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Knicks Morning News (2024.10.06)

  • Landry Shamet cementing hold on Knicks final roster spot – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 23:04:00 GMT
    1. Landry Shamet cementing hold on Knicks final roster spot
    2. Knicks Notes: Shamet, Aller, Towns, Hukporti
    3. Knicks Final Roster Spots Up for Grabs
    4. I dont make the final decision on that, but Im basing it on what [Shamets] done on the f
    5. Knicks’ Landry Shamet: Likely to secure roster spot

  • Landry Shamet makes strong case for Knicks roster spot: Hes really done well – New York Daily News
    [New York Daily News] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:21:45 GMT

    Landry Shamet makes strong case for Knicks roster spot: Hes really done well

  • New York hates me: Patriots icon Julian Edelman shared that Jets, Knicks revoked deals, tickets from him – Boston.com
    [Boston.com] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 14:42:00 GMT

    New York hates me: Patriots icon Julian Edelman shared that Jets, Knicks revoked deals, tickets from him

  • Report: Knicks Interested in Another Star Trade – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 11:36:17 GMT

    Report: Knicks Interested in Another Star Trade

  • Preseason Game Preview: New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, October 6, 2024 – Posting and Toasting
    [Posting and Toasting] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 13:48:37 GMT
    1. Preseason Game Preview: New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, October 6, 2024
    2. Karl-Anthony Towns expected to make Knicks debut Sunday vs. Hornets
    3. Knicks vs. Hornets: Start time, where to watch, what’s the latest
    4. How Will Tom Thibodeau Deploy Karl-Anthony Towns On Defense in Preseason Game 1?
    5. New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets: TV channel, time, free live stream for preseason opener

  • Former Knicks Guard Slams Karl-Anthony Towns Trade – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 14:00:00 GMT

    Former Knicks Guard Slams Karl-Anthony Towns Trade

  • Knicks could sign rookie project to contract, adding depth in the front court – Empire Sports Media
    [Empire Sports Media] – Sat, 05 Oct 2024 17:46:56 GMT

    Knicks could sign rookie project to contract, adding depth in the front court

    • 177 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.10.06)”

    Sigh. Just realized that Comcast dropped NBA TV from its basic tier. So I no longer get MSG with it (a friend loaned me his FIOS login for that), and I can’t watch the preseason opener. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t cut the cord and tried YouTube or Hulu with live TV at this point. Anyone have any experience with either?

    From the top story linked above:

    Training camp reiterated the clear front-runner for a final roster spot.

    Landry Shamet, who is operating on a non-guaranteed deal, has been repeatedly referenced by coach Tom Thibodeau as a shining member of the reserves after sessions at The Citadel.

    and

    “I don’t make the final decision on that, but I’m basing it on what [Shamet’s] done on the floor. He’s really done well,” Thibodeau said. “The second unit, as I said, I’m anxious to see him as well because I’ve seen what they’ve done in practice and they’ve really done well together as a unit. So I want to see that in a game situation. But he’s done a really good job.

    “He has really good chemistry with Cam [Payne], and then when you put Deuce [McBride] into that, they’re very fast. You can play with a lot of speed.”

    Not a shock — all the beats have been saying it’s Shamet’s job to lose — but it really sounds like it’s his job to lose.

    Making the roster and being in the rotation are two different things. Shamet has a solid chance but it would come at the expense of Payne and Kolek. I doubt that he’s getting any of Deuce’s minutes. I think it’s more likely that Deuce slides to the 2 along with Payne or Kolek at the 1 and one of the starting wings at the 3. But Shamet is a quality backup so sure, Thibs might go with him.

    Surprised Thibs said he doesn’t “make the final decision”. I know there is salary and stuff to sort out but assume he would have the final say on who in the camp makes the roster.

    “I genuinely do not remember any reports about either OG or Bridges.”

    “I don’t remember any such reports either. Both players were discussed here as good fits, but with the assumption we would never be able to trade for them”

    But that’s the whole point! The fit was so blatantly obvious in both cases that everyone was talking about them as being targets, both here on KB and in the media.

    With OG, he was an impending UFA and Toronto was looking to rebuild. We needed a long, 3-and-D wing and no one eminently available fit the bill as well as he did. We also had RJ with his hometown attraction, plus other trade assets that could make a deal work. It was widely rumored that Ujiri wanted multiple unprotected firsts, When IQ balked at the Knicks offer and was heading to RFA, he and RJ essentially took the place of the unprotected firsts, and the deal went through. So while nothing that eventually happened was “leaked” it was such an obvious fit that the only thing surprising about it was that it happened in the face of the “a trade can’t happen because of the lawsuit and bad blood” narrative.

    Mikal was even more obvious as a fit and even more available from the rebuilding Nets, as the old thread posted yesterday pointed out. Again, the only roadblocks were the decades of no deals and the intercity rivalry.

    KAT has been roumored as a target for years, and with iHart leaving and Mitch hurt, along with Minny’s cap situation and Randle’s contract situation, made perfect sense. The only shocking thing to me was that DDV was included…I truly thought Leon would not break up the Nova foursome this year in this sort of a deal.

    My point is that you didn’t hear leaks from Leon & Co. about any of these deals at the time that they happened, probably because he looked terrible after the Spida fiasco (or lucky break, imo) due to leaked offers becoming public during the negotiations. Leon’s interest in these 3 players wasn’t “reported” but it was widely assumed to exist for obvious reasons. Only the timing and aspects of the prices paid were remotely surprising, never the targets themselves.

    Idk how there could be minutes for both Deuce and Shamet unless Deuce is primarily playing backup PG.

    PG: Bronson, Payne/Kolek
    SG: Deuce, Shamet
    SF : Bridges, Hart
    PF: OG, Hart/Achiuwa
    C: Towns, Achiuwa

    Alan…i just bought league pass and I have just the data connect via Cox ..that works…I guess you can pay for it same way through you tube or hulu…

    Pepper, doesn’t league pass black out games in your local market? The website suggests I wouldn’t be able to get live Knicks or Nets games.

    Here’s my prediction for the initial rotation:
    Starters:
    Brunson
    Mikal
    Hart
    OG
    KAT

    First subs: Precious and Deuce
    Then: if 9-man, two of Payne, Kolek, Shamet, Sims; if 10-man, 3 of them. Preseason will determine which ones are in or out of rotation.

    Situational: whoever of the above 4 is out, plus Dadiet and Huk.

    Injured: Mitch; one of McCullar or Toppin takes his 15ish-man roster spot until he returns. When he comes back, one of them or Huk is sent down.

    In terms of team control beyond this season, is there an advantage or disadvantage to promoting someone from a two-way to a rookie minimum deal? i.e., if Hukporti gets the promotion (and I’m guessing he will, since McCullar’s injury timetable seems uncertain), does he reach RFA any sooner?

    I’d like to see whether Huk has made any progress with his footwork and timing. Like with a lot of late seconds, it was a mess when I looked at his film.

    On that note, is Nnaji in camp? Or is he just a stash?

    Again, the only roadblocks were the decades of no deals and the intercity rivalry.

    Other than that, Mrs Lincoln… how did you like the play? Sisyphus approves of this message.

    The point being EVERYONE thought that trade was impossible between those two team, much like Toronto.

    “The point being EVERYONE thought that trade was impossible between those two team, much like Toronto.”

    Obviously some guy named Leon didn’t. Nor did the millions of pundits proposing mock trades, both here on KB and in the media.

    It’s nice that these stupid narratives have finally been debunked.

    On that note, is Nnaji in camp? Or is he just a stash?

    I think it’s just a stash, he’s rehabbing after back surgery and he’s under contract with Barcelona who loaned him to another spanish team.

    On the one hand, I feel bad for my Jets fans friends. On the other, I enjoy Aaron Rodgers making a fool of himself in his chosen profession, after he’s spent so much time lately making a fool of himself away from the field.

    But that’s the whole point! The fit was so blatantly obvious in both cases that everyone was talking about them as being targets, both here on KB and in the media.

    No, the whole point is that no one was talking about OG and Bridges in the media. Not only not “everywhere,” but in fact “nowhere.” I was the first to argue for each trade here (though Noble mentioned OG at one point which got me looking into the numbers). Not only was there not wide agreement on the trades here, but few people responded to my OG advocacy and Bridges was strenuously debated.

    In both cases, though, I can’t recall a single report about our interest in either player in the media more than a few days before the trade. Your “point” is incorrect. You’re just retconning because it now seems obvious.

    I have Hulu + league pass. All Lakers and Clippers local broadcasts are blacked out, which is a bit annoying but generally okay with me as I don’t really care much about either team. If I was an Alan-caliber fan of either team, the arrangement would be intolerable, though, so, I don’t know, look into satellite perhaps?

    I believe I would be able to get MSG with either of those options, and that’s mainly it. I don’t really need league pass. I’m just curious if anybody else here has exchanged cable for one of those options, and it’s been.

    Alan, I don’t have cable and use Fubo to watch the Knicks. It’s not perfect, though, and then I often need to buy something else for the playoffs. And the price has gone up to nearly $90 a month. So, in short, there’s probably a better option out there.

    PG: Bronson, Payne/Kolek
    SG: Deuce, Shamet
    SF : Bridges, Hart
    PF: OG, Hart/Achiuwa
    C: Towns, Achiuwa

    This could be what Thibs is thinking, DRed. It’s a pretty small backcourt, but the 5-out shooting is top notch.

    Here’s a thread from a couple of weeks before the trade happened:

    https://knickerblogger.net/2023/12/09/knicks-morning-news-2023-12-09/

    December 9, 2023 at 12:46
    TNFH said:

    Am I the only one who doesn’t OG Anunoby as a clear solution to all of our problems? He’s definitely better than his box score numbers indicate and of course we’d benefit from adding him in a vacuum, but it’d be more of a large incremental improvement than a game changer and all indications are it would come at a game changer price tag.

    rama replied:

    I was pushing for OG 18 months ago because, before RJ’s extension and the lawsuit, there was a conceivable trade. (RJ, Frontier, 3 picks) Today there is not. Doesn’t matter whether he’d solve the problem: it’s never gonna happen.

    Turns out that Leon was able to acquire OG for a price largely in line with what rama had proposed. Some consider that to be a massive overpay, but most thought it was pretty reasonable under the circumstances (RJ underperforming, IQ a pending RFA due to be overpaid).

    My take at the time was:

    OG is a fine player and would definitely fit like a glove, but he would cost so much it isn’t even worth thinking about unless he goes UFA. I wonder if there’s a chance he gets traded somewhere else as a rental and then decides to test the market. But beyond that, a) he’s not coming and b) he’s only a part of the solution to our problems.

    Turns out I was wrong on the price, at least I think so…

    Now that it is clear that the trade was not only widely discussed for a long period of time here on KB and elsewhere, but that Leon had made at least one bonafide offer for OG that was rejected, I hope that rama is kind enough to retract his response and to apologize for being snarky about it.

    Top clip on NBA app’s pre-game is DDV dropping 28 against the Hornets last time. Sigh.

    I cut my Xfinity cable subscription 2 years ago. Currently subscribed to YouTube TV and love it. Pay the add on for League Pass and I get MLB.TV for free thru T-Mobile so I’m good being able to watch the Knicks and Yankees in Miami.

    But I’m not sure YouTube TV has MSG network, they do have NBA TV though. I know for sure Direct TV carries MSG so you can try out Direct TV Stream which I used for a bit. Has a ton of channels but much more expensive than YouTube TV plus I like YouTube TV’s menu guide and just the general interface alot better.

    It appears I was misinformed re: Hulu/YouTube and MSG. My options would appear to be either DirecTV or Fubo. Sigh. Stupid cable bundle.

    Z–mansays:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:33
    While I *love* our young guys, stepping back from that, there’s only three kinds of trades I’d do by the deadline:

    1) Trading any/all of the banished trio for anything or nothing, but not with anything of note attached.

    2) Trading Fournier for an equally bad contract if if brings back draft equity

    3) Packaging any 2-3 of our young players and a pick or two for a legit core piece who shakes loose from a team who “gives up” as a playoff team. Kuzma, LaVine and Oubre do not qualify. OG does.

    Seems like it wasn’t just rama’s idea…

    Hey, asking for a friend — what time is the Knicks game (EST)?

    I think one of the keys to our potential success this year will be whether Bridges can get his efficiency back up near a ts% of 60.

    He should be able to do that with all the extra space and as 3rd option behind Brunson and Towns compared to his role last year.

    “I admit I was mistaken, Z-man. Congratulations! You win! You da bestest!”

    Oh, my bad for being annoyed at your unnecessarily dismissive (and as it turns out, dead wrong) rebuttal to my post without even taking a few minutes to do a bit of research. Honestly, I thought you were better than that.

    Alan Direct TV Stream is very good, has a shit ton of channels including basically every sports channel you can possibly need. It is though by far the most expensive of the live TV streaming options but in general pretty worth it.

    Alan, when Northern Westchester and Putnam Xfinity cut off MSG I switched to Fubo. It works well – not cheap, but between the mobil app and the smart tv app it does the job.

    I was trying to get a benchmark for this season by parsing together the threads of last year’s team. Some fun facts:

    – Jan 1 was when we became the Brunson-Donte-OG-Randle-iHart team with Hart and Deuce off the bench. That team went 33-17 despite enormous injury problems, which projects to a 54 win pace.

    Of those 50 games:

    With 0 starters out: 9-1
    With 1 starter out: 11-2
    With 2 starters out: 13-8
    With 3 starters out: 0-5
    With 4 starters out: 0-1

    That team was really fucking good! If we hadn’t played an unusually high amount of games without 3 or 4 starters that team would have played to a 60-win pace.

    The point being EVERYONE thought that trade was impossible

    Hogwash!

    It really is narcissism of the highest order to insist that because you thought it was impossible, and you found an tiny little echo chamber to confirm your belief, that “EVERYONE” thought it was impossible.

    I said, on this board, at least 10 times, that the trade was very possible. Here’s just one example from April:

    https://knickerblogger.net/2024/04/05/knicks-morning-news-2024-04-05/#:~:text=April%205%2C%202024%20at%2015%3A48

    Several other posters maintained it, as well.

    We all have different media. If you follow the Bill Simmons podcast (understandable if you don’t) he’s been talking about Bridges to the Knicks since February. The media I was listening to never mentioned this crazy, stupid idea that the Nets would turn down the best offer for Mikal Bridges if it came from the Knicks. I only ever heard that here, from a few posters who kept saying it, even though it made no sense.

    It is certainly an interesting to debate whether we were better in January 2024 than we are right now. With the caveat that iHart was a dead man walking…turns out there was absolutely no way to keep him, and that his walking papers were signed the minute the ink dried on his two-year deal.

    So for me, it really comes down to what one thinks of the Mikal and KAT deals….individually and collectively.

    Since it was a given we lost iHart, the size of the OG extension, and given the clock ticking on the second apron, we kind of had to do something. In that context, the Mikal trade makes sense. It was an overpay on paper, but I think it improved the team, maybe significantly so. I was really looking forward to the roster we had at that point showing what it could do.

    But there were monster question marks about it. These included:

    -Randle’s recovery from shoulder surgery
    -Randle’s impending extension talks
    -Mitch’s sketchy recovery from foot surgery and thinness at the 5 due to that and iHart’s departure
    -Randle’s questionable fit as a small-ball 5

    So Leon executes the blockbuster with the help of Brock Aller’s cap circumvention. This is the thing that I feel is most worthy of debate. Are we better off after this trade than we were before it? I am very much on the fence about it. I think we resolved all of the above question marks, but created some new ones to replace them:
    -How much will we miss DDV’s 3.4 BPM play and high-volume/high efficiency 3PT shooting? Can we really run a true 5-out offense without defensive concerns? Will Thibs even allow for it?
    -Are KAT’s flaws more concerning than Randle’s?
    -Will KAT’s contract age well compared to extending Randle for a much lower amount?

    For the moment, I am cautiously optimistic that the two trades combined improved the team, and that we can win a championship with this roster with less luck than we needed with our roster before the two trades. But I do wonder: if Leon was actually willing to trade DDV all along, might he have had a better option than KAT? Maybe he and the two protected firsts gets a deal done for someone like Duren or Richards, and we go forward with Randle as a possible expiring?

    Really, that’s the sticking point for me: did we undervalue Donte on that contract and go for the shiniest object rather than a more moneyball type of trade?

    Beyond that, it’s done, so I’m all in on this roster. Let the season begin!

    “Zman you gotta chill”

    lol look who’s talking…

    Besides, I am chillin my ass off today. A beautiful sunday on my couch watching the Jets in London, Mets in the NLDS, Knicks first game in months after two blockbuster roster shakeups…it’s all good!

    I think you’re looking at it from a Leon perspective, Z-Man, and I’m just looking at it from the viewpoint of how many games do I think we’ll win.

    I think this year’s team will definitely have more growing pains. The January Knicks exploded on day 1 because they were a perfect fit. The Brunson-Randle axis was already there, and Donte, OG, iHart were tailor-made to support it.

    This team has to build a new axis, and it probably has to be around 3 guys (Brunson, Towns, Bridges) instead of two. That is hard work. I think it makes us better than last year in the long run, but probably not in the short.

    The Mets had to overcome ridiculous balls and strikes calls to win yesterday’s game.

    There were 13 flat out blown balls and strikes calls as measured by PitchFX yesterday. 10 of the 13 went in Philadelphia’s favor, and several of those had meaningful effects on the ABs.

    It was an Angel Hernandez caliber strike zone, with Wheeler as the main beneficiary. Beat ‘em anyway!

    So we last played in early May, we are now in early October and we are finally going to play again… but the game had to be early (10PM here) and at that time i’ll be cheering for my local football* team at the stadium… with some luck maybe i’ll be back in time to watch the 4th quarter! 😛

    *soccer, in the USA.

    I guess it comes down to: Does Towns + Bridges make us better than iHart + Randle + DDV?

    I think it’s fair to say that Towns + Bridges is better than Randle + DDV. But is it enough better to make up for the “not really Leon’s fault” loss of iHart?

    I don’t think we will know the answer to that question until the playoffs. I do think we match up better with the Celts, but so much depends on questions we can’t really definitively answer at this time. I guess what I’m really saying is that iHart and DDV were really, really good, and replacing both of them plus all-NBA Randle is a very tall order. Again, cautiously optimistic but somewhat less than confident.

    “The Mets had to overcome ridiculous balls and strikes calls to win yesterday’s game.”

    The call against Iglesias was particularly egregious. The one thing I will say is that Wheeler seemed to execute key pitches no matter what the situation, so even if those calls were correct, there’s a good chance he would have adapted and gotten out of whatever happened. The dude was extremely dominant…to the point that any pitcher coming in after him must have seemed like batting practice!

    I’m beginning to settle on one-step back this year, two steps forward next year.

    There’s a lot of people who think we’re going to be so much better than last year but I think they’re underestimating fit and balance.

    The worst one I thought was a strike three call to Alonso with runners on base on a pitch that was way up and outside.

    There was a big deal that was made about his whopping 30 swings and misses. That is an insanely high number. Easier to get swings and misses though when the opposing hitters realize that anything even in the vicinity of the plate is going to get called a strike.

    He had his best stuff but he was also getting lots of help.

    Seems like this year’s team is more versatile and has more high-level skill. We should have better spacing for sure, and I personally believe we are going to benefit a lot from Mikal Bridges’ brand of high-IQ, high-awareness basketball on both ends of the floor.

    The one area where we took a step backwards is rim protection and ability to play drop coverage. In just about every other area I feel like we have improved.

    I guess it comes down to: Does Towns + Bridges make us better than iHart + Randle + DDV?

    That’s the question I’ve been asking.

    I think in terms of assets, we are in a notceably worse position because we lost I-Hart for nothing and arguable overpaid for Bridges.

    But the team itself is problably better.

    1. Assuming Mikal recovers his best form due to rejuvinated motivation, being the 3rd option, and operating with so much space, he’s clearly better than DDV on defense and probably more versatile on offense.

    2. KAT replaces Randle’s offense and imo is clearly better on that side. He also adds better spacing that will accrue to the performance of others.

    The first flip side question is can we replace Randle’s rebouding and playmaking. I think the answer to that is yes if J-Hart starts (he has already demontrated that) or if we make another trade.

    The second question is will the loss of I-Hart defensively relative to Towns be made up by the addition of Bridges and J-Hart starting?

    I don’t know that answer. We’ll have to see. We may also mitigate that at times, by going to Towns and Mitch against some matchups

    I’m not expecting a step back….assuming decent health luck, this team is going to be awesome! Much of my optimism is grounded in Mikal. He’s a sneaky good shot creator and should take pressure off of KAT in that regard.

    Honestly, my main concerns going forward are about KAT and about Thibs. Not in them having beef, just in Thibs struggling to utilize the roster in a way that maxes out KAT’s value, especially in the playoffs. I also wonder about KAT’s processing speed…same as I did with Julius.

    But these are good problems to have.

    One outsized cause for optimism is that KAT’s defensive drop-off from iHart might be more theoretical than actual. KAT has elite size and length, and rim protection starts with not having guys get to the rim in the first place. When KAT is on the floor with any three of OG, Mikal, Hart, Precious and Deuce, he won’t have as much work around the rim as a shotblocker, and he is an excellent defensive rebounder.

    And on offense, he does a lot of the same non-shooting things that iHart did…sets excellent screens, can pass pretty well (I believe he led the team in assists to Gobert) and can get offensive boards. When you think about it, it’s really OG and Hart that are going to replace iHart’s role as low-usage complementary players, while KAT largely replaces Randle’s role.

    I’m definitely with you there – I’m more excited about getting mikal than just about any other player acquisition we’ve made in a long time…

    for me it’s just such a joy to watch him play, super smooth and always seems to be in the flow of the game…

    fair point, I didn’t watch a lot of his net games (other than against us)…it was the way he played for the suns that made me a fan of his…

    I’m not expecting a step back….assuming decent health luck, this team is going to be awesome!

    A step back from what, though?

    The reason I parsed out all the iterations of last year was to get a proper benchmark.

    The 17-14 Knicks team that played in Nov/Dec is meaningless in that regard.

    The Jan-1-and-on Knicks is the benchmark. They played at a 54 win pace with devastating injuries, and a 61.5 win pace if you take out the games where we missed 3 or more starters.

    So if you’re saying the Knicks won’t take a step back, you’re saying that with good health this team will win 62 games or more. And that if they lose Towns for 2/3 of the year and OG for half of it, you think they’re still good for 54 wins.

    It is from that level that I expect a step back.

    We are a much better team. My crankiness will be determined solely by the health of our players.

    had to pause the jets/vikings to go:
    – walk the dog
    – do a little gardening
    – throw out the trash
    – clean up the kitchen
    – get the laundry started
    – feed the kids

    1.5 hours later, resumed the game with about 3 minutes left, the jets down by 6 points – but with the ball…

    let’s go j-e-t-s…

    I’m a g-man fan, but these days feel very entitled to root for whoever…

    actually looking forward to watching the kid from Washington sling the ball all over the field later today…jayden daniels is a lot of fun to watch…

    Assuming Brunson is option #1 and Towns is #2, I wonder what the shot distribution is going to be between Briges and OG, especially since OG wanted a bigger role in the offense. It may just come down to the matchups on any given night, but I am curious how the usage all shakes out.

    I would not be shocked to see OG average over 18 points a game this year…

    may be wrong, I don’t get the impression mikal cares that much about getting “his” points…

    We are a much better team.

    A much better team means we win 64-66 games next year if everyone is healthy, and around 57 games if Towns and OG miss a combined 100 games.

    Is that really what you guys are predicting? Or are you still comparing us to the RJ team?

    A much better team means we win 64-66 games next year if everyone is healthy.

    Don’t know if I missed the win prediction thread, but, yeah,

    — if everyone is healthy all season, I would comfortably bet 60+ wins.

    EDIT: But I am hardly the best bellwether for the board.

    I think it’s a little much to extrapolate 64 wins for a whole year if healthy from a one month sample size. I’m sure that version of the team would have been awesome but seasons are long and there’s hot and cold steaks for almost every team unless they’re legendary.

    I’d be surprised if Mikal isn’t 3rd. He’s carried a high-usage and low ast’d fg% the last 2 years.

    That said, OG should be featured more this season with time to be properly incorporated into the offense. His playstyle should also benefit from an open paint.

    I used a 50 game sample for 54 win barometer and included every game from Jan 1 til the end.

    The 61.5 win barometer for a healthy season comes from those 50 minus the 6 unusual games where we were missing 3 or 4 starters.

    To achieve “much better” status I just added 3 wins.

    KBA for your bank accounts sake I hope you’re not betting on this team staying healthy all season

    We are definitely a much better team than the one that started last season. That team achieved a 43 win pace before it was broken up. I don’t expect a step back from that!

    Haha. DRed. Exactly.

    If the team stays healthy all season, I would also comfortably bet Dolan hands out rainbows and unicorns at the Canyon of Heroes.

    This team healthy is a way better playoff team than last year’s team. I give zero you know whats about Wednesday nights in January. Vegas clearly agrees.

    I don’t get too caught up in that “we were a 54-win team even with injuries so we were a 60-win team when healthy” stuff. After the OG trade, teams had no game film with which to prepare against us. Even beyond that time, we were continually throwing lineups at opponents that they did not really have time to game plan against.

    Call me crazy, but I do not believe that given a full season with the same level of health that, say, the Celts had, that team was a 60+-win team.

    Keep in mind that a lot of the wins we got last year were on the backs of 40+ minute shifts that lots of posters complained about, again, in comparison to what the Celts were doing while coasting to 64 wins.

    We’ll never know th answers to those questions. What we absolutely do know is that we had no way to keep iHart. But just for argument’s sake, I think this team can win just as much as that team did without

    This team may indeed take a step back…or a step forward, or might stay at the same level. But I am not going to engage in “well, we won 55 games this year but last year’s team was better because they were theoretically a 60+ win team so we definitely took a step back” hypotheticals. To each his own!

    I consider KAT a massive defensive downgrade from iHart until he proves otherwise. It’s really difficult to build a strong defense around a poor anchor, even if you’re fielding 2 all-defense wings.

    We could outscore the difference, but we’ll need to be up near the Celtics & Pacers on offense.

    just for argument’s sake, I think this team can win just as much as that team (with iHart)

    Agree with this.

    Forgetting the mythical Moneyball January 2024 —

    Our team as built for this year has a real chance to win it all. The health is the variable (and yes it is also so for all teams).

    If OG and Mitch actually play the games, and there are no surprise injuries to others, I really (really) like our chances this year.

    Bring it on.

    The only question that really matters to me is: Are we more competitive with the teams we will face in the playoffs or not? Particularly the top-4 teams in each conference, and particularly particularly the Boston Celtics?

    I am cautiously optimistic that the answer to that question is Yes. But we’ll see!

    2 years ago with Mitch playing 59 games and iHart playing all 82 the Knicks were just 19th in defensive rating. Rim protection is highly overrated when the rest of the defense is awful.

    If the January Knicks were real, and that was their true level of ability, they would have demolished every opponent in the playoffs and easily won the championship. Hell, the margins they were racking up with offensive and defensive rating would suggest that they could have given the Showtime Lakers and the Jordan-era Bulls a run for their money.

    Somehow I don’t think they were quite that good.

    The other question is: with the loss of iHart a given, what could the Knicks do to not only make up for that loss, but to improve?

    In that context, was the Mikal deal enough, with the assumption that they could still make a different trade involving DDV/Randle/Mitch/the DET pick, or was the KAT deal necessary? I’m having a hard time with that one.

    Liberty playing well in vegas…

    great day for couch potatoing and watching games…

    speaking of games, another half hour or so before we get to unwrap our shiny new team…

    But I am not going to engage in “well, we won 55 games this year but last year’s team was better because they were theoretically a 60+ win team so we definitely took a step back” hypotheticals.

    Neither am I.

    I am trying to ascertain just how good last year’s team was in order to set my expectations for this year. And it was really fucking good.

    So if I think we’re going to take a slight step back, I’d probably end up at a ~52 win projection, assuming we will have some growing pains and a reasonable amount of injuries, and factoring in the east will be better.

    that sounds about perfect max…

    not too shabby a lineup at all…

    Josh Hart just may lead the league in rebounding this season…

    354 foot oppo HR

    Vientos ended up being the guy Baty was supposed to be. I’ll take it!

    Just getting here now, for the game.
    I needed a few hours to escape the Jets nightmare.
    I still need medicine. Let’s go Knicks!

    NFL starts its games on time, NHL and MLB do more or less the same, why are NBA games always late by at least 10 minutes?

    Hahaha, Brunson reverts to the mean. Who had that on their bingo card?

    I’m kidding, it’s the first few minutes of the first preseason game. But he’s been a bit weak sauce so far.

    Knicks look awful. Fire Thibs. Fire Leon Rose. Trade all the players. Start from scratch.

    Cam Payne’s catapult shot is really ugly, his NBA career is remarkable given that shot.

    We are going to miss IHart on defense a lot.

    Mets playoff baseball definitely gets precedence.

    Deuce looks a couple of inches taller just by the confidence he oozes…

    He just hasn’t cut his hair since the last time we saw him, lol

    I’m wary of making any real observations but KAT’s passing is a little better than advertised

    Man and ball movement looks good for the starters, the shot making not so much

    Knicks are gonna have a ton of easy fast break baskets this season with all their ball hawks on the perimeter.

    Just tuning in to learn Brunson is a new dad? All bets are off.

    Hahn with Breen? I like.

    I will say I’d like to see Brunson be much more of a PG this season than looking for his shot as much as he had to last season, he has so many more weapons on the floor with him now.

    That’s okay, the Mets don’t really get cooking until it’s the 8th inning and they’re down a run or two

    Covid protocols obvs in place. Arena is empty.

    Or is Charlotte less excited for their season than we are about ours.

    I will say I’d like to see Brunson be much more of a PG this season than looking for his shot as much as he had to last season, he has so many more weapons on the floor with him now.

    He’ll learn that from Kolek. 😜

    Keeping Severino in a classic third time though the order error. Mets are nothing if not resilient though.

    A very clear early depth chart:
    Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG and Towns
    2nd Unit: Payne, Deuce, Shamet, Achiuwa and Sims

    https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-the-latest-from-the

    “Before coming to terms on a blockbuster swap with Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns mere days before the start of training camp, New York made multiple trade runs at Utah’s Walker Kessler to fill its well-chronicled void at center, league sources say.

    It is believed that Utah wanted at least two future first-round picks for Kessler … after the Knicks had exhausted much of their remaining cache of draft picks in the trade with Brooklyn for Bridges.”

    From that same Stein report:

    “Mikal Bridges is waiting until after the season to hammer out a contract extension w the Knicks, league sources tell The Stein Line…By waiting until after the season Bridges would be eligible for a more appealing 4-year deal worth an estimated $157mil”

    And the 3rd string so far: Kolek, Toppin, Okeke.

    I want to see some Dadiet and Hukporti.

    Watching the other teams in the playoffs aside from Cleveland as a Yankees fan I don’t feel that bad anymore about our bullpen.

    If I’m following this thread right, Kolek hit a homerun to beat the Phillies. (Am I close?)

    Achiuwa ‘s basketball-IQ hasn’t improved a lick, if he does that in a meaningful game Thibs’ head gonna explode…

    And Duane blew it! 😂

    Megill just had nothing, stuff had no bite and he had no command either. There was no way he was getting any of those guys out at the end.

    Yeah Tracey looked great and he needs to play a lot more going forward. No need to force feed Singletary.

    Shamet looked pretty good. His shooting off the bench should be valuable.

    Yeah if Shamet can shoot like he did before last year, he’ll be a useful enough innings eater off the bench. Can’t really blame a guy for sucking on the Wizards

    Giants have a very young defense that has a chance to be Top 10 in a year or so. Offense will always be a question mark as long as DJ is the QB but at least the offensive line is beginning to finally look pretty decent.

    Yeah the offensive line looks much better now. With an upgrade at QB the Giants could be something soon.

    I watched some of the preseason game and despite some viewing problems, did have some observations.

    The Knicks first team looks like it needs some time gel together. Also, their shooting was terrible this game.

    We might actually have a decent bench, at least a better one than expected. All the second string players looked NBA level.

    I can’t figure out Sims. He didn’t seem to do that much and had some failed tries on offense but at the end he had ten rebounds in twenty minutes and was one for two in shooting. He also actively contested close shots, but not always successfully.

    The Charlotte announcers liked Kolek ( particularly one his of his) and said that he was the best passer to come out of Rhode Island since Ernie DiGregario.

    Deuce shot a lot, but enough of them went in I didn’t mind.

    At least one of the Knicks’ sign and trade players (I think Duane Washington Jr ) got real minutes for Charlotte. I guess there is a chance he will make their team.

    Charlotte seemed better than I expected. I’m not sure they will be pushovers this year. They played active defense.

    Seeing KAT with this group, it’s obvious that his touch with the ball is going to unlock things on the offensive side. The shots weren’t falling but the movement was so fluid and seemed sustainable.
    Sims really seemed like he had developed a nose for the ball in terms of getting to rebounds, hopefully that’s for real. Even if the game slows down for him just at the rim, that will be huge for flexibility at the 5. He was solid enough in help defense as well.
    Depth might be better than advertised.

    Here’s what I took away from this preseason game: It’s a preseason game against a tanking team with maybe the worst roster in the NBA. Nothing can be taken away from it that will have any relevance going forward, other than:
    -Thibs is very predictably going to start JB, Mikal, Hart, OG and KAT
    -The first guy off the bench will likely be Deuce
    -The next guys off the bench will be Precious, Sims, Shamet and Payne
    -Thibs currently trusts Shamet and Payne more than he trusts Kolek

    I really liked what I saw from Kolek, particularly on the defensive end. What he lacks in size and athleticism, he seems to make up for in anticipation and lateral quickness. To me, his role model should absolutely be John Stockton. Not that he will ever be close to that level of player, but that’s the way he should prepare himself to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is doing that already, because he showed some real toughness and positional awareness on the defensive end.

    If Brunson ever gets dinged up and has to miss a few games, I’d love to see what he can do playing alongside better players.

    Looking at the box score, I noticed we were out rebounded 46 to 39. We won because we got more turnovers and took more shots (94 to 82) and more of our shots were threes. The second string had a much better plus minus overall than the first string and it might be because Sims kept getting rebounds. I think Hart and Towns are likely to get more rebounds than they did; but, even if they do, we might have to win differently than last year. Also, I can see Sims getting serious minutes because of his rebounding.

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