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73 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.09.04)”
I responded to Bob in the previous thread, and if anyone wants to continue yesterday’s discussion I suggest we do it there and leave this thread clean for the folks who are turned off by it.
I think that is a great idea Hubie.
Was wondering how Lawrence Frank feels this morning.
“Silver investigated the Clippers in 2019, when Kawhi joined LA. All this stuff started in 2022, when Kawhi signed his extension.”
Ah, but did it? We know the Aspire contract started in 2022, and only because Aspire went bankrupt. But was there an earlier 3 year contract with some other company that didn’t go bankrupt, or some other payments being made?
There probably was another shady contract when Kawhi joined. But I don’t think it makes Silver look bad since it hasn’t been found yet. This would never have been found, either, if Aspiration didn’t file Chapter 11. So I think Silver is free to proceed without egg on his face. Ballmer covered his tracks effectively enough to thwart his investigation.
I think the bigger problem for Silver is that Ballmer has been a pretty great NBA owner. If he cripples the Clippers, that’s just not good for business. They’ve become the 5th most valuable team in the sport. Void Kawhi’s contract and take away all their picks, they go into a spiral and become the old Clippers again.
who wants to set the over/under for cam thomas 50 point games this year? scorned rental player who averaged 27.6 per 36 on a 57.5% ts playing on team that will be happy to lose games. seems like a bad situation where the nets eventually lower his pt to play their 10 million mediocre rookies and cajole him into dropping his ntc by the deadline.
When’s the last time a relatively high-profile restricted free agent bet on themselves and took the qualifying offer, like Thomas just did? I wonder if any of Kuminga, Grimes, or Giddey follows suit.
if you don’t count miles bridges, probably greg monroe. both felton and nerlens signed one.
It does seem like the decline of the player-friendly RFA route is an unintended consequence of the current CBA, at least from the NBPA pov. Guys like Thomas, Grimes, Kuminga and Giddy are really getting screwed.
https://nypost.com/2025/09/03/sports/knicks-one-of-two-teams-interested-in-ben-simmons-if-he-wants-to-keep-playing/
Yeah, hard pass. Ordinarily, I might be okay with a veteran who isn’t 100% sure he wants to keep playing. But given Simmons’ history, I assume he’s already checked out. If he signs with us or the mystery team, it won’t end well.
If I recall correctly, Nerlens made one of the worst contract decisions in NBA history.
I know that this is “the year” and all that, but if management goes with Ben Simmons, I will only see upside. This is because I am higher on our young guys…particularly Kolek, Dadiet, and Diawara…than most here. I think all three of those guys can play meaningful minutes if we get hit with injuries. I left Huk off the list because most here are in agreement that he is already a viable NBA player.
I also see Simmons as more of a skilled backup big than a backup PG. If he does have to play some PG, you could do a lot worse, especially with some of the defensively challenged guys he would share the floor with.
More generally, I am trusting the FO’s due diligence on how to fill that spot because I don’t ascribe to the “it’s really our 11th guy” theory.
I hope this works out for Thomas and it’s possible the Nets’ offer was so mediocre this route made sense, but man, it would just be very hard for me to advise anyone to pass on a guaranteed $40M or so. This conundrum/trap is of course why so few guys fully bet on themselves like this, but best of luck to him. Would definitely be funny to see the Nets lose an undoubtedly flawed but intriguing player for nothing.
Simmons weighing retirement is…certainly a datapoint. I still think his upside is higher than that of all the non-Beasley minimum options, but I do prefer players who unambiguously want to play in the NBA. I suppose I’ll have to trust the front office to evaluate his mental state.
David Lee took the QO in 2009. It seemed normal then, was it not?
he did not. he signed a one year deal that was almost 3X the QO.
I’m not skeptical about Fauci funding Wuhan. It is a certifiable fact that the NIH gave money to Eco Health Alliance who then passed it through to the PLA lab in Wuhan. That is a certifiable fact.
If one believes this happened without Fauci’s knowledge, then, I don’t know what to say, but I’m not wearing the tin foil hat.
As to whether I’m skeptical about the publisher/financier of the Declaration, certainly. The first thing any good science teacher teaches is when evaluating studies, take into consideration the biases of the examiner. Proclamation from authority figures must be analyzed for their merit. Is their data good and are their conclusions reasonable? In this case I think yes is the only answer.
The data which was available in October 2020 and today both agree young people were three orders of magnitude safer than old folk like me and should have been treated in a way that produced less harm for them.
And, of course, in that very same October of 2020 there was another example of looking at the proclamation of 55 impeccably credentialed authority figures and “wise men” that completely fooled half the nation.
Bottom line… always question proclamations of authority figures and look at the underlying facts as best as they can be divined.
But there was the whole “no knicks 1st round draft pick has been signed to an extension since Charlie Ward” streak thing that RJ Barrett supposedly ended in 2023. I thought Lee was exempted because he took the QO.
i thought we were doing that fauci stuff on yesterdays thread (if at all) per hubies great suggestion
Bob, keep your dumb shit in the previous thread so nobody has to read it.
Sincerely,
Everybody
Cam Thomas only played 781 minutes last year. During that time, he collected all of 12 steals (I’m pretty sure Hubert could equal that). If he had qualified minutes-wise, he would’ve ranked 2nd to last in the league in DBPM just ahead of Trae Young. I’m gonna side with the Nets on this one.
Fauci lied about the Charlie Ward Curse.
Yeah, I don’t think the Nets are wrong for holding a line and taking advantage of their leverage. Thomas feels like the very rich man’s Alonzo Trier. He has a place in this league, but it’s going to be a limited one, despite his abundant gift for scoring.
Lee’s second contract was caught in the LeBron conundrum. The Knicks wanted to keep him, but needed all the cap space available for the “expected!?!” 2010 LeBron signing. Hence they offered him considerably more than the QO but insisted on a length of only 1 year. Not sure what that exactly means vis-a vis Charlie Ward and RJ, as you bring up a good point.
That’s a pretty scary quote if you are considering him for your team, but I’d like to hear him actually say that and not depend on what could be BS coming from someone that doesn’t actually know what he’s thinking.
Is the BS coming from BS, or is it just BS? I honestly don’t think this is worth discussing because BS sucks.
But there was the whole “no knicks 1st round draft pick has been signed to an extension since Charlie Ward” streak thing that RJ Barrett supposedly ended in 2023. I thought Lee was exempted because he took the QO.
as a certified knicks traitor you should feign knowing that david lee is a human sorites paradox. he was also the first knick since 2001 to make the all-star team but actually was an injury replacement for iverson, so was he really? if you stare look enough at the words rookie extension you can actually make out a side profile of anthony fauci.
I’m glad I’ve been so busy taking care of my 91 year old mother and special needs brother the last few days I missed yesterday’s thread.
I need at least one venting post and then I’ll go back to my other responsibilities.
IMO the US is currently full of people that are sociopaths, near sociopaths, so wildly arrogant they feel they can and should use their money or power to impose their will on others, soulless vermin that would sell their mother’s soul for high paying job or pile of cash, flat out mentally ill, have a delusional world view that leads to horrible policy when in power, that are so miserable with their own lives and lack of control/power they root for horrible things to happen to others and still others that border on Satanic evil that enjoy death and destruction and use money and power to instigate and promote it. The total is probably around 70% of the population and some of that 70% are CEOs, billionaires, in power politically etc.. along with the rest of us.
When I was a boy many of the same problems existed in some of the very same places. Maybe I was a bit ignorant and naive back then, but I’d say it was closer to 10%-15% back then.
If I’m even close to right (I am at least close enough to make the point) that’s an ugly graph that’s going to lead to an ugly outcome.
We are doing a LOT of things wrong and need a major overhaul. And I’m not talking about the short term band-aid solutions that got us into this mess to begin with. I’m talking about finding core reasons, fixing them and sitting out all the time (maybe a generation or two) that it will take to reverse all these mental health issues.
The thing is, despite all the baggage, injury risk & lack of shooting, Simmons is versatile defensively & can run an offense. Even now he probably adds more value than any of those other guys we are considering and also fits a specific need. We need several things, but we DEFINITELY need defense!
I’d be happy if we could figure out a way to bring back Wright, Shamet and Payne. They’d all add something at the end of the bench. They aren’t top shelf backups, but they are all excellent 3rd string players.
I have been Simmons curious but he’s not selling me with this “I don’t know If I feel like playing” schtick….
I didn’t see the Fauch, but I did see “Enron nookie text” which feels equally conspiratorial.
agree with you strat but that would have been better being appended to the end of last nights thread per general mutual agreement here
Moved this to prior thread, have at it Bob.
ok so i guess were not appending to last nights thread anymore its official lol i had thought it was a good idea but really dont care that much either way so carry on i spose
we can always talk about how leaving new york caused julius to wanna quit getting high…
did the opposite for joakim noah he of the 4 year 72 millon dollar contract
I owe everyone an apology as I mistakenly posted my 10:17 post in today’s thread rather than yesterday’s containment thread.
howdy Bob, again, appreciate your engagement on the subject…it’s very very easy to get defensive and lash out while in the minority during a period when folks are expressing and sharing their beliefs and feelings on sensitive topics…
don’t agree with some of your thoughts, appreciate though you sharing them, cuz – there are others in my life which i would like to understand better…
love the notion of thinking critically, had an english teacher in high school that really emphasized the importance of being skeptical, about pretty much everything…
reminds me of that boxing phrase: protect yourself at all times…
when you start digging in on the science of how we form and process things mentally – well, it’s with good reason that we should always remain skeptical, even with ourselves…
Sure but you’re still talking about the regular season. If Knicks win 53 or 58 games is irrelevant. This team is now past that. If those three or Ben Simmons are playing in the playoffs, – they’re not going to finals.
I’m increasingly becoming OK with dumping Kolek to free up a roster spot. Delon Wright, Landry Shamet, and Precious Achiuwa are all available at the vet min and we know all three of them can give you emergency minutes in the playoffs. I’d rather have any of them than Tyler.
I’m too lazy to look it up, but how many slots do we even have filled? I assume they want to go into the season with only 14 signed players, so are we at 13 now? Leon is probably waiting until the last possible minute to see if any late buyouts happen, and Simmons is probably threatening to retire so someone will snap him up now and not wait until mid-October or whatever…
there with you hubie…initially i was a little worried that kolek may turn out to be some kind of tj mcconnell for some other team – but, we need useful players more than projects…
maybe limit our player project roster spots to 2 or 3 out of the 15…
ess-dog, I think we’re only at 12:
Brunson
KAT
OG
Bridges
Hart
Mitch
Yabu
Deuce
Clarkson
Dadiet
Kolek
Hukporti
We have to have 14. As the cap sheet stands right now, one of those can be a vet minimum, and the other has to be a rookie minimum, involving a rookie we have the draft rights to, which right now is either Diawara or the currently injured Rokas.
(Would be amusing if, after all this time, they finally sign Rokas for a season where he can’t play, just for some cap shenanigans, and a chance for him to rehab with a top NBA training staff.)
I don’t know, geo, I would want to give Kolek another year. He’s maybe Ron Baker with better passing chops and worse defense (and more immaculate features and better hair), but he’s had one year at arguably the hardest position, and that year he was mostly kept in a jar in a drawer by Thibs. I’d waste a spot to find out. Pretty sure whoever would take his place won’t win us a chip.
i struggle with patience – so, you got to go 🙂
my bets on diawara and shamet for those 2 spots…
was watching The Knicks Recap where the dude mentioned that shamet was in some Knicks’ recently released media stuff from last season…
edit: on a positive note reference patience, probably only got another session or two for this current therapy cycle – woo hoo…
been able to finally start being more productive (projects and chores) while still being around others…i was just shutting down waiting for my time with others to be over, so i could get shit done that needed to be taken care of…
still a bit of all or nothing: productivity or nothing…need to find the dimmer switch knob so i can better regulate the ability to be productive around others, while still not getting too worked up and being an ass to others or myself…
Going back to yeasterday:
It’s clear that our heath institutions (CDC, FDA, NIH, etc) have been corrupted by both big money and idelogical/political beliefs. It’s not just the at the leaderships but its inside the guts of each organization.
A monetary uncorruptable but gut trusting ideolog like RFK is not the ideal antidote that I would choose to put in charge to fix this mess but it could be a net positive in the long run.
I hate it that pendulum will swing too far in the other direction and people will be hurt…as humanity we should be better than this.
Guys, yesterday’s thread is right there for this discussion.
Yes, Director. Go to yesterday’s thread for stuff like this.
FYI, Strat, if you are super bored I responded to your inappropriate screed from above on yesterday’s thread.
If you want to respond, do it there.
OK. My bad.
“If those three or Ben Simmons are playing in the playoffs, – they’re not going to finals.”
I’m not going to hang my hat on the difference Delon Wright or Landry Shamet or the other dregs that are available at the minimum and our rookies and sophomores.
Thanks, Alan!
Yeah I think we need to be patient with the last vet min because someone better will probably shake loose. For instance, there were rumblings that “scary” Terry Rozier might get bought out by Miami before the season, and, despite his flaws, you’d have to think he would work better in playoff minutes than any of those other roster dregs… and that’s just one example.
So are we thinking Diawarhea is making the roster?? Would it have to be a 2-way or could it be a real contract? Either way, I doubt he’d play much unless our wings get riddled with injuries, but it’s nice to have another youngn to wish on.
It would have to be a real contract, ess-dog. McCullar isn’t eligible for that slot because he played a handful of games last season and isn’t a rookie. We don’t have Dink Pate’s draft rights, so he doesn’t qualify. It’s Diawara, Rokas, or one of those three dozen retired dudes that Brock Aller has a fetish for acquiring the draft rights to.
curious donnie, with all the offspring i imagine you to have plus a partner – how do you ever feel alone?
do you purposefully schedule alone time for yourself?
are you describing time in the car alone commuting?
or, even if your family is nearby – you’re so comfortable with them that you feel alone even when they are there?
it’s been a couple of decades now but i remember how much i would look forward to the weekend so i could have a couple of days alone without having to speak to anyone…
it’s hard for me to imagine a period like 6 weeks with limited conversation or contact with others – is that 6 week thing like just some kind of metaphor or something?
are you just simply saying you do not get easily bored or lonely?
even considering what little i do know of you, i found your statement very surprising…
Disagree. Shamet or Wright could be fine in emergency spot minutes in the playoffs if needed. I know we lost to The Pacers but when Shamet played in that series, he looked feisty, scored some three’s and, generally, didn’t cause us to fall further behind. In fact, I think some of our runs against the Pacers happened when we had Wright and Shamet in the game.
If you’re talking huge minutes, sure, we’re screwed.
Swiftie, I think that by “those 3” he meant Kolek, Dadiet, and Diawara.
If I may sprinkle a little football in here…
I’m really upset by the stories circling the Giants. Everything is THEY MUST WIN NOW and talking about how Daboll could be the first coach fired if he doesn’t get off to a hot start.
What the fuck is wrong with John Mara? He gave Dave Gettelman a longer leash than this and that dude sucked.
This has been a really good rebuild. Everyone’s very excited about this team. But the media thinks shit’s gonna hit the fan if they start 0-3 (and they may be right, because Mara sucks that bad). Give me a break. Let this team go 7-10 FFS, as long as they’re competitive and trending up.
It’s stunning to consider that both the Giants and Yankees have worse owners than James Dolan.
ugh, just checked the g-man’s projected win total this season: about 6…
that’s almost twice as much losing as winning…
first game they play where they may be favored is game 5 against new orleans…
they looked okay during the pre-season…russell wilson is the first quarterback since eli that we’ve been able to get on the field for us…and he’s kind of washed…
hopefully they surprise this season, in a positive way…
Schoen and Daboll dug this grave for themselves by trying to speed-run the rebuild after the fluky 2022 season. That is, unless you are a believer — which I just might be — in the idea that John Mara forced them to extend Daniel Jones because the dumb old nepo baby blindly believed Danny Dimes to be the next Eli. But you basically have to handwave away a lot of other dumb stuff, including Schoen’s pursuit of both Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers this offseason, as also being Mara’s fault.
I agree that this finally looks like a well-executed rebuild. And if they’re right about Dart, the team is in a very good position for next year. But the team could wind up with double digit losses for the third year in a row. It’s rare for any coach and/or exec to survive that.
That said, among Mara’s faults is being excessively loyal. So even if this year’s team is undone by the brutal schedule, if Schoen and Daboll can convince him that Dart is the future, I think they’re safe for at least another year past this.
Off topic but did anyone watch that interview with Randle talking about how he gave up smoking weed and all the mental prep stuff he did after leaving The Knicks?
It was very interesting stuff.
I only want 2 things from Mara:
1. Don’t fire anyone in the middle of the season.
2. Make a decision based on only this season and our current trajectory. Things like “three double digit loss seasons in a row” don’t matter. That’s just punitive thinking.
If we go 6-11 and Dart looks great in the second half, it would be foolish to bring in a new coach for the QB’s second season.
Mara sucks at hiring. The next guys are likely to be worse.
To make Giant matters worse, the Koch Bros.* are buying 10% of the team for $ 1 Billion. Giants’ schedule is brutal and if Andrew Thomas can’t get/stay on the field, an 0-7 start is not out of the question. It also would be brutal to throw Jackson Dart in if Thomas is not playing.
* Sports related political comment ( sorry, Alan)
I wonder if there is any chance of a trade being made before preseason. Last year we had KAT. It doesn’t seem like there are any rumors out there, but the Knicks seem to keep things quiet before making a trade.
Hubert, don’t know jack about the Giants coach, but your last point about Dart is I think spot on. Relates to an article I saw somewhere recently, no memory of where, detailing how few NFL teams deal with young quarterbacks correctly, and switching regimes and systems too often was identified as one of the worst nails in a quarterback’s development coffin.
If you tell Daboll and Schoen they need to draft and develop a QB, and Dart looks like he’s the guy, that’s it. They stay. You don’t fire them bc of whatever happened with Daniel Jones.
You could have fired Schoen and Daboll after last season and I would have said ok. But now you have to give them time.
Besides a 5 or 6 win season would give us one more solid draft, which we probably need.
wonder how bad the eagles are gonna stomp on the cowboys tonight…
maybe better to see a competitive game, don’t care for either team though…
surprised to say – jayden daniels has significantly softened me on the commanders…
still feels weird to write that name, i liked them as the Washington Football Team, thought that sounded cool, like a soccer style name…
plus i feel for the organization going through that whole vile synder ownership period…
thinking about your multiple print media subscriptions Raven…
made me think about Bo remarking that physical writing skills will most likely be a legacy thing…
wondering now if writing in general will diminish…
any particular sections in those pubs you like to key in on?
Geo, I wrote an answer but it broke the pact, so I’m going to put it at the end of yesterday’s thread if you want to read it.
thanks raven
yep, what’s next to grab the mind’s attention…and, trying to be okay with doing “nothing”…
few years in now, this part of the thing i’m trying to discipline myself not to indulge my mind (thought processes) too much, nor react to sensory input more than what’s necessary…
stay still and empty and aware…not asleep though 🙃
when I first got going on sound therapy used talk therapy for breathing and relaxation techniques…very effective…favorite sound therapy is using those “singing” bowls…the notes are soothing…
back with it again using the talk therapy stuff trying to stay still and be empty…
so easy to want to feed the mind…do something…
I’m pretty sure the second year was not guaranteed
Second year was a team option.
So the $40 million wasn’t guaranteed. Only half of it (the first year) was.
Damn… Doogie’s favorite, Caitlin Clark, out for the season.
cam thomas wants to get paid as a starter, he’s a bench player…
what a weird way to start the nfl season…
Politics is more deadly than football (runs and hides, like most Israelis on the left do these days).