01/31/2025 10:02:36
01/31/2025 07:44:19
01/31/2025 08:32:38
01/31/2025 07:00:05
01/31/2025 03:46:10
01/31/2025 04:10:11
01/31/2025 04:00:00
01/31/2025 02:56:00
01/31/2025 03:26:00
01/31/2025 02:39:00
01/31/2025 01:45:00
01/31/2025 00:43:00
01/30/2025 23:48:39
01/31/2025 00:25:00
01/31/2025 00:10:04
01/30/2025 23:44:00
01/30/2025 23:00:00
01/30/2025 23:13:00
01/30/2025 23:31:05
01/30/2025 22:55:00
189 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.01.31)”
Good morning, good people of KB! đ
One question for today: Let’s say in June the Knicks are hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, what path are you seeing to get there?
For me, that’s prolly MXP -> JFK nonstop on Emirates đ
Keep up the positivity, Cyber!
Full health, Cyber, meaning the return of Mitch â or a trade bringing in a backup big who can provide similar defense and rebounding â KAT’s thumb being fully healed, and the guys all being reasonably well-rested.
The momentum we’ve witnessed over the past 3 games continues. The parts are gelling and the subs can play more and more minutes because they are being plugged into a machine that’s hitting on all cylinders.
Re: All-Star reserves. If you make several All-Star teams, you’re more likely to keep being named to All-Star Games. Hence Jaylen Brown, Siakam, James Harden over Josh Hart and Norman Powell.
Havenât finished Macriâs pod with Begley yet, but hereâs how Macri summarizes the key talking points in todays newsletter:
Always! Watch out, Swifty, i’m coming for your crown! đ
A couple more now that I’ve listened further:
* Begley thinks they might include a rookie â he mentioned Dadiet as a hypothetical, but Begley’s hypotheticals often seem to be the name he’s actually heard â to grease a deal, as part of the “draft compensation,” since we’re pick-limited.
* As you might imagine from our Council of Rivals front office, there’s some disagreement about whether to even attempt a big move right now, versus waiting until the summer when we can trade more stuff.
If you missed it, McCullar is back. Here’s his scoring plays:
https://x.com/KnicksFanTv/status/1885154205901455597
4-9 for 10pts in 16 min
I like Sims. I hope trading him means he gets a good opportunity. They should get a player or a pick back. A decent second round pick would be fair.
McCullers doesnât look like a three and D guy in that small video sample since his scores seem to come from driving to the basket.
Given how this FO has operated in the past, it seems unlikely we make a significant move right now in terms of giving away assets for some guy who is barely above replacement level (like Valanciunas) – especially for a guy who makes $10MM and so would require something like a 3-for-1 trade unless you include Mitch (and wow would that be selling at the Marianas trench of Mitch’s trade value). The other thing with Valanciunas is that he has a guaranteed 3 year contract (this is the first year) — is that good $ to have on the books after this year? I suppose it’s good to have tradeable salary but bad tradeable salary is still something that needs draft picks to move.
The James Edwards article suggested they might move Jericho for nothing – ie. give a bad second round pick + Jericho for essentially nothing thereby creating enough move to grab a buyout candidate. I am not sure what actually useful players might be bought out (that are also making below the MLE).
I dunno – this team has a puncher’s chance at the title this year but it is not like the 2012 knicks where we had 100 year old Kurt Thomas, Sheed, and Jason Kidd — we will (health-willing) be just as good if not better next year. I would be very much against any significant move that results in a sell-low on any of our current assets, including Dadiet and Mitch. Especially just to get a player that probably would get played off the floor against the Celtics, Pacers, etc.
Frank, I agree that Jonas doesn’t seem like he should be the move at the deadline. But Begley doesn’t just idly throw out names. He’s clearly heard about interest in the guy from our FO.
Wasn’t McCullar considered more of a Josh Hart type than a 3 and D guy?
Yeah, he’s not a 3&D guy because there’s no 3. He can do everything else more than okay and defends really, really well.
Looked back at Vecenie’s draft board and he said McCullar would go in the first round of he could shoot and stay healthy. The fact he was 55th on his list tells you how much he believes in his health and shooting.
Watching Precious switch effectively on the perimeter and look somewhat interchangeable with OG Bridges and Hart, I donât know why we would possibly want Jonas.
Heâs a situational big at best at this stage.
Also, enjoyed this from Josh about how accepting a secondary role has ironically allowed his game to blossom. Also liked the host subtly putting her co-host in his place for being juvenile.
https://x.com/benritholtznba/status/1885091347813511233?s=46&t=0wqff4cNt-sCGcDs-uMExw
Good morning, fellow Knickerbloggers!!!
Sengun didn’t play last night. Steven Adams started and got 11 and 10. Raise your hand if you thought that he was still capable of such a thing. Maybe there is hope for Mitch after an extended absence, too.
Mine is littered with crow meat that I got from a restaurant in Queens that Clarence recommended.
In looking at McCullar’s film from college and last night, I don’t see much potential there, not at 24 years old. It doesn’t help that he hasn’t been playing for so long. He not only can’t shoot, his drives to the hoop are clunky with not great body control. That’s where the comparison to Hart fails, he’s a gifted finisher and has exquisite body control. I’d love to be wrong on him, but nothing I’ve looked gives me confidence.
Looks like Julius had a groin injury and had to leave the game last night. I wonder if that can affect his trade market.
In all seriousness, a path to the title could be paved with some unlikely offensive growth from Precious Achiuwa that allows Thibs to unleash the OG/Achiuwa defensive combo more liberally. I love the way the those two guys play defense together and I think it could be a game changer.
Externally, I think the Celtics (who seem exhausted) need to stay in this gear and not get up to last yearâs speed.
And I think it requires someone like Denver or Memphis to represent the West in the finals instead of OKC.
And of course weâd need excellent health. An easy first round matchup that we can wrap up in 4 or 5 games would be a boon.
Luka Garza had 16 (4-of-8 shooting) and 4 in 14 minutes off the Wolves bench. He’s always been kind of interesting, and was a great player in college.
I am truly concerned about playing the Celts in round 2, but that is looking kind of inevitable. But if we can beat them, we can beat anyone.
Considering how awful the East is from spots 6-10 Knicks 1st rd opponent shouldn’t be a problem. Orlando has been dreadful since Banchero returned, even with Wagner also back they still lost by 29 last night at Portland.
McCullar’s potential is on the defensive end where he’s quick laterally and uses his strength very effectively. He does a good job stripping the ball from the handler. He guarded 1-4 in college and may be strong enough to do it in the NBA. Vecenie describes him as not quite an all-nba defensive prospect.
Offensively, he’s a great, great cutter. He can run a bit of PnR, making the right reads and getting the ball where it needs to go. He won’t do anything spectacular out of the PnR but he can hit the far corner shooter and make the pocket pass.
He’s not as explosive as Hart, so if you’re thinking Hart you might be disappointed in his clips, but he always knows where he needs to be, grabbing rebounds and loose balls, and where the ball needs to be when passing.
We kinda did that last year with Grimes/Bojan, though. Hopefully whichever member of the team of rivals pushed for that one has less influence this year.
Valanciunas makes sense if you watch OG and Mikal cover for KAT/Brunson and think, “Why are we making this easy on them?”
Hubert, stop procrastinating!!! I swear I’ll still argue with you afterwards!
“Offensively, heâs a great, great cutter. He can run a bit of PnR, making the right reads and getting the ball where it needs to go. He wonât do anything spectacular out of the PnR but he can hit the far corner shooter and make the pocket pass.”
Sorry, this seems like wishcasting to me. He was 4-5 years older than many of his peers in the draft and was taking advantage of being more experienced and physically developed than the typical NCAA player. He also played for a coach who has a reputation for getting the most out of wings at the collegiate level.
I see him topping out as a garden-variety G-League wing, which is fine considering that he was picked at #55 at age 23. But who knows, maybe with a lot of hard work he transforms his body, mind, and game. It does happen! But if I had to bet the O/U on 2,000 career NBA minutes, I’d go with the under.
If Mitch is running and jumping and taking even light contact, that’s a very good sign. I would just roll with him unless some kind of a steal becomes available. I think there will be some opportunities on the post-deadline buyout/waiver market.
I believe that Mitch is a risk worth taking right now (as opposed to making a deal that could ruin the quickly improving vibes), but we have to understand that this chance is very, very likely his last to be a cromulent NBA player.
Those were all things he did in college. It’s already happened.
Chances are he’s out of the league because he can’t shoot and he can’t stay healthy. It has little to do with the rest of his offensive game.
“If Mitch is running and jumping and taking even light contact, thatâs a very good sign. I would just roll with him unless some kind of a steal becomes available.”
I would agree…if I knew that were true, and for the right reasons. Remember we are talking about medical info coming from the Knicks. If he is being shopped you let it be known that he is jumping, even if he is allowed no more than a single very small one per day in a padded walking boot.
If it were not true, heâd be flagged at the required physical prior to the trade being finalized. I donât think you can get away with fudging this stuff.
Every guy in the G league did stuff like that in college. At this point, it means zero.
As BBA pointed out, it’s really crazy how much the Magic have sucked since Banchero and Wagner came back.
Maybe they need to play the hustlebunnies more?
They probably miss Suggs a lot.
lol thanks, cyber! But I was up at 4:30am with anxiety from all the avoidance and I got everything done before 9, so Iâm good now đ
And without the anxiety of avoiding something Iâm a lot less argumentative.
Back to Precious, even if we donât get unexpected offensive improvement from him, I think he could be effective if deployed correctly. And I think the correct way to deploy him is when Hart is not on the court. I think Preciousâ shit-ness on offense would matter a lot less if he were sharing the court with OG, Bridges, Brunson, and Towns. Alas, we never rest Josh, so we may never know.
More fun nuggets in the Macri newsletter, which I will not link to (and Z-Man at some point it’ll be interesting to hear about the genealogy link…). But re Owen’s comment on Precious, and our talk of needing some lumbering dude like Valenzuela (I feel confident making that joke since a) I don’t know how to spell it and am too lazy to look, and b) Doogie’s been a fantastic member of the KB family for some time now):
“Over this five-game winning streak, Precious Achiuwa has 10 swipes in 99 minutes of action. His 1.8 steals per 36 minutes over the full season already leads the team, but his 3.7 steals per 36 over these five games is fourth in the league among players who have seen at least 90 minutes of court time, trailing only Dyson Daniels, Tari Eason and Josh Okogie.”
The issues with Precious have always been on the offensive end and his inconsistency – a team can kind of work around his jumper (or lack thereof), but he misses rotations, tries to do too much and turns the ball over, etc. He thus has great periods where he looks like a solution, and moments where he swings the tide in the wrong way at the wrong time. His fast breaks the other night are a decent example: he made really poor shots and/or TOs trying to make spectacular plays that he actually DID make the previous game. (In the game thread someone called him a ballerina.) You can get away with it in the regular season, but it can be deadly in the playoffs. Coaches prize consistency for a reason.
I’m just glad Precious is back to having up and down games. Before the recent stretch they seemed pretty consistently down. He’s only 25, theoretically he could have a late breakout where he puts it all together with more consistency. Emphasis on the theoretical part.
He’s currently shooting 41.2% from 3 on 17 shots… and 51.9% from the FT line on 27 attempts. Such a frustrating player.
Agree, in the last 3-4 years we used to have benches with steady players (J-Hart, I-Hart, D-Rose, to an extent IQ) who were more “added starters”, alas our current group is made of high-variance, “real bench” guys, you’ll never know what you’ll get out of Rollercoaster Payne, Chocolate Box Achiuwa or this hot & cold version of Deuce.
But to be fair they’re playing better, as a unit, in the last few games.
Trading Sims for nothing actually helps us way more than such a move normally would, since we’re about a millimeter away from the second-apron hard cap and have thus been playing shorthanded for a while. It would give us the flexibility to sign Warren, Brown, Okeke, or whoever else to a minimum deal immediately, and I think we could still sign a 15th man at some point too. So I hope it happens, with any pick compensation coming back being gravy.
Precious has been awesome as of late. I’m happy we have him. I don’t think there’s every going to be a puts-it-all-together moment because he’s not good enough at any individual thing, but you could do worse for $6M than a situational defender who is good in a lot of different situations. You could even see him having some utility in a potential series against Boston since they don’t really beat you over the head with size.
The road to the NBA Finals is through Boston.
Because Sims is earning a tad over the full season minimum and anyone we sign will be on a prorated deal, we could sign two players immediately.
Jake Fischer now says the Pelicans are trying to trade for Butler â presumably as part of their way to get out of the Ingram contract conundrum. But they’re a team that hates paying the tax, so they’d have to unload a lot of salary in the process.
The Celtics might be old and vulnerable or they might be just coasting until the playoffs, it’s hard to know
Or, or…….they might be coasting for the playoffs not realizing that they’re now old and vulnerable.
Vegas thinks they’re coasting. Probably the safe call.
The top guns in the West are slightly less favored to win the West than the top guns in the East are favored to win the East. Much more danger from the West’s Mozzarella teams than the East’s.
West, four through eight:
+1000
+1400
+1600
+1800
(Grizz, Clips, Rockets, Wolves)
East, four through eight:
+1100
+2200
+2700
+3400
(Bucks, Magic, Sixers, Pacers)
East’s top teams will be significantly more favored in the first round than their Western counterparts. So I unfortunately wouldn’t look to the Celts or Cavs getting knocked out before the Knicks have to play them. Maybe the Sixers get healthy ….
Path is going to be tough. Going to have to be at full health and play great.
Porzingis trade was 6 years ago today. Proud to see that I kicked off the discussion that night at my most cool and level-headed (and, later in the discussion, that I was very concerned about our ability to re-sign Noah Vonleh):
https://knickerblogger.net/2019/01/31/espn-com-dallas-mavericks-agree-to-trade-with-new-york-knicks-for-kristaps-porzingis/#comments
Current top threes to win their conferences:
East: Celtics (-110); Cavs (+330); Knicks (+550)
West: Thunder (+105); Nuggets (+550); Mavs (+950).
I was not a process truster
Valanciunas seems wrong for Thibs
Maybe I’m overthinking it but I wouldn’t be surprised if his name is out there to broadly communicate that we have a plan B
24 year-old TNFH was wrong about many, many things, some Knicks related, many others not, but I stand by this one:
Misdirection isn’t really how the Rose administration rolls, though. Other than maybe Cam, everyone significant we’ve acquired â in-season or out â is someone where our interest had been rumored for a long time, even if some of them, like Mikal or OG, seemed beyond our reach. If Ian is hearing about Jonas, it’s because we’re genuinely interested in Jonas.
The unlucky thing about the KP trade was that it happened before Presti completely changed the draft pick market. In 2019 no one was trading draft picks. So getting two – one unprotected! – was actually a really big deal. Then Presti got five for Paul George and suddenly three unprotected picks became the minimum for all future deals. If we had traded Porzingis after the inflation, we probably would have gotten no protection on the Lively pick and had Dallasâ first this year, which would be awesome.
Going copypasta on what DRed said was positive EV back then and remains so. DRed for GM.
“In multiple ways the process is knicksy and clearly sucks.
But the end result, it doesnât seem that bad.”
Yeah, still DRed for GM most of the time. Ess was the first to call out the intention, though:
Coulda happened! I just said it all depends on what they do with the cap space, which was fair enough. And what they did was…suboptimal.
But if we had drafted first instead of third, and if we had signed KD and Kyrie… Would that have led to a better outcome then we have now? Perhaps the gods were protecting us all along….
Depends if Kyrie and KD were ok with Mills running the show and if Dolan would have listened to them if they went to him and said Mills was clownshoes.
Little question both would have asked out if the coach/GM situation was clownshoes. They asked out of BKN over much less. So there was work to be done on the basketball infrastructure even if they came here. Mills was awful.
Looking back at that thread I’m even more appreciative of how good the Knicks are now…
F-minus process — not enough shopping, acting out of spite, accepting way too low a package, Dolan behind the scenes pissed off, general incompetence permeating it all.
Through good luck having nothing to do with the process or the people who undertook it, they worked their way out of it.
Pretty sure Frank would have blossomed in that lineup. So close…
It is funny and sad to read all the belief we had in the French Prince
There was never any chance of that happening. KD/Kyrie were astute enough to realize that joining our big pile of nothing would have been a straight ticket to the mezzanine. Their BKN team up at least would likely have worked if they’d managed to stay healthy and together. We’d have been the present-day Phoenix Suns.
It was stupid to clear cap space for free agents with no young core or high-upside talent on rookie contracts. And no, 2nd rounders like Mitch or total busts like Frank don’t count as high upside talent.
I posted a lineup that someone tweeted last night.
Langston Galloway
Alexey Schved
Andrea Bargnani
Lou Amundsom
Lance Thomas
That is a platonically bad starting lineup
I was tank or bust but I will say it again, I am totally fine with where we are and I applaud Leon for getting us there without ever tanking
We can trace this team to that cap space, though. We signed Randle, who turned the franchise around, signed a team-friendly deal, and got traded for KAT. And we signed Morris, who was turned into Quickley, who was turned into OG. We also got Grimes and Dadiet out of it.
We also avoided three injury-plagued seasons of Porzingis (he played 57, 43, and 51 games on a max contract).
In hindsight, I think this trade gets an A+. We just were unlucky that the market for picks was suppressed at the time. (We were all pretty excited about two picks; that was a lot in 2019.)
No need to travel to queens for that, Hubert. But if youâre hellbent on the burrough, and if you have not had the two sheet lasagna at Rolos, you donât like yourself enough. And get some fried smelt at Astoria Seafood and thank me later.
I also think that if the Knicks are able to stay healthy they can beat the Cavs and can catch some luck with the Celtics. Theyâre awfully januaryish at the moment and have the talent up front to overload pretty much anyone. I know, brick not hit back like it hit in the playoffs, but another healthy big with a defensive bent and weâre cooking.
Also luck. Just a good deal of luck.
I haven’t changed any of my opinions about KP in that thread with the benefit of seeing what happened since.
I can’t remember the details, but there was a way we would could have had both Randle and KP. I loved the idea of that combination at the time.
KP would protect the paint and cover for Randle’s defensive deficiencies.
KP would provide a lot of space for Randle to drive.
Randle was a strong rebounder that would make up for KP’s lack of strength and below average defensive rebounding.
âThrough good luck having nothing to do with the process or the people who undertook itâ
Yup, the process was lucky to sign Brunson and extend him at below market because of the luck that our GM followed his career the whole way from about birth and paid him more than anyone else would because of what he saw.
Or are you referring to the luck we had by trading with a franchise trade and one year later they have regressed and we have improved?
Or going further back the luck we had in trading Cam and a mid level first for Hart?
KP is great if you have Horford to back him up when he misses 12 of your 19 playoff games and only manages 30 minutes one singular time.
Come to think of it, this may be why we want Valanciunas.
Luck is always a factor regardless of whether it’s where you end up in the lottery, the quality of the players in the draft when/if you get a top pick, how much the player(s) you select develop, whether injuries kill the development of a young player you selected or damage a veteran you traded for, whether someone develops way more than expected at the time of the draft or trade etc…
Even rules changes can impact plans either way and be considered luck.
All you can do is try to get good value in the draft, trades and free agency and try to fit the pieces together in a way that maximizes the team.
Did anybody catch the FireAid concert last night? The surviving members of Nirvana played, with guest vocalists St. Vincent, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, and Violet Grohl, Dave’s daughter.
I’ve been working with Violet, and co-wrote and played guitar on most of her upcoming album. She sang “All Apologies” last night and totally killed it. I am really proud of the record we made and she is a genuine talent. I was beaming with pride watching her. That is not an easy song for a woman to sing in the original key and it was a high pressure environment sitting in with her dad’s band in front of such a huge audience.
The record should be out this year, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever worked on.
I didn’t post on the first thread, but the next day I said this:
In reading back, first, I am still touched by the kind and supportive words of my fellow posters that day, and continue to be. Thankfully, both my son and the Knicks are doing much better! Much appreciation to all of you again!
I think it’s fair to say that this trade ultimately worked out very well. I still think Mills could have gotten a bit more than he did, for example, no protection on that second pick. But at least KP didn’t do much for Dallas and has taken some of the blame for the divorce from the Knicks. And that signed Jersey is somewhere in a pile of shitty clothes in my basement with no monetary sentimental value whatsoever and neither me nor my son could give a shit.
It’s also ironic that three years later, Leon fleeced Cuban for the franchise-lifting player we all hoped KP could be…and more. And it all started with Leon. Dayenu.
JK, I caught a glimpse of the concert on the news, looks like it must have been awesome, never heard of it even being advertised. Who was that singing Me and Bobby McGee?
The first time I heard Valanciunas’s name mentioned I was against it because I was looking for a more defense oriented backup C, but if the Knicks are looking for the “B” version of Towns to start when Towns is out so the team can play the same way, he’s probably an OK idea.
That was Pink singing “Me And Bobby McGee.” She does a great version.
I don’t get the idea that Leon redeemed our shitty process by targeting Brunson in essentially a nepotistic fashion. He could have easily been our Austin Rivers.
Brunson himself saved us by making staggering improvements to his production in his age 25 and 26 seasons. In his first year with us he raised his usage from 21.9 to 27.2 while simultaneously improving his shooting efficiency, assist rate and turnover rate. His FTA increased by over 50%.
The following year he took another big jump in usage and assist rate while again reducing his turnover rate and losing only .005 off his TS%.
In 2 years starting from age 25 he essentially went from 0.9 BPM average starter -> All-Star -> fringe MVP candidate. Only Steve Nash has ever had a growth curve like that.
Do we really think that Leon saw this while no one else did? Did Leon have other nepo baby options he could have brought in but he knew only Brunson was gonna take this leap?
To me it just looks like a spectacular stroke of good luck, not that we weren’t overdue for one…
We all talked about out how much latent potential Brunson had.
He absolutely shoved without Luka in the lineup
Many many general managers will have an entire career without a better decision to their names than signing Brunson. Rose did it right off the bat.
I donât think there was much luck in it either outside of the Mavs being dumb enough to drive him away.
There was evidence that Brunson could put up bigger numbers against solid competition when he had the ball in his hands more often instead of playing off the ball next to Doncic.
As part of the discussion on why he came to NY it was mentioned (2nd hand) that he felt he couldn’t maximize himself in Dallas playing next to Doncic. He wanted to be the PG and have the ball. He was right about that.
Doncic is a strange guy. Most secondary scorers or role players will play better playing off a superstar offensive player like Doncic that draw a lot of double teams, but he hurt the productivity of both Brunson and KP by dominating the ball so much. Still he has helped some of the more limited guys that can knock down open 3s if he dishes out and Kyrie has managed to fit well next to him.
i’m gonna watch that concert tonight …sounds good
I get that Luka’s ball dominance overshadowed Brunson in DAL, but it’s still weird. Expanding one’s role and usage almost always trades something off. Shooting efficiency goes down and turnovers go up, even when the trade off is highly positive. For example, James Harden went from crazy efficiency on limited usage in OKC to still very high efficiency on very high usage in HOU.
It’s remarkable that Brunson took on essentially Luka’s role for us and lost nothing.
That’s because not many teams have players that are being underutilized. Even if one is because the team is loaded with talent, it’s usually not by a lot. Brunson was being underutilized and also got a lot better.
Brunson is very unique. He is a luck generator. Like a bona fide tentpole needs to be.
Itâs not that remarkable because exactly the same things happened in Dallas. We all noted it.
And we had plenty of the usual conversations about how strange usage and efficiency are, a perennial theme.
Rose hit a grand slam.
Yup and there is no need to discredit him by calling it luck or nepotism or whatever.
It’s lucky to get the number one pick in a draft even if you tank to the worst record. It’s even luckier to get the number one pick in the draft when Lebron or Wemby or whoever is the consensus number one pick.
Yet somehow GM’s are considered geniuses for making their fans suffer through horrible seasons just for the chance to get lucky but Rose is discredited for using insider information to land Brunson?
We all saw Brunson shine in the playoffs for Dallas when Luka went down.
Even if he didn’t turn into this, there was ZERO chance he was going to be Austin Rivers. At worst he was going to be the best PG we’ve had since at least Marbury.
Turning Kevin Knox into Josh Hart not so far behind. Turning Randle into KATâŠall homeruns for me.
cool Tommy Beer stat re: Brunson – JB is on track to become the first player in NBA history to average 25+ppg, 7+apg, <2.5 TO/g
While also lowering his usage to make room for the other monster season happening next to him.
the Fire Aid concert is on youtube…
watching it now, looks like it’s Pink singing: Me and Bobby McGee…feels like I’ve enjoyed that song my whole life…
not sure if I’ve ever heard kris kristofferson sing it though…
man, pink’s voice sounds really good…it’s funny, after finishing the song she was like: i almost passed out from that…
Geo, Iâm in LA next week for some meetings. Totally down to chat Knicks and life over some tacos.
sounds like fox to spurs is happening
Shades of Arsene Wenget there, âitâs like a new signing.â
I hate Fox for the Spurs at that price tag but maybe they know something I donât.
Fox to the Spurs probably means Zion to the Spurs will never happen so count me as pleased.
For Mitchell Robinson to be our trade deadline acquisition would require him to become 1) able to play basketball and 2) do so by next Thursday.
I’m skeptical that 1 will happen and virtually certain 2 will not.
hmmmmm, let me check my social calendar – yep, looks like the rest of the year is pretty much free for me đ
that sounds wonderful clarence…if you’d like you can reach me at: geoswill92373@gmail.com
Anyone have a link to the Fox News?
Here ya go buddy: https://www.foxnews.com/
I don’t see anything about a trade, what is your source, pt?
the spurs reporters seem to think it’s coming together
https://x.com/spursreporter/status/1885406370155073880?s=46
https://x.com/donharris4/status/1885419618300297712?s=46
I hope Stephon Castle goes out in that deal.
Actually it would be cool if they trade Sochan bc then maybe we could get him
Thanks pt, seems pretty reliable.
hubert, everything I’ve read indicates that the Spurs consider Castle untouchable. But who knows? Maybe he’s the DDV in that deal…
geo, if you google ‘kris kristofferson me and bobby mcgee’ you can hear him do it. I’m very glad Janis (and Pink) took it from him, cuz Kris’s version is sort of the Kyle Kuzma of music.
Salutations all! I come bearing great news!
here’s where violet performs all apologies…
whew, may have gotten a little dust in my eye there for a moment…
Lovers of Josh will enjoy this clip package
https://x.com/iqfor3/status/1885438229198831713?s=46&t=0wqff4cNt-sCGcDs-uMExw
thanks raven, just listened to the story of the song with Kris and his producer…i never knew that Kris and Janis were romantic…
how sad that the first time he hears her sing the song is shortly after she passed…
as a big fan of the central coast – i love the mention of the town of salinas in the song…little ol’ rodeo town it is…
What a great rendition of Bobby McGee by Pink, no one can top Janis and I miss the instrumental at the end, but that was excellent.
I like Kris’s version as well, always give deference to the songwriter’s rendition even if the covers are better. There are so many songs I feel this way about…
Signed in just to say this.
That makes sense, Z-Man. I am curious what they will send out that can net Fox, though. Especially when Houston is known to be interested and they have a lot to offer. Iâm sure that Wolves 2031 pick people made fun of them for acquiring is going to be a huge part of the package.
Hubert, most of the reporting I’ve seen says Houston has decided to sit out the Fox and Butler situations, because they don’t want to break up the young core just yet, want to see what they can accomplish this season before maybe making big moves in the summer, etc.
OMG, so much to say
And i was away
But at least i come back rhyming… đ
If the plan is to keep Robinson because they think he can contribute this year I’m fine with that.
1. When healthy and in shape he fits a clear need.
2. Trading him now is certainly not maximizing his value.
However, now that Precious is showing he can handle backup C against some matchups, if #1 is also true, then Sims or Huk is expendable. Between the two I think it should be Sims since he is less skilled on offense and less likely to improve.
I guess if we can get someone back for Sims that adds a little depth or even bring back some pick equity and open a little space, that makes sense.
Long term Houston may be very good, but count me among the skeptics on them for this year. Their defense is good now and ĆengĂŒn is good now, but I’m not buying much else. I think they are going to fade after the all-star break. The future could be bright, but I’m a skeptic now.
“Signed in just to say this.”
Some of my faves in this regard;
Heard It Through the Grapevine (two great covers)
Take It Easy
All Along the Watchtower
With a Little Help From My Friends
Proud Mary
What are the all-time worst covers? Does A Fifth of Beethoven count?
First, two things about yesterday’s thread.
Geo, that would be amazing… we can call it ForumCast.com ! đ đ I hope it doesn’t exist, i didn’t check. đ
Maybe this turns into a unicorn company and the we’ll buy the Knicks, Geo. What do you say? LOL
I promise i’m not on cappuccinos, Hubert, only regular coffee… a LOT of regular coffee! đ
I hope you’re feeling better, TC.
I have a low tier of asthma and i can relate to you… breathing well is so important and well people don’t know about it because they don’t have respiratory problems, but i do and that’s why i don’t understand people that smoke. They should experience asthma for 1 or 2 hours and they’ll give up instantly, when i was a child having an asthma attack i thought i was going to die, each breath i took i thought it’d be my last. Only after 4 or 5 times i started getting used to it.
And that’s it for the personal story of the day. đ
Cover (*) of Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) >>>>>>>>> Original (**).
(*) Soho
(**) The Icicle Works
Original (*) of It’s My Life >> Cover (**)
(*) Talk Talk
(**) No Doubt
That’s awesome, JK. I remember watching Violet with Dave on Youtube and i thought she was great, so it’s amazing that she’s working with you and i hope the record is a huge success.
Thanks for the link, Geo. I think singing Nirvana is very hard because of Kurt’s unique voice, but i agree Violet nailed it. What a great version!
I’ll watch FireAid tonight, and i hope that by watching i’m helping the cause.
By seeing Alan’s link for the thread about KP’s trade, i decided to check the list of the posters.
abk, alsep73, amv8, bidiong, BigBlueAL, bobneptune, Brian Cronin, Bruno Almeida, Cdiggy, cgreene, chriskZIPCODE, ClashFan, djphan, domiknick, Donnie Walsh, DRed, dtrickey, Early Bird, english_knick, ephus, ess-dog, Farfa, Frank, Frank O., geehee, geo, GoldClub, GoNyGoNyGo, Grandmaster Tank and the Furious Fiz, Grocer, heavencent35, Henry George, #hireBud, Holzmansghost, hoolahoop, Hubert, Ingmarrrr, iserp, Jack Bauer, JK47, kevin5318, Kevin Udwary, KnickFaninChicago, Knick fan not in NJ, marechal, mase, Max, nicos, Ntilakilla, Owen, ptmilo, rama, Silky Johnson, Sir Robin, Sly Wi-yums, SSS, Stratomatic, swiftandabundant, the don nelson era, The Glass Half Rebuilt, The Honorable Cock Jowles, thenamestsam, thenoblefacehumper, TheOakmanCometh, Totes McGoats, vincoug, yellowboy90
In bold the posters that i think have posted recently. Looks like we’re faithful to this little space to talk Knicks and whatever else we want. đ
I was a daily reader, but i think i only joined in 2020.
I remember dtrickey as being very cool, but i guess all australians are cool so he’s just a regular guy there. đ
And the Knicks should do the same, let’s keep this team we worked hard to assemble and see what they can accomplish before thinking about trades.
cyber, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen posts from marechal, Gold Club and Frank O fairly recently. Maybe ephus too, although I may be confusing him with iserp.
My most hated cover version of all time is Counting Crows’ cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”
Amy Grantâs is worse than Counting Crowsâ, Iâd argue.
Also, Pat Boone covering any Black artist is worse than both.
the one cover that always sticks in my mind is eruption/you really got me by Van Halen..
Live do a nice version of Walk the Line…
I’m still searching my brain for worst cover, but two great covers (I feel like I posted this ages ago) are by Cassandra Wilson, who does a lot of covers to varying degrees of success. But these two rival the originals, both of which are hall of fame songs to start with.
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=cassandra+wilson+tupelo+honey&mid=F53EF22D54957DCBE524F53EF22D54957DCBE524&FORM=VIRE
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=cassandra+wilson+neil+young&mid=7EED5A6FA28C4E59B57D7EED5A6FA28C4E59B57D&FORM=VIRE
Although to be honest any song that has spring peepers in it gets three stars…
you have me curious z-man, what is the other rendition of “Take it Easy” that you like?
Thanks. I tried using Google for the ones i had doubts, but i guess Google just isn’t what it used to be.
Agreed, but i love Jimi’s version so much. đ
Jackson Browneâs original
Happy to see Stevie Nicks is still rocking! I love her voice!
nice z-man, love it đ
Marechal definitely still throwing down good posts. Haven’t seen ephus in a while, hope he’s OK… Especially because it really, truly is a good time to be a Knicks fan right now.
Thanks for the links, everyone! JK, very cool about Violet. Super tough cover in the original key, but she made it work. Pretty weird that Dave was a half step high on his harmony until the very last refrain when everyone dropped out. Maybe his monitors were messed up. But I enjoyed it. Can only imagine the pride in being up there with your kid.
Some good covers listed – strangely, though a group of friends went through a rigorous scientific process to identify the worst pop song of all time back in my 20s, we never thought to do it with covers. Could take some effort … though the Pat Boone of it all might make any further research unnecessary….
https://youtu.be/FSObWfwuf1M?feature=shared
Up there with your kid.
Begley: âKnicks are among many team that have checked in with Philly on big man Guerschon Yabusele. Sixers aren’t necessarily looking to move Yabusele, who is havin a strong season (10.4 pts, 5.5 rebs, 2 assists per game; shooting 39% on 3s). PHI’s Eric Gordon also continues to garner interest from playoff contenders. Sixers are in an interesting situation ahead of the deadline. They currently sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-27 record. Philadelphia will have to send its 2025 first-round pick to OKC if it falls outside of the top 6. So in one sense, the Sixers are incentivized to continue to lose. That’s where trading Yabusele makes sense. PHI’s asking price for Yabusele is unknown but, again, they don’t want to move Yabusele. If the Knicks traded for Yabusele, he could certainly help them along the front line. He has had to play center for the Sixers amid a rash of injuries. Yabusele’s 3-point shooting would also benefit a Knick team that wants to keep the floor spread on offense. HoopsHype first reported the Knicks’ contact with the Sixers on Yabusele.â
I like a lot, but I very much fear the price tag.
Mick Jones might make TheClashFan to show up! đ
Yabusele would be a good move, he makes 5K less than Sims and both are UFA after this year.
Philly would probably like a 2nd (or two) for the trouble, but if I were them I’ll ask for Kolek (and if I were the Knicks I’ll say “no”).
Good job with the covers guys,
I’d like to add a couple but tonight I’m too tired to throw in my two cents. đ
Jose Feliciano- light my fire
If the Sixers trade Yabu does that mean they’re just tanking? He’s nothing special but he’s been available- he’s 3rd on the team in minutes
Ephus came back for a second but I think we all slurped him too much and he took flight again. Love you Ephus. Truly an all-star.
We do have diehards but a funny thing about this blog is that I donât think across my entire time here there has ever been a long term poster who identified themselves as female. There was briefly one who posted for a few weeks I think but that is kind of it.
I think we are a civil and welcoming forum, just how it goes. Always been curious to me. But the Knicks probably didnât deserve any female fans, or really any fans at all, for about ten years so maybe thatâs it.
Or maybe they just have better things to do!!! đ
LOL
Jose’s version of California dreaming is good too
Would love Yabu but somehow I doubt Daryl Morey will be handing out any bargains to us…
The Sixers will have no ability to re-sign Yabu if he gets any kind of money for his solid year, so if they can admit to themselves this season is going nowhere it makes sense to see if they can get some goodies for him.
Excellent Wemby v Giannis highlights
https://x.com/kevinoconnornba/status/1885497846092144784?s=46&t=0wqff4cNt-sCGcDs-uMExw
And Yabu having a career night looks like.
I have a soft spot for any NBA player who looks like an offensive lineman. Mildly intrigued
Well…yabusule is certainly pushing up trade value “ce soir”
Orville Peckâs cover of Small Town Boy is pretty tight.
Denver isâŠ.hmmm
Best cover is Townes Van Zandtâs version of âDead Flowersâ.
Luke Kornet has become a decent 3rd-string C, and what’s interesting is, I mostly remember him with the Knicks as being xa stretch 4-type, yet he hasn’t attempted a single 3 all year and only one in the past 2 years!
Some imo sort of sub-par but good and acclaimed covers done by really good artists:
Joan Baez doing The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Al Green doing How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Eric Clapton doing I Shot The Sheriff
Gregg Allman doing These Days
Van Morrison doing Have I Told You Lately
Rod Stewart’s cover of I’m Losing You is pretty damn good
Donât sleep on Stevie Wonder doing Happy Birthday.
I really love that version of These Days
Also loving that Jokic didnât do this to us
* the irony with Luke Kornet is that no one shoots more 3’s than the Celts…
You could do a whole âBest Dylan coverâ discussion. Dylanâs favorite Dylan cover? Johnny Riversâ version of âPositively 4th Streetâ.
*Marianne Faithfull did some beautiful Dylan covers (R.I.P.)
I really like this cover of the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back
https://youtu.be/6EPwRdVg5Ug?si=RoPH32dnPrqZddSB
I like all the covers on that Fun Machine album, actually.
Talking Heads cover of Take Me To The River is also a fav.
Too many greats to list, now that I start to think about it. Those were the first two I thought of.
Z-Man, confused. Isn’t ‘Have I Told You Lately’ Van Morrison’s?
Also we may have to agree to disagree on this, but first, I think Al Green’s cover is infinitely better than the BeeGees. Even worse, I’d put Rod Stewart’s cover of ‘Have I Told You Lately’ as probably in my Top 5 Least Favorite Covers of All Time.
Great Dylan covers:
Nina Simone – Just Like A Woman
Elvis Presley – Tomorrow Is A Long Time
The Byrds – You Ainât Going Nowhere
Nico – Iâll Keep It With Mine
FWIW I thought Timothee Chalametâs cover of âTomorrow Is A Long Timeâ on SNL was excellent. Inspired song choices all around on that performance.
“Z-Man, confused. Isnât âHave I Told You Latelyâ Van Morrisonâs?”
lol my bad, I heard Rod Stewart’s cover first and assumed it was his…like Rod’s better but both are good.
“Also we may have to agree to disagree on this, but first, I think Al Greenâs cover is infinitely better than the BeeGees.”
I love Al Green but found his version gratuitous. Not a Bee Gees fan in general but thought they knocked it out of the park with this one.
“Iâd put Rod Stewartâs cover of âHave I Told You Latelyâ as probably in my Top 5 Least Favorite Covers of All Time.”
Fair enough, and I love both artists way beyond this song, but Rod’s version is my fave.
Re actors handling their folk singing parts with aplomb, I thought Oscar Isaac did a great job in Inside Llewyn Davis.
Joan Jett did a really nice job of dirtying up Crimson and Clover
https://youtu.be/Kd5MDLDanGo
Loved that cover, unreason. Will be checking more out from Lake Street Dive.
Bluegrass covers are a fun category
The Gin and Juice cover by The Gourds is amazing
https://youtu.be/iNd2GvhvHkY?si=pvjtIN0SpvgFrHfr
as is the Thunderstruck cover by Steve’n’Seagulls
https://youtu.be/e4Ao-iNPPUc?si=wuDqWAKJ7CzZPTaR
Nice to see unreason back, don’t be a stranger!
The gold standard of covers to me is Devoâs cover of âSatisfaction.â It takes a great song and actually improves on it.
Devoâs cover actually expresses the idea that the narrator canât get no satisfaction better than the original does. Itâs frustrated and claustrophobic and anxious. Such a great cover.
Metallica….Turn the page…good video to go with it…
The Pellicans season from hell rolls on as Dejounte Murray tore his achilles in a 2 point loss to the Celtics. If they had any fans I’d feel terrible for them
Awful news on Murray.
Dylan is obviously a massive titan of songwriting and there are endless great covers of his work, but usually I prefer the original Dylan versions to covers. His voice is off-putting to some and I totally understand that, but I actually love his singing. Heâs an expressive singer and can usually deliver his own lines better than anybody else can.
On one of the later Pretenders albums…Chrissie Hynde does a great rendition of Forever Young…
i remember how surprised i was to learn that al green had sung it first…
wasn’t that long ago either…
Thanks Z-man. Honestly I’m too casual a fan to contribute more than the rare non-basketball tidbit. I’m grateful that you all keep the fire burning bright here. It warms and enlightens me when I can pull my attention away from the storm outside and take comfort in whatever controversy or celebration the board is focused on.
yeah, that Dejounte news is rough.
Dejounte’s never been the same after his one really great spurs season but he’s been pretty good this year and this is probably it for him, but at least he’s got another 95 million coming his way
“Dylan is obviously a massive titan of songwriting and there are endless great covers of his work, but usually I prefer the original Dylan versions to covers. His voice is off-putting to some and I totally understand that, but I actually love his singing. Heâs an expressive singer and can usually deliver his own lines better than anybody else can.”
100% agree. Even his own covers are not as good as his originals…meaning I love his duet with Johnny Cash on Girl From the North Country…but the original is just better.
Speaking of which, I have waxed poetic about my trips up to “the borderine” in the NYS “North Country” as i caught every match of my daughter’s volleyball career. There was a stretch between Tupper Lake and Canton where I would invariably play the duet version of Girl from North Country to cap off the drive. My wife’s mother was a big fan of that song, so it became sort of an anthem for us during that time.
When the trailer for A Complete Unknown came out, it made me curious about the original version, and I then learned that the Dylan-Cash version left out a massive stanza from the original:
Iâm a-wondering if she remembers me at all
Many times Iâve often prayed
In the darkness of my night
In the brightness of my day
It hit me hard in the sense that I often think back to my early loves…and whether they ever think of me, as I often do of them, especially the most special ones. Sappy thought, but I bet a lot of you fine folks can relate. To say the least, I shedded many a tear as Chalamet did his rendition.
https://youtu.be/ueVIq_5Qtfk?si=sefyQ3TMs40yEcaj
The original version of âGirl From The North Countryâ from Freewheelinâ is the one. Thatâs a very important song to me on a personal level.
When I was 24 I went through a massive upheaval in my personal life, a very tumultuous and soap opera-like collapse of a romantic relationship and social circle. I found myself starting everything from scratch. I was obsessed with Bob Dylan in this period. Freewheelinâ, Blood On The Tracks, and Bringing It All Back Home in particular resonated with me in really deep ways. I had one of those CD players that could hold five discs and it was usually those three albums, plus the first Leonard Cohen album, and the third Big Star album in there most of the time. Lots of clove cigarettes and illicit sedatives. I lived in San Francisco, then Seattle, both wonderful places to be a sad young person.
This phase lasted for about two years until I moved to Los Angeles, and it was party time, like somebody opened the blinds and let the sunshine in. But for those two years, I worshipped at the altar of Bob.
Dylanâs music rewards repeat listening like no other. And it means different things to me at different phases of my life. That run he had from Freewheelinâ through Blonde on Blonde is just untouchable.
Agreed on the inspired song choices, but I thought he was a bit disappointing on “Tomorrow is a Long Time,” it’s just such a great song that him doing it at all worked really, really well.
It’s so crazy to think that the dude had a fucking “comeback” with Blood on the Tracks when he was fucking 34 years old!!! 34 years old and it was, like, “What’s this old man up to?” That’s how amazing it was that he had that streak all before he was 25 years old. Just insanity.
It’s amazing that AD will miss the Knicks game.
The Warriors got destroyed by the Suns. Man, the NBA Is so weird.
I agree and I second really any Devo cover. Secret Agent Man, A Worried Man, Working in a Coal Mine all great as well.
Some covers I love:
Patti Smith – Gloria – Her live performance of this on SNL is amazing
Leonard Cohen – The Partisan – The finger picking pattern and bass line get me every time
Nina Simone – Sinnerman – There are so many great Nina Simone covers but I love this one
Palace Music (Will Oldham) – Horses – My favorite Will Oldham song and one of my favorite songs, his backing band on this are most of the members of Slint
Maybe itâs the weather or something like that, but fwiw I just saw the Bob Dylan movie for the 6th time.
I think the connotations between “Mama” and “Daddy” are JUST big enough for it to sound freaky when Joan Baez sings, “Daddy, you’ve been on my mind.”
Jimmy LeFave did some Dylan covers that I really enjoy: Buckets of Rain stands out to me.
I remember being a foreign exchange student in the nineties and absolutely mainlining early Dylan. Hard to beat.
I love the 60 Minutes interview where they ask Bob how he wrote so many songs so quickly and heâs like âI donât know and I canât do it anymoreâ