Knicks Morning News (2024.12.23)

14 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.12.23)”

Listening this morning to Sam Vecenie’s podcast talking about the bind the Kings might find themselves in with Fox, since apparently Klutch is angling for him to go elsewhere in the offseason if he doesn’t think Sacramento can contender. (And/or if he doesn’t make All-NBA this year, since if he does, the Kings can pay him so much more than anybody else.) Vecenie’s partner wonders in hindsight if the Kings might have tried to get in on KAT if they had known he was really available, since Sabonis is a better version of Randle. Which in turn takes us back to the discussion about the actual KAT deal. Did the entire league know Minnesota was willing to move him, and this was just the best deal the Wolves could get that would 1)alleviate some of their upcoming financial crunch, and 2)theoretically keep them competitive in the here and now? Or did Leon make this happen without the rest of the league even knowing that KAT was gettable?

Towns obviously wanted to be back in New York. Did he have a way to exert any leverage? Did the wolves do him a solid perhaps?

Considering how surprised Towns was by the deal, I can’t imagine they consulted him, Owen. Though you may be right that they didn’t want to send him to a place they suspected he didn’t want to go.

Towns obviously wanted to be back in New York. Did he have a way to exert any leverage? Did the wolves do him a solid perhaps?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6008884/2024/12/20/karl-anthony-towns-timberwolves-return-knicks-trade/?source=freeweeklyemail&campaign=602288&userId=6142506

Seems to me like KAT had no input, but who knows? More likely a combo of getting back good value (?) and having a less extreme media narrative. Seems like KAT was truly beloved in Minny, so shipping him off to the Kings might have seemed too cold of a move.

Still, it’s shocking that they would rather have parted with the face of the franchise who happens to be a first-class human being than a weirdo mercenary like Gobert or lesser players like Naz or McDaniels. Seems like they could have gotten an even better return for Gobert. Just a bad, bad decision, even with a better version of DDV.

If I were the GM of the Kings last summer, I would have pegged KAT and Sabonis at similar levels, particularly when you factor in health. And given Sabonis’ fit with the organisation I would not have engaged in KAT talks assuming I knew they were going on. If Sabonis is not gettable, Julius becomes the best and likely only option–and if they can’t strike a deal with Leon, KAT stays put. So I think that Minny (not Leon) made this happen without the rest of the league knowing.

Soooo…Shamet’s back.
Does this mean that when he plays, and if he makes a bad play, that we can yell “AH SHAMET MAN!”?

*shrugs and walks away*

SI has an interesting trade proposal.

Essentially Poeltl for Mitch and Precious + a pick or two. I don’t think Ujiri would go for it, but I sure would be intrigued. It would shorten up our bench even more, but Poeltl is damn good.

Based on what we know, It seems like DDV was a pretty important part of the KAT deal. He’s had a disappointing season for them so far, but no one knew that going into the deal.

Trading Gobert probably made no sense to them. The reason they added Gobert to begin with was because they were skeptical of being able to contend with Towns at C. They gave up so much for him, there’s no way they would have gotten back as much. So it would have looked bad to bail out so quickly. Their thinking was probably they could get 85% of Towns with Randle and with DDV added in be similar to last year. Towns just exploded forward this year at C and makes it all look worse.

Ugh no. I think Mitch & Achiuwa alone is an overpay for a backup 5. Even one as good as “Purtle”. Nonetheless, I’d be thrilled to add him, but it would mean we’d have to add a true 4 who can shoot better than Achiuwa

“So I think that Minny (not Leon) made this happen without the rest of the league knowing.”

If so, it only makes Connelly look even more dumb. Perhaps kind-hearted, but dumb.

Listening this morning to Sam Vecenie’s podcast talking about the bind the Kings might find themselves in with Fox, since apparently Klutch is angling for him to go elsewhere in the offseason if he doesn’t think Sacramento can contender.

The only bind Sacto is in with Fox is if they don’t move him soon. He is looking at a 55M/yr extension this off season and should by some miracle he makes All NBA he will be eligible for the highest contract in league history.

All for a low efficiency (.558 TS%) high volume chucker (33% career 3 ball) over 16,000 minutes.

Poeltl’s stats might be suffering because of the Raps have been decimated by injuries and he is at a 19% usage. But he’s durable and available and can do pretty much anything Mitch can do just as well if not better.

Anyway, I don’t know if the trade is even possible given our cap situation.

Fox is really really good – the Kings’ main issue is that with Sabonis at the 5 they’re just not good enough on defense, and Sabonis himself is not the supercharger of offense that KAT has proven to be. Leon and co then surrounded KAT/Brunson with Bridges/Hart/OG – shooting and sort-of playmaking on offense, and versatility/greatness on defense — whereas the Kings went all offense I guess? with Derozan and Malik Monk in the starting lineup. Their young talent isn’t great (Keegan Murray seems to be regressing) – i am not sure what they do at this point. Prob not enough assets to make a real move, but they seem too invested to tear it all down. If you ask me I would do the latter.

Minnesota also likely thought that Naz Reid was capable of, to paraphrase Z-man, providing them 80 percent of what KAT gives them for a fraction of the cost. That has not quite worked out yet, though the fact that Randle starts and consumes so much usage may make it hard to know for sure.

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14 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.12.23)”

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