News & Blogs
Suns 112, Knicks 107: Out-clutched in Cactusville – Posting & Toasting
How Trae Young’s trade to Wizards impacts Knicks looming offseason plans – New York Daily News
Miles McBride’s impact on Knicks’ starting lineup on full display in win over Clippers – SNY
Knicks Bulletin: ‘That’s what you got an agent for’ – Posting & Toasting
How to watch Knicks vs. Suns: TV channel and streaming options for January 9 – The New York Times
Knicks begin West Coast road trip with 112-107 loss to Suns – SNY
Knicks Blow Late Chance in Phoenix: ISO Ball Returns, KAT Frozen Out, 18 TOs | Rapid Recap – Knicks Fan TV
Knicks at Blazers Preview w/ Dan Marang | PREGAME POD | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
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61 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.01.11)”
Favorable 10 or so games coming up (Philly and Phoenix being the bumps in the road), particularly if Hart is back.
My thought of the morning:
what if we hadn’t panicked when Hartenstein left?
No Mikal trade, not KAT trade. Just draft and plug with free agents.
We had the 24th, 25th, 38th, and 51st pick in 2024. We would have had the 17th and 19th picks in 2025, and whatever our pick ended up being. We’d have all our draft picks to still use.
This is essentially the approach the Celtics took after losing Tatum.
We probably wouldn’t have made the conference finals last year, but we’d still have. been good. And I think we’d be in much better shape today.
You might be right, but maybe we give MB time to figure out this – like in Pulp Fiction – KAT situation. 😉 😛
I liked the trade for KAT because i thought he’d be a lot more useful in a trade for Giannis or a similar player, still do. But if we aren’t going to trade him, then yeah, i wouldn’t have done it.
What you’re saying is logical, however in practice:
(1)Brunson, DiVincenzo, OG, Hart, Randle (Deuce/Mitch bench)
(2) Plus who those picks actually are (or even who was still available at that point in the draft), doesn’t have me bemoaning what could’ve been. And yes, there would be more picks.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2024.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2025.html
Shout out to Luther Burden III, the grandson of former Knick player Ticky Burden for his outstanding rookie season with the Bears. I spent many an evening in Salt Lake watching Grandpa hoist em up from every angle in the winters of 73-74.
1. 2023 Playoff Team plus KAT trade
2. 2023 Playoff Team, ex-KAT trade
3. January (2024) Knicks.
It’s not working out with KAT and the new coach. Time to seriously consider moving on from the new coach. (Picking the new coach over KAT is obviously a preposterous idea.)
Leon was caught unprepared for his owner firing Thibs and wound up with a bad fit. He can still rectify it, and I’m 85%+ certain his owner would let him.
I was sort of ambivalent re: tha KAT trade, in large part due to Randle’s contract situation. But trading five firsts for Mikal and having none left to trade was an unforgivable blunder. If there is a single decision that will define the ceiling of this team, it’s that one.
And that’s the rub. Leon clearly felt that the Brunson era would define his legacy and sacrificed the post-Brunson era to go all-in.
And it all comes down to undervaluation of picks as trade currency.
But hey, this is what we got, so looking back doesn’t do me any good as a fan. It’s a fun team to live and die with. Hopefully they will be decent in their next iteration as well.
Didn’t the Mikal trade happen before we lost IHart?
January Knicks plus Mikal with Mitch coming back last spring would have beaten the pacers and maybe even OKC.
Now if the question is should we have not traded KAT after we lost IHart, that, to me, is the more interesting question bc that is the actual scenario we could have had.
A team with Randle and Divo last year but no IHart would have had Randle playing center with Huk as the back up. No bueno however we probably could have found scoured the g-league and waiver wire for some tall schlubs that could have filled in.
That team would have gotten killed on the boards but would have had slightly better depth for the regular season plus an additional first round pick to use somewhere down the line.
I guess precious would have been the back up center
I also remain ambivalent about Brown. He’s as whatever as a coach can get. Same cake, different frosting.
It’s on Brown and Brunson to figure this out. KAT has been a high level scorer on multiple teams with multiple coaches and teammates. If KAT is unhappy it’s because he doesn’t have a consistent role in the offense, is not getting the ball consistently and/or not getting in places where he is most effective. Ask HIM!!! One of the reasons we fired Thibs was because he wasn’t flexible enough. Anyone want to make a bet KAT would be averaging close to 30 with high efficiency if D’Antoni was the coach? I’m obviously not advocating a coaching change. I’m advocating the coach getting on Brunson’s ass about distributing the ball, designing some plays for KAT and fixing this so we can concentrate on defense. Offense should not be an issue with this much talent.
Towns had a very good year last year with the same PG. The coaches system is the issue which Towns basically admitted to start the season . If a guy has zero interest in buying in nothing will change .
“But trading five firsts for Mikal and having none left to trade was an unforgivable blunder. If there is a single decision that will define the ceiling of this team, it’s that one.”
Draft pick fuck-up ranking:
1. The five 1s for Mikal.
2. The lottery pick quasi-incineration (Jalen Duren, Jalen Williams)
3. The Incineration (Jalen Johnson)(*)
(*) Arguably Knickerblogger’s finest hour was identifying Jalen Johnson ahead of the draft and in the immediate wake of The Incineration as someone the Knicks should have taken. He’s now a top-20 player.
I really don’t get the idea that KAT is being somehow frozen out the offense. What I see are multiple attempts by our guards to get him the ball at the top of the key, after which he shoots a 3 (and mostly misses) holds the ball over his head looking for cutters or does one of his clumsy ass drives to the hoop
I have no sympathy for his whining, start making shots and stop with the dumb offensive fouls and turnovers.
Re: KAT, idk y’all, the numbers seem to say he’s just in a funk/shooting slump.
His 3pt attempt rate and Ft rate are both up over last year, he’s just missing more shots (maybe taking worse shots?)
His rebound, assist, and block % are all basically the same, so I don’t think it’s a hustle issue. And his usage is only very slightly down (probably just from getting benched for sucking more often).
Hard to blame Brown for that. KAT’s “getting his”, he just makes idiotic moves with the ball more often than not.
And since he makes like 60 mil, we’re basically stuck with him, so I hope he turns it around.
I guess one difference could be his mindset with Brown. We know he respected Thibs and trusted him during hard times but idk if he feels that way about Brown yet. Nevertheless, it would behoove him to do that rather than pout.
His offensive rating tanked from 125 to 113 pre and post all star break with 2 less rebounds/game.
the two transactions (acquiring mikal and losing ihart) literally both occurred on the same day july 6, 2024
Is KAT a kid? He can’t do anything about it?
So i went for a hike, given the little time i had (1 hour and a half) i opted for less miles (3) but steep climbs. It felt great, the weather is as good as it gets, with light rain cleaning the air. And now i’m going to visit my mom, the best way to finish the weekend. 🙂
What are you guys up to?
They happened on the first day of free agency but the Mikal trade had been worked out before that day.
As a part of her birthday week, Ms. Z-man and I took in Hadestown and then dinner, and finally a jazz bar called the Wallace lounge. Now having brunch on a beautiful UWS morning. Looking forward to Knicks plus Bills.
upper west side
New wave Tea Dance in Bed Stuy, then lucky Charlie’s then Marty Supreme
Loved Hadestown. What did you think?
It was fantastic! Only issue was that the seats were tight, my knees took a beating!
Cyber, delightfully boring Sunday. Laundry all day, go to the gym (too much running this past week), a bit of work on tasks I’ve been studiously avoiding all week, the game, probably the new Ricky Gervais special for this evening, hot tub, martini, bed.
Oh, also attend a protest, mostly to make sure Lady Raven isn’t run over by an F-150. Went to one yesterday as well, on a busy thoroughfare, and only got two middle fingers. I’d list my favorite signs, at least one that made me laugh out loud, but I may be the biggest proponent of no politics on this site, so no beuno.
Lazy Sunday. Playing as the Knicks on NBA 2K26 with my teen son. Essentially my first ever video game experience after our holiday PS5 purchase.
I cannot figure out how to rebound. Hahaha
The thing is last year Mikal was unhappy in thibs’s system. At some point Brunson, KAT, Mikal and OG are all gonna have to figure out the offensive pecking order and all of them are gonna have to make sacrifices in order to make it work. This isn’t even considering that one some nights Hart or Deuce could also have it going.
Brunson is clearly number one but KAT should clearly be number two and some nights KAT might have it going or have the better match up and be the top scorer and shot taker. Mikal should probably clearly be number three and OG clearly number four but same thing and there might be nights where one of them is the second highest scorer and shot taker. Brunson needs to facilitate more and facilitate earlier, especially with KAT.
Some of this could just be KAT struggling with his shot and I do think Hart’s absence is a big deal. He makes everyone’s life easier by doing all the little things. He really is the heart of the team.
They were showing soccer highlights on the big screen in the gym today and I was wondering if Brunson could have been the best player ever. His footwork, and spatial awareness, are legendary. For soccer he’s tall. His defense would not have been an issue. The only thing I’m not sure about is his speed.
Steve Nash was apparently a pretty good soccer player…
what a wonderful post today cyber, that warmed my heart and made me smile…
always trying to teach the kids the importance of checking in with folks: how are you doing? and, what are you up to?
here in beautiful sunny ‘so cal’ things are well…
got the boys over so that means get up, walk the dog, then start cleaning, then cooking…
slicing up some leftover steak to put in to and make some chili 😊
looks like bestest friend to geo is now planning to move down this way and come stay for a while…
the people around me have such busy lives coming and going and doing stuff…who knows what will happen next with any of them, just try to keep myself as healthy and caught up on my own stuff so I can react and engage with other folks’ stuff…
oh yeah – and more football today senhor cyber…yay…
I think this is the day the deal could officially go through but the terms were finalized a week or two beforehand
If having Mitch in doesn’t automatically give you the offensive rebound every other possession, you should ask for a refund
Knicks may have known iHart would leave ahead of time, but I thought the Mikal trade was announced first.
I’d keep the KAT trade, nix the Bridges trade, and then swap Giannis for KAT and 5 picks or another package this past off-season.
Last year the starting lineup would be:
Brunson
Deuce
Hart
OG
KAT
This year it could be:
Brunson
Deuce
Hart
OG
Giannis
That’s how the Celtics ended up with Neemas Queta and Luke Garza.
Hey Cyber, did my 7.5 miles of steady cardio on Randall’s Island ( nice paths along the East River), lunch at Emmets on McDougal in W. Village with fam and a walk east on Houston to FDR drive. Saw a person wearing a bunny suit with a space visor, otherwise nothing notable. Emmets had a great 70’s playlist.
It’s not just that Mikal and KAT have underperformed in alternating years. It’s that they’ve been locker room cancers in alternating years. Mikal is probably the biggest reason Thibs got fired, and KAT has been passive aggressively undermining Brown like a little bitch since day 1 even though everyone else seemed pretty happy. Neither of them fit the program we had built, and both of them bring a malcontent factor that I don’t want to keep dealing with every year.
I hope they figure it out and this turns out to be the crucible they needed but if this season ends like last year I think it’s time to pivot. Both of them should have good trade value this summer (and this might be the last time that’s ever something you can say about KAT — I do think the Trae saga is a big warning about what will happen if we wait too long).
It was just on them to figure out making Mikal and OG happy! They did. And now KAT’s not happy.
It’s zero sum, dude. Fix KAT and then you go back to Mikal and OG being unhappy. But since they actually do all the work on defense and don’t commit three stupid fouls a game, frankly KAT can go fuck himself as far as I’m concerned. He is not being asked to stand in the corner like Mikal was. He is getting great looks and plenty of touches. He’s just playing like shit and blaming everyone else around him. It’s pathetic. And I do not think the answer is to make him happy again at everyone else’s expense.
Josh Hart is back today.
Happy B’Week to Lady Z-man! 🥳 Please tell her that meeting her, and you, was one of the brightest points of 2025 for me. 😉
Sabonis was the center of Sacramento’s offense, in multiple senses of the word.
So it’s not like KAT wouldn’t get touches at the 5, but he needs to be okay with looking for the pass first.
Early on Brown was also talking about playing KAT at the 4, which would free him up to do the same things OG & Brunson & Mikal do.
Maybe Brown is being a massive douche because KAT isn’t Sabonis as a passer, but KAT should have plenty of opportunities to show his game.
I wonder if Diawara and McCullar will still get token minutes just to keep them in the mix
Was going to ask the same, although i already imagined the answer because i love Anaïs Mitchell. 🙂
LOL. Ricky Gervais, Martinis and a Knicks game, looks like a perfect sunday to me. 😉
That’s great, father and son bonding. Did you take the Knicks to the Finals? 😀
So nice that your sunday seems to be going great too, Geo. 🙂
“Happy B’Week to Lady Z-man! 🥳 Please tell her that meeting her, and you, was one of the brightest points of 2025 for me. 😉”
Thanks, cyber, we feel the same way, although meeting your mom may have been the topper! 😉
Another sweet sunday, so good to hear you’re all having a great day. 70s playlist sounds really good, that was a great time in music.
was thinking of you when I updated the song link on my name…
a very pleasant sound, similar to how you started our day off here 😊
Wow, and our sunday gets even better. 🙂
I know this one – it’s the triangle button on playstation (y on xbox)…
thing that drives me nuts is the shooting mechanism, so hard for me to shoot threes…doesn’t help that son puts the setting on max level or whatever…heck it’s difficult to even do layups like that…
all he ever wants to play though is the one on one blacktop mode…
the boys go through these flows, right now it’s all about gaming with their friends, not that I really mind much – hard to even get them out of the house though lately…
Great tune, Geo. Didn’t noticed your name had a link to a song, do you change it often?
So on max level, you feel like OG, is that it? 😀
Broadway seats are just killer. I seriously avoid theater just to avoid putting myself through the torture on my knees.
got a nice story for you cyber…
was at the ymca friday night for youngest son’s (son 2.0) game…prior to the game we ran in to his first ymca league coach, from a few years ago…
tall and lean fellow that is just bursting with passion for life and kids…he’s got a couple of kids himself that play…better yet, he’s naturally loud like me, which makes me feel good too…
I recognize now the elevated voice thing as some kind of anxiety reaction…oh well…
after his own child’s game he hung around to watch and cheer for youngest son…give him some motivatoonal coaching…
fills my heart with joy to see the love he has for his own kids, and his willingness to share that with other folks’ kids too…
there are a lot of good folk’s there helping to make it a great environment for kids to be at…some folks just stand out and shine, he’s definitely one whom reinforces my faith in my fellow human…
at this age of ball (different divisions range from like 5 to 17) – biggest differentiator is aggression and energy…
it’s been cool to see oldest son (son number one) suddenly flip a switch the last few games (playoffs at that) and impact the game with his play…
There have been reports of KAT”s difficulties in Minnesota with Thibs and Jimmy Butler ( admittedly two no-nonsense dudes), so what’s happening now shouldn’t come as a surprise. One would think, in hiring Brown managing KAT’s personality would have been an important issue.
What do we need to get a win? On my list i have Brian saying that he still feels “great about 58”, and i think we need BBA to get back to saying “this will be the worst loss of the season”, because that’s usually when Brunson takes over, and without it he has lost the clutch factor. 😀
If Knicks get a big lead tonight and seem like they’re on the verge of blowing it in the 2nd half I promise Cyber to say it’ll be the worst loss of the season!
Although the thing with the Knicks losses recently is they really haven’t lost to bad teams. They’re also 16-4 at MSG so it’s not like they’ve lost a bunch of stupid games at home.
The only huge lead they’ve blown in 2nd half was at San Antonio and it took a fluke crazy 3pt performance by a scrub to win it for them.
too funny, many of us seem to have recently latched on to the idea that KAT will most likely turn out to be a 2 to 3 year rental…
show us wrong el grande gato…
that’s very reasonable BBA, will check back in with you around half time…
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