mediocre.
But yeah, I don’t see them moving anyone until summer. They have a solid chance of a championship if KD & Kyrie are healthy. They can recoup picks with KD alone if Kyrie walks.
If we ever traded for Kyrie I’d projectile vomit on the spot…
i would think anyone trading for kyrie would need to extend him cause trading for him without an extension would be kind of gross….
if i were the nets i would just play out the season and blow it up… they can likely work out a sign and deal that would be around the same as they get now anyway… they might even get pretty far in the playoffs if they stay healthy….
I know talent trumps everything else but is there really a team out there that’s watching Kyrie sabotage his team yet again and is still going to give him a long-term contract this summer? I don’t know if even the Lakers are that desperate and/or masochistic. I think Kyrie is overplaying his hand here.
In retrospect, this was predictable. Apparently Irving asked for the trade because he and the Nets couldn’t agree on a contract extension so he said trade me. It’s totally not surprising that Kyrie thinks he is worth much more than his management does. Most GMs probably agree with Nets management too, but the Nets still may lose him for nothing. If his contract expires at the end of the season, the Nets will still be over the cap even without his salary and I don’t know if they will be able to offer anything to him.
If you’re PHX, do you swap CP3 & Kyrie?
Paul doesn’t really seem to have true star level play anymore but gives enough alongside KD.
Kyrie would give some life to that roster and is better age matched with PHX’s core if you get the extension.
Picks and what not probably also change hands.
I think both LA teams would chance Kyrie with no extension. Their windows are closing and they’d be title favorites …uh, if they’re healthy. Hell, Clippers might be favorites as long as they have 2 out of 3 healthy.
Kyrie wants to be on Lakers anyway, so I’m guessing he 100% extends if Lebron wants him.
KD anyone?
This is sort of huge for the Knicks. If Kyrie gets traded to the western conference, BK will probably nosedive and we’d be scrapping with Miami for the 5th/6th seed rather than just the 6th seed.
The Nets *could* hang in there with KD and scraps, so the question is whether a Kyrie trade kicks off a full teardown. The KD and scraps team would be fine, good even, but not a contender obviously and I don’t see any team out there that could, and maybe more importantly would, give the Nets commensurate present value for Kyrie.
I’m glad Jalen Brunson has no fucking clue who Jordan Peterson is.
I had to google Jordan Peterson, and I’d rather spend time on otter porn than give him one click.
Do not Google Jordan Peterson. Anyone. Everyone.
Google our very own “Don’t Google” before Jordan Peterson.
@Geo – Yessir! Wearing mine out to dinner tonight. Of course, I now live in Boynton Beach, Fl where it was 85 today. I hear it’s gonna be chilly tonight.
I can’t help but comment about a Kyrie trade. It would be awesome to see Kyrie traded to the Lakers. I guess they would include Westbrook coming to NJ. I wonder how KD and Westbrook feel about that (snicker).
By the way, Kyrie and a toss-in for Westbrook works.
Edit: I tried to add the link but something’s wrong with the ESPN trade machine link software. It doesn’t bring me to the actual trade I worked out. It was Westbrook for Irving and TJ Warren.
I’m either too high, or not high enough to comprehend that statement…
I understand there may be further pearls of wisdom shared…
hmmm…
here’s the thing about jordan peterson. no j/k going to see bruce for the first time in fuck all. geo what’s the protocol again on half singing i’m on fire in public?
Westbrook getting traded to the nets is THE reason to want that trade to go down!
Just seeing KD as Michael corleone in godfather part three.
“Every time I try to get out they suck me back in!”
Then watch them go on a crazy run and win it all.
Dallas is reported to have interest in Irving. They have pieces they could trade that match salary and work in the trade machine. For example, Dinwiddie and Hardaway or Bullock, or Hardaway and Bertans both work. I think NJ would want picks too, because I don’t see any of the combination being as good as they have now. The Nets leverage is that they can credibly say they want to go for a title this season and just not trade Irving.
I would totally just call Kyrie’s bluff. He wanted an extensiom, like, yesterday.
Jewish NWO takeover of NYC coming soon
– Kyrie, probably
The Nets are really good, Kyrie’s back in the all star game, what are you doing dude
Don’t Google Jordan Peterson, but if you do, start with “Jordan Peterson almost dies from eating an all-beef diet”
Kyrie wants to go to the Lakers.
LeBron wants Kyrie.
I hope they get that out of the way quickly so other dominoes start falling quickly and we see who is actually available and for how much.
The major problem for the Knicks is that other some house cleaning, the only significant deal mentioned that makes sense is OGA. But Masai has already said he’s not going to make any deals until the end. That’s when he’s going to decide whether to be a buyer or seller. That means the Knicks might make some consolation prize move prematurely out of fear of coming away with nothing if the price on OGA is too high or they aren’t even sure if he’ll be available. IMO, that would be the worst case scenario. We don’t want to start throwing around picks unless the player is THE SOLUTION at one position, preferably SF. To me, it’s either a relatively uneventful deadline to add some help to the bench or THE piece we want long term.
🙂
got to share with someone freezing in maryland that it was a crisp 70 degrees today outside…
that’s it go ny, living right…
look at you family guy, a wild night out with the boss – enjoy 🙂
looking up at the thread and saw jk there – guess I’m not impressing you with the beautiful warm weather outside – you’re living it too…
it was wonderful here in so cal, close by LA, to see the sky after a few days of rain and overcast weather…
we actually had blue skies outside…a sadly fairly rare occurrence…
Jordan Peterson and Justin Trudeau? lmao if I was Canadian I’d want out, but I’d have to at least consider skipping right over the US and going straight to one of the cities in Mexico that some Americans have begun moving to. No point in leaving more than once. The US and Canada are on the way down. Mexico has nowhere to go but up if the money starts moving there in larger numbers. Plus, it’s a possible NBA expansion area.
What a day! Kyrie Irving, otter porn and Jordan Peterson in the same thread.
Outside of their demolishing of the Durant-less Nets, the Celtics have been sputtering a lot recently. The Eastern Conference is quite open-ended at the top. It’s why I would just call Kyrie’s bluff and then assume that he’ll need the Nets to get him to the team he wants next season via a sign and trade.
I think they are a different team without Marus Smart.