Knicks Morning News (2024.08.08)

Nice! Loved The Twilight Zone.

TNFH, That cap space list isnot comforting. First, things change. A team that wants Randle can figure out how to acquire him either by dumping salary and creating space or doing a sign and trade, even a 3-way trade with BKN or another team facilitating. Second, the leverage is in losing Randle even if he turns out to have made a bad decision without any way to replace his production. I have yet to hear your plan for replacing him in a way that doesn’t waste at least two years of the Nova Core contender plan. Nor have I heard your prediction for what Randle’s 2026-27 salary will be, you know, when he’s washed up at age 32.

I mean, Morey just signed 34yo Paul George to a 4yr/$212M extension. You have already insinuated that Randle was in “physical decline” well before this, and clearly that was proven dead wrong. So now, no one is going to want to pay him $40M AAV for his age 31-34 years? Sorry, I’m not buying that.

I’m sure Randle’s agent knows that the Knicks can’t risk having an all-NBA player in his prime walk for nothing. I would tell Leon to stick his lowball offer up his ass and then go out and kick the league’s ass like he was doing after last season’s slow start. There is zero chance that I would opt in and then negotiate, as you have suggested. If it doesn’t work out, c’est la vie.

CB shoulder injuries and surgeries are tricky, but since it’s his right (i.e. off) shoulder, and since he will have lots of time to rehab it, I think there’s a better chance of him hitting the ground running than there was coming off of ankle surgery in a shorter time frame. In any event, if I were Julius, I would be really fucking pissed if Leon raised that during contract negotiations. And I think that any GM would discount any acclimation period early in the season in determining his value. Just my opinion!

“On Kolek, thx Z-man. I wonder if Thibs will have the rookie run the 2nd unit offense by design. That’s prolly dependent on his D in practice, i.e. the “earn” part as you say. I also wonder if/what Deuce is practicing. Is there a tear drop in his future?”

My gut feeling is that Thibs will employ a 9-man rotation, with Kolek being spotted in for some second quarter minutes early on and then going up or down depending on load management, injuries, etc. I think the “10th man” role will be “sort of” his to lose going into the preseason, but that there’s a very good chance he loses it to Payne.

Meaning that unless either Deuce regresses (or Kolek absolutely shocks), he will be our backup PG.

I mentioned this before, but an additional hope is that there will be more garbage-time minutes for guys like Kolek, Dadiet, and maybe one of McCullar or Hukporti to get some run. Especially Kolek.

I don’t have a plan to replace Randle. I don’t think we should be looking to do so. Losing him for nothing would be an utter disaster.

Once you admit this, any argument that Randle should take less than what the Knicks can pay him seem pretty silly.

“That said, no number of citations to old Randle takes will change the facts on the ground.”

This is correct, so long as you separate facts from opinions. You are not doing that.

“If there’s a team you think will clear immense amounts of cap space to sign Julius Randle to a $40M AAV contract, name the team.”

I can think of lots of teams that can use an all-NBA player in his prime making $20-22% of the cap, and a much lower percentage of the first and second apron cap limits, and that might force the Knicks to either sign-and-trade Randle or lose him for nothing. You are demanding that I go through every team, identify specific teams that can use such a player, and then predict the moves that they would make to acquire such a player. This is where your “facts on the ground” argument meets a roadblock. The only fact on the ground right now is that Randle is a rare 2X all-NBA player in his prime who might hit the open market. My opinion is that there are a number of teams who would love a chance to entertain that possibility.

Of course, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Leon tries to use the obvious leverage the league landscape, added sensitivity about ducking the aprons, Randle’s flaws, etc. gives him to try to sign him at something like the proposed Marks deal.

It’s certainly possible that Leon will try to use whatever leverage he can to lowball the guy who you just admitted that losing would be “an utter disaster.” Whether he does or not, how likely is it that he will succeed in signing a Bobby Marks-level deal?

“As far as predictions go, I will say this: I will be shocked if Randle makes $40M AAV over a 3+ year deal for a team that is not the Knicks at any point in the future.”

This is a cop-out answer, isn’t it? If the Knicks pay him that much, we will obviously never be able to test what he might have gotten elsewhere, just like we can’t test that out for OG. So rather than duck the question, just commit to a figure! It’s easy! Just build in the possibility that he will get that money from the Knicks! Of course, that would suggest that Julius did in fact have all the leverage in the negotiations.

USA ain’t losing this game.

The guy born in Akron isn’t doing so badly….

Why did LeBron take that shot?

It’s a very simple, straighforward questio: What do you predict Randle’s salary will be in 2026-27, regardless of where he signs or whether it’s a 1-year deal, or part of a longer extension, or as a free agent contract, or the result of a sign-and-trade. No need to overcomplicate the question, it’s very cut-and-dry. If you are saying that you don’t know what I am asking, you are purposely being obtuse.

I predicted $40M +/-2M. Simple, isn’t it?

Sorry Jowles, I love you but folks who brag about sexual exploits just ain’t my thing.