[New York Post] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:01:00 GMT
- Knicks wallop defending champion Nuggets as OG Anunoby has huge night
- NUGGETS at KNICKS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | January 25, 2024
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[The Ringer] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:40:33 GMT
Kram Session: The Suns Finally Rise, a Fake Knicks Trade, and an All-Star Fix
[New York Post] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 01:39:00 GMT
Josh Hart OK with new Knicks role now: ‘You got to sacrifice’
[sny.tv] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:50:03 GMT
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[Daily Mail] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:39:00 GMT
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- Chuck: I would have loved to see Jalen Brunson be a starter | Inside the NBA
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[New York Post] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:15:00 GMT
- Bruce Brown can ‘fit anywhere’ as Knicks trade rumors swirl: ex-Nuggets teammates
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[Posting and Toasting] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 22:21:15 GMT
Narrative surrounding the Knicks oddly remains disproportionately negative, fictitious, and unfair
[Sports Illustrated] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 22:06:58 GMT
Knicks Halted Possible Dejounte Murray Trade Over Part of Hawks’ Asking Price, per Report
[Posting and Toasting] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 19:30:00 GMT
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[Sports Illustrated] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 06:10:18 GMT
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[Posting and Toasting] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT
- Knicks Bulletin: Shaq compares Brunson to Iverson, Candace Parker tripping, sad Nets…
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[NBA.com] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:09:12 GMT
Highlights: Julius Randle (17 PTS | 8 AST) | Knicks vs. Nuggets
[The Ringer] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 07:38:32 GMT
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[New York Post] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 13:50:00 GMT
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[Daily Knicks] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:00:04 GMT
Former New York Knicks fan favorite has high praise for his old squad
[Denver Stiffs] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:27:30 GMT
Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks. January 25th, 2024.
[Last Word On Sports] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 22:24:13 GMT
Which Star Players Could Make the Knicks True Contenders?
[Heavy.com] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:57:54 GMT
New York Knicks $10 Million Target Isnt Being Shopped
[New York Post] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 06:47:00 GMT
Jalen Brunson chided by Knicks teammate after ‘weak’ dunk: ‘Like a 1’
[Yahoo Sports] – Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:25:12 GMT
New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets: live game updates, stats, play-by-play
[Manila Bulletin] – Thu, 25 Jan 2024 10:06:06 GMT
Kevin Quiambao mulls next move after NY Knicks invitation
192 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.01.26)”
From the ESPN recap:
Seems like E and Ju are on the same page…
😉
You will like OG even more after watching this…
Great win, up there with the annihilation of the 76ers for best game of the year.
Even with the small caveat that the Nuggets were road weary and eager to fly home (except the Joker), dismantling the champions is not an easy task especially when missing your top two centers.
Hubert’s “Let’s the cake bake” is working very well… 😀
Grades are easy, “A” for everyone with OG and Thibs getting the laude.
Quick Thoughts:
– It was a team win and chemistry is improving steadily.
– The defense is for real. It doesn’t mean opponents will always score under-100, but if we keep this going they will need to sweat for points, and that’s the target.
– Randle was admirably under control for most of the game. A lucid, pragmatic display of brute force with much less spinning moves and time consuming isos.
– OG showed his offensive arsenal and was effective leading the bench unit. He did exactly what I was clamoring for, don’t be shy on offense, read the moments when you must take charge. And I’m sure he’ll get even better at this as games pile on.
– Brunson is Brunson and he’ll be an All-Star this year, public vote be damned.
– Two weeks remaining before the trade deadline, who knows what Leon’s cooking…
– The Cavs have 3 more games to play than us, the Heat are in a little rut, the Pacers are integrating Siakam, the Sixers are closed than expected… The jockeying for the playoffs spot will be fun!
Off-Topic,
today’s my 3rd Rokas’ Day,
I’ll be at the Milano-Barcelona game to deeply scout our stashed gem again… 😉
Thanks, Max! For recap and scouting)!
Take a selfie to send us, Max! 🙂
I still think we need help (Brogdon or Burks), to have a 5-man 2nd unit. But Deuce is making his case, i’m liking this a lot. And maybe Grimes gets back his mojo. Hart and hopefully Mitch being back round out this unit perfectly. If Mitch can’t get back this season, maybe wait on Sims/Achiuwa, they seem to be playing better also.
Low key Precious has been settling in nicely in the back up PF role. Obviously him showing out against his former team shouldn’t be too surprising but I feel like he’s been low key solid for a few games now. It’s getting a little overlooked because of IHart being out and our center depth now basically gone, but Precious being able to provide good minutes off the bench is huge for us. Allows Thibs to rest Randle a bit.
Cyber, I go back and forth on this but I think ultimately I’d like to give McBride and Grimes a chance. So instead of using assets on a trade I think the waiver wire route could be the way to go. Grab Lowry and another veteran center so we have them for the rest of the regular season and they’re an option in the playoffs if McBride and grimes are shittin’ the bed and Mitch isn’t fully back.
Brogdon and Burks would probably be fine bc I don’t think either of them would disrupt chemistry but letting McBride and Grimes play through the up’s and downs is a good thing. There’s time left on the season for them to get some real experience and maybe grow a little before the playoffs.
Cyber, I want to let Deuce and Grimes play, definitely, and I will be annoyed if we trade Grimes near the nadir of his value. But the team needs a backup PG option. There have been too many nights since the trade where we just can’t score when Brunson isn’t on the court, never mind when he’s out with an injury. I like Deuce, and impressed with how far his shot has come. He’s just not a point guard, and I doubt he is going to suddenly morph into one if we give him extended minutes for the rest of the year. There are some skills (notably getting by defenders to get to the basket, either to shoot or set up teammates) that he simply doesn’t possess, and that can’t be learned at this relatively late age of his basketball development.
Since June 2022 after that woeful season:
Positives: Leon & Co. added the following rotation players:
Brunson (2nd for tampering)
iHart (nada)
JHart (lottery-protected 1st)
DDV (nada)
OG (likely 31st pick + two rotation players, one a RFA backup PG and another potentially overpaid low-ish ceiling young player at the same position)
Additionally, resisted calls to dump 2x all-NBA Randle and his “albatross” contract at rock-bottom value, outwitted Mr. Shark Tank to sign a UFA to possibly the best value contract in the NBA, extended an all-defense level C on a bargain descending contract, and maintained all first round draft capital and then some.
Negatives: squandered some great opportunities to acquire young, cost-controlled talent in the draft 2022 and 2023 drafts, largely to make up for mistakes made in offseason 2021. May have sold low on homegrown kids IQ, Obi and RJ. Thibs is Thibs. Julius is Julius.
All things considered, I trust that this FO will make prudent decisions in the next two weeks. I think they recognize the need to improve if they want to make noise in the playoffs, but won’t do so in a way that either disrupts team chemistry or compromises the ability to land a big star this offseason. I don’t sense that fealty to Thibs or loyalty any players will stand in the way of making a deal that improves the team at a calculated cost.
In other words, I don’t have any strong feelings one way or the other about trading Grimes or displacing Deuce…it would all depend on the deal.
Thank you, Max. This was the first game this season that every regular rotation player performed at least to their par for the course. Serendipitous!( You could feel Clyde’s joy by the tone of his voice).
“There are some skills (notably getting by defenders to get to the basket, either to shoot or set up teammates) that he simply doesn’t possess, and that can’t be learned at this relatively late age of his basketball development.”
I’m not as out on Deuce’s further development as this…it took some time for his jumper to click, and now I see him trying some things beyond his initial bag…a floater, a reverse, etc. Seems like he is keen on avoiding mistakes right now, and could loosen up a bit if nothing happens before the deadline. And I don’t blame him, barring injury, this is the best opportunity he will ever have to prove himself as a positive back-of-rotation PG.
So… on team Pessimist Island — anyone still there? hellooo?
Small caveat that Denver was at end of a road trip… but dudes – it wasn’t a back-to-back for them. The flight from Indy is like an hour. And Denver is fully healthy while we are playing our 3rd and 4th centers against the league MVP and best player on the planet (he did sort of look sluggish in the parts of the games i watched?).
I think we’re close.
I don’t know that I want to mess with the chemistry on the team right now, bringing in someone who will have his own agenda etc.
Like Benji Ritholtz has been saying on twitter and on the KFS pods, that second unit just needs a little more offensive design from Thibs, and perhaps it’s beginning. The defense is SO GOOD that maybe the offense just doesn’t matter that much?
99 possessions with Trece, Grimes, Hart, OG, and center –> +6.2 net rating, 0th percentile offense at 97, 100000th percentile on defense with a DRtg of 90.8. The name of the game is to score more than than the other team, and if the other team never scores, then it’s pretty easy to win that game?
My inclination is also that we let this cake bake. But my guess is the FO sees that we have a real chance this season, and that they push some amount of chips to the center in order to juice the offense on the second unit. The thing that seems least sustainable on this team right now is Deuce’s shooting, and that shooting is at least in part responsible for propping up that 2nd unit’s offense. And so maybe a Brogdon trade makes the most sense as a low-risk maneuver.
I said Brogdon or Burks, because that way we don’t send Grimes away. That’d be the case for DJM or some player on the same level. So, if it’s a protected first and Fournier for Brogdon, i’d do it. And if it’s 2 seconds for Burks i’d also do it. But only one of the deals, i mean. Then we’d play Deuce and Brogdon/Burks in the backcourt, Grimes at SF, Hart at PF and hopefully Mitch/iHart at C. This seems sensible to me, because Deuce and Grimes can prove to be too “green” for the playoffs and with Brogdon/Burks, we can short the rotation and play less which one isn’t up for the task at any given game.
Potentially a negative –> perhaps underestimating how good Brunson would become, and that maybe he is indeed the droid we’ve been looking for.
The obsession with the Big Star Trade has led us to punt on several draft picks that really could’ve been great. There’s the incinerated pick of course, but also, Jalen Williams would look MIGHTY good on this team right now, and as I recall, we were really looking at him with that #11 pick we ended up trading to OKC for the 3 future firsts or whtever it was. We did that in part to clear some space for iHart I think? but also to have more future assets to put into Big Star Trade. But maybe, just maybe, Big Star is already here.
In honor of OG playing like an absolute maniac on defense last night (and showing a much more varied offensive game than he previously had in his short time here), your Question of the Day:
When is the last time the Knicks had a defender as versatile and effective as OG, who could be trusted to guard almost any player on the court, and make that player’s life hell?
Ewing was a wizard on defense (especially before his knees went), but more as a backstop and against other big men. Ditto Oakley. And we’ve had excellent defensive guards like Derek Harper and Charlie Ward, but they couldn’t defend all over the positional spectrum like OG can. Mason probably comes closest to OG in my fan lifetime, but even he didn’t feel quite as much like a shutdown cornerback as OG does. We’re at the point where opposing teams (including the Nuggets at times last night) treat him like Revis Island, and simply avoid trying to place the ball anywhere near the man he’s guarding.
Is the previous version of this Dave DeBusschere? I never saw him play, but that’s always how he’s been described by older fans and writers. Or am I forgetting someone important in between.
It was a mix of things: 1)Undo the terrible mistakes of the previous offseason by unloading Kemba, Nerlens, and Ollie Bergs. 2)Make it easier to offer Brunson a contract that would get him to sign immediately, rather than going back to Dallas for a counter-offer. 3)Leave enough carp room left over for iHart. 4)Collect a bunch of future firsts for the Star Trade, since the general philosophy in the NBA seems to be that future firsts have more trade value than young players, because it’s easier to wish on what a draft pick could turn into. In this case, though, Jalen Williams would clearly have more value — whether to this team or in a Star Trade package — than those three picks, one of which (Wizards) is probably never going to convey, one of which (Pistons) is gonna take a while.
I appreciate that the Rose administration learns from its mistakes, and rapidly. But those mistakes remain frustrating.
Not as switchy and screen/roll-y an association then, but Marcus Camby’s the answer.
In terms of Julius’s correct view on April and May and June versus now, this might be the place to note that the 2023 playoff Knicks topped the association in playoff defensive rating. Defense was not the problem last spring. The question that naturally follows is whether they overshot and overborrowed in order to fix a transient, ultimately meaningless January problem.
How soon we forget Renaldo Balkman
“Mason probably comes closest to OG in my fan lifetime, but even he didn’t feel quite as much like a shutdown cornerback as OG does.”
That would be my call, the dude’s nickname was The Locksmith for a reason.
“Is the previous version of this Dave DeBusschere? I never saw him play, but that’s always how he’s been described by older fans and writers.”
In that era, switchability was not nearly as much as a thing, players largely guarded their position. Spacing for 3’s has dramatically changed both offenses and defenses, especially in the last few years. But like OG, Dave fit what the team needed like a glove, and I think the 2-way impact of acquiring OG will be similar. I’m skeptical that our current stars are on a comparable level league-wide to Willis and Clyde, but we sure looked like a team that could beat anyone last night! And when the ball moves, there are similarities in playing style.
“Not as switchy and screen/roll-y an association then, but Marcus Camby’s the answer.”
I was thinking Camby, but OG’s physicality made me lean towards Mase.
And let’s not forget about Jared Jeffries. Never mind, let’s forget about him.
Your New York Knicks are now 6th in the league, 3rd in the East, with a 5.13 SRS.
One of the most impressive things about last night was that Murray was trying to hunt mismatches to get away from OG, I think it was marechal that pointed it out, I don’t remember exactly, but he switched from OG to Grimes then McBride, and we’re perfectly fine with each of those matchups.
This is the type of stuff that happens when you have a real defense anchored by a no questions asked all NBA defender, it makes everyone else’s job just that little bit easier. Drives don’t start as clean as they could be, passes have to be hurried, shooters have less time to setup, etc etc.
The only team in the east I’m afraid right now is unfortunately Boston, as they have a similar defensive potential as we do but obviously more pieces on offense.
I think we reached a point where I can say I definitely don’t want a big move this season. Don’t mess with what’s working right now with a big swing, and look for smaller moves that improve us incrementally. The best part about all this is that OG is likely to re-sign and we can wait to see what happens after the playoffs.
Fun fact: Of the players currently in the rotation (not including Sims) only Julius and Precious are averaging fewer steals per 36 than either of IQ or RJ. And that should only become more stark, there seems to be a ripple effect of OG hounding the most ball-dominant guard/wing on the opposing team.
Alan – Honestly I think the answer is never – at least not within the last 40 years that I’ve been watching Knicks basketball. I wasn’t around for Clyde
OG is going to get some serious consideration for DPOY. We did have Tyson Chandler a few years back but that always felt weird to me. OG is probably the best big wing defender in the league currently now that Kawhi is on the back 9, and his effect on the team is literally incontrovertible. Worst defense in the league before he got here, best defense in the league after he got here.
I mean look at the effect of a SINGLE player:
Brunson + DDV + RJ + Randle + center -> DRtg 133.3 (zero’th %)
Brunson + DDV + OG + Randle + center -> DRtg 108.7
ONE PLAYER decreases DRtg by 25 points. It is ridiculous.
By the way – closing lineup of JB/Hart/OG/Randle/center now with 106 possesions, net rating of +58.5. The Knicks played the defending NBA champions and this lineup’s net rating INCREASED from +56. It is comical.
Not to be “pessimistic” and all, but they closed playoff games with Josh Hart last spring and … well ….
The removal of both Obi and RJ seems to have relaxed Julius. With Obi, Julius had to contend with a position rival who was also a fan favorite. That tension showed in some of the interactions the two had during the Pacer game. No Obi, no replacement waiting in the wings. RJ competed with Julius for touches and space. Their relationship was not as fraught as we believed, but the on-court chemistry never materialized. OG is a perfect complement to Julius when he passes out of a double team.
OG had 6 steals last night. That’s insane.
I was about to ponder if Randle and Brunson are somewhat comparable to Willis and Clyde in terms of their pecking order within the league, particularly when the talent level is so much deeper now. i.e., Willis overlapped with Wilt, Russell, and then Kareem, while Clyde was playing at the same time as West and Oscar and (pre-trade) Earl the Pearl. And we’ve got a couple of guys who aren’t considered at the absolute pinnacle of the league, but one has made a few All-Star and All-NBA teams, and other guy seems on the verge of doing both, and moving into elite-ish company.
And then I went to check the All-NBA teams from the late 60s and early 70s. Clyde was All-NBA first team four times, and second team twice. Willis was second team four times, and first team (over the young Kareem) once. The basketball world clearly considered them to be among the very best of the best for a significant stretch of time. Jalen and Julius have a ways to go to be in that kind of company, never mind the idea of being immortal Hall of Famers.
The lesson, as always: I am an idiot.
Clyde was the best defensive guard in the association in his prime … Jalen? … well, not so much.
Debusschere was an eight-time all star and six-time all defense guy. The difference he brought wasn’t really “fit” so much as that he was simply way better than the guy he was traded for.
I couldn’t post yesterday, but to me the game showed that Strat’s posts about less iso/more sharing aren’t so crazy*.
Both JB and Julius were very controlled (under 30% %USG**) and with OG and DDV usage creeping up we looked at times untenable for the Nuggets.
There are stretches, especially in the clutch and in the playoffs, where JB and (to a lesser extent) Julius may/must take the reins, but during the regular season more sharing eases the burden on the stars and keeps them fresher, it gives a team more weapons to add to the toolbox for future use and helps other players get in rhythm and build confidence.
It’s not always feasible, but it’s almost always a positive thing.
* And I haven’t read them as critical comments to JB.
** Just like they were in the Philly game.
That said, back in Clyde’s day there was a significant pro-New York bias (*) in the awards votings and reputation and myth-making generally.
It’s not as strong now as it was then, but it’s still there and people like OG will benefit from it.
(*) New York being the center of the universe and all and if you can make it here you can make it anywhere, etc., etc.
Speaking of All-Stars and All-NBA,
I totally forgot Siakam is a 2 times All-NBA (2nd team 2020, 3rd team 2022).
People sound very confortable that he’ll re-sign with the Pacers and, if true, for at least another couple of seasons (he’ll be 30 in april) he and Hali could be valiant opponents…
Indy blew out Philly last night, too. Very good night for the 4 through 7 brigade.
Obviously we’re headed for some sort of comedown at some point, because no team is THIS good. We have a 120.3 offensive rating and 104.6 defensive rating since the trade. We’re healthily trending upwards in both offensive and defensive eFG%. We’re even making serious strides in 2PT FG percentage.
“That said, back in Clyde’s day there was a significant pro-New York bias (*) in the awards votings and reputation and myth-making generally.”
LOL you just pulled this out of your rear end, right?
Count me among those who think that what we are *currently* doing is not sustainable. That said, we are looking very much like a 50+ win team that can be a nightmare for anyone in the playoffs.
Add Dejounte Murray to this team, reduce the hustlebunny minutes, and (absent another Julius playoff meltdown) it’s a contender.
Still extremely early, obviously, but Rozier has played like complete trash in his first two Miami games.
The eye-test is clear. This unit works well together – really well. Statistics reflect it. Clearly RJ and IQ, although good players, will do better elsewhere. And for OG this is a blessing too.
Yet I read Knick-fan posts elsewhere that still whine about Knox, Frank and Obi not getting a chance because “Thibs hates kids”. I keep reading about no-handle Randle and that Grimes wasn’t given a fair shot. That OG doesn’t score enough to be a starter. That Cam Reddish is going to be a star.
I just had to vent about this here – the place where reality and sanity rule.
One thought on Josh Hart:
I hope he really understands just how much he means to this squad- even if his usage is down. The opportunities will come for him as long as he keeps “playing the right way”. For him, all he needs to do is shoot a little better and his scoring goes up- and he will feel better about his offensive contribution. I love having that guy on this team.
That said, back in Clyde’s day there was a significant pro-New York bias (*) in the awards votings and reputation and myth-making generally.
It’s not as strong now as it was then, but it’s still there and people like OG will benefit from it.
(*) New York being the center of the universe and all and if you can make it here you can make it anywhere, etc., etc.
E, even when you make a non-current Knicks comment I tend to disagree with you. Please provide evidence as it relates to the Knicks then. As far as I know and have read, Willis and Clyde only burst onto the scene the season the Knicks won a championship. In the next 3 seasons they were in the finals twice and won another one. That biased the awards voting and reputation.
EDIT: see Z-man beat me too it
The major potential regression = opponent 3 point shooting which has been at just 31.4% over this 13 game post-OG stretch – opposing teams are shooting on average 10.2/32.2 from 3 point range.
Two caveats to potentials for regression here:
– we are only giving up 32.2 3PA per game – that is 4th in the league over that span.
– let’s say opposing teams shot 38% from 3 over these games ie. 12.2/32.2 — we’d still have +9 point differential. I mean just think about it – for us to have a neutral point differential, teams would have had to shoot basically 50% from 3 point range. For any normal team, opponents shooting 50% from 3 point range = a loss. For this team over this stretch, it would just bring them to par.
On the flip side – our own 3 point shooting has not been an outlier – averaging 36.5% from 3 over these 13 games vs 37.2% for the season. Our 3 point VOLUME has gone up though – from 36.3 per 100poss (9th in league) to 39.5 (5th in league over last 13g) per 100poss.
I am getting a little giddy here at Team Optimist HQ.
And there is a long history of NY players, across multiple sports, actually underperforming in MVP votes and other awards voted on by media. Derek Jeter, for instance, has a legitimate gripe about being jobbed out of at least two different MVP awards (1999 and 2006).
What made a potential OG acquisition so appealing to me was that IMO it was a move at SF similar to going from Elfrid Payton to Jalen Brunson at PG.
It wasn’t just an upgrade that would hopefully add a couple of wins. It was going from a clear cut weakness in the starting lineup to a clear cut positive. So the incremental wins could be more significant. On top of that, we needed more length at that specific position to match up with some of bigger elite wings out there, better spacing that would help Randle/Brunson, and of course, he can also spell Randle at times or even start at PF if Randle is hurt. Adding OG to the Knicks specifically was a much greater plus than adding him to other teams.
E’s heart isn’t in it anymore. Low effort trolling today. Going through the motions.
I still think we need to make at least one bench scoring addition. Last night was awesome but most of the post-trade games have had long stretches of brutal offensive play from the bench units. Also, giving Brunson, Randle, OG, and iHart playoff minute loads for months on end is just asking for trouble.
It’s funny, based on our recent play you can argue both that we clearly should go all in, or that we’re close to being set already and just need to trade some seconds for Amex Burps. I lean towards the former–we’ll inevitably come down because no team is this good, and we’re still at a talent deficit against the Celtics, Bucks, etc.
But barring some kind of collapse (something none of us Knicks fans will rule out obviously), this team has all the makings of a “no one wants to play them” squad in the playoffs. I get exhausted just watching guys try to play offense against OG, and in terms of pure bucket getting ability in crunch time I’ll take our little general over most.
Distinctly remember being absolutely outraged in 6th grade when the 2006 MVP vote was announced. I’m sure Justin Morneau is a stand up guy but I can’t help but resent him for the rest of my life.
I was reliably informed that the post-OG Anunoby trade Knicks were going to be a sub-.500 team.
In all objective precincts, “trade for DJM and you’ll be a contender” seems like the advocacy of a fully-committed “heart.”
Just sayin’.
Actually, Thibs has surprised me in a nice way with some line up decisions. Remember how he used to take Barrett out early and then put him back in so he could play with the second unit, presumably because the second unit needed offense? Now he seems to be doing the same with Anunoby. I wouldn’t have thought Anunoby would bring offense to the second unit but he’s actually scoring quite a bit in that role. And of course, now the second unit is great defensively. It’s a surprising decision to me that seems to be working out well.
Spoke with my Dad, who has been a Knick fan since the beginning, and he is jacked up about OG. He says this is just like the Debuscherre trade. He sees the same thing you guys see: OG is making the game so much easier for everyone on defense.
I am legitimately more excited about OG than I have been about any player we have acquired in my lifetime. I can’t believe I didn’t realize he was this good on defense.
Also, the idea Clyde benefitted from New York bias is pure horseshit. Go look at his box score numbers and then consider he was considered the best defensive guard in the league. Best player on two championship teams. He is one of the all time greats, never mind the magic he creates in the booth.
Yup. He def reads KB.
+1
Such a joy to watch Knicks games now compared to even just two years ago. Guys who are so easy to root for and can play like Brunson, OG, and nearly everyone else.
I just love players like OG who are elite defenders but also not stiffs on offense.
Jesus, there’s even a Bill Simmons podcast titled “the badass knicks” that just dropped.
What a world.
I am actually a little nervous about this offseason now — let’s say OG wins DPOY (I think he might if this continues, and I think is likely to be 1st team all-defense). What is that contract going to look like, and does Morey come in with a max?
OG is going to get paid a massive amount of money, just come to terms with it now. It is what it is–we’re not going to be a cap space team for years to come anyway and I think that guy would have to make $100M AAV to be untradable. And maybe not even then.
Something Katz pointed out a few days ago is the problem with a trade for DJM, or some other high profile player who is simply not coming off the bench, is it would change a starting lineup that has a +19.3 net rating (127.9 offensive despite Brunson’s oppressive ball hogging, 108.6 defensive). How the hell do you justify that?
Of course that number will come down, but are we sure DJM upgrades the starting lineup? He’d be great for the bench units, but that’d be a difficult staggering tightrope.
If D’Lo really is available basically for free he seems like a great option. He’s come off the bench plenty in his career so that shouldn’t be a problem, and he’s been an offensive dynamo this year.
I haven’t done some kind of deep dive on his defense but from what I hear it’s terrible. We can mitigate that with Deuce and Grimes though when it comes to bench units. Those units would definitely become less stout defensively, but I think it’s more important that we get them to the triple digits in offensive rating.
“I am actually a little nervous about this offseason now — let’s say OG wins DPOY (I think he might if this continues, and I think is likely to be 1st team all-defense). What is that contract going to look like, and does Morey come in with a max?”
We’ll see whether the Leon-CAA thing has any impact…
How was it justified to take Elfrid Payton out of the playoff starting lineup when the Knicks went into the playoffs on a 16-4 run with a 12-1 embedded inside with him as the starting point guard?
You “justify” it by noting the obvious fact that Dejounte Murray is a materially better basketball player than Donte Divincenzo and Josh Hart. Among other reasons.
This really isn’t difficult. (And most likely Katz is talking Leon’s book.)
How was it justified to take Elfrid Payton out of the playoff starting lineup when the Knicks went into the playoffs on a 16-4 run with a 12-1 embedded inside?
You “justify” it by noting the obvious fact that Dejounte Murray is a materially better basketball player than Donte Divincenzo. Among other reasons.
Not comparable. Elfrid was yanked because he was playing the worst ball of his career. Donte is currently playing the best ball of his career.
Remember signing DDV was redundant…
You can either rely on regular season hustlebunny, or you can contend.
The choice is yours.
Hopefully Leon will fade KB. I’m not optimistic. Unfortunately.
Yeah, no.
Somewhere embedded in the DJM scenario is the question: How good is Donte DiVincenzo?
Because the 4.0 BPM player we see out there right now is totally awesome and is not only a legit starter, but a fringe 2-way all-star. And frankly, a better player than DJM.
So if you acquire DJM, you are either 1) starting him and disrupting the chemistry of the current starting lineup, or 2) making the same (imo faulty) calculation that you can afford to pay a bench piece $25+M AAV when you already have one earning close to $20M in Josh Hart…and that’s not even considering that DJM might not take to being a second unit guy.
And that’s why I lean towards no. I think Donte has learned from playing on the Warriors with Steph and Curry and the improvement you are seeing is real and sustainable. In fact, I think he can even get better! And more importantly, I don’t think you gain much by replacing DDV with him in the closing lineup that you can’t get out of Josh Hart.
Considering DJM’s price and his contract, I’d rather overpay for Brogdan, or settle for Burks, or swing something for Tyus, or kick the tires on some buyout guy like Lowry.
E right now is like me spending the first two seasons of Succession shrugging off any and every attempt by readers and fellow critics to get me to revisit a show I dismissed as Not For Me early on.
I sympathize, E. I’m sorry this is a tough time for you.
Are we sure about that? And even if that were true, in a playoff setting where starters are playing 40+ min/game, does DJM fit better with the other starters than DDV or Hart do?
DJM – in a true outlier year for shooting – is shooting 46.8/38.7/83.5 – objectively great numbers, but TS still just 56.7 and WS/48 0.084. His usage is 25 but with the NYK starters would probably be closer to 20. His defense used to be his calling card but by all accounts it has been bad this year, and even his ballhawking has taken a big hit with his stl% just 1.8 (career high was 3.1).
DDV – TS 62.4 on 19.5 usage, WS/48 0.156, stl% 2.5. His shooting (also an outlier for his career) opens up all kinds of things for the rest of the offense.
I really don’t see it with Murray – not with this team. And any marginal benefit he would bring is not worth the treasure that would have to go out to get him…
“This really isn’t difficult. (And most likely Katz is talking Leon’s book.)”
Pulled that one out of your ass as well, huh? You’re on a roll!
It’s unclear to me why so many people refuse to buy into Donte. Obvious fact? Materially better? In what world?
Yes. Entirely sure.
In the world in which DJM was an all-star a mere two seasons ago playing starters minutes against starters.
Nice!
/sm
Is DDV really a hustlebunny? He’s shooting .420 from 3PT on high volume. He has a .612 eFG% and .624 TS% on 19.5 USG%. If that’s some hustlebunny shit, sign me up for more hustlebunnies. The guy has been exceedingly good at throwing the ball at the basket and making it go in.
For the first time in what seems like forever, we can actually field a starting lineup that is not a black hole of eFG%. I get that DDV is not an official Ruff Rydah like Dejounte Murray but come on, the guy is doing a lot more than diving after loose balls and waving his arms around a lot.
E for someone who often talks vaguely about the need to “modernize” you seem surprisingly certain that Dejounte Murray, he of the career .346 3PT%, would be an upgrade over DDV, he of the “one of the best shooters in the NBA this year” status.
I am decidedly less sure about that, especially when you consider DJM is hardly considered a defensive stalwart anymore.
Speaking for myself, I put zero stock in this kind of thing, which I’ve also heard. Elite defenders don’t lose their defensive skills at 27 and he’s in a different context that he probably isn’t real thrilled with.
OG Anunoby wasn’t headed for all-defense in TOR, either.
I’m perfectly happy projecting DJM returning to elite defender in NYC. I’d fully expect it.
In the marginal sense that I’m not comfortable going into the playoffs depending on his regular season — just as I wasn’t last year with Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes’s (HB 1 and HB 2) regular season act.
Actually, I feel the same way about this. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see Dejounte play great defense in this system.
I’d like to see Dejounte be the Michael Cooper of this team. Kick serious two-way ass off the bench, play heavy minutes. Not sure if he’d buy into that role but I bet he could do it.
He won’t make it but Donte is worthy of being an all star this year.
Nothing about him evokes Josh Hart or Quentin Grimes.
I wouldn’t mind Murray but he’d have to come off the bench for me.
The Knicks trading for Dejounte Murray and trying to sell him on being a super sixth man would be the next battle in the CAA/Klutch Wars.
He’s playing 22 minutes per game.
How so? Sub baseline 1 in 5 usage, low minutes, good to excellent TS%, not really on-ball creators, similar games, etc. He evokes them in every way, really.
We now have a higher SRS than 5 of the last 20 NBA champions, and 10 of the last 20 runners up.
We are now on a 51 win pace. Pythagorean record would be a 55 win pace.
DDV is the 5th best SG in the league by BPM.
It’s nice to be wrong about things. Is this real?
I’d overpay for Brogdan, or even Bogdon, if we keep Grimes. Just someone to add ballhandling to the bench, be it a PG or a SG.
As a rule, I would rather the Knicks not pursue a single player who isn’t a legitimate 3pt shooter unless there is a huge shakeup in personnel. DJM is not that guy.
Dejounte Murray averaged 23.2/7.2/6.8 against the Celtics in last year’s playoffs on .378 shooting from downtown.
There’s no way in holy hell I’m betting on anything remotely like that from DDV. (Nor do I want to rely on Julius ISOs to fill in the gaps.)
This regular season stuff is not really that big a deal. They were 16-4 going into the Hawks series and got completely waxed.
It’s the real status of SRS and BPM, but there’s no reason to put much stock in either.
In a way, it is charming that we beat the defending champions by 38 points and we still have trolls running around moving goal posts all the way to outside the field by now. It’s a knickerblogger trademark at this point.
Just trade for Brogdon, he’s the reigning 6th man of the year so coming off the bench shouldn’t be a problem for him.
Now SRS is bad too?
What overall metric of team quality do we put stock in? Lack of hustlebunnies?
His career 3PT% is 26 points below DDVs (346 vs 372). DDV is shooting .312 from downtown in the playoffs on 77 career attempts.
No actual contender would run the DDV playoff risk to any serious degree. Hopefully, Leon won’t.
Give E credit, as moronic as he sounds he sticks to his shtick through thick and thin.
There’s no “goalpost move.” Leon’s put them in position to actually contend and actual contention has always been my “goalposts.”
The move to close the deal and get to actual contention this spring is right in front of him. He needs to close it.
I’m extremely excited about the possibilities.
lol the hawks series was three years ago. Who besides Randle who played in that series is even on the team still?
“His career 3PT% is 26 points below DDVs (346 vs 372). DDV is shooting .312 from downtown in the playoffs on 77 career attempts.
No actual contender would run the DDV playoff risk to any serious degree. Hopefully, Leon won’t.”
Again, talking out of your ass. It would be nice if you just posted the first sentence without getting into what “no actual contender” would or wouldn’t do. Making shit like that up off the top of your head adds zero credibility to your opinions.
So you argue that DJM’s .378 from three last year on *checks notes* 37 attempts is evidence of his greatness, and the above tiny sample is evidence against DDV? Do you really think that’s persuasive?
Here’s a sample I find more convincing: Over the last two seasons, DDV is .405 and DJM is .361, both on over 600 attempts. One is elite and the other is a little below average. That is a substantial difference.
Hustlebunny now means anyone who isn’t a star.
Actual contenders prefer to run the RJ playoff risk!
Troll aside, we’re a little over our skis here about how good the team is. Just as we were better than our record when we were on the road doing back-to-backs, we’re at home mostly punching down, so we look better than we are. Of course we look great.
A lot of that is sustainable; OG has indeed made a huge difference because of fit. RJ was addition by subtraction, as many of us knew. But we definitely need a creator, off the bench or not. I could understand making a small move (Fournier + pick[s]) for Brogdon, but any more than that is the wrong use of our assets. We can still make one last push for a great player; using any significant portion of our remaining assets would prevent that.
That in mind, any trade for DJM is a bad idea. He would likely make us better. But enough to beat the Celtics? I don’t think so. Would Brogdon help us beat the Celtics? No, but we wouldn’t give up much for him and could still take our big swing.
Now, trade the rest of what we have for Bridges and I do actually think that team could take the Celtics. Not that it’s possible (just as it wasn’t possible to get OG), but I do think Brunson, Randle, Bridges, OG, and Hart/Mitch could win a championship. With DJM, you’re hoping he accepts a bench role and hoping his defense returns. No thank you.
TNFH has always been obsessed about “predictions,” so I’ll reiterate the one I made pre-OG trade.
JB/DJM/Randle/OG/Center with the Harts and DDV primary off the bench is a legitimate contender for the NBA championship.
Make of that what will be made.
DJM would be more of a home run swing than Brogdon, that move would have more upside. But honestly Brogdon probably gives you like 90% of DJM’s value and he’s also a guy who will slot perfectly into that 6th man role, no questions asked. And he will cost less. And his contract structure is almost ideal.
Either of those guys at the right price would give us a balanced and deep rotation. I’d be happy with either one.
“I’d overpay for Brogdan, or even Bogdon, if we keep Grimes. Just someone to add ballhandling to the bench, be it a PG or a SG.”
Wow. Actually managed to get them *both* wrong. It’s Brogdon and Bogdan.
And Z-man, Donte played with both Steph *and* Curry?!? Wow, again. Quite stunning, actually.
Have to at least hand it to E for not writing anything like either of those.
“TNFH has always been obsessed about “predictions,” so I’ll reiterate the one I made pre-OG trade.
JB/DJM/Randle/OG/Center with the Harts and DDV primary off the bench is a contender for the NBA championship.
Make of that what will be made.”
Hmmm, interesting reversal from the “Thibs and Julius put a hard ceiling on the team in the playoffs” stance…
“over our skis”…whaddya mean…i’m just down here in the Canyon of Heroes pitching a tent until june…
Saying you only care about contending is such a cop out stance to take bc basically you get to be critical and pretend you know better until we hoist a banner instead of taking the risk to believe in the good things that are happening and hoping for the realistic next steps to occur.
I desperately want to pummel the badly struggling, underwater point differential, offensively challenged Miami Heat on Saturday.
I admittedly think it’s lame to imply everyone else is stupid for not recognizing that we’ll never win with “hustlebunnies” and all that, while not being willing to go on the record with any kind of falsifiable prediction.
I mean, I get it, given how the Frank Ntilikina and Cam Reddish flag plants worked out, but I think you should just pick up the pieces and move on instead of swearing off saying anything falsifiable while maintaining the Smartest Guy in the Room shtick. Just my two cents.
The asking price for Brogdon is apparently one first. That seems quite reasonable.
You could probably do that trade and keep Grimey, which is some nice insurance in case of injury.’
If the asking price for Brogdon is one first-round pick, isn’t it the case that we could *definitely* keep Grimes, rather than just *probably* being able to keep him? You know, being that Grimes isn’t a pick (first-round or otherwise) and all.
Yeah, I guess so, pedantic jagoff.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEu7xrlWkAAs-wo?format=jpg&name=900×900
The players don’t mess with Randle
Some intel from Jake Fischer:
Dealing with Ainge is a nightmare, but man, Sexton would be dynamite in the microwave bench scorer role.
I am smelling roses…..
A Knicks fan only gets to feel this way a handful of times in their lifetime. I am just going to enjoy it.
JK47 is correct. His use of “apparently” in the initial sentence leaves the price of acquiring Brogdon less than certain. Therefore, “probably” is an accurate description of the situation and “definitely” is not.
As a side note, “definitely” should never be used with its literal meaning as there are virtually no situations in which doubt cannot be introduced.
LOL
Correct. And the sky might *literally* fall to the ground in the next two minutes. Definitely.
And I will definitely never be able to dunk a basketball. Literally.
Sexton is having a great season. I can’t imagine the prick Ainge giving him up for anything less than a couple of firsts and Grimes.
But yes, he would be SOOO good with our bench lineup.
I don’t like the word “literally” either, but more due to its overuse (which includes a few too many uses by myself)
You could easily dunk a basketball on a 5-foot-high rim.
“You could easily dunk a basketball on a 5-foot-high rim.”
Actually, you didn’t know that to be true when you wrote it. I could be infirm, a little person, both of those, or have any manner of other circumstances that might prevent it from ever happening.
But in fact it turns out that you are correct. Although I will be 60 years of age in three months and shorter than an average American male…….yes, I am in fairly good shape and could easily dunk a basketball on a 5-foot rim, perhaps even on a 7.5-foot rim. I appreciate you pointing that out! 🙂
(I *can* still touch the bottom of the net on a 10-foot rim! For how much longer, I do not know.)
E’s heard that we’re unlikely to meet Atlanta’s asking price for Murray, so the obvious thing to do is insist he’s the player we must get.
The reports are that Atlanta is asking for two firsts for Murray, plus Grimes.
I’d rather have Brogdon and keep both Grimes and the additional first. No brainer.
“E’s heard that we’re unlikely to meet Atlanta’s asking price for Murray, so the obvious thing to do is insist he’s the player we must get.”
ya think?
more and more gravity becomes my nemesis…it as though everything around me is hell bent on dropping to the floor…just so i have to bend down to pick it up…
i suppose i should just be thankful for the exercise…
i’m not though…
And frankly that’s a travesty. Too many minutes for Hart at Donte’s expense.
today was the first time I can remember hearing the term:
Pedantic Jagoff
that’s a great retort…something about all those syllables together just works well…
Ped-antic Jag-off
Donte was in a jump ball situation, with someone close to his size…
he jumped up, cupped the ball, and tossed it to julius gently…
he does something that is physically surprising almost every game…
yes, i understand at this point it should no longer be a surprise…and yet…
i think if the risk/reward choice is even close to even…maybe not even close – leon would do nothing…
i didn’t see it, but someone here mentioned thibs talking about the possibility of isaiah missing time and jericho needing to step in…
and in kind of typical thibs fashion he responded in a maniacal mad scientist fashion: He’s very ready!
it seems we need a backup point guard/scorer and center…
maybe thibs feels like he has what he needs now…call it the OG effect…
isn’t it something that julius has now become the 3rd best player on the knicks…
that is indeed awesome 👌
given our record travesty may be a bit strong, but if Donte keeps playing near this level we should definitely up his minutes.
The most bizarre thing about this E narrative about DiVincenzo is that he’s a guy who literally won in every step of his career, from high school to the pros. Even if you decide to ignore his college career for narrative reasons, both the Bucks and the Warriors, teams no one would argue were worse ran than the Knicks, gave him minutes in the playoffs. The team that eventually won the title, and the defending champions, gave him minutes. And yet our resident troll thinks no contender could ever “run this playoff risk” out there, when he’s playing at a career best level.
This type of reddit level shitposting disguised as “I’m smarter than all of you” analysis is really out of place here, I’m sorry.
E blasted the OG Anunoby trade. The anti-OG Trade faction definitely do not look like the smartest guys in the room at this moment.
It obviously was redundant!
And that’s exactly why some of us said it didn’t make sense unless they planned to do a consolidation trade where we upgraded another position. What scared me at the time was that it made it more likely we would trade Quickley instead of starting him next to Brunson. I was strongly against trading Quickley.
Well, it all happened.
The redundancy caused problems with minutes for Grimes and Quickley.
We consolidated.
We upgraded SF.
We included Quickley.
The only reason there wasn’t any hysteria on my part was that we got the one player in the NBA I wanted more than Quickley.
It’s likely Leon planned to trade Quickley once he could tell there would be no extension, picked up DDV as a semi replacement off the bench, and then started working the phones again. Then of course DDV looked so good he took the Grimes spot.
To play a -0.8 BPM player over a 4.0 BPM player at the same position* is a terrible mistake. The record is great but it’s a bad process with a good result.
* I’m talking specifically about the approximately 6-8 mins Hart gets at SG in lineups with Brunson, OG, and Randle which account for the difference in playing time.
It sounds to me like the Lakers are going all out to get Murray but need to find a home for D’Lo because the Hawks don’t want him. We can facilitate that if the price makes sense and Thibs is on board. But I think we are OUT on Murray unless the price drops, which I don’t really expect. The Hawks can just wait. They don’t have to make a move now.
i don’t see a picture of d’lo (who I do not want on this team at all) under the Thibs type of player family tree
I thought the price on Murray would have dropped more. That’s barely a discount after a year-and-a-half of underwhelming play. He’s only had one star season for a terrible Spurs team.
DLo, Burks, or someone else for a lower fee.
DLo is great on offense and we can run him for 16mpg in the regular season to give Brunson a break. In the playoffs Thibs will play him 10mpg with a healthy roster. If he’s basically free, why not him?
It’s not just the record, but the advance stats regarding units with Brunson, Hart, OG, Randle, and a center. They’re insanely good, and even better than when DDV is in at shooting guard. It’s a small sample size, obviously. But simply putting a more realistic shooting threat at the 3 makes it a whole lot easier for Josh Hart to do Josh Hart things, and to be the guy who was so valuable for us in the second half of last season and in the Cavs series.
Obviously, I want as much of DDV on the court as is possible, but I don’t think you can look at the minutes split between Brunson’s two old pals the same way now that we did prior to the Toronto trade.
Milwaukee and Golden State played DDV in the playoffs, yes … a total of 18.5 minutes per game. At ages 23-26. Twenty-six games. In that time, he averaged 5.6 points per game, or roughly 11 points per 36 minutes. His shooting splits are 382/312/656. We’ve seen this act before, a few short months ago, with the massive series-costing reliance on Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes.
He can play in the playoffs, but playing him starters’ minutes is too risky to any thoughts of serious contention, which is in their grasp. We’ll continue to be positive and chalk up the idea that he’s somehow a better basketball player and projects to be better in the 2024 playoffs than Dejounte Murray to the residual positive and good feelings from blowing the doors off the defending association champions last night. That’s all it can possibly be.
It’s funny, what I loved about D’Lo when he was a prospect was that I thought that he was a really mature guy who would be able to hit threes in the NBA. As it turned out, he was an immature nutjob who couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn…until now. He’s now a fucking sharpshooter from deep. That’s kind of crazy.
So yeah, as a backup point guard he’d be fine here.
Not sure what we are even talking about. I don’t think that the Knicks starting unit is the best in the NBA like recent data suggests. I think we are still at best the fourth best team in the East.
But we can beat any team in the East in a series. Not as the favorite. But we have a punchers chance if our centers are back.
Which I will take.
I thought OG was British British – did not realize he grew up in Missouri.
No need to settle for that when there’s a readily-available player that raises the ceiling significantly above that.
I mean, yeah, if some guys want to just see the regular season guys try their hand in the playoffs, great — but that’s not everyone or even close.
DDV averaged 30mpg in the playoffs for the championship Bucks before getting injured. Seems like a gross oversight on your part.
He’s also averaging 6.9 rebs, 4.3 asts & 1.6 stls per 36 in his playoff minutes. Idk, seems good.
He’s played 470 total playoff minutes versus 1005 for the Knicks this year with 77 career playoff threes to 283 Knicks theees. So unless you’re committing to reDontent shooting 42% from 3 the rest of the season, I don’t see why you’d give a crap about his playoff record.
That’s everyone on the Nuggets except Jokic and Murray
They actually struggled to find bench players who meet those qualifications.
I’m not buying “Josh Hart things” that don’t show up in the box score any more than you guys bought Strat selling the same stuff with Frank.
In the sample you cite, the lineup excels while Josh Hart plays poorly. There’s no reason to conclude that Josh Hart’s inclusion is causal.
The Warriors, for instance, used to have killer numbers with Harrison Barnes in the death lineup. That didn’t cause them to conclude that Harrison Barnes was the reason those lineups excelled. Eventually they replaced him, and of course they got much better.
DDV is a 4.0 BPM player and Josh Hart is nearly negative one. That is huge! We’re talking about the same difference between RJ Barrett and OG Anunoby.
The fact that Randle, OG, and Brunson have played great while carrying Hart’s sorry ass is no reason we should continue asking them to do it.
Give less minutes to one of our worst players. Give more minutes to one of our best players. That’s it.
I want no part of DJM. I think he puts our amazing chemistry at risk. He will want 32+ minutes a game and potentially give us similar spacing problems as RJ. (Career 34.6% vs 34.3% 3pt)
I think Burks is a bit washed, his 2pt% and shots at the rim are way down over the last 3 years. Plus I could see Thibs “trusting” him too much and giving him minutes over McBride and Grimes even when he’s worse.
Brogdon is too injury prone and might be losing a step defensively as well.
None are worth their price.
“Milwaukee and Golden State played DDV in the playoffs, yes … a total of 18.5 minutes per game.”
And the Knicks currently play DiVincenzo… 22.3 minutes per game.
Unless you want to argue 4 more minutes of a currently 4 bpm player is a sin so terrible it will sink the team, which not even you could possibly argue no matter how smart you think you are, you still don’t have an argument. You are grasping at straws with your new Dejounte Murray obsession precisely because you don’t think the Knicks are getting him, so you’re hedging your future trolling. Get out of here.
Onto some actual discussion
The Lakers seem intent on shoving Russell towards the Hawks, but the Hawks want Reaves instead of him which is very likely not happening, so I think the chances of DLo being rerouted are slim right now… I would like to pick him up on a cheap, but I’m obviously fine if it doesn’t happen.
Yeah I guess intellectually D-Lo would be fine especially if we got something to take him but he’s one of my least favorite players
I would be okay with D’Lo if it cost us nothing but Fournier. But honestly I think the defense of our bench unit is amazing and the offense is coming around. I think we are trying to solve a problem that is already solving itself.
The Athletic’s Lakers beat writer today said he thinks that if DLo plays well for whatever team he goes to, he won’t exercise the player option, because he may think he can do well enough over more years in free agency to risk losing the one year salary. This would ruin the whole idea of him being continuous soup (to borrow the Jeremy Cohen metaphor). It becomes a scenario where you’re almost rooting for him to not help you this season so you can use him to help you in the future. Which seems less than ideal.
Also not a fan of DLo. Classic Isiah Thomas player.
I am sure there are things I’d like about DJM but paying up for a guy whose numbers have looked like his have lately seems dicey
DAR is a horrible idea. I’d rather roll Fournier out there.
I’ve been thinking that this team is starting to remind of the Pistons, but not the Billups version, the other ones…
DLo has been a very good offensive player. He has a .600 TS% on 23% usage over the last 1.5 seasons with 7 ast/36.
The advanced stats love his offense too. He has a 2.1 OBPM and a +2.6 OEPM, putting him in the 92nd percentile on offense.
He’s a flawed player, draft disappointment, and was way overpaid in the past. It’s driven the perception of him as a bad player even though he’s a valuable offensive piece.
Depending on DLo to start or carry a team is folly. Getting him for free as a 6th man offensive jolt is a coup.
(Potentially losing his salary this offseason is a problem, but if he’s good maybe you just re-sign him. You’d have to wait till the deadline for an all-in move or trade Hart instead.)
This was brilliant.
wasn’t d’lo the guy who spilled the beans on nick “swaggy p” young to his fiancee about his extra curricular activities…i’m sure every guy in the locker room is looking at him funny for that shit…
with zman on this…just run fournier out there if that is the guy you are thinking of bringin in…he’s a cancer…warriors got him out of town as fast as they could…
There are weaknesses in D’Angelo Russell’s game but he can shoot (.422 3PT%) and he can pass (7.4 AST/36). You’d only really need him here as a Lou Williams type. On this particular second unit I don’t think his defense would kill you so much.
D-Lo and DJM are both questionable in terms of chemistry, while Brogdon is a guy that has made a career of being a sixth man. The more I think about all the variables, the more I like Brogdon.
Dejounte trying his best to destroy his trade value tonight. So far a -22 in an 8 point game, while Luka scores 57 through three quarters.
booker has been unconscious…
The game is on NBA TV and Luka scored 8 points in the first minute of the 4th quarter lmao
He only has 65. Whatever
Incredibly Dallas might lose this
Obi just got an offensive rebound and tip in to get the Pacers ahead of the Suns with 3 seconds left.
obi with the game winner
Wild, the only guys to have scored more than Luka in a game are Kobe and Wilt
If we know this, then Leon knows this. The one constant in all his players is good character. I really don’t see him bringing anyone here who is a possible problem in the locker room.
an efficient 73-10-7 has to be one of the top 4 or 5 offensive performances in NBA hisotry
And Doncic has an infant at home, somebody tell Josh Hart it’s possible.
Thibs is going to get a gun if we trade for Murray after this game
Murray the great defender couldn’t slow down luka?
Trae is a solid player, but drafting and trading luka is an all timer in bad trades
egggzactly…as doogie would say “it’s antithetical to leon’s process”…or as the mandelorian would say “this is not the way”…
This week we’ve had two 62 point games, one 70 point game, and one 73 point game. That’s gotta be the highest scoring individual week ever (or at least since Wilt played 4 games in a row once.)
Also the Pacers look just fine without haliburton
System stat padder?
both 62 point games for teams that lost
Booker scoring a pretty efficient 62 and losing is really wild.
Luka is just incredible, he kept trying to set up his garbage teammates missing layups down the stretch, he could have had even more.
How many picks do we need to add to Randle & Fournier to get Doncic?
Adding kyrie should equal contender, but it just doesn’t seem that the pairing gets the best out of each other
He passed out of two intentional foul situations in the closing seconds too.
RJ a (-27) by far the worse on his team tonight
Regarding D’Angelo Russell, he was the RJ Barrett of his class. Bad from the beginning, then faked some people out with some decent play, got paid, then proceeded to be bad again. Still has the occasional good game, people get excited. He’s bad.
I actually think Russell would make sense off this bench
Just put defenders around him
Maybe Obi was the right pick…
Folks should ask…if DLo was so good, then why are the Lakers so itchy to dump him, and why don’t the Hawks want him?
He is exactly the kind of player you don’t want. Thibs would absolutely hate his game and would Fournier him at the first opportunity.
What a night
Luka doing that to the Hawks really is something Sophocles would have been happy to have scripted
Very happy for Obi. He really is exactly what we thought he was.
Kinda surprised at the D’Lo vitriol. The RJ comp falls flat upon an ounce of scrutiny—-D’Lo is looking at two consecutive seasons of putting up a 60% TS on high-ish usage. RJ is never going to do that.
The potential of him opting out is a problem, but…he’s a CAA guy. Make it happen.
He’s a flawed player and seems like an annoying guy, but he can score and distribute the ball pretty well. That’s pretty much exactly what the bench needs. If the price for him is truly, well, nothing, he strikes me as arguably the best option available.
Yeah D Lo is clearly a superior offensive player to RJ
Starting to think I’d rather play Milwaukee or Philly than Cleveland
I’m shocked that folks don’t see that there’s a very good reason why a win-now team like the Lakers are looking to dump him and yet there aren’t any takers, even though his contract is sort of Fournier-like. I mean, on paper, he’s exactly the kind of player the Lakers should be looking for!
“Yeah D Lo is clearly a superior offensive player to RJ”
..yet I’d rather have RJ coming off of our bench at $18M than DLo…by a country mile.
Want no part of D-lo. I’m sure the Nova boys don’t either.
Too much scoring in the NBA. How are the ratings? If there’s been improvement over the years, I guess this is what we’re stuck with — but basketball purists have to be pissed at what the game’s become.
D-Lo isn’t the problem on the Lakers. Their offense sucks and he’s a perfectly fine offensive player. The problem is everybody else besides him, LeBron and Eyebrow. They have an awful lot of guys who stink in that rotation. Trading him for Murray is not going to be the big upgrade they think it is.
RJ’s unimpressive first three seasons look a lot like Russell’s unimpressive first three seasons. But you’re right, they’re not the exact same. I’m sure you’re going to just love rooting for Russell. Enjoy!
NBA GMs are clearly over valuing their own players and waiting on each other to determine market values next month.
Instead of doing what’s best for their own teams they all want to be the one that bought the cheapest house on the block.