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Knicks Morning News (2024.01.30)

  • Sources – Optimism Knicks’ Julius Randle out weeks, not months – ESPN
    [ESPN] – Mon, 29 Jan 2024 15:57:00 GMT
    1. Sources – Optimism Knicks’ Julius Randle out weeks, not months
    2. Knicks’ Julius Randle injury sting could have been much worse
    3. Knicks Notes: Randle, Hart, Anunoby, Achiuwa, Fournier
    4. Four options for the Knicks to replace injured Julius Randle
    5. Knicks Stay Hot but Lose Randle, and C-Lo Talks Rangers Recent Slump

  • Knicks’ OG Anunoby out against Hornets with elbow inflammation – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 01:10:05 GMT
    1. Knicks’ OG Anunoby out against Hornets with elbow inflammation
    2. Knicks expect OG Anunoby’s elbow injury to be day-to-day: ‘Had it before’
    3. BREAKING: OG Anunoby’s Updated Injury Status For Knicks-Hornets Game
    4. Knicks’ OG Anunoby aggravates elbow injury during pregame warmups, sits against Hornets
    5. OG Anunoby a late scratch against Charlotte

  • Pistons trade deadline scenarios: Do deals with Lakers, Knicks or Thunder make sense? – The Athletic
    [The Athletic] – Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:09:05 GMT

    Pistons trade deadline scenarios: Do deals with Lakers, Knicks or Thunder make sense?

  • Shorthanded Knicks rout Hornets without stars for seventh straight win – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 02:36:00 GMT
    1. Shorthanded Knicks rout Hornets without stars for seventh straight win
    2. Knicks takeaways from Monday’s 113-92 win at Hornets, including Donte DiVincenzo stepping up
    3. Game Thread: New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 PM, January 29
    4. Knicks vs Hornets Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight – NBA
    5. Knicks vs. Hornets odds, line: Proven NBA model reveals picks for a matchup on Jan. 29, 2024

  • Could New York Knicks Break Trade Embargo With Brooklyn Nets For Mikal Bridges? – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 02:07:37 GMT

    Could New York Knicks Break Trade Embargo With Brooklyn Nets For Mikal Bridges?

  • Insider Sketches What Jordan Clarkson Can Fetch in a Jazz-Knicks Trade – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:51:05 GMT

    Insider Sketches What Jordan Clarkson Can Fetch in a Jazz-Knicks Trade

  • 3 Teams who could trade for Knicks guard Quentin Grimes amid rumors – Daily Knicks
    [Daily Knicks] – Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:00:03 GMT

    3 Teams who could trade for Knicks guard Quentin Grimes amid rumors

  • Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 1-30-2024 – Winners and Whiners
    [Winners and Whiners] – Mon, 29 Jan 2024 23:16:35 GMT

    Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 1-30-2024

  • Knicks’ Ryan Arcidiacono: Limited again in win – CBS Sports
    [CBS Sports] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:27:48 GMT

    Knicks’ Ryan Arcidiacono: Limited again in win

  • Jazz vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what’s the latest – Hoops Hype
    [Hoops Hype] – Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:33:11 GMT

    Jazz vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what’s the latest

    • 57 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.01.30)”

    Donte had a spectacular night, but played 42 minutes. He has cupping marks all over one shoulder and was rubbing and rotating the other one. Hopefully he’s fine and will play less tonight.

    Speaking of which, the Jazz are on the tail end of a long road trip. They got humiliated last night by the Nets, but their starters played sparingly and they can get a good night’s sleep without travel. We didn’t seem to match up particularly well with them last time. I wonder if sitting OG last night was strategic…seems like we will definitely need him more tonight than last night. In any case, this would be a really nice win.

    Hoping the OG injury is a minor issue. The main ding on him in Toronto seemed to be a lack of durability, especially compared to the two iron men we traded for him. Precious looked good last night, but against an awful team that’s already given up on the season. I would prefer to not keep testing our depth like this.

    Z-man, I think Thibs is less of a maniac than his reputation, when it comes to guys sitting out games versus encouraging them to play. He’s also gotten better at not pushing guys who are coming off injuries, like when we’ve seen iHart on a pitch count the last couple of games.

    (Conversely, if you’re healthy and he thinks you can help him win that night’s game, he’ll ride you like Secretariat, to quote a former coach of ours.)

    That said, I’m struggling to think of an instance where he blatantly let a guy rest for one game because he might be more useful in the next. I’m probably forgetting something, but that feels a bit un-Thibs to me.

    “The main ding on him in Toronto seemed to be a lack of durability, especially compared to the two iron men we traded for him.”

    The Toronto blogger that KFS interviewed post-trade (and pre-game) suggested that the injury history is a bit overblown….mostly either minor or freaky stuff (like appendicitis during the championship season). This elbow thing seems like it’s going to be a pain/inflammation management situation…I doubt he would have rested if it wasn’t a b2b against a terrible and undermanned opponent, especially with Randle out. But if he rests again tonight, I’ll definitely have to reconsider!

    I will say this about Precious at the 4, he gives us some nice length and mobility there. That might actually help if Thibs goes that way again and OG is back. We need that against Moroccan…

    Sorry to hear about the parents issues, Doogie and Strat. Tough times when they get to this age, helping them and watching them fall apart physically and mentally. Hang in there!

    The Toronto blogger that KFS interviewed post-trade (and pre-game) suggested that the injury history is a bit overblown….mostly either minor or freaky stuff (like appendicitis during the championship season).

    Well, that’s good to know. Like Randle, OG seems built like an armored combat vehicle. Which doesn’t automatically make someone durable. But between Randle and RJ, we’ve had a couple of human brick walls who have rarely missed time over the last four years, so it spoils a fan.

    Old Takes Exposed

    “Next Kyrie Irving” — well, Ramon got the uniform number right, anyway 😉

    This is nuts:

    @BobbyMarks42
    Trade deadline stat

    75% of the tradable 1st rd. picks are controlled by 11 teams

    OKC, San Antonio, Utah, New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Orlando, Toronto, Houston, Memphis and Portland

    The Knicks are very close to being tied for second in the East in SRS and net rating, and are third in the league in adjusted net rating.

    The schedule gets tougher now but they are damn good. Easily the best Knicks team since the 2000s, and probably the 1990s.

    Take this with a grain of salt, but it’s funny that Julius has the lowest BPM of all our starters, which is why I think this team can actually keep winning.

    I wonder if Toppin the Younger will get some run eventually? I know Thibs doesn’t care much for rookies, but Jake is destroying the GLeague.

    I know this team is too good to worry about the draft now, especially since I suspect we will be trading one or more of this year’s picks once we get to the offseason. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating to read a Wasserman mock draft where so much of the top 10 is made up of international players, to compensate for what seems like a really weak collegiate class:

    https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10106476-2024-nba-mock-draft-latest-2-round-predictions-pro-comparisons

    I wonder if Toppin the Younger will get some run eventually? I know Thibs doesn’t care much for rookies, but Jake is destroying the GLeague.

    I’d guess not, but maybe he rejoins the big league team if OG misses more time.

    If the draft is considered weak at the top and unpredictable, it’s probably more likely teams trade down or up. Maybe that’s an opportunity for the Knicks, especially as our international scouting seems pretty good and international prospects are important this year.

    This is gonna be an interesting home stand, 6 in a row is great but only 1 easy win vs Memphis. With Randle obviously I’d be shooting for 5-1 with 4-2 worst case scenario.

    Now I’m thinking 4-2 would be great especially if OG misses more games.

    This is incredible, even by Old Takes Exposed standards, and I post it here for our great friend Strat to appreciate:

    Comparing him to Kyrie is pretty funny.

    I remember someone else on the Knicks saying they expected a lot of triple doubles out of him eventually. I can’t remember who it was.

    We all have some bad ones in our history, but I really do think injuries were a significant factor in Frank’s lack of progress on offense. He was getting better. It wasn’t such a huge leap from where he was to becoming a decent 3&D with secondary passing and playmaking skills. But you can’t get better if you are constantly hurt and rehabbing in the summer. Now he’s plainly worse.

    75% of the tradable 1st rd. picks are controlled by 11 teams

    OKC, San Antonio, Utah, New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Orlando, Toronto, Houston, Memphis and Portland

    What makes that list so significant is that some of the teams we would consider better than us don’t have nearly as much fire power as we do to get better. It also contains several teams that are way behind us and just beginning their rebuild.

    Looking at that list, Strat, it’s a mixed bag. OKC is arguably better than us, and they inarguably have a better war chest of assets (both picks and young players) to make an all-in trade. The only thing working against them at all is the potential for a star player to say they don’t want to go to Oklahoma. Brooklyn is incentivized against tanking, and they have a lot of picks, plus several desirable wings, even if they are considering Mikal to be untouchable. New Orleans, Orlando, Memphis, and Houston are all trying to be good, though I don’t think (without doing a deeper dive) any of them have the pick excess that we do. And the Spurs, Jazz, and Blazers are bad.

    Welp, Taj is back, again. Putting aside the humor of it all, it does make me a little worried Hartenstein’s injury will linger. I also don’t want Precious to lose any minutes! He’s been feisty.

    If the draft is considered weak at the top and unpredictable, it’s probably more likely teams trade down or up. Maybe that’s an opportunity for the Knicks, especially as our international scouting seems pretty good and international prospects are important this year.

    Weak drafts usually just mean weak lotteries. These are actually best drafts to be picking in the teens and 20s, as teams ahead of us will be reaching for upside to justify high picks. Kawhi slipped to 17 in such a draft. Giannis went 15th in the weakest draft in recent memory.

    If we have to give up our pick to get Malcolm Brogdon, so be it. But I would definitely try to hold onto to both our picks and use the protected ones instead bc I think two picks in this draft could be great.

    I actually hate the Taj pickup. It signals maybe our guys are more banged up than they’re letting on. Also that Thibs still has a big say on who they pick up. Jacob Toppin is worth a look, even if we are a winning team now. But instead he goes to old reliable

    I look at the Taj thing as less about iHart than about Randle’s absence. Taj is pretty much only a center now. This allows Thibs to play Precious more at the 4 (whether starting to keep everyone else in their usual slot, or backing up OG), while Taj is third string behind iHart and Sims.

    It kills the Jacob Toppin dream dead, but a dream is all it ever was, I’m afraid.

    75% of the tradable 1st rd. picks are controlled by 11 teams

    Teams that are not on that list still have enough picks to get a trade done, though.

    Philadelphia, for instance, can trade four first round picks.

    Boston owns all their picks except their 2029.

    Indiana gave up a ‘24 & ‘26 for Siakam but still has plenty of flexibility.

    By this summer Miami will be able to move two unprotected firsts.

    Even Cleveland can trade one unprotected pick now.

    It’s a cool way of saying nothing.

    It kills the Jacob Toppin dream dead, but a dream is all it ever was, I’m afraid.

    Isn’t Jacob on a 2-way?

    DRed, I just meant that, prior to Taj IV: The Re-Rise of Taj — there was a very outside chance of Toppin playing spot minutes with the big club. Or, at least, of him traveling with the big club in case of emergency, rather than just staying in Westchester. With Taj back, I imagine Jacob just stays down in the G-League for the rest of the year.

    Isn’t it weird the team hasn’t made any official statement regarding Randle?

    Can’t imagine ImmorTaj is anything more than an emergency option anyway, just like Jacob would be.

    The Taj news are a bit disappointing but ultimately understandable, much easier to plug and play a guy who’s been around, knows everything Thibs wants and knows all the guys too.

    Precious played 32 minutes last night and was mostly good, so I think they’ll rely on him quite a bit still. Sims also looked decent albeit that’s not hard to do against the Hornets I guess.

    Any news on Anunoby, if he’ll be rested again tonight?

    I see Taj as a break glass in case of emergency big who can play either the 4 or the 5. Interestingly, his game is a lot more similar to Precious than to either iHart or Mitch, and that Taj only started playing NBA basketball at Precious’ current age. Sometimes I forget how young Precious is, and that he’s on his 4th coach and has only played 4K NBA minutes. There may still be some untapped potential there…

    When you look at mock drafts for this year, you see a lot of guys who are in the “good size and athleticism but needs to learn how to play” category. Those are the kinds of players we never take a flyer on, the flawed but high upside prospect.

    @FredKatz
    For what it’s worth, Isaiah Hartenstein is still playing on a minutes restriction. Told me last night he had a 25-minute limit but once the Knicks went up big they decided to play it safe. Said he felt good after the game.

    Alan, I’d like to take credit for breaking that news through my source Mrs. Hartenstein. Please tell Katz to cite me next time!! Ha.

    Some guys who struck me as Knicks guys projected to go after Knicks first pick based on Wasserman’s article:

    Kevin McCullar, Jr.

    Projected: 17 (to Knicks)

    Comp: Bruce Brown
    (Didn’t really need to go further than the comp to list him here)

    Kevin McCullar Jr.’s offensive versatility and defense point to an easy fit, which could overpower a team’s concerns over his age, shooting and upside. A more reliable shotmaker and threatening playmaker compared to last year, McCullar should be able to play multiple roles with an adaptable game and the tools to guard multiple positions.

    Devin Carter
    Projected: 20

    Comp: Alvarado (comps making this easy)

    Initially interesting for his pesky defense, unique shot-blocking and hustle plays, Devin Carter is now delivering the type of scoring consistency that’s raising his perceived ceiling. With a archetype and floor similar Miles McBride‘s and Jose Alvarado’s, the improved creativity and shotmaking now has scouts interested in Carter’s offensive use and trajectory.

    Ryan Dunn

    Projected 22

    Comp: None listed (sounds a bit like Brunson, shooting might make him a no)

    Lottery teams may have difficulty looking past KJ Simpson’s underwhelming size/tools. But at some point, one team will put extra stock into his offensive effectiveness now—and less into the physical flaws that successful NBA point guards have recently been overcoming with skill, touch and IQ. Simpson’s shotmaking versatility and accuracy have been persuasive early, while his impressive drives and finishes have highlighted some abrupt vertical pop and strong use of his body to create angles.

    Bobi Klintman

    Projected 23 (to Knicks, same on Tankathon)

    Comp: De’Andre Hunter (here mostly b/c he’s projected to Knicks)

    Bobi Klintman has missed some time lately due to illness and concussion protocols, but regardless of how up and down he is in Australia, there will be first-round interest in a 6’8″ forward who’s comfortable from three, passing off live dribbles, attacking closeouts and using touch shots on the move. His offensive versatility should create a fit at either forward spot, particularly if he can reach a certain level of consistency with his shooting.

    Ajay Mitchell

    Projected 24

    Comp: Brunson (’nuff said)

    Dillon Jones

    Projected 28
    Comp: David Roddy

    Dillon Jones is fairly divisive with his triple-double skill set, unorthodox body type and a style that doesn’t fit any traditional NBA box. There is bound to be a team who’ll try to avoid over-thinking a physical, 6’6″ ball-handler and playmaker who creates for himself, passes, hits tough mid-range shots, leads games in rebounding and has at least been capable of averaging a three-point make per game in consecutive years.

    Wooga Poplar (Need I say more?)

    Projected 43 (to Knicks)

    Wooga Poplar has struggled offensive lately, but not with his three-point shotmaking. While the lack of creation and playmaking always warned about staying cautious when projecting NBA upside, his combination of athleticism and shooting versatility could still translate to off-ball scoring.

    Ran out of time on the edit and couldn’t finish fixing the formatting 🤦‍♂️

    I listed KJ Simpson’s bio under Ryan Dunn. Dunn was comped to Herb Jones who would be a Knicks guy too

    There’s some Cs that fit the Knicks, probably, but grab boards, dunk ball isn’t an interesting profile to read again and again.

    I left off others because they seemed like borderline Knicks guys.

    I could see Edey being a Knicks guy as a highly productive older player being overlooked but he doesn’t fit the Knicks C archetype, he’d be wasted in Thibs’s system anyway.

    @IanBegley
    Knicks are listing OG Anunoby as questionable for tonight’s game vs Utah due to right elbow inflammation. Anunoby was a late scratch for Knicks’ road win over Hornets last night.

    I hope they just rest Anunoby for this game, honestly. Second night of a back to back with travel, Utah is not a pushover, we’re already without Randle and with Hartenstein limited, just let him rest and get ready for the next stretch of games.

    Agreed. Possibly lose the battle to win the war (and with Brunson, you’re “in” every battle anyways).

    Elbow soreness sucks. The diagnosis is a general one…Right elbow inflammation…so it’s probably either tendonitis or bursitis. Either way, it can linger unless you rest and treat it for like weeks. In that sense, I doubt that a couple of days of rest will “cure” the issue, but it might calm down a flare-up. Hopefully it’s bursitis, since anything involving tendons is more alarming.

    Isn’t it weird the team hasn’t made any official statement regarding Randle?

    I don’t think it’s that unusual. There’s no real “official” statement to be made at the moment, ya know? “We will see how he’s feeling in a few weeks.”

    Just saw a stat saying over his last 5 games Luka is playing 42.5 mins per game with a 42% usage rate. Does Mavsblogger have anything to say about that??

    From Bobby Marks in an ESPN+ article titled Six big trades we want to see. It’s fan fiction, mostly, but it suggests the price it would take to pry Bridges from the nets.

    Spoiler: it’s 5 first round picks.

    Bridges goes across the bridge

    New York Knicks get: Mikal Bridges
    Brooklyn Nets get: Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, 2024 first-round pick (from Dallas, top-10 protected), 2025 first-round pick (from Milwaukee, top-4 protected), 2025 first-round pick (from New York, unprotected), 2027 first-round pick (from New York, unprotected) and 2029 first-round pick (from New York, top-5 protected)

    Bridges to New York is not going to happen. If you want proof, rewind the clock back to 1983. That was the last time the Knicks and Nets made a trade. (The Knicks sent a 1984 second-round pick to the Nets for Len Elmore.) During my 20-year tenure in New Jersey, there were no trade conversations between the two teams.

    But this isn’t “trades we think will happen,” it’s “trades we want to see.”

    So what happens if one morning Knicks president Leon Rose picks up the phone and calls Nets general manager Sean Marks to offer him an unprecedented five first-round picks and Quentin Grimes? That is two more firsts than the Cleveland Cavaliers sent to the Utah Jazz for All-Star Donovan Mitchell.

    Would Marks politely decline, since the thoughts of Bridges in a Knicks uniform would be tough to stomach? Maybe he’d get bold and ask for even more: The Knicks can trade up to a total of eight firsts.

    Considering that New York was cautious when discussing trading draft capital for Mitchell, why would the Knicks all of sudden change course now? The difference is that Grimes would be the only rotation player the Knicks would be giving up in this deal, making the roster sustainable for the foreseeable future.

    As Adrian Wojnarowski reported, the goal of the Nets’ front office is to build around Bridges, not trade away the team’s best player. Bridges is one of the NBA’s top two-way players and has two years left on his contract after the season.

    But what happens if the losing continues in Brooklyn? Would Brooklyn pivot in a different direction if the biggest package of first-round picks ever is offered?

    I love Mikal Bridges, but I just don’t think he’s “Spend everything you possibly can to get him.”

    Ryan Dunn. Dunn was comped to Herb Jones who would be a Knicks guy too

    Ryan Dunn is an excellent defensive prospect, but he is brutal on offense

    @FredKatz
    OG Anunoby is out tonight, Tom Thibodeau says

    Again, hope it’s just precautionary.

    For the folks looking for a Randle update

    Ian Begley @IanBegley
    Tom Thibodeau doesn’t have an update on Julius Randle. Says Randle & Knicks are still gathering information on the best steps forward regarding his dislocated shoulder. Thibodeau suggested there would be a definitive decision/timeline within the next few days.

    Ryan Dunn is an excellent defensive prospect, but he is brutal on offense

    Yeah, I think I was trying to delete his entry and leave KJs but screwed it up and left Dunn’s name atop KJs bio.

    I was waffling on Dunn because the Knicks don’t draft one-way players, but based on the Herb Jones comp I kinda thought he’d be a better shooter. So, revising my initial take, I no longer think he should be on the list.

    Can’t imagine us winning with 3 of our top 5 out tonight… Prove me wrong again, guys!

    I think the trade for Bridges if we wanted to keep as much of the rotation as possible and keep future assets for other trades would be:
    2024 Dallas pick
    2025 Milwaukee Pick
    2026 Knicks pick
    Detroit pick
    Washington pick
    Fournier

    That’s five 1sts including in 2024 and 2026 which are years that Brooklyn has no 1st round pick. I think with five picks we can insist on keeping Grimes.

    That seems like enough to get it done, and still leaves us with all our picks but the one in 2026. After this year we could still trade 2028, 2030, and 2032 with swaps in 27, 29, and 31. That is still probably enough for a star trade if one materializes.

    I’d still rather move Randle for Bridges but I am mostly alone for that.

    They’d just keep him at that point. They would 100% want unprotected picks, not pseudo-picks.

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