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[Heavy.com] – Sat, 03 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
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[Sporting News] – Sat, 03 Feb 2024 10:30:03 GMT
What channel is Lakers vs. Knicks on tonight? Time, TV schedule, live stream for Saturday NBA game
122 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.02.03)”
From the Bondy article, re: Klutch:
Brogdon and maybe Jerami Grant are the only realistic guys on this list I’d want to acquire, and only at a reasonable price. I mean, if Atlanta is just giving away DJM for Fournier and some seconds, sure. But of the guys who might actually be traded this week, I don’t know how much this Klutch detente changes what should be our objectives.
Alan, I am not hot for any of those guys right now, but it’s another narrative-driving barrier to long-term improvement that is being addressed. Just like with Leon making a significant deal with the Raptors when it seemed highly unlikely due to years of bad blood and a pending $10M lawsuit. (Oh wait, it’s only because he vastly overpaid. Right.)
Now it seems that the only remaining no-trade zone is the Nets. Maybe Leon can sweet-talk them into taking Charlie Brown Jr. for Keon Johnson, just to break the ice…
FVV on that list is kind of crazy… is he a backup now? 😮
This is going so great that i don’t know if i’m the only one with the feeling that the wheels will fall off at any minute now! Maybe it’s the last two decades of losing talking! 😛
Raven, please keep contributing, you have people wanting to read your posts, like me and others. And just skip the members you don’t mesh well with. That’s what i do, no one ever noticed why i respond so little to some of the members? Yeah, i do. No fun in engaging with people that never lose… they’ll never tire and i don’t have patience for that. It’s a lot better to discuss when you know the other party doesn’t think it owns the truth. Let’s say JK, who would post the same about Leon? I wasn’t a clear “Leon is bad” member, because i had hope he could grab a superstar, but i’m with JK in i was completely wrong that he could’ve done it without trading for a superstar. There, i said it. But now let’s enjoy this, who cares who was right and who was wrong, let’s get hopeful we can reach the finals one of these days… maybe even this season? 😉
About the vibe of the blog, i love it, and just like Geo and Bruno i feel like i’m at the bar with some friends talking about our favorite team. This community has brought new heights to my Knicks fandom, i don’t even remember how i could do it all alone since the early 90s until midway through the 2010s. 🤔💙🧡
The Bondy article is too vague to provide a satisfactory level of assurance.
I’m cool with a low-risk Klutch guy but would remain very wary of going all in on one. What happens, for example, if we trade the motherlode for Murray and he becomes unhappy that Brunson dominates the ball?
If this paves the way for Brogdon, though, I’ll name my next son Leon.
About NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts, someone here worked with the Blue Man Group (sorry, don’t remember who) and i think their Tiny Desk is super funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTJfITfbYNA
Hahaha, i think there’s a good chance you’ll have to do it. You can start the “workouts” for your next son. 😀
“No fun in engaging with people that never lose… they’ll never tire and i don’t have patience for that. It’s a lot better to discuss when you know the other party doesn’t think it owns the truth.”
Well put, cyber…
Now, back to my victory laps…
LOLOL
He’s available for far less than the motherlode. And he’s still a far more skilled basketball player than either Josh Hart or Donte Divencenzo. He was terrific yet again in the fourth quarter against a full-strength Suns team last night.
How do I “know” this? I watched the game. And then I rechecked the box score. I don’t give a single fuck about his “BPM.” If that chaps your ass, deal with it.
I would suggest to people the following: stop ganging up on other people and doing things like making violent threats against them and then whining and crying and pissing and moaning when they don’t back down. If I wasn’t here, it would be strat or djphan or someone else. (As it has in fact been for years. Commonality — the search for heretics.) Look within.
(*) Irrespective of how many corner bar stool mob attacks are made on that idea.
“I would suggest to people the following: stop ganging up on other people…”
Nobody gangs up on people here. Intelligent folks with good senses of smell know the stench of preconceived narrative-driven bullshit and react to it similarly, but independently. That’s especially true when the purveyor of said bullshit comes off as a condescending prick and hijacks threads by throwing gasoline on the fire while blaming the crowd for committing group-violence, even making subtle accusations of racism or job-incompetence about posters they don’t even know the first thing about, rather than taking any personal responsibility for yet another flaming pile of gasoline-doused bullshit.
It’s no wonder that said posters seem to have a special affinity for the likes of RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. They are the high-volume, low-efficiency chuckers of this site.
Says the guy who’s on joint ignore alert with at least two regular posters and helped drive one of them off the site.
Look within. I’m sure your house/apartment has mirrors in it.
(EDIT: I see you edited the post I quoted to add actual defense of the threats of violence — on a basketball website. Stay classy.)
Cyber,
That was me. I worked for blue man group for about 8 years in my 20’s and early 30s down at Astor place theater. I was on their production crew, running prop and video cues during the show. I was also a “tube talker” and worked in their ticket sales office. Very fun place to work especially in the early 2000s when I was there.
Congratulations to Z-Man for clinching the George Costanza “artistic integrity” award for 2024.
You aren’t an artist and you have no integrity.
“(EDIT: I see you edited the post I quoted to add actual defense of the threats of violence — on a basketball website. Stay classy.)”
I could see how someone would be incensed enough by being gratuitously accused of being a racist might generate a “let’s step outside and settle this” feeling. It’s pretty bold to talk that kind of shit under the protection of an anonymous blog. However, I doubt that you’d have the courage to say any of the stuff you do to someone’s face at a bar. In fact, your entire schtick kinda reeks of cowardice. But carry on, Mr. Provocateur! You’re safe here!
Very cool, Swift. I caught them in the 90s, pretty early on, and brought back friends and relatives who were visiting town a bunch. A fun show.
The wheels DID come off, Cyber, but the truck kept going. We lost literally 4 out of 5 starters – Mitch, Julius, RJ, and now Grimes. And our sixth man, IQ. And our RJ replacement, OG. And our backup Center, iHart. There seems to be only one wheel left… But apparently it’s enough!
“Congratulations to Z-Man for clinching the George Costanza “artistic integrity” award for 2024.
You aren’t an artist and you have no integrity.”
Hey KB, stop ganging up on me! (oh wait…)
No one was “accused of being a racist” much less “gratuitously.”
I still find it odd to consistently refer to a Black player as a “privileged asshat.” If a Trumpy did that, you would too. I’d have no problem saying that to anyone’s face if they sat at the corner stool yelling at me unsolicited for six straight months and kept referring to a Black 23 year old basketball player as that from said stool. (It sounds a bit odd even if it’s a white player, frankly.)
You didn’t understand. I didn’t say stop ganging up on me. I said that if I’m ganged up upon like djphan and Strat I’m not backing down and you sound whiny if you continue to piss and moan about someone not backing down.
Repeat: No one has to read my shit or respond to it. (Same for people like strat and djphan (*) (or, unfortunately, Bob Neptune, who never should have been banned.)
(*) I’m not speaking for them; for all I know they want their shit read and responded to.
Cannot abide by prosperity?
This team is awesome. I love you guys. Most of the time, anyway.
Positive vibes!!!!
“Says the guy who’s on joint ignore alert with at least two regular posters…”
As per the expressed wishes of a preponderance of respected KBers, for the betterment of the blog. It’s called reading the room. Try it some time.
“…and helped drive one of them off the site.”
Please explain how I helped drive someone off the site by ignoring their posts….
Yeah, Z-Man, there are no better ways to refer to your incessant back and forth with the two posters as you “successfully reading the room.” LOLOL.
And, yeah, you’re right — djphan’s opinion of the site has nothing whatsoever to do with his previous interactions with you. Pull the other one. And then read the room.
Do you two maybe want to set up a text chain for this? Or the KB Discord, which is ready and waiting?
https://discord.com/channels/1048951437582942299/1048951437582942302
“Cannot abide by prosperity?”
“This team is awesome. I love you guys. Most of the time, anyway.
Positive vibes!!!!”
Bo and Alan, thanks for the feedback, I hear you and will let it go. In other words, I’m reading the room. Go Knicks!
Oh Jesus, it’s Godzilla v Kong today.
Is your credit good for the waste removal bill for the loaf you left in the middle of it?
Hey E, if Z-man is going to stop, you might want to consider the same. Friendly suggestion and all. This should be a good day — or, at least, until we have to play the Lakers with, like 4 and a half guys.
Considered and done.
Please cut it out. Most of us I’m sure lead pretty stressful and very busy lives. We come here for entertainment and enjoyment and relaxation and to talk about something that takes our minds off of our other stresses. If this continues we are going to need to ask Mike and Brian et al to intervene because this forum is losing its way. The most effective first step is to just stop addressing E’s posts directly. And also when posting stop referencing his errant predictions every time something good happens. Lots of people are guilty of that lately. State your thoughts without purposefully antagonizing. PLEASE.
Great long time posters like THCJ, PTMilo, Raven, Frank and Frank O are gone or greatly reduced presumably because the great intellectual value they bring to the table is no longer appreciated and reciprocated. Again. Please cut it out. I need this place as an escape.
Thank you.
On the topic of DJM as a trade candidate, I don’t really have strong feelings one way or another. It’s sort of a situation where I trust that Leon and Thibs are very aware of the pros and cons inherent in a) DJM’s statistical profile, b) questions about fit with Brunson, and c) disrupting the immaculate vibes of this locker room. So it’s sort of a “whatever happens, happens” thing for me.
But I do think that Murray is very good and would be a decent analog for whatever we lost in trading IQ.
Thoughts on trade targets…
Brogdon = great fit, reasonable cost
Murray = best player, questionable fit, probably costs too much
Brown = imperfect player, reasonably good fit, definite upgrade, low cost
Jones = solid fit, low cost, devastating flight risk
Lol
I think we are looking at 2 of our own picks, plus one of the protected ones, plus Grimes to get the deal done. I might be wrong, but given that the Lakers cant do with one of their picks (which I would value higher) + D’Lo + maybe some swaps + Klutch moving the strings to get the deal done, I don’t think we will get away with less. And that means, that DJM is the biggest player we acquire for the foreseeable future.
I think DJM would play better with the Knicks, but his character and chemistry issues scare me. I would rather go for Donovan Mitchell in the summer (or get just a backup PG like Brogdon now).
“I think DJM would play better with the Knicks, but his character and chemistry issues scare me.”
Does Murray have character issues? I haven’t heard of any…
This is the thing, and I am mesmerized. Looking forward to tonight.
I just caught up on the discussion about Masai yesterday.
I think he’s neither a genius or as bad as his recent results suggest.
It’s kind of what I’ve been saying all along. A lot of luck goes into how players develop, who gets injured, who’s available in free agency or for a trade etc… So within the results there are going to be runs of good and bad luck that exaggerate the reality of how good a management team is. On top of that, all these guys make some mistakes with draft picks and contracts. All you can do is hope your management team limits the mistakes to small ones, makes mostly smart decisions and it all nets out to a significant plus. If they can do that much, you are in good shape unless you get bad luck. 😉
I really hope OG is back tonight. James is rested and is going to be looking to have a big game tonight.
Yes. Come back, gents. Wherever you are. ptmilo, we need to know why the team is still winning with all of the players out. (or maybe that would ruin the spell?) 😉
The Knicks discourse — on Twitter, on podcasts (Zach Lowe had Chris Herring on again for a great Knicks convo yesterday), etc. — over the past week has started to ask if it’s even a good idea anymore for Leon to wait for The Star Trade, rather than trying to really buttress this Brunson/Randle/OG/Villanova group. E has been making a similar argument here: the team is playing so well since the trade, and the pieces fit together so logically after years of square pegs being put in round holes, that now is the time to make the best move we can, even if will make it much harder to acquire any Star who shakes loose in the offseason.
I don’t know if I would feel comfortable making such a move, if only because Randle’s health is a huge X-factor for the playoffs. But let’s act as if this is the right philosophy, which leads to our Question of the Day:
What is the best all-in move the Knicks can realistically make at this trade deadline?
E has already argued in favor of DJM, while others question his fit, and whether he’d even be an improvement over Non-Evil Donte in the starting lineup. We’re not trading for LaVine. I can’t imagine Thibs wanting DLo. The law firm of Brogdon, Brown, and Burks would all have their uses, but none of them qualify as all-in. Who else is out there who has a chance of being moved that would be a significant help, not only to this year’s squad, but over the next season or two? Jerami Grant? Kuzma? Caruso? Do we make a godfather offer for Markannen, not only for his talent, but for the comedy of Clyde having to finally learn his name?
We’re open to any and all suggestions here at Knickerblogger Dot Net!
Yes, they should come back. If me being here is some kind of deterrent to that, I’m just going to lurk for awhile, probably until the trade deadline and maybe be around for a little around that until the playoffs and the playoffs are all hands on deck anyway.
There have been some vaguely sourced rumblings about how his defense has fallen off a cliff mainly because he’s not happy with his role, how he wants to have the ball in his hands much more, etc. Not that he’s a bad guy, but that he may be high maintenance, and/or not give full effort when unhappy. Whereas Leon has put a huge emphasis on work ethic and chemistry, which so far is paying off.
“I would rather go for Donovan Mitchell in the summer…”
I have as little interest in Mitchell now as I did last time around, for reasons of fit with Brunson and cost. If it happens, it happens, but it’s not the way that I would go. Honestly, I’d rather go DJM than Mitchell.
Personally, I would prefer to keep all our players/picks aside from Fournier and our 2nds. I know that probably takes a lot of these guys out of play, but so be it.
Although I don’t love the idea, I think both Jazz guards could be in play because Ainge will want to get off their contracts. Marcus Smart isn’t exactly the right fit, but same deal. Maybe Jones… who else would cost us only Fournier + two 2nds?
I meant “his character” and then “chemistry issues”. I dont really know much about him, but tastycakes pointed out that he saw DJM being nasty towards his teammates in SAS (that might just be anecdote), but he has also been unhappy in Atlanta.
I agree, but if you want to buttress this group, you don’t go for someone that changes the starting lineup and takes the ball away from Brunson. Who would be the highest profile player that does that? Mikal Bridges? Perhaps Markkanen if we think Randle is going to miss too much time? But not someone like DJM, IMHO
EDIT: I just half-read your post and then proceeded to say something very similar … I just wanted to say that a DJM level trade is more for the summer, and now we should look more at complementary player, be it of a higher or lower profile.
My preference would be to make improvements that are not super costly right now (because the options are not great), and saving the picks to retain flexibility going forward. That could be a star trade or the ability to continuously improve the team or draft good players. I think that would help make them sustainable contenders. They should think about the opportunity costs of marginal improvements now. Who knows if better fits become available later (Mikal is a pipe dream, but who knows if Booker shakes off, or if the Bucks self-implode, which might be becoming more likely). In a nutshell: I’m fine with trading a low value protected first now, but would keep the more valuable picks for later.
Thanks for the clarification on DJM’s character. I don’t foresee that being an issue here. ATL seems to have some chemistry issues that are rooted in their personnel…not that they are bad guys, but just not tight in the collegial sense.
But in coming here, he’d be at best third fiddle on this team…in other words, a step down from his role in ATL. If he can’t deal with that, it’s a problem.
The elephant in the room re: these pre-deadline trade discussions is the status of Randle’s shoulder (and to a lesser degree, Mitch’s ankle, although I think he should be assumed to be out for the season.) If the odds are that he’s either going to not be close to 100% come playoff time or that he will not be returning at all, that adds urgency to improving the roster right now rather than waiting. In other words, I think what happens in these next few days will offer some insights into Randle’s actual prognosis.
There is no guy like that available at this deadline, which is part of why the pundits are calling for incremental improvements instead. We basically have to max out this core and then see what star is available this summer.
Alan, I had a similar but slightly different read of the Lowe/Herring discussion. I don’t think they were saying “go get the best player you can get”. They were saying “pay the price to fix your bench now instead of holding onto those picks for a star later.”
So the #1 all in move, IMO, is Brogdon.
And the #2 all in move is upgrading Precious if Mitch’s reevaluation is negative.
Every all-in trade usually involves displacing either Donte or Randle but I think we should work through our biases and believe in them. The evidence is overwhelming.
This group is playing so well, I don’t think it makes sense to disrupt it right now. I would let this season play out and then make whatever adjustments are necessary in the off season. I’m also loving all the positive national media attention this team is getting.
Randle’s status doesn’t change my mind about what I think we should do.
I think we should think long term and try to upgrade a position.
We are 100% set at PG and SF.
Randle is very likely to stay at PF regardless of whether he comes back and is 100% this year or not.
That leaves C, SG, and backup PG/bench scoring.
I feel comfortable with I-Hart long term. I think he can get even better, but never say never. There could be someone out there eventually we’d like better. We still don’t know what the story is with Mitch, but he’s so injury prone, if he’s the starter, we better keep I-Hart.
DDV is giving the starting unit the spacing and better scoring it needed, but I think there’s room for an upgrade there unless they are 100% convinced he’s breaking out to a new sustainable level. I don’t love the Murray fit. He’s not a spacer and he does his best work with the ball in his hands. On the flip side, if Brunson is hurt he can take over and he can also play minutes with the bench unit and probably excel there.
I think Brogdon looks like the best fit from the names I’ve heard, but I’m not pining over him like I was for OG. We just need someone to run the 2nd unit and score.
I articulated an E Rule I will be abiding by moving forward.
Re: DJM, “character issues” is probably too strong a term given that it gets tacked on to all kinds of genuinely reprehensible behavior, but it seems like he’s not exactly a “glue guy.”
I don’t feel the need to entertain a fantasy scenario in which the Hawks are just giving the guy away. They’re not going to do that–they have him signed for 3 more guaranteed seasons and traded an enormous pick package for him.
So if we traded for him, it would would cost a lot. Absolute bare minimum of Grimes and two of our best picks, IMO. I remain highly skeptical we should do that because the numbers just do not scream that he’s a clear upgrade.
I believe that a fully healthy Knicks team could contend for a title right now. Upgraded bench pieces would be brought in, not to propel the team forward, but to provide solid production and reduce wear and tear on the rest of the team. I think Leon and his brain trust are finally wrestling with this reality. The problem is that we have way too many injuries and wasting assets for a rental may not make sense as opposed to letting Deuce develop and Precious gain confidence.
The way this team is playing has me convinced that we should be looking for smaller moves. I also fear that Murray would not play along well with Brunson just like it happened with Trae Young. The Hawks brought him because they believed he would fix their defensive backcourt issues and give Trae a ball handling partner, but it turned out Trae can’t really play off the ball, and Dejounte was not a good fit defensively because, as Hawks fans have said, he gambles too much for steals on the passing lanes. Granted, that wouldn’t be an issue defensively as we have a lot of good defenders and can afford a guy hawking the pass lanes, Divo already kinda does it.
But the offensive fit does make me wonder why would it be different with Brunson when it didn’t work with Trae. At the end of the day Murray’s biggest strength is that he rebounds very well for a guard and has the potential to be very good on defense, but aren’t those things relatively redundant to what we have right now?
If he’s available for a cheap package I guess I’d take it, but if it has to include Grimes and multiple picks I’m out.
“Please cut it out. Most of us I’m sure lead pretty stressful and very busy lives.”
Speaking of which, I am two weeks away from the end of my leave replacement stint as a Biology and Forensics teacher at an alternative HS in Westchester. Beautiful old building, way too big for serving like only 100 students. My first period class has two students on the register, and only one ever shows up, usually 20 minutes late. My next class has 5 students on the register and I haven’t had more than 2 show up on any day in the last 5 weeks. Then my last three periods have around 10 students each with mainly good attendance, but the students sit down and immediately take out their cell phones and largely ignore the lesson. Since there is no school-wide policy to address cel phone use in class beyond polite admonishments, I just kind of roll with the school’s culture and execute the lesson to the best of my ability, striving for as much engagement as I can muster.
It’s tremendously frustrating because as a glorified sub I have no power to make the changes that I would surely demand in my former role. The great irony is that the students in this school are there because they were “unsuccessful” at navigating the large high school campus in this rather large suburban school district…whether due to attendance, behavior, disability, health, personal or family crisis, etc. Yet helping them stay engaged and catch up is a losing battle when the main opponent is their phones.
It has been a very deeply emotional, experience…humbling, exhausting, yet with some real bright spots. Retirement can be boring, but for now, I’m looking forward to a continuation of getting paid for doing nothing!
I’m also out on DJM. If you think about it, the only way he’s useful is as a sub for Brunson. Not a spacer, best with the ball in his hands, effort on D seems to come and go. So if Brunson gets injured, we’d be glad we had him – but otherwise it’s a waste of resources.
While there are better 3s than OG, better 4s than Randle, and even better 1s than Jalen, there aren’t many, and the cost for that improvement would just be too high. It’s possible as well that any improvement over Mitch/iHart would also be too expensive for the return. Is Turner worth the assets? I don’t think so.
So really we’re talking about a better player at the 2. As good as DDv has been, most would agree that there are a lot of better options. DJM is not one, for the reasons above. But Booker? Bridges? Mitchell? We could take a substantial leap with one of them starting instead of DDv.
Are any of them realistic? Maybe, but not until the off season at earliest. So meantime it’s imperative we keep our powder dry. Fournier and a couple seconds are the most we should send out, so it’s a question of what we can get for that.
That’s the only smart play, in my opinion.
Also, I’d note that I am higher on acquiring Mitchell with OG in the fold. Still not ideal with Brunson, but don’t underestimate him – he’s been stellar for Cleveland, and their D is top-rated.
Brunson’s Fit with Murray
If we bring in DJM, we probably play Brunson as more of a SG till he takes over in crunch time.
On the one hand, it saves his energy and takes advantage of his off-ball shooting. He’s obviously a great shooter and this could be a huge plus.
On the other, do we really want Brunson to have the ball less? DJM, even in his good years, has bad to terrible efficiency.
Murray’s Fit with Brunson
(A) Defense
As for Murray, maybe he steps up his defense again? From what I understand, early DJM was basically Deuce but much bigger! Yet I wonder if an older, perhaps slower, Murray can, or is willing, to be that guy again.
(B) Off-Ball
Then in crunch time, when you give Brunson the ball, he’s liable to be open so teams can double or slant heavily towards Born To Play. He’s shooting well this year, but his career numbers are basically the same as Hart’s.
(C) Rebounding
I’ll also note that he was grabbing 8+ rebs/36 with SA, which I assume contributed quite a bit to his value. Even in ATL he’s been a good rebounder, but it’s dropped to 5rebs/36.
Based on the fact most of his rebounds in SA were DRebs, I’d speculate his rebounding isn’t additive but system driven. On a team of great rebounders can he even get back up to the 5 BPM he had in SA?
Conclusion
E could be right, DJM might be be great. On the other hand, he could end up the same player he is in ATL — completely redundant with the other PG. According to reports, if we make a move for DJM, we’re paying a hefty price. While the move won’t lock us in, it’ll deplete a large portion of our trade capital.
We’ve built this team on a string of conservative moves that emphasize roster construction. Those moves have paid off in spades.
Perhaps it’s time to take a risk, but there’s a significant chance it doesn’t work out. And with Donte playing so well, there’s a distinct possibility it makes us worse. Spacing was a big issue in last year’s playoffs and Donte, even before this fantastic year, could’ve been a salve.
There’s a price for DJM, I just think it’s lower than what ATL is asking for.
Yeah this Lebron James kid is probably going to want to play well tonight as an audition to see if he’s good enough for us to trade for him.
“So meantime it’s imperative we keep our powder dry. Fournier and a couple seconds are the most we should send out…”
I’d be fine with sending out more than this. The protected picks from WAS and DET are just so-so assets (although by not conveying they might retain some future value). The MIL 2025 pick is very likely to convey so I’d be hesitant to part with that but would in the right deal. Even on of this year’s firsts is on the table.
For me, it’s entirely a question of for whom? For example, I’d do Fournier plus the WAS and DET picks for Brogdon before I’d consider any deal that includes Grimes. If a bit more sweetener was required, I’d throw in a second. But that’s it.
But if Leon is not willing to part with even that much, no sweat. I love this bunch and will be happy to roll with them.
As someone who has dabbled in education, I think I’ve come around to the idea that a total ban on smartphones in schools is appropriate. There are absolutely complications–emergency situations, students with family responsibilities, etc.–but most of those could probably be addressed by still allowing kids to have flip phones.
Hell, maybe the districts can even provide kids with “school approved” phones that can’t access the internet, or do anything other than contact people. You could take it a step further and make those phones unable to call/text others in the network. Lord knows there have been worse uses of money in the ed tech space.
I don’t come to this conclusion lightly, as it definitely feels draconian and it’s a shame things have reached this point because there are of course potential educational benefits to the use of smartphones. Ideally, it would be a kind of temporary solution while we workshop the ideal boundaries.
I just don’t know how teachers are supposed to compete with, well, the whole world for students’ attention. Of course the most intrinsically motivated students are still paying attention, but reaching them has quite frankly never been an issue anyway. Ed policy should be aimed at securing the best outcomes for the kids who could go either way.
How this all interacts with the well-documented post-Covid attendance crisis…I don’t know. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
I think there are real questions about how good Dejounte is. Obviously, he’d be an excellent backup PG, but he’s basically had one really good season in his career, which is starting to look like a fluke. Unless that was the only time he really was trying (which given his rep may be true)
“Also, I’d note that I am higher on acquiring Mitchell with OG in the fold. Still not ideal with Brunson, but don’t underestimate him – he’s been stellar for Cleveland, and their D is top-rated.”
Yeah, I’m still on the “no” side of neutral, but wouldn’t be in the deep despair I would have been if Leon had met Ainge’s price, or even if Ainge had accepted Leon’s best offer. That would have been really fucked up.
He ain’t got shit on Precious
Our D is top-rated, as well.
You can get away with Brunson. You can get away with Mitchell. I don’t think you can get away with Brunson & Mitchell.
I am pretty in on Mitchell on the current team. With OG, I think the small backcourt is almost a non issue. I mean, DDV has, what, an inch on Mitchell? We’ve still managed to put together a great defense largely due to OG and iHart.
Mitchell himself has been a part of numerous elite defenses, and while he’s obviously not the causal factor there he’s clearly not fatal to a defense. FWIW, he’s posting a career high in DEPM and STL% so his reputation might be more due to effort/managing his energy than lack of ability.
Brunson/Mitchell/OG/Randle/center we decide on…yeah, sign me up. Of course you try to keep as much depth as possible, have a BATNA, etc. but I would trade a lot of future equity for that.
The problem with DJM is that he will end up playing 30 minutes even if he doesn’t deserve it. Deuce and Grimes have averaged 30 combined minutes, but many of these are together, so DJM will take playing time away from DDV. You have to ignore a lot of data to argue that this would be a good move – basically completely disregard DDV’s play this year and DJM’s play for the last two years. And even if you think that DJM is fine (which I don’t), there’s the question of fit. DDV (or Grimes before) space the floor. DJM just doesn’t. It makes it harder for Brunson to operate.
If we agree on the notion that the Knicks need to build around JB, DJM is just not the answer.
Another thought regarding if RJ is/was a negative asset or not.
The defense took a massive leap forward with OG. To be expected bc he is an elite defensive wing.
But OG has been out these last few games and the defense has still held. Hmm…
We badly need the all star break
We’re killing it on offense.
We’re killing it on defense.
Let’s blow it up to bring in Donovan Mitchell.
Doesn’t make sense to me.
3 one-way players who need the ball in their hands to be optimized is a bad recipe. And right now we have a great recipe.
Mitchell has also been better as the dominant ball handler with Garland out. As good as he is, there might be offensive issues as well as defensive ones.
Swifty, it’s a good point…and not just about RJ. Or OG.
The team before the trade sorely lacked defensive length, except at the 5. Randle is a good “can’t back him down” kind of defender but he isn’t particularly long or possessed of great anticipation instincts…and that’s when he’s fully engaged. Same for RJ. The two of them could build a sort of muscle-wall just by staying in front of guys, but that was it.
Then you have Josh Hart, who plays his ass off but is a short 6’5″ with a 6’9″ wingspan. There are some limitations to his size, especially when he has to masquerade as a PF.
Now you bring OG and Precious on board. OG is one of the longest non-C’s in the league and has great instincts, plus is just as much of a physical wall strength-wise as Julius or RJ. Then you add Precious and his 7’1″ wingspan and very good strength and athleticism to the PF mix. That pushes Hart to his natural small wing position where he can match up with opposing smalls and wings and often has a length-quickness-physicality-anticipation advantage.
And finally, Deuce is hardly a DPoY guy but he’s really, really good both on and off the ball, and having length behind him rather than Josh Hart and RJ Barrett frees him up even more to do Deuce things. Same with DDV and Brunson in the starting lineup.
So the positional length we gained out of that trade is having ripple effects, even with Julius and OG out. Precious is a better defender than Julius and Hart is a better defender than RJ. And with th 8-man rotation, you just fill in the minutes with Deuce, Grimes, and Sims, all of whom are decent defenders.
RJ has always had very low steal/block numbers and very low deflection numbers.
Maybe it’s possible to still be a good defender despite numbers like that, but watching RJ play about a billion minutes I don’t get the sense he’s that guy.
I can’t really think of a team that won a championship on the backs of two 6’1″ combo guards who occupy the same exact space. Not saying it can’t work, but when your main rival has a starting backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, I’d be a bit leery to find out.
I don’t think it’s any more draconian than not letting teenagers drink alcohol or drive cars.
TNFH, the problem isn’t that teens have smartphones, but that they are allowed to have them out in class, or not allowed yet there is half-hearted or spotty enforcement.
One interesting solution that is being used in some schools in District 3 is something called a Yondr pouch. Students put their phones into the magnetically sealed neoprene pouch when they enter school and keep the pouch and phone with them during the school day. It sort of works like those anti-theft magnetic tags that have to be removed upon checkout when you buy clothes. These pouches eliminate the thorny problem of collecting the phones…that schools would be responsible for loss, theft, or breakage while in possession of the phones. With Yondr, the students never lose possession of the phones.
Now of course, clever students will find workarounds…having a dummy phone to lock up, using a smartwatch, etc. But now you have an enforceable policy where students can be held accountable for having their phone out in class. It seems to be working pretty well in the UWS middle schools that I know are using them. I don’t have any info regarding high school success.
More generally, to every problem, there is a solution….and probably a lucrative one. This is a very serious problem and someone will eventually make a killing solving it.
hi JK, you are musical royalty to me 🙂
i loved that sen dog story…that’s so cool you’ve been able to smoke out with different folks from “work”…
having mostly worked in warehouses, those folks maybe a little less exciting to hang out and get high with…
Z-Man: I can only imagine. I tried subbing my first year after retirement and public, private, and charter schools and could not handle the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off vibe. It must be worse as an ex-principal. My ex-AP friend has built a wonderful post-retirement enterprise based on working with public schools on a) best practices for teaching math and b) improving school culture. He has a group of ex-teachers, who do PDs and after-school programs with students. You seem highly qualified for such an endeavor if you are willing to commit the time.
TNFH- One of the reasons I retired was I could not compete with cell-phones. My last school collected them and I kept them in a closet in case of emergencies and even that was ineffective. Kids had 2nd and 3rd back-up phones and it became a game of Whack-a-Mole trying to stop it.
edit- My school’s approach was similar to the yondr bag, but as noted the kids had hacks. The problem was that their parents were not willing to hold the kids accountable. Difference between D3 and D4.
hey E, I hope you’re doing well today…
been a little overcast and rainy out here in cali…
need to go see mom today…
i was just wondering – does the ability to aggregate animosity amongst others occur so readily in the “real” world?
you seem way reasonable and intelligent…your actions in regards to establishing connections is pretty consistently adversarial though…
i wonder why…i was never able to understand exactly why DJ Phan enjoyed that sort of contact/communication with others…
isn’t just easier to get along…less stress…
the vibe i always got from DJ was that he was engaged in an occupation with extreme demands…
so in between work stuff he would jump on the site here and engage others with a contrarian perspective and energy…kind of work out the stress from work…
it’s like sometimes the things being discussed – aren’t really the things being discussed…
words are being used simply to create conflict…
i’m not so naive as to believe folks will always get along…i’m just not understanding the desire to pursue chaos and strife with others…
there’s just no prize to win…
i do find it interesting behavior, unique…i’d like to understand better…
The defense starting struggling — read worst in the league — right after Mitch got injured. We all know this. What we often overlook is that Grimes got moved to the bench at almost the same time.
Donte excels at jumping passing lanes, a PoA defender he is not. When we brought OG in, this fixed a major problem. This wasn’t necessarily RJs fault, rather one of team construction. People underestimate the benefits of properly fitting pieces — just ask Denver.
Since OG has gone down, we’ve been able to replace the PoA defender who has also been successful. But perhaps more importantly, we’ve had Precious at PF who has shutdown Markattan and Siakam. His lack of shooting/scoring may doom Precious in the long run, but for now, who cares.
RJ isn’t a good defender on or off the ball, but if you can play him next to a Grimes or OG, he wouldn’t look so terrible. We’ve certainly had good defenses with him before and he looked better to me than he did last season.
I’m not sure you can afford as weak a defender as RJ on the wing, but maybe he’s not quite so bad (though the possibility very much exists that he’d be terrible anyway).
Ok, Alan, I thought of a reasonable (but controversial) all in trade.
Start with the premise that, IMO, the quartet of Brunson-DDV-OG-Randle needs to be kept together.
Hartenstein has been great but I’m willing to upgrade the C position and let him return to backup C.
And as great as we’ve been, the team lacks playoff experience and can use a guy who knows how to win championships.
Any guesses where I’m going?
Here is my potential all in trade:
https://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=298vge2w
Mind you I am not clamoring for this move. Just throwing it out there.
EDIT: I can’t seem to access the link to post trades from my phone… It’s Draymond Green
great discussion on the kids and classroom behavior stuff…
i got a job as a middle school geography teacher down in the orlando area after the army…
i was having some serious health issues at the time, i didn’t really know that at the time though…
i lasted about 3 weeks…i was afraid i was going to lose my temper badly with one of the kids at some point working there…
i braced some little kid im the hallway like the second day teaching for eating chips in the class…
in the military they have team teaching, so while someone is instructing you’ll have at least one other person regulating student behavior…
not the case for some regular ‘ol middle school…
i’ll never forget the principal telling me she knew she should have never hired me, as i was leaving the school…
she was right, i was way unprepared/ill equipped to handle some of the challenging kids…
https://theathletic.com/5248914/2024/02/03/joel-embiid-knee-injury-sixers-diagnosis-timeline/
Embiid may need surgery. That’s good for us, but it absolutely sucks for the sport.
“i’ll never forget the principal telling me she knew she should have never hired me, as i was leaving the school…”
Whether that was true or not, it was highly unprofessional for her to say that…unless you cursed her out or something!
That’s great, Swift! 🙂
Yeah, i think you’re right. When we clinched the 2nd seed in 2012-13 i never believed it until the end of the regular season, so maybe it’s me. 😛
Dray is an all-time great, but at this point in his career I don’t know that he should start over Hartenstein. Although he would make an excellent fill-in at the starting 4 & backup 5 until Mitch and Randle are back.
I’m also skeptical that Thibs takes advantage of Dray’s offensive skillset at all. I doubt our personnel could run the dynamic offense he needs regardless of coach.
Nah, schools are ill equipped to support teachers. Schools absolutely need more teachers and support staff.
The minimal teaching experience I’ve had (an afternoon chess program for elementary schools), the kids run roughshod over you if you don’t bring your A-game every class. Even if you do, the kids can just be crazy some days.
just disappointed her, and left her and the kids in a bad spot…
that was a tough week, ended up ghosting out on my girlfriend same week…just stopped communicating with her…got really scared and confused…
she was a good person…we had actually dated years earlier when we were at school together…
yeah, in the past when the going got tough, i would withdraw, drink, do drugs and hide out…
you sitting in the park watching the water planes come and go hubie 🙂
That’s what makes it a true all in move. I’d rather have iHart for 82 games but in a 7 game series vs Boston or in the NBA Final, you want Draymond over iHart all day.
If the goal is to be favored to win a championship in the next 2 years, there is really only one all-in move that I see….to throw the kitchen sink at that geezer in LA.
I want to stay as far away from Draymond as possible. All it takes is one guy goading him during a key game and he’s a suspension waiting to happen, plus he’s very clearly not on the same level he once was. I’d take IHart over him on any situation at this moment.
I’d personally rather wait for Mitch to come back than trade for Draymond but I was trying to be creative. Hartenstein is the one guy in the starting lineup I’d upgrade because I don’t think we lose a lot moving him to the bench. There’s just not a lot of available centers out there that can give us more than him.
Ironically and unfortunately, Porzingis would have been great.
i bet you all are terrible out on a date…
always, always looking to upgrade 🙃
Suppose we traded Mitch, Fournier, Grimes and Flynn plus many picks for Lebron.
Starters:
C iHart,
PF Randle
SF OG
SG LeBron
PG Brunson
Bench:
Achiuwa
DDV
JHart
Deuce
Sims
You can then find a ring-chasing vet to tinker with the bench.
Not that I would make this move, but it is intriguing if possible.
If Mitch & Randle end up being done for the season, or maybe into the playoffs so you have more hope of a chip, he makes a lot of sense on the court at the 4/5.
I’m mostly hoping we get out guys back sooner rather than later.
We need a 3rd team to take Flynn, he can’t be packaged with other players.
I’d strongly consider throwing Randle into that trade to play LBJ at PF and keep the better shooter in DiVo as a starter. LA might need him to complete the trade anyway.
Or we go for the Leon special and waste a pick on Bronny to bribe him here this offseason.
I think Hartenstein is actually one of our star players, and should be the starting C going forward. He has turned into a sneakily deadly player.
Leads the NBA in defensive EPM, and ranks 24th in EPM overall. Has played even better since getting the starting job. He’s a linchpin of our devastating rebounding attack, and an absolutely legit defensive anchor.
Hard to see how you upgrade much by replacing him unless you’re bringing in Jokic or Embiid. Hartenstein is one of the better centers in the league right now.
Another initiator who can shoot is the upgrade we need most. A solid backup center like Drummond would be a nice addition too.
“We need a 3rd team to take Flynn, he can’t be packaged with other players.”
I guess the trade machine doesn’t know that. probably easy enough, or you could use Archie and Jeffries instead?
“I’d strongly consider throwing Randle into that trade to play LBJ at PF and keep the better shooter in DiVo as a starter. LA might need him to complete the trade anyway.”
I considered that, but felt that LeBron and Brunson almost guarantees that you’d see good Julius even more. But sure, that works too!
Old friend Chris Herring has a good article today about how much OG has not only obviously upgraded the defense but the offense too. Interesting tidbit about with RJ having 3 lefties lead to the Knicks taking the most jumpshots from the right side of the floor which made their offense very predictable.
It would make me deeply sad if we traded for LeBron to try to win a title
Great dialogue today. And, E, I was not implying that you are the singular issue. The responses and constant goading are uncalled for and snarky.
I was, am and will be on the Mikal train and would part with star type assets to obtain him. Having that much defensive versatility and shooting would be impossible to beat. That would be a Pistons-esque team. And I think if the Nets are willing to trade him and we offer the best package they will take it. They’d be insane not to.
I could be talked into Mitchell too.
In the near term Brogdon.
I agree wholeheartedly about kids and cell phones, almost every fight or argument amongst the students stems from the phone with either a social media post or group chats where they’re talking shit to each other.
The best way to deal with phone usage I think is what we do, phone usage is not allowed in the classroom but they can use it during lunch and other times when given free time. Problem is the parents are the ones who get pissed when we confiscate student phones! Parents want their kids to have phones so it’ll never be totally banned, just gotta give them opportunities throughout the day to use them but they also know when they can’t. It’s a stupid compromise but necessary nowadays.
“It would make me deeply sad if we traded for LeBron to try to win a title”
And I would feel creepy if we did that. My only point is that I don’t see any other deal out there that’s even remotely possible in the short run that raises the floor to “favorites to be in the NBA finals over the Celts for the next two years” other than a LeBron deal. He clearly has 2 years of “top 10 player in the NBA” left in him. I mean, who are the veteran players that are guaranteed to be impactful on his level or above for the next two years?
Joker
Luka
Shai
Tatum
Durant
Giannis
Embiid
Maybe Jimmy? Hali? Ant?
Clearly none of these guys are available or will be any time soon.
Acquiring LeBron would probably be something like the Raptors getting Kawhi, except even more impactful. We’re talking about the actual GOAT (or one of) here.
You make a solid case.
It’s actually really difficult to upgrade this starting 5!
We should just upgrade the bench and let it rip.
Oof. I don’t know that Chicago was going to find a taker anyway, but this is going to make it even harder to move him in the summer.
I’d really like to see Mitch play with this team and see how he compares to this version of iHart. Love to keep them both but I don’t know if that’ll be possible so I hope we can test them out head to head
Do we have official word on OG, LeBron, AD yet?
No OG tonight.
The way things are going they will soon announce he will undergo TJ surgery.
After a quarter and a half, the un Nets are up 51 to 30 over the 76ers. This is why I think Embiid is strong candidate for MVP. The team is so much worse without him (but obviously to get the award he has to play a lot more games for them this season).
Note: Simmons is playing and his defense mat have something to do with the score too.
You know, I want OG back on the court But that wish is tempered by my intuition that the Knicks are making sure he is fully healed, which is definitely a good thing to do.
Yeah I’m bracing for an OG to have elbow surgery update any day now.
If anyone is out in NYC tonight and wants to catch the game or maybe just punch me in the face I’ve got a table at The Ainsworth on Park Ave. Ask for Chris, the manager, and tell him you’re there for Hubert.
Thanks for invite Hubert, I’m sorry I can’t make it.
First, I’m guessing that E now goes by “Lil’ Penny” but I may be wrong. It’s been a while since I velociposted here. I do come back to toss in my two-cents pretty frequently but not like in the past (yeah, the acrimony got stale really quickly for me).
Anyhow, everyone’s entitled to their opinions – even if they’re wrong 🙂
I’m going to stand by what I’ve said recently. I’m not sure I care about making any trades. Sure, give me Jokic at center and Luka can play shooting guard but truth is, none of the real candidates thrill me over what we have. What we have now is chemistry.
I agree with a lot of opinions here. Like the take that Hartenstein is our starting center. I want to be able to pay the dude in the offseason. Mitch can be a $15M backup with Sims as #3.
What’s so bad about Grimes and Deuce that we need them replaced? I love how they’re playing now. Grimes has really picked it up since moving to the bench. Like RJ, he wasn’t a fit with our ball-dominant PG and PF. With the reserves he’s had the opportunity to shine and has. Deuce is getting better by the game. His effort on D has been elite.
The unsung heroes of this team are iHart, Hart and DDV. When they are on the floor they can lock down the other team.
Does anyone else want to ???? Stephen A. Smith in the face? Or at least pull the plug on his mike?
Stephen A is insufferable.
Keep on an eye on the refs tonight. Lakers have won games getting questionable calls their way and I’m sure Silver wants a competitive game tonight.
Hope the good vibes keep going! Need OG and Grimes to come back soon tho. Have two days off till the next game.