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REPORT: Knicks linked to Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas – Posting and Toasting
01/15/2025 11:00:00
Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury status and update ahead of Knicks vs. Sixers Jan. 15 – Daily Knicks
01/15/2025 11:00:00
MSG blackout: When will Optimum bring back Knicks, Devils, Rangers, Islander games? – Asbury Park Press
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Knicks at Sixers: Storylines, how to watch info, odds as Jalen Brunson returns to Philadelphia – The New York Times
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Top Player Prop Bets for Knicks vs. 76ers on January 15, 2025 – Bleacher Nation
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Knicks vs. 76ers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – Bleacher Nation
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New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction and Betting Tips | Jan. 15, 2025 – Sportskeeda
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Knicks vs. 76ers: Start time, where to watch, what’s the latest – Yahoo Sports
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Knicks vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds ? Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – Bleacher Nation
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Knicks vs. Timberwolves Preview, Stats, How to Watch | Friday, January 17 – RealGM.com
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Knicks Sound Off On Brutal Schedule Quirk – MSN
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New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, Bet Builder Tips & Odds – Sportsgambler.com
01/15/2025 06:33:18
Knicks arrive at the midpoint of their season with a few nagging questions – Newsday
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Tyrese Maxey Injury Status for 76ers vs. Knicks | January 15 Injury Report – RealGM.com
01/15/2025 06:18:00
NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks set sights on 6-foot-10 European center LeBron James was willing to take pay cut for – Sportskeeda
01/15/2025 05:37:00
“A lot of teams were trying to use that brutal play” – MJ highlighted the the Knicks as the team who tried to copy the Bad Boys Pistons the most – Basketball Network
01/15/2025 03:15:00
Knicks hoping Karl-Anthony Towns will be ready to go vs. 76ers after thumb scare – New York Post
01/15/2025 03:39:00
Herd Drops to Knicks – OurSports Central
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New York Knicks insider suggests there may be growing locker-room issue with a top star – Sportsnaut
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Jalen Brunson and New York Knicks Sound Off On Brutal Schedule Quirk – Athlon Sports
01/15/2025 01:58:11
81 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.01.15)”
Good morning, all.
Interesting test of Nurse’s vs. Thib’s load management philosophies tonight. Nurse ( claiming injuries) did not play Maxey, George or Caleb Martin and took the L against OKC. We all know Thib’s every night is 7th game approach. According to the Post, KAT has a sprained thumb. My guess is he’ll play.
But will Embiid play? That’s a bigger question.
Hukporti: 3-4 for 9 pts, 6 rebs, 1 stl, 3 blks in 25min
Warren: 8-20 for 26pts, 5rebs, 0asts, 4TOs, 3stls, 2blks in 38min
Toppin: 11-21, 4-9 from 3 for 38pts, 5rebs, 5asts, 1 blk in 36min
Kolek: 4-14 & 1-4 from 3 for 15pts, 9asts, 9rebs, 3stls, 1blk, 5TOs in 39min
Our starters are way better. Btw. what did Dadiet do?
Certainly we are devoid of any talent that we can give 12 minutes per game to (sarcasm alert).
So did Nick Nurse sit everyone figuring they’re never gonna beat OKC anyway and save them for tonight against us?
Don’t think they’re a team that can afford to just punt games at this point.
Sat with a toe injury
Philly needs to decide whether they’re good or they’re so bad that they can keep their lotto pick rather than give it to OKC.
Anyone remember the time during the regular season that Pat Riley benched John Starks and a couple other starters to smack some sense into them? (I’m not talking about Game 7 when he DIDN’T bench Starks)
Edit: Here it is
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/06/sports/pro-basketball-bonner-handles-starting-in-stride.html
“The Knicks (38-19), who visit the Detroit Pistons tomorrow, have won two straight games since Pat Riley changed three-fifths of the starting lineup, replacing Charles Smith, Greg Anthony and John Starks with Bonner, Derek Harper and Hubert Davis.”
I wonder how much of it is Nurse and how much of it is Morey. Nurse did coach Kawhi for his load management season, but that was part of the price of getting Kawhi, other than that he’s tended to play guys heavy minutes. Maybe Embiid getting fucked up last year made him change his approach
Today is the 24 year anniversary of Camby taking a swing at Danny Ferry but instead hitting JVG.
Starting five of players to wear both jerseys (minimum 50 games with each franchise):
G — Maurice Cheeks
G — Henry Bibby
F — Clarence Weatherspoon
F — Johnny Green
C — Nerlens Noel
This feels like a team I actually rooted for.
Better or worse than now?
They went on to win 13 more straight after that anti-staleness injection — of much the same vein as the one that, 30 years later, propelled the “January Knicks.”
Starks and Smith got hurt shortly after.
And you can upgrade Nerlens to Dikembe, friend! But alas, Keith Van Horn played only 47 for the Knicks.
Ah, thanks for that addition. Who are the most stale Knicks today? I can’t really blame anyone.
Damn, Onyeka Okongwu!!! 22 points and 21 rebounds (10 offensive) on 10-of-14 shooting in 28 minutes last night. I’m pretty sure I don’t care that he can’t/won’t shoot 3s.
Clingan has averaged 8 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes per game over his last three.
I always liked Okongwu. He seems like a Paul Millsap type in the making. Late breaking etc
Re: Onyeka Okongwu, Kolek, Hukporti and other C and D level players.
We all know that overall delta between bench players is imaterial.
While individual players are different from one another, overall bench players are very similar when adding cognative ability, skills, talent, athleticism, motor, attitude, etc.
If you give them enough playing time to clear the noise, the data will show that their value over replacement is insignificant.
So you hire the players whose strengths are enhanced by the style or system you are runing and who complement other players by filling a specific team need.
They only play between 6-8 minutes a half against mostly other C and D level players and you build this unit up over a long season so that it becomes better than the sum of its parts and overachieves.
Starters are rested with lower injury risk but they’re also slighlty upset because their per game stats suffer and the team loses 2-4 games more during a long season.
That is not how I think about bench players at all. They do matter. And some are definitely better than others.
Replacement level is pretty low also. You want the main part of the bench to well exceed that level.
Okongwu is about as elite a bench big as you will find
Agree. But my point is that the difference between our bench players and other NBA mid & lottery teams is marginal. Most bench players that receive playing time in the NBA are interchangable and indistiguishable from one another. They’re either young (recently drafted), veteran under 32 flawed and incosistent players or 33+ past their athletic primes.
Director, you have a point, but I think Owen does, too. There are many (some?) bench players who also excel at particular things (think Pritchard, Alvarado, Mitch) but are limited at other things (playmaking, size, shooting, etc.).
Maybe that makes benches kind of equivalent from some grand summary mathematical perspective, but I think individual skill sets matter, especially in terms of team structure and skill sets.
The idea of NBA benches being fungible is no less ridiculous than the idea of starters being fungible. Just as WAS’ starters are nowhere near ours, our bench is nowhere near the benches of CLE, BOS, or OKC in quality.
Thibs isn’t running our starters into the ground for no reason. Our bench is legitimately terrible. OKC has about 7 bench players better than our sixth man.
Okongwu would be a big upgrade for our bench. It’s why we aren’t getting him and why he signed a $60M+ extension in the off-season. If you want an ATL C, there’s Capela.
Clingan was the 7th overall pick in the most recent draft. We ain’t getting him for Precious Achiuwa and a 2nd.
I’m much more aligned with Owen’s way of thinking on this. The bench *does* matter. Quite a lot, actually.
My problem with Thibs this year is that he has refused to develop a full or even partial second unit, admittedly harder with P&P unavailable at the start. It’s been rotation players ad hoc, the eye test telling me it is pretty much equally divided between foul trouble and opponent match up, other than Deuce. This necessarily leads to 40+starter minutes. Not a recipe for getting better each day and peaking at the play-offs.
Pags, agree and disagree (jesus I’m wishy washy today…).
I think our bench is legitimately suspect, and certainly not equal to some others. But ‘suspect’ doesn’t definitively mean terrible. We actually don’t have a clue what we have in, for example, Huk and Kolek. We know they’re rookies who will definitely make rookie mistakes. But they both seem fairly talented and bring useful things to the table. Giving them run might legitimately improve our ‘bench’ measures, and it will almost certainly help them actually get better.
I do wonder how our bench compares to others (per 36 or %, since you can’t count actual numbers given our bench plays half as much as anyone else’s…).
Our bench is Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet, and Cameron Payne, with Tyler Kolek also available.
Those are all NBA caliber bench players. Every single game we face opponents who routinely play bench players of that caliber or worse.
Embiid doesn’t play back-to-backs. If you’re gonna choose, might as well rest everyone and take on the Knicks.
“They only play between 6-8 minutes a half against mostly other C and D level players and you build this unit up over a long season so that it becomes better than the sum of its parts and overachieves.”
I mean, look at the minutes distribution for the Hawks last night in a game that was close throughout (Hawks won by five points, in the end):
Starters—
Risacher 17
Capela 20
Young 38
Krejci 35
Daniels 34
Bench—
Okongwu 28
Roddy 16
Bogdanovic 26
Mathews 27
Only nine players played, but the distribution was the way it was because there were bench players excelling and deserving to stay on the floor.
We can’t do that right now.
To be somewhat fair, the bench sustained two serious injuries right at the beginning of the season with the team capped out.
Even if nothing had gone wrong, it would’ve been a subpar bench, but at least Thibs would’ve given it more minutes and rested the starters a bit more.
Cmon Doogie… when you have 3 starters on rookie contracts, you can afford to flesh out the bench a lot more, you know this.
Those three teams are exceptions. here is what I said “my point is that the difference between our bench players and other NBA mid & lottery teams is marginal. ”
Also, starters quality variance is significantly higher between teams due to usage and they play 75% of the game which allows for this delta to manifest itself into points on the board.
All I’m saying is that, (sans Deuce) our 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th players are not going to be the difference in teams loosing more than 2-4 games if they play 12 minutes against 95% of the others teams 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th players.
Is Doogie under the impression that there’s a chance, like any chance at all, that the Blazers would trade Donovan Clingan, who they drafted 7th overall a few months ago? This is the guy who routinely calls other posters stupid?
Anyway, I’m not sure how one can make a blanket statement about the importance of bench players. There are team constructions in which they’re absolutely essential and their skillsets determine a lot–JR Smith led the 2012-2013 Knicks in minutes starting zero games!
There are team constructions in which they’re just innings eaters until the postseason, when they mostly fade into oblivion (though even the most top-heavy teams tend to still need a guy or two they trust in the playoffs).
Either model can work, to contend you just need to get the requisite amount of production on the court in a sustainable manner. Right now we’re not doing that, either because the roster is simply too top heavy or because Thibs won’t play the decent-ish bench guys we do have, depending on your perspective.
I lean slightly more towards the former, but still think Thibs should just bite the bullet, play our uncromulent bench, and live with the consequences. They wouldn’t be his fault, and the consequences of the 40 minutes x 82 games strategy could be a lot more dire.
This shouldn’t really be difficult or up for debate.
We have Brunson and KAT. One of them can be out there with the bench bros. We have Mikal and Hart as well. Any one of those dudes can help bolster the bench unit.
There’s really no excuse to not up the minutes a bit for each of the bench players. How are they ever supposed to get better or even get into rhythm in one particular game if they NEVER play.
Funny how Deuce plays the most and is the most consistent. Hmm, could it be because he doesn’t get yanked the second he misses his first shot?
The bench can’t forge an identity if they never play. THibs has said he doesn’t do a lot of practicing in the regular season to keep the starters fresh but then when do Huk and Kolek, etc….get any chance to prove they deserve a shot?
The starters aren’t going to be mad if we lose a few more games because the bench is getting minutes that are league average for bench players. That’s a ridiculous idea.
If anything, as I said the other day, if the starters get in a hole early, it demoralizes the team because A) the bench players are thinking they aren’t going to get any minutes to try and turn it around and B) the starters are thinking they’re gonna have to play even more minutes to try and win and they can’t rely on the bench to give them another shot later in the game.
We basically are the most fair weather team out there. If the starters are playing well and the offense is clicking, we steam roll teams. But any adversity at all and we’re probably going to lose because we have no alternate look to give the team.
Yes, Mitch is out. Yes, Deuce was out. Yes, long term Leon needs another piece or two to bolster the bench. But right now? Give them some fucking minutes so they can learn how to play together and individually get experience to improve.
I mostly think Kolek sucks right now, but there’s a hell of an alley-oop to Toppin out of a double team at 4:37:
https://youtu.be/gn-wRfAXYGo?si=qVuKFGIgrBfPfh9l
I am torn. I am probably one of the biggest Mitch fans here. But I am also super anxious to see the team whole, and that kinda makes me wanna see Mitch traded for Valančiūnas and whatever else to make the salaries work. That is a win-win because Mitch becomes the defensive anchor the young Wizards desperately need, and partners him with Sarr in that starting frontcourt and that can be great defensively. And, it gives us a reliable and productive backup to KAT. I dunno..maybe it’s the string of inconsistent play since the win streak?
“Is Doogie under the impression that there’s a chance, like any chance at all, that the Blazers would trade Donovan Clingan, who they drafted 7th overall a few months ago? This is the guy who routinely calls other posters stupid?”
Ummmmmmm……. I didn’t say anything today about trading for Clingan (or for Okongwu, for that matter). I just thought that the great performances for those two players recently was noteworthy.
“Downtown Doogie Brownsays:
January 13, 2025 at 16:39
I wouldn’t be tossing them out there if I thought that they were actually unattainable. That’s kind of the context right there.”
Yeah, nice try, but that’s what I said on a different day. It’s not what I was saying today—on those days I said things along the lines of “I’d love to get…….” or “it would be nice to get…….” I didn’t say those things today. Not all days are the same.
I also think adding Clingan would be great. Or Kessler.
Mitch is what we can reasonably hope for though. Not that if feels that reasonable but yeah, hope is a nebulous thing.
Hawks are where Knicks used to be a couple of years ago with “Mob Deep”. Their starters are at the smilar quality as their bench players. So the coach plays the hot hand.
That’s another exception to the roster rule.
Let’s say that in the first quarter, we play a wing and a center so that KAT and Mikal rest. 90% of back up centers and wings in the league would be able to hold their own in a lineup with Brunson, Mikal and OG for 6 minutes. We need a rim running center than can set screens and a ~37% 3pt shooter who can play some defense on the wing.
We’re talking about 9-12 defensive and offensive possesions each half where we always have an MVP caliber player on the court. that’s going to take at least half of those shots anyway.
Also, Precious and Deuce played 30+ minutes 9-10 months ago and produced. Now they can only play max 12? – Give me a break.
“Downtown Doogie Brown says:
December 29, 2024 at 13:34
I’d definitely like to get Guerschon Yabusele, despite the fact that he doesn’t shoot 3s. We wouldn’t need him to.
Can we get Donovan Clingan *before* he gets expensive?
Downtown Doogie Brown says:
January 10, 2025 at 16:47
Donovan Clingan still interests me before he gets expensive.
Downtown Doogie Brown says:
January 10, 2025 at 16:57
Kel’el Ware? Sure; yes, please.”
Yep, all said on a different day than what I said today. (I already posted that sentiment a short while ago.) But keep trying, if you want to.
Sorry if I missed the context. Guess I’m just not blown away by those numbers.
Jamal Murray scored 32 in the first half last night, his season high was 34 before that. That’s impressive.
Murray had a .544 TS% on before last night. It’d be nice if he, or any other Nugget, gave Jokic a bit of help.
In case anyone forgot, Jokic:
PPG – 3rd
RPG – 3rd
APG – 2nd
SPG – 4th
3P% – 1st
And Cameron Payne backed up CP3 a few seasons ago on a team that went all the way to the finals.
It’s like the better the team gets, the more Thibs wants to just play the starters. He literally can’t help himself.
I know nothing about him other than he starts for the Wizards. Is his defense as bad as people say it is or is it just one of those cases where the advanced stats look horrible because he starts on a shitty team?
IE, is there a chance his defense coming off the bench would be passable. When I’ve watched us play the Wizards he looks to be pretty big and can score.
Jonas is not a good defender. I would rather just take the risk with Mitch.
Oy vey.
“Jamal Murray scored 32 in the first half last night, his season high was 34 before that. That’s impressive.”
I mentioned that one last night, too. I think that it was literally the last post from the previous thread to this one.
“I know nothing about him (Valanciunas) other than he starts for the Wizards. Is his defense as bad as people say it is or is it just one of those cases where the advanced stats look horrible because he starts on a shitty team?”
He’s not really a player who “starts for the Wizards,” as he has only started 8 of his 38 games this season (21.05 percent), and plays just shy of 20 minutes per game. His similarity scores are right along with Vlade Divac, Alvan Adams, and Al Jefferson, so that kind of gives you a clue who he is. Oy vey, indeed.
Valanciunas mostly seems to solve the problem of our defense being too good.
Most AIOs have him as an atrocious defender and a meh offensive player. Weirdly, DARKO has Valanciunas’s defense as the slightest of positives and his offense as a massive negative. Multi-year RAPM has his offense good enough to break even with his very bad defense.
He’s very slow at this point. I recall reading that his defense was awful last year too. Thibs would need to work some PnR drop magic.
Not sure I love him at age 32 with 2 more years on the books at $10M.
Hard no on Valenciunas. I enjoy watching him play, but that’s because I am fond of the adjective “lumbering.” Watching him literally causes my brain to repeat that word over and over in a loop.
Joel Embiid OUT vs Knicks tonight
Tyrese Maxey QUESTIONABLE
Paul George QUESTIONABLE
Andre Drummond OUT
Kyle Lowry OU
Caleb Martin OUT
Kyle Lowry is one big ow, at this point in his career.
Thanks for that input. Like I said, I know nothing about him.
I think I’d rather just roll the dice on Mitch. He just has to stay healthy for like 5 months!
my challenge for the day:
how to complain less and lament better…
Philly’s first and second string centers are out tonight, – Thibs must be salivating at playng KAT 43 minutes against Adem Bona and Pete Nance.
wasn’t he usually at the top of the league in charges drawn…
one of the first techniques taught in grappling sports is how to “safely” fall to the ground…in those normal circumstances, there’s a cushioned mat with a reasonably sized opponent…
jalen gotta stop letting himself get trucked…especially with 40 something regular season and hopefully another 20 or so post season games to play…
just checked, he’s top 5 in charges drawn on those hustle stats…
Ha! That way lol
I think you gotta roll with Mitch. The minutes reduction will cascade down the line. No way to play Towns with Valencia oranges or any other defense deficient center.
So who’s left to go 7-9 from 3 on all wide open shots? Oubre? Eric Gordon?
Ricky Council IV or Justin Edwards.
“Valanciunas”
I swear Ricky Council was a bad child actor in some 80s sitcom…
It would be awesome to trade for Jonas and then watch Thibs not play him because his defense is so bad. Popcorn flick.
Hard pass on Valenciunas. He doesn’t solve any of our issues beyond being a tall person, and if we just want a big guy to mill around aimlessly we have Sims. We would be much better served with someone in the Tyson Chandler archetype, but idk of any players like that that are actually attainable for what we can offer.
Yeah, he starred in “Silver Sporks.”
Doogie target and tall boi Nick Richards traded to the Suns for Okogie.
I wouldn’t kick Nick out of bed but he is a classic good stat big who can’t play D
I’d kick Nick out of bed.
It’s bad that he’s hurt enough to miss a game. But it’s good that we’re not forcing him to play. This is exactly the kind of game where we should be able to get by with the Precious/Sims/Huk pu pu platter.
Sims has been out due to back spasms recently, he may not be available unless you’ve heard otherwise
Had to squeeze those 43 minutes out of KAT before the DNP
Basically two seconds for Richards right? We could’ve topped that, but I guess we’re really saving every last bullet. Totally fair, but better make them count eventually.
“Basically two seconds for Richards right? We could’ve topped that, but I guess we’re really saving every last bullet. Totally fair, but better make them count eventually.”
Why are you not counting Okogie?
Embiid out, that guy with the big butt out, KAT out, Sims unlikely.
If Huk doesn’t get at least 24 minutes, I might have to consider resigning from the Let’s Not Fire Thibs Quite Yet Club.
Okogie isn’t terrible. I’d wait to see if there are any protections. There may be some bullshit in there like our top-55 protected Detroit 2nd this year. Then again, they’re only 4.5 games behind us to get pick 56.
Counterpoint: We have been beyond awful where KAT doesn’t play. Whatever his defensive weaknesses, the dropoff between him and his substitute is cataclysmic. Last time we lost to ORL at home with their best 4 players out, one of the worst losses of the season.
Predicting a loss tonight as they put some long guy on Brunson and he hero balls us to a 6-7 point early deficit that we’re too tired to overcome while some low 30’s shooter bags open three after open three.
Nova guys love winning in Philly. Can’t see them beating us without Embiid.
I unfortunately can see it.
Maxey’s playing. Don’t know yet about PG-13.
He’s enormous. You wouldn’t get any sleep.