News & Blogs
Anunoby exits Knicks game with hamstring injury – ESPN
Knicks’ Landry Shamet embraces next man up mentality on career scoring night – SNY
Game Thread: Knicks vs. Heat, Nov. 14, 2025 – Posting & Toasting
Knicks 140-132 Heat (Nov 14, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN
Knicks outlast Heat in latest test of Mike Brown’s defense: ‘They’re so hard to guard’ – SNY
Knicks 140, Heat 132: ShamWow steps up, mops up Miami – Posting & Toasting
test 📱 – Knick of Time
Knicks 140, Heat 132 | “Where were you for the Landry Shamet game?!” #Knicks #NBA – Knicks Film School
Landry Shamet’s Career Night! | KFTV Reacts – Knicks Fan TV
The Run.down Knicks vs Heat Postgame Show – The Strickland
YT News
62 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.11.16)”
The point I’m trying to make is not that 3rd lead guard is our top priority.
It’s that:
A) Kolek has no present value, a fact underscored by Brown not even trusting him when Brunson is out and he needed some PG minutes
B) the many players who signed for the vet min this summer have real present value.
C) Kolek’s future value is worth less than the present value of those players, so his best value to us right now is as matching salary.
You can use that matching salary to solve whatever problem you think needs to be solved.
I personally would trade Huk, Kolek, and 2nds for either Bagley or Landale. Then I’d sign either Simmons or Wright to replace Kolek. Then we’d actually have 12 replacement level players instead of 10.
I would also add:
D) if upon exploring the trade market you find that none of these teams want to trade their vet min guys, then just dump Kolek and sign one of the vets available now.
I’m a little less out on Huk. I wouldn’t dump him just to pick up a free agent. Only to get one of the much better currently on teams.
Wondering when we’ll hear more about OG’s timetable.
Boy, will the team be small without him. Unless Huk gets out of the doghouse, then on nights when Mitch is resting, we might have a starting lineup of
C KAT
PF Hart
SF Mikal
SG Shamet
PG Deuce
This is where it would be really nice if Dadiet or McCullar were actually capable of playing big league minutes…
Why do you say this about the Lakers? It must be news I haven’t heard yet
Knick fan: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6810632/2025/11/15/lakers-nba-gambling-investigation-congress-damon-jones/
Thanks Alan
I was impressed we won the game without Brunson or OG and I’m worried about our next game, which is on the road against them again. We’re probably going to have to score a lot of points to win and I doubt Shamet can do it again.
I suggested this one, kind of hate to say it aloud, but Deuce for Eason works. It would address our needs better, and Eason is out for a month, so maybe Houston would be more open to it now.
Eason is really good. I could be wrong but I think his cost is closer to Mikal Bridges than Deuce.
I’m pretty content with our top 10, even Yabu. Just want to tinker with 11 & 12 so we can get through the season without burning out.
If anyone “burns out” that would fall squarely on Brown’s shoulders. He stated definitively that he wasn’t going to “chase wins” by playing guys too many minutes.
If he doesn’t trust the guys on the end of the bench, he’s no different than Thibs in that regard. I have no doubt that Kolek, Huk, and Dadiet could eat some minutes (and McCullar, Diawara, Tosan, and Jemison as well) if Brown was actually significantly different in regard to not chasing regular season wins.
But the reality is that it’s really a non-issue for now. This would be the absolute worst time to dump those guys, since a) their value is at its absolute lowest, and b) there is a whole slew of players that have trade restrictions. For example our very own Mikal, Yabu, Shamet, Clarkson, and Diawara all have trade restrictions right now, in most cases until December 15 (Mikal is February 1). We will have like 14 games between now and then, and then nearly another 2 months and 24 games before the February 5 trade deadline. That’s plenty of time to figure out what moves would improve our chances going in to the playoffs.
Houston actually needs Kolek more than Deuce
I did have to laugh at the irony when Brown was asked about why he left Jalen in for so long in the Magic game and he responded about how “ no lead is safe” and they could still have come back and won.
I’m a firm believer that the last two minutes of games are worse in terms of assessing talent than summer league, G-league, or preseason. You have basically two chances for anyone to take a shot before having to dribble out the last 20 seconds, and four other end-of-bench players also desperate to show something. If you get a shot, it’s most likely out of rhythm.
I don’t think any of us really know what we have with Huk, Kolek, or Dadiet. I’m with Z-Man in that we both saw a very cromulent NBA player in Huk before he got hurt last year, so why no run now is curious. Kolek needs a consistent shot — if he has or gets one, he’s a puzzle piece given that he brings great court vision and passing. If not, his at best basic defense makes him borderline unplayable. I’m Knox-PTSD with Dadiet, but that’s me, maybe he’ll still develop.
All to say I’m definitely not in the ‘trade them now’ camp.
OG out at least 2 weeks.
“I’m a firm believer that the last two minutes of games are worse in terms of assessing talent than summer league, G-league, or preseason. You have basically two chances for anyone to take a shot before having to dribble out the last 20 seconds, and four other end-of-bench players also desperate to show something. If you get a shot, it’s most likely out of rhythm.”
Correct. The time to throw those guys in to see what they can do is in the second quarter, and surrounded by regulars. If Brown believes that the game is going to be won or lost in those minutes, he is no different than Thibs in that regard.
“I don’t think any of us really know what we have with Huk, Kolek, or Dadiet.”
Well, we sort of know that they are not rotation-level at this time (except maybe Huk, the jury is still out). We just don’t whether they will develop, given ample opportunity.
“I’m with Z-Man in that we both saw a very cromulent NBA player in Huk before he got hurt last year, so why no run now is curious.”
My guess is that a) Brown is wrestling with the Yabu dilemma, and b) Brown is not going to play a non-shooter unless it’s Mitch, i.e. a guy who more than makes up for it in other ways.
“I did have to laugh at the irony when Brown was asked about why he left Jalen in for so long in the Magic game and he responded about how “ no lead is safe” and they could still have come back and won.”
Yeah, that nonsense about not chasing wins was rich. Especially given the win-or-else nature of this season and the pressures of this media market. I’d like to see him spot in the kids, but am not holding my breath.
If both OG and Brunson are out tomorrow and he only plays 8 guys, we can formally dispense of that bullshit.
“OG out at least 2 weeks.”
Well there you go.
This is a great opportunity for Brown to practice what he preached. Next man up (not same men up, just for more minutes.)
Part of Mikal’s minutes being so high is likely because he’s our best defender (by reputation at least) and our defensive rating was an abysmal 129.4. The best offense in the league right now is around 123.
I also want to throw out there that Yabu, not OG, inexplicably has our lowest (best) Drtg at 107.4. Its only 106 minutes, almost certainly noise especially given his play, but thought I’d note it.
Apparently McCullar has back spasms and hasn’t been playing. No idea why this wasn’t, as far as I know, reported anywhere else:
https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/headlines/kevin-mccullar-injury-misses-g-league-game-with-injury-502912
One of Dadiet, Diawara, or Tosan should get some of OG’s minutes over the next two weeks. Try them all and stick with the best one. I’m a Diawara guy right now, but honestly, I don’t care which one.
Just getting back to my comment about the Lakers being a good underdog bet to win the championship, one of the main reasons I feel that way is DeAndre Ayton. He’s still not putting up positive BPM numbers, but he has so much talent, and is playing so hard, that I think he will get better and better, especially once LeBron comes back.
Higher value than Deuce, but Houston needs guards if they want to take advantage of this window with Durant. Kolek may be more of a pure point, but they are really into defense, and Deuce would likely be more appealing. Through in a second, or hell, include Kolek and they can throw in dreck in return. We should still have enough guards.
No one anyone ever said we should lose games just to rest our star players and avoid injures. People said wherever the line is where you should start considering taking players out or resting them, Thibs almost always blew past it in obvious fashion. He was taking unwarranted injury risk and wearing down players that were already playing huge minutes even when a win was already very secure or we had a very soft opponent.
You don’t throw away wins just to keep players rested and avoid injuries. You find that middle ground where maybe over a season you blow a couple of games by resting a guy that could have played or playing them fewer minutes in a close game, but you are fresher late in the season. When Brown starts repeatedly crossing the line in either direction in obvious fashion, I’ll be the first to whine. So far I think he’s doing a good job with minutes.
I don’t think the Lakers have good enough defenders to win a championship. I left them off my pre season bets. But when Lebron is healthy they should have a top 3 offense between Doncic, Lebron and Reaves even though there’s a huge skill overlap between them. That should be good enough to make noise.
I honestly wouldn’t even know McCullar was a Knick if it weren’t the few times he gets mentioned here.
Throw Dadiet to the wolves, at least against bench units.
I like that idea a lot.
Same, coach. Same
I feel the exact same way when Mitch is healthy and playing. When he’s truly engaged, he is as unstoppable as you can be without a clearly defined offensive game. Folks like to say Centers who contribute the way he does are fairly easy to replace. Not Mitch. He is way more effective at it. He has a prime Ben Wallace/Camby/Tyson Chandler/Steven Adams- like effect. I you ask me, he’s nearing prime-Rodman or Ben Wallace level. All he has to do is stay on the floor. Unfortunately for Mitch, players like him don’t get all star consideration in today’s NBA. But he’s absolutely all star caliber
Tosan put together 665 bad, but still playable in the NBA bad, minutes last season for the Nets. He might make more sense in there as a stopgap forward than Dadiet.
EB is probably right, I’m just Dadiet curious.
I don’t think Mitch will ever get all-league consideration unless he becomes something of a full-time player. So far this year, he has played 6 games and 97 minutes. That comes down to 16 mpg in half of our games.
When, if ever, will that change? When will he be cleared for, say, 24 mpg and playing in all games except b2b’s? And if he does, how long will his foot/ankle hold up?
It’s really a bad problem to have. On one hand, he is awesome. On the other, you have to play most of your minutes without him, and risk losing him for the most critical games in the last 25 years.
The less we depend on him, the better. This is why Huk should be getting an opportunity to sink or swim, and sooner than later.
Fair enough. I want to see Dadiet too, he just hasn’t looked ready any of the times I have seen him. If he could come in and just knock down even 35% of his 3s it’d be really nice. He theoretically does a lot of the things Mike Brown wants done on the offensive end.
Agreed, but what’s up with Hukporti? Is he really that deep in Brown’s doghouse already? I was floored when Mitch was in foul trouble and KAT was resting, to see Huk not get a look Friday.
Huk makes mistakes, particularly fouling a lot, as do many young, inexperienced rim-protecting C’s. But he’s a good rebounder, a good finisher, a good lob target, can block a shot, can pass a bit, and runs the floor very well. Also seems like a good egg.
Come on, Mike, give the kid 5 mpg.
I mentioned in the Miami game thread that Brown was going to need to dip into the Yabu/Huk bucket. He didn’t, and we won in exciting fashion. So that was cool. Next game is also against Miami, an idiosyncratic offensive team that plays at D’Antonian pace. So maybe Huk and Yabu stay in mothballs for that one.
At some point you have to start digging into that bucket though. The criticism of Thibs was that he focused too much on what players CAN’T do and not enough on what they CAN. Let’s hope Brown doesn’t do the same thing. We’re in the first quarter of the season and we’re having some key guys go down already. Let’s see what some of the deeper bench guys can do. We have some games coming up against crummy opponents who will also have to send out some suboptimal players. Would be nice to see some of our guys in the 10-12 range of the roster contribute something.
Man OG out is gonna be tough.
I was thinking about the Knicks style of play and whether it is leading to tired legs and lower scoring in the second half. It does seem like they’re scoring less so far, 63.3 points in 1st half (3rd) vs 58.8 points in second half (11th). Is that meaningful or just noise? If it does feel real, is this is something they can address by getting more into mid-season form, or maybe just better focus on keeping guys fresh once everyone is healthy and we have proven depth hopefully 🤞🏾🤷🏾♂️?
It also has me thinking about the interview Pablo Torre had with Haralabos Voulgaris last week, he talked about how the visiting team typically chooses to defend in front of their bench for the second half, and that this is why teams tend to defend better /score less in the second half. Is this a widely known/accepted fact? Do you buy that defending in front of your bench is what is driving the effect?
True, but the Heat played Kel’el Ware 35 minutes. I don’t see why Huk couldn’t be on the floor opposite of him for 5 of those.
https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/1st-half-points-per-game
https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/2nd-half-points-per-game
On threats, including death threats toward families, related to betting:
Multiple NBA stars have been outspoken about fans’ messages that “crossed the line.” New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson recently said he’s been sent “some pretty messed up sh–. The worst things you’re thinking of, it’s worse than that.”
Interesting, Bob, thanks.
howdy z-man, i hope your sunday is a bunch of smoothness for ya…
that seems both reasonable and smart to get another big in to the rotation equation…our defense needs some help, not sure if the stats show that to be in the paint and around the rim though…
was thinking that maybe MB has targeted yabu for back up big minutes to get him on track, and is okay with a smallish lineup on the court…
I was okay with OG snatching yabu’s backup 4 minutes, not pleased though that yabu’s primarily playing center…
Hey geo, all is good, except I found out recently that I have something called Alpha Gal Syndrome. Alas, no more Daily Burgers at MSG for me.
Wow, Z-Man, so sorry to hear about the Alpha-gal.
Still, you’re doing a fine job of writing all my posts for me today.
Thanks, Raven. My new dietary lifestyle will take some getting used to, but I’ve had the healthiest 67 years that anyone could ever ask for so it’s all good. The Lone Star ticks that cause them are rapidly encroaching on these parts (I got bitten on a golf course out on the East End of LI, where they are already prevalent) so you’ll be hearing a lot more about it in coming years. This unfortunate case might bring a lot of awareness to this growing problem. Thankfully, when I had my serious allergic episode in the middle of the night, I pretty much knew what it was and immediately went for blood testing to confirm. That poor guy had no awareness and shrugged it off.
The thing about it is that unlike other food allergies that make the sufferer symptomatic within minutes, folks usually react to alpha gal several hours after consumption. Because of this, they don’t make the connection between what they ate and what caused them to develop symptoms. I had already researched it because I got bitten by dozens, if not hundreds of lone star tick larvae, those buggers are like the size of a grain of sand and basically invisible. Their bites are often confused with chiggers. I had a very bad reaction to the bites themslves, but they went away and I continued to eat meat, cheese, etc. including in Portugal, with zero symptoms, until I had a terrible night two months after getting bitten.
Many doctors never heard of it, and folks have gone years without knowing what was causing their weird reactions. I was patient zero for my allergist in White Plains, and he’s been in the business for decades.
Proving once again that golf is no bueno…
scary when stuff happens and you’re not sure why it’s happening to you…what a blessing to have some clarity in the moment, instead of totally freaking out…
was sitting at my desk one day at work and noticed red marks on my arms…do remember that when I went to take a pic and zoomed in almost passed out…never assumed though it was anything but some kind of bite from something…
was absolutely sure it was some reaction (bites) to these wool yoga blankets at the studio i was going to…literally called the place and was insistent there was something up with them 😳
forgot when or how I finally figured out it was just some stupid stress hives thing, talk about your mind playing tricks on you…
sometimes it’s all in your head, and sometimes some small insidious creature makes a meal of you…
hopefully this thing clears after a while and you get back to indulging in glorious carnivorous ways…
We need another big more than we need a backup PG but Huk seems closer to being a rotation player than Kolek although Kolek seems to have one elite skill (passing/court vision) while Huk seems to be the more well rounded player with no super exploitable weaknesses (relative to his depth position).
Must not see TV – the 1-11 Nets are playing the 1-11 Wizards.
Z-man, that’s really bad about the alpha gal. My condolences
d-mar, I actually turned that game on right before you posted. If I was a wizards fan, I would be depressed. The Wizards are losing by more than ten points, and look worse than that on offense and they are the team with some top recent draft picks. I’m watching the Wizards feed and the announcers sometimes don’t bother to call tge game, instead discussing things like how the Wizards foreign players are appreciating Thanksgiving.
I think the Wizards are closer to being good than they look. Sarr is legit and only 20. Kyshawn has potential. Bilal and Tre have potential. They have cap space and picks. I think they are on the right track.
It could be, but who knows. Actually, even though the Wizards offense looked bad, their defense impressed me. I guess that gives hope too.
Washington is 28th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating…
I guess the Nets are making Washington’s defense look good
Thanks, Knicks fan
I was in Houston this week…went to the rockets v wiz game….sarr and George are both good building blocks…they need to get dead wood like mcollum and middleton out of there…and whitmore is one of those high talent no teamwork guys you need to get away from the team because he seems like he doesn’t give a crap about anything but getting his….kispert and the two others that zman mentioned are also decent…not sure about the coach though…
Wizards don’t want to give the Knicks the 1st rd pick so they will continue the obvious tanking
*Rockets/Magic crazy game
When Green and Curry combine to go 4-25, you should really try to find a way to beat them.
Willie Green laughs
I have no idea why, but a Linsanity video popped up on my home screen on YouTube (it’s not an anniversary or anything, right? So what’s up with THAT, algorithm?”).
I mention it only to note that I thought I’d check something, and sure enough, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love are the only players still in the NBA who played for any of the teams (Knicks included) during that 7-0 (or 8-1, I know some people like to count the Mavericks win as the capper to it all) Linsanity stretch.
Fuck, we’re old.
Fuck, Z-Man, I’m sorry, that fucking SUCKS.