[news.google.com] — Tuesday, August 29, 2023 5:13:15 AM
“I just felt like we could have been a better team if we attempted to play defense” – Al Harrington speaks out on Mike D’Antoni’s system Basketball Network
[news.google.com] — Tuesday, August 29, 2023 3:49:07 AM
Knicks Trade For Kings’ Harrison Barnes In Bold Proposal NBA Analysis Network
[news.google.com] — Tuesday, August 29, 2023 2:06:00 AM
5 NBA teams with the highest valuation in 2023 Sportskeeda
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 11:32:18 PM
Wozniacki makes winning return, sets Kvitova showdown at 2023 US Open US Open Tennis Championships
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 9:15:00 PM
Council backs short-term permit for Madison Square Garden Spectrum News NY1
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 9:14:29 PM
Won, 800 Number: Breanna Stewart Makes More History, New York … Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 8:57:00 PM
Cavs’ playoff loss vs. Knicks draws Donovan Mitchell truth bomb from John Salley Cavs Nation
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 8:00:51 PM
Giannis’ Brother Thanasis Was ‘Close’ to Signing with Knicks Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 7:54:58 PM
From The Basketball Court To Federal Court: The New York Knicks … JD Supra
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 5:06:33 PM
NBA Rumors: Former Knicks forward was “close” to returning to New York Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 4:50:39 PM
How John Starks Went From Bagging Groceries to Dunking on … Joker Mag
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 4:20:41 PM
Knicks’ Josh Hart Receives Boost From Steve Kerr, Jalen Brunson After Team USA Victory ClutchPoints
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 3:57:03 PM
Quentin Grimes: Ex-UH star to have jersey retired by College Park Houston Chronicle
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 3:32:21 PM
Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors: Lakers, Knicks expected to interest former MVP if he leaves Bucks, per report CBS SportsGiannis Antetokounmpo Could Join Lakers, Knicks If He Leaves Bucks NBA Analysis NetworkThanasis Antetokounmpo was close to signing with the Knicks Hoops Hype
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 1:49:26 PM
Lakers, Knicks possible Giannis Antetokounmpo destinations if he … Hoops Hype
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 1:47:47 PM
Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Join Lakers, Knicks If He Leaves Bucks NBA Analysis Network
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 1:40:06 PM
Warriors’ Steve Kerr Praises Josh Hart: Knicks Star ‘Plays Winner’ as His Position Bleacher Report
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 1:12:35 PM
NBA Rumors: Lakers, Knicks Seen as Giannis Antetokounmpo Suitors If He Leaves Bucks Bleacher Report
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 12:18:21 PM
Jalen Brunson quiets Knicks haters with impressive Team USA statline Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 12:01:28 PM
FRESH EYES: Nets have some persuading to do… Nets Daily
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 10:34:44 AM
FIBA World Cup: Knicks’ Brunson Scores, Hart Boards in Team USA … Sports Illustrated
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 8:06:52 AM
FIBA Knicks Weekend In Review The Knicks Wall
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 8:00:03 AM
3 Bold predictions for the New York Knicks’ 2023-24 season Daily Knicks
[news.google.com] — Monday, August 28, 2023 8:00:00 AM
Knicks breakout candidate leads Team Canada to record-breaking victory over Lebanon Empire Sports Media
24 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2023.08.29)”
Oof. What a brutal offseason for a team on the verge of taking the next step. We did wind up with Doc Rivers, and he was a better fit for that team than Mark Jackson, but yeesh. If we had hit on even one of our three main acquisitions… man.
(Reminds me of the time I guilted Brian into writing a whole post about how we almost signed Harvey Grant away from the Bullets. I don’t know that he would have been the answer, but he’d have damn sure been better than Charles Smith.)
I was an early teenager who was way too emotionally invested. I remember it all and I wish I didn’t.
I did completely forget about Rolando Blackman’s contribution to game 4 in Charlotte, though.
Fun/horrible story… I remember when Ewing missed the finger roll in Game 7 against the Pacers (1995). I was a senior in high school now and I was watching at my girlfriend’s house. Her uncle was there, and he watched me watch the game the way a scientist would watch rats in a lab test, i.e. like we weren’t part of the same species. He was utterly perplexed that I was so emotionally invested in something so meaningless.
When the Knicks lost, and he saw how distraught I was, he says to me, “You know, Mike, that guy’s never gonna write you a letter that says ‘I’m so sorry I missed that shot’.” And then he just got up and left the room in a manner that expressed complete disdain.
A combination of that humiliation plus going off to college the next year softened my intensity. I also think it helped that the Yankees started winning World Series. I remember when they won in ’96 it was fun but also disappointing… largely because, you know, I didn’t actually do anything.
Oh so you’re Mike!
– Mike
I agree with BBA from the prior thread that the 1993 Knicks team was the best of the bunch. If Charles Smith doesn’t get blocked 15 times at the end of game 5, I’m 100% convinced we beat the Bulls in game 7 at MSG and go on to beat the Suns for the title.
That would have been an epic championship. I would have obviously been thrilled with a title in 1994, but it would have always had a small * next to it because of Jordan’s absence.
The ‘93 team was the best but I am not convinced we would have beaten that Suns team. They were extremely good, and they would have had home court advantage. My gut tells me we wouldn’t have beaten them in 5 or less, so we would have ended up just like ‘94, up 3-2 needing to close it out in Phoenix.
As much as I love that team, I can be objective about them now. They probably would have fucked that up and lost in 7.
Donnie Walsh, that you?
There is no way the ‘93 team had the presence to beat both Jordan AND Barkley in consecutive rounds.
Do the names Loren Meyer, Amal McCaskill, Constantin Popa, and Geert Hammink mean anything to you? Cause that was the future that was mortgaged for the most wins in franchise history.
RJ had a great game today vs. Latvia, who was good enough to knock off France. I’ll be consistent and insist that it means nothing regarding how things will translate to the NBA, but it’s sure nice to see.
I think RJ playing well in FIBA is a positive. Obviously, the competition is a bit weaker. So his stats won’t translate 1 for 1 back to the NBA. But we could probably learn something by looking at all the NBA players and seeing how they are performing relative to their typical NBA numbers. A good place to start would be TS% if the data required is available.
Here’s some FIBA stats
https://basketball.realgm.com/national/tournament/2/FIBA-World-Cup/318/stats/2023/Advanced_Stats/All/player/All/asc
RJ’s numbers look similar to his NBA numbers. His TS% is a bit higher despite being bad from the FT line so far.
There is no way that Suns team beats the Knicks in a 7 game series. Knicks would’ve physically dominated and worn them down. Plus Ewing that year was on a tear, Suns had nobody who could come close to guarding him. Also as I mentioned that Knicks team was totally healthy, Starks athletically was at his peak too.
The bigger what if for me will always be do the 1997 Knicks beat the Bulls in the Conference Finals…
I’m still having internal debates with myself over whether rules or “intent of rules” should prevail when being strict about the rules as written is clearly causing an unintended and negative outcome. I’m a rules guy. If the rules suck, fix them, but I still haven’t fully recovered from that series. IMO, that was the best Knicks team of that era.
It’s not about what the picks turned into. It’s about the fact that we could have done better in trading those picks (and players like Mark Jackson) than we did. And then once we made those deals, it became harder to make additional deals.
They went all-in that summer, rightfully. And Checketts and Grunfeld repeatedly made the wrong choice.
Donnie no one’s acting like they should have hoarded the picks. This isn’t Leon and his 46 win juggernaut we’re talking about. We were one of the three best teams in the league. Of course you trade the picks. You just try to trade them for good players, is all.
Although, ironically, the Knicks draft selection that summer, one Hubert Davis, was better than most of the players they acquired via trade.
Yet not as good as good as the guy taken four picks later, even if we eventually got to enjoy watching him in blue and orange.
If Spree could shoot like Hubert Davis he’d be in the HOF.
Hubert Davis was easily the best Knicks shooter I’d ever seen until Allan Houston arrived, granted the only other candidate would’ve been Trent Tucker. Unfortunately Hubert was just so physically weak defensively.
Man that would have been something if we had drafted Sprewell in ‘92.
If KB had been around in 1992, I think that even Strat and TNFH would have agreed that Checkett’s and Grunfeld’s use of draft capital was well spent at the time.
Trading a future 2nd rounder 4 years out for Tony Campbell was most likely the absolute best use of what would be the #49 pick in the 1996 draft. He was Minnesota’s leading scorer and a usage soaker. There was no real downside.
Trading a future 1st rounder 3 years out for 33 year old Rolando Blackman was possibly not the best use of a first round asset, but he hadn’t fallen off a cliff yet, and he did make some very important plays during his Knicks tenure.
As for Charles Smith, a lot of you guys reminisce fondly about Xavier McDaniel’s year in NY, but Charles Smith was a way better Knick in ‘93 than X was in ‘92, and Smith was WAY WAY better when he was with the Clips. He wasn’t a merc they were bringing in to net some marginal wins with. He was to be a post scoring pillar of the organization to take the load off of Ewing. Smith had a 110+ TS in LA. He was in his 4th year. That’s the player Checketts and Grunfeld traded for.
If you want to call these trades “whiffs” there has to be an alternative that would have been better. But the list of other players traded for future picks that year doesn’t seem to have many guys on it that would have elevated the Knicks higher than 60 wins and a ECF loss to one of the best teams ever.
charles smith…was as Markief Morris might say “soft”….he was the type of guy that padded his stats against the soft underbelly of the league and when it came time to put the big boy pants on when shit mattered…he folded like a chair…like…you hoped he was going to come through…he wasn’t the dude you knew was going to come through…
now…part of me is probably clouded by that one sequence that we all know about…but whatever they thought they were getting….i think a lot of us knew in those first few months of the season that he wasn’t the pillar that was promised…
damn if donnie had not retired from the nba with armen gilliam we would have some great outrage threads on why kelly oubre and christian wood were still unsigned