News & Blogs
Knicks’ Jose Alvarado: Set to make team debut Sunday – CBS Sports
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston to compete for Team Knicks in Shooting Stars event at NBA All-Star weekend – SNY
Knicks Bulletin: ‘Just focused on us’ – Posting & Toasting
Pistons 118, Knicks 80: “Do we really need a recap of this game?” – Posting & Toasting
How to watch Knicks vs. Celtics: TV channel and streaming options for February 8 – The New York Times
Knicks Injury Tracker: Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby questionable, Jose Alvarado to make debut vs. Celtics – SNY
Knicks at Celtics – Recap & Reaction | POSTGAME SHOW | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
The Run.down Knicks vs Celtics Postgame Show – The Strickland
KNICKS at CELTICS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | February 8, 2026 – NBA
Jose Alvarado Makes His Knicks Debut & Shines | Full Recap – Knicks Fan TV
YT News
82 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.02.09)”
I assume if the Knicks would’ve lost yesterday there’d be alot more comments right now…
There should be anyway, but I assume that you’d be correct on that.
Macri pointed out that since the beginning of last season Boston scored less than 90 points 4 times. 3 were against the Knicks.
Noice.
Sooner or later the Celtics (and Jokic) are going to start hitting some 3s and making our lives more difficult. It wasn’t our elite perimeter defense (ha ha) that stopped them. We should just count our blessings for now and be happy they didn’t. In the mean time, I think some teams should probably reexamine the data, look at Detroit, OKC, Houston and others and maybe develop or get players with other skillsets and go from there.
We’ve got shooting with Shamet and Jalen; rebounding with Mitch and KAT; passing with Kolek and Jalen; and defense with Mitch, OG, Alvie, and Deuce when he returns. What else do we need to shore up?
By the way, Alvie moved immediately to the top of our stat sheet on steals per 36 with 2.9 (ahead of OG’s 1.9).
My main takeaways:
Celts:
-The Celts as currently constructed are not as good as there record because they have a lunatic coach…quite different than Thibs in that he plays the kids and has a modern approach, but he’s outcoaching teams at the margins and those margins are not going to hold up in a 7-game series against a better team with a decent coaching staff.
-Vuc will only help them marginally because he is an even worse defensive player than KAT and his 3pt shooting is not really all that reliable…he’s averaged 35% for his 6 years in CHI on 5 attempts per 36. He seemed old out there.
-Obviously if Tatum comes back 100% or close they become a more formidable team, but definitely beatable.
Knicks:
-Diawara stepping up made a huge impact in a game where OG was unavailable. Obviously Mo is nowhere close to OG but you could tell that the Celts felt him and his huge defensive radius…7’4″ wingspan and 9’2″ standing reach…it’s not Wemby but sort of Wemby-esque in how offensive players feel him. his motor has him trailing drivers for trail blocks and deflections…the main thing is that he can impact games positively even without making shots, so long as he doesn’t do rookie dumb stuff.
-Jose Alvarado was 100% as advertised, a TJ McCollum-level pest who can do good things on both ends so long as you don’t overly rely on him. To come in to a big rivalry game like that and just take over for a few minutes here and there was a sight to behold. Tyler, I like you but this guy is way more ready for prime time. Keep the faith, your moments will come.
-Mikal quietly had a monster game on both ends, not his absolute A game but a huge reason why we won. Brown got you a few times but we can always live with him getting 26 points on 25 shots.
-Mitch hitting 3 of 4 FTs in a short stretch was a joy to behold. I hate when the hack-a-Mitch works and don’t blame Mazz for going to it….but if anything it backfired in this game, as foul trouble on his bigs was a huge factor.
-Brunson with a predictable bounce-back masterpiece.
-KAT has moments but two plays had me get so angry that my wife told me to calm down: the ridiculous offensive foul on a 4-0n-1 break, and the 3-second violation. As Macri always points out, his mistakes are very loud. We will need way more from him going forward.
“What else do we need to shore up?”
I would still like to see a better bench big than Huk…who I like but do not think is ready for prime time moments.
I would also like to see a veteran defensive wing who can score a little bit. Someone in the Jeff Green of 5 years ago mold.
But with the acquisition of Jose and the emergence of Shamet and Mo, I feel a lot better about our depth. The most encouraging development is the marginalization of Clarkson, he’s been sort of put in his place and knows that he won’t play unless he can contribute positively.
More generally, knowing that our depth is no longer dependent on Yabu or Clarkson is a great development….assuming Deuce is not done for the season.
They never call three seconds, come on
Mikal had a great game. With all the switches, no one defender can be credited, but he was very good on both ends. Efficient and effective.
KAT going bowling ball on their bigs immediately after the Mitch hackety packety may or may not have been by design, but you could immediately see them recognize the advantage with the extra foul on queta and that KAT was leveraging it.
Agree Z-Man, but I’ll just point out that I very much liked Kolek coming in late and draining two threes in under four minutes — the last of which was clearly an “I’ma gonna take this” shot. Showed some chutzpah.
But I did really enjoy Alvarado enormously. He’s going to be fun.
it’s not Wemby but sort of Wemby-esque in how offensive players feel him.
throwing the challenge flag on that one
“They never call three seconds, come on”
Are you saying that players routinely are in the lane for well more than 3 seconds and the refs ignore it? Or that it’s rare for a player to stay in there for so long with the ball right in front of the ref?
“throwing the challenge flag on that one”
Why? I thought I qualified it enough. Of course, it has to be viewed through the lens of a guy who has only played 10 games of non-cameo minutes. I’m seeing some “elite length” plays from him…aren’t you?
Wemby’s standing reach is only 9’7.
I’ll allow it
(I clearly need a new player to obsess over)
By the way, Mazzulla was quite complimentary to the Knicks in his postgame conference.
“I very much liked Kolek coming in late and draining two threes in under four minutes — the last of which was clearly an “I’ma gonna take this” shot. Showed some chutzpah.”
Yeah, I liked that as well. Kolek may not have established himself as “reliable” but he has shown that he belongs on the roster as a legit depth piece.
mo has 5 career blocks. he is extremely long and rangy and has shown some really nice ability to move his feet in space given his crazy length. he is also slow jumper who has yet to show great timing. wemby is a do-we-have-to-change-the-rules-here defensive unicorn. calling someone wemby-esque requires a very specific series of forms and involves at least three local state agencies. it’s like calling anfernee simons steph-like because he can get off decent looking 30 footer. i would allow anything in the vicinity of mo gueye-esque and oubre-esque.
ptmilo: killer of dreams
I’ll try to amend my Mo love as follows:
He’s the second coming of Scottie Pippin.
“he is also slow jumper who has yet to show great timing.”
I don’t think he’s a slow jumper by trade, just not yet fully adjusted to the speed of the game and thinking rather than reacting, which is probably a good thing at this point and might be keeping him on the floor. “Quick-jumping” rookies are extremely foul-prone.
Now it’s fair to point out that he is not a good rebounder either, suggesting more of a “slow jumper” archetype. But for the time being, I am seeing enough to attribute at least some of that to a dire lack of coaching and meaningful experience. I don’t think playing for a shitty lower-level team in Europe prepares you one bit for what he is facing now, and he came here extremely raw. But I keep hearing his coach and his teammates rave about both his work ethic and rapid improvement, at least I think I hear it…is that just me wishcasting?
In any case, he’s the most exciting unheralded prospect we’ve had on the roster since…IQ? Mitch? David Lee? Mase?
The Hornets deserve a mention around these parts. Their pythagorean record is 30-23, and their actual record is catching up with it. They’ve won 9 in a row and have the 2nd best net rating over the past 10 games (your New York Knickerbockers have the best). Cooper Flagg is incredible and Kon might just have the better ROY case at the moment.
All this to say, they’d be a very annoying first round draw, so I hope the Pistons get hit with that instead of us.
Rookie Scottie Pippen, age 22: 13.6 PTS/36, 6.5 TRB/36, 3.7 AST/36, 2 STL/36, 91 TS+
Rookie Mo D, age 20: 13.7 PTS/36, 5.9 TRB/36, 2.7 AST/36, 1.3 STL/36, 98 TS+
I kid, I kid (the stats are real though), but it’s very nice to have a guy we can dream big on, even irrationally, after a few years of being entirely prospect-free.
Brunson said somewhere in an interview they noticed how well he learns and integrates coaching all the way back from pre season pick up games. He’s got a healthy neural network for sure.
lesser posters would shrink at being bullied into haterdom via the mere suggestion that our tantalizing 51st pick might not quite end up reminiscent of the nba’s greatest all time defenders, but i am willing to bear the burden if it helps motivate you guys to reach your potential and post even more grandiose comps
It’s ok to be a little excited about a guy sometimes fellas. Noooe is calling the kid an MVP but you would be stupid not be a little excited
I once wrote the exact same thing, on this very site, about Renaldo Balkman. It was the beginning of the end for me.
Mitch is the second coming of Bill Russell, but a better scorer
Jose Alvarado is the second coming of TJ McConnell, and when they meet tomorrow night..
“There Will Be Blood”
Hahahaha
I did enjoy this tidbit about Mitch and Deuce
https://x.com/sleeperknicks/status/2020810893764731013?s=46&t=0wqff4cNt-sCGcDs-uMExw
I can’t remember the last time I saw 3 seconds called, and guys camp in the lane all the time. (Hello, Mitch!)
I’m thinking Kareem, but with a three-pointer instead of hook shot
“Mitch is the second coming of Bill Russell, but a better scorer”
One little-known fact is that while Wilt gets tremendous shit for being a terrible FT shooter (career .511) Russell was barely better (career .561).
Of course Russell got better in the playoffs while Wilt got worse, so there’s that!
I think the Pippen comparisons are completely off-base for Diawara.
I’m thinking closer to peak Kawhi with a dash of Dominique Wilkins and a splash of peak Larry Johnson is more appropriate.
Not seeing much LJ, who was a bit of fire hydrant, but the rest of those comps seem spot on…
In all seriousness, though, I hope Leon is offering him a Deuce like contract as we speak. We need to lock that kid up for a few years.
At age 20, Mo has more points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals than Russell, Wilt, MJ, LJ, and Scottie had at the same age…combined.
Site en fuego, as Mr. Bunny would say.
(Still can’t believe that I wasn’t losing my mind thinking I might have seen Jessica Alba on the porch…)
Could Mo have a similar career to another Knicks 2nd rd pick Trevor Ariza?
“Could Mo have a similar career to another Knicks 2nd rd pick Trevor Ariza?”
I, for one, would be very disappointed.
Man, people were really bugging about Bad Bunny singing entirely in Spanish. Like, listen to some reggaeton in your life!
My mother-in-law was complaining about it, and the New Yorker in me started to swell up inside but I just reminded her that Bad Bunny is Puerto Rican… an American territory (lol).
That halftime display was culturally beautiful.
For the people who were complaining about Bad Bunny singing in Spanish the whole time, I’m almost sure that it had nothing to do with his being from Puerto Rico, and everything to do with something much simpler—that is, that they couldn’t enjoy the songs as much because they didn’t know what was being sung.
Rookie Giannis, Age 19-20: 10.0 PTS/36, 6.4 TRB/36, 2.8 AST/36, 1.1 STL/36, 96 TS+
Some happy thoughts on a happy day:
– it was nice to be part of a humbling day for Boston.
– it’s incredible what a difference Alvarado & Diawarra vs Clarkson & Yabu makes, not just on the court but as a fan. I think it was noble who called us a band of MFers. We’re not all the way there yet but I can see it developing.
– Alvarado already looks like the best trade Leon’s made since OG. And both of those acquisition (plus Derrick Rose) are a testament to the fact that when you acquire the right player it doesn’t take 30 games (or a whole year) to gel.
– Leon is as streaky as JR Smith, and from the summer of ‘24 until recently he’s been as good as JR on a 12pm Sunday start, but between drafting Diawarra, firing Thibs, and trading for Jose he might be beginning a new hot streak!
I’m still flabbergasted that Diawara recovered from that ankle sprain so fast, like by the next day! That seemed like a 2-month job.
That’s what I’m talking about, Clarence. KAT is 50% of the hack-a-Mitch strategy. That’s why Boston — a team whose offense is built around hunting mismatches — employs it more regularly than anyone else. They want KAT on the floor as much as they want Mitch off.
Mitch will never get better at free throws and KAT will never be a good defender, but KAT can — and needs to! — punish teams when he has the ball for hacking Mitch out of the game. He has to look at this like a baseball player protecting the guy in front of him. They’re walking Mitch to pitch to him, and he’s not doing anything about it.
Leon and the Knicks have some very interesting decisions to make in the offseason regarding Mitch, Deuce, Diawara and Shamet.
I’m not sure how they all fit.
Someone might offer Diawara a LOT more money than were thinking a few months ago.
The biggest thing about the development of Diawara to me is that if he breaks out to a higher level next year and we are confident he’s a solid two-way starter we can trust, it can change how we are thinking about Mikal and OG and whether we could move one of them with Towns for an upgrade somewhere if they decide the current team needs more than a tweak. Of course, it works the other way too. A lot of teams may covet Diawara.
When all is said and done, this team may look a bit different next year.
I think you guys are jumping the gun way too early on all this Mo excitement especially worrying about teams offering him a decent contract this summer. Should probably pump the brakes a bit.
I think one of two things is gonna happen next offseason:
1) we trade for Giannis and are thus hard-capped at the second apron, which may well cause difficult decisions regarding Mitch, Diawara, and potentially others.
2) we exceed the second apron to bring these guys back, provided the season ends in a way that makes it plausible this group, more or less, can win the 2026-2027 championship. Hopefully, that calculation will involve assessing the likelihood of a repeat.
Going over the second apron once isn’t a huge problem if you like your team. The transaction restrictions aren’t that much more onerous than being over the first. It’s going over it twice in 4 years that sentences your first rounder 7 years down the line to the death penalty, so we’d presumably be looking to get back under it the following year.
Trading for Giannis in the summer would be the death of our current window. Hope to hell it doesn’t happen, although it will likely depend on how we ultimately fare in this year’s playoffs.
Definitely but I don’t think it would be unwise for Leon to lock him up now while he could still be had for a bargain contract a la Deuce. That ended up being one of the best moves Leon made.
Deuce and Mo are apples and oranges. Deuce sucked his first couple of years and was always undersized. He never showed the potential right off the bat that Mo is showing, and never had the tantalizing measurables. He also signed a multiyear deal before he got good, and was easy to extend on the cheap.
Speaking of outlier players, my God, has anyone seen Rutgers center Emmanuel Ogbole yet? He’s 6’10”, 270 lbs, .002% body fat of pure intimidation. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what to do with a ball in his hands, but he could surely pulverize any opponent with ease (Clarence, you in particular might want to google him, just sayin.)
Had no idea that Clarence is a fan of the Scarlet Knights!
Good lookin out, ess! Woof. Michelangelo grasping for his chisels. Bone structure for days.
IMO, Deuce was always good defensively, but he never gave you the impression he could become a star player.
Diawara is already doing some things with the ball in his hands and defensively that make you think he can get a lot better on both sides as he learns and develops his skills.
Deuce has grown as an offensive player and shooter, but he always had an impact on D.
The crazy thing is that Puerto Ricans tend to speak more “Spanglish” so even traditional Spanish speakers were confused at parts! Also, his music is so raunchy (right up Clarence’s alley) that the older Latinos were put off by the actual lyrics they did understand.
He exceeded my expectations and it was certainly a better production than some of the more recent performances.
The NFL hired the most popular musical artist in the world, who just won the Grammy for Best Album, and people acting like it’s a controversial decision is hilarious.
The Knicks haven’t drafted a guy with this super elite athletic profile, 6-9 225 lb man’s frame with the ball handling skills and nacent shooting since Michael Ray Richardson.
No one knows where his game will fall, but if he were playing just like this at Duke or Kansas this season, I’m certain he would be a very high lottery pick.
Kudos to the scouting department who found him and could extrapolate a vision and the coaching staff who has worked with him diligently. That much is certain. He is off limits, period. Sky’s the limit, something, something.
EB, the same people complained about the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics being “too french” when they were IN FRANCE!
How dare you insult Kevin Knox like that.
“EB, the same people complained about the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics being “too french” when they were IN FRANCE!”
Sad and funny at the same time.
Yeah, I’ve been down on Mike Brown at times this year. I liked Thibs and will always hold a soft spot in my heart for the ole curmodgeon and his bludgeoning style of coaching that brought us out of the dark ages.
But seeing Diawara and Kolek get real PT and develop this year has been a breath of fresh air. Being able to hang our hopes on some young prospects, even if they just end up being great bench pieces that bolster our depth for the next few years, is a good feeling. Makes me feel like this could be more than a one year window if those kids keep improving. Also, gives me hope that we might actually USE our picks this year because maybe Leon now sees that we can develop the youngsters.
“But seeing Diawara and Kolek get real PT and develop this year has been a breath of fresh air.”
Thibs gave real PT to and developed IQ, Obi, Grimes, Deuce, and Sims. I would also credit him for developing RJ and Mitch. Huk was just starting to get real PT when he got hurt.
There definitely is a somewhat different feel to the way that Brown uses the kids, but some of the stuff about Thibs not playing kids goes overboard.
Obi was a lottery pick and, even so, a lot of people thought Thibs didn’t play him enough.
Mitch was in his third year when Thibs took over and, even as raw as he was, was still clearly the best center on the roster that first year thibs was coach.
IQ was drafted Thibs first year too. The talent that first year was pretty barren.
RJ was a lottery pick too and the hope for the franchise at the time Thibs took over.
Thibs gave young players PT but he also had a very short leash with certain types of young players and low tolerance for certain types of mistakes that he would not let them play through.
He also seemed to get worse about playing young players the better the team’s top end talent got.
Is there any chance this it true?
https://x.com/WFAN660/status/2020905537013948557
I remember buying a trotter for $125,000 in Ohio in 1980 and NYS tried to bang me for an 8% use tax the first time I raced him in NY. Had to file all sorts of different BS to avoid the tax.
I don’t see why it’s not true. Athletes pay State income tax in every state they play in that has state income tax. It would be fair if they only taxed the actual income from that state, but that’s not my experience. I sold a rental property in New York State in 2024 and there was some profit. It was my only income in New York State, so I thought the tax would be small. But it turns out New York State uses all your income to determine your tax bracket, not just the NYS income so I paid much more tax than I expected. I thought it very unfair.
I grew up in NYC and thought it was the greatest place. Now I no longer think that way.
Some of those same people thought that Obi was better than Julius Randle. Obi averaged 15 mpg with the Knicks and 20 mpg with Indiana. If anything, Obi’s success in Indy is more about role and type of offense than minutes, and Thibs helped him by making him more of a 3pt threat.
“Mitch was in his third year when Thibs took over and, even as raw as he was, was still clearly the best center on the roster that first year thibs was coach.”
Thibs and his staff helped Mitch to dramatically cut down on fouling by reeling in his block-hunting tendencies.
“IQ was drafted Thibs first year too. The talent that first year was pretty barren.”
“RJ was a lottery pick too and the hope for the franchise at the time Thibs took over.”
I doubt that when or where a player was drafted mattered much to Thibs. He was quick to perma-bench lottery picks Knox and Ntilikina. He gave plenty of minutes to Sims, one of the last picks in the draft.
“Thibs gave young players PT but he also had a very short leash with certain types of young players and low tolerance for certain types of mistakes that he would not let them play through.”
Sure but there is no way to tell how much Thibs would have used Kolek or Diawara this year, especially with both Clarkson and Yabu not being Thibs’ kind of players
“He also seemed to get worse about playing young players the better the team’s top end talent got.”
This seems pretty logical, doesn’t it? Isn’t it true for most coaches?
Look, I’m as happy as anyone to not have to deal with Thibs’ negatives, including overplaying starters and rigid offensive and defensive principles. I also think he grated on players, especially guys like Obi and Grimes, who deserved more grace.
Didn’t see Knicks-Celtics live and just got finished with the replay.
Diawara played some nice defense with some really great plays. He also got a lot of help from Alvarado and Hart. He’s got something, but he doesn’t strike me as an elite defender.
On offense, Boston left Diawara wide open to double Brunson. He made them pay, but he’s taking practice 3s. I don’t think he shoots 40% from 3 if players get up on him.
Alvarado really gets into guys on defense. Kolek does a good job walling off drives, but he doesn’t put pressure on the ballhandler and nowhere near as much pressure as Alvarado. Few do.
If you ever wondered why OG was valuable on defense, you can watch 6’4″ Josh Hart try to protect the rim when he rotates into the paint. It really doesn’t do anything when he’s there.
“Diawara played some nice defense with some really great plays. He also got a lot of help from Alvarado and Hart. He’s got something, but he doesn’t strike me as an elite defender.”
Sure, buto be fair, no one said he was “already” an elite defender. But I, for one, think he has the makings of one, keeping in mind that he will not turn 21 until April 29.
I am fond of the phrase “defensive radius” and think it applies to many sports. That radius starts with physical measurements, most notably wingspan and standing reach. Mo is truly a standout in those areas, as was Frank Ntilikina. But then you get into things like burst, footwork, anticipation, toughness, hip flexibility, navigating screens, holding ground, and all that stuff. That’s where the difference between good and elite defenders mostly is found, and someone like Jose Alvarado makes up for his shortness and tiny wingspan. But starting with elite measurements is hugely important, and I see him doing some non-size related stuff that makes me very optimistic about his development despite his non-elite vertical or quick-jumping. Time will tell, but I am definitely keying on him every time he is out there.
I should mention that OG doesn’t seem to be a particularly explosive athlete….he seems like more of a “read the play,” “hold your ground,” and “use your footwork” kind of defender, and those things enhance all the measurables.
Hopefully Alvarado can be a role model for Kolek as well.
We jumped four spots in the NBA.com rankings, now sitting at fourth right behind the Thunder…
Quote:
“…the Knicks have had the league’s top-ranked defense by a wide margin (100.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) over their last 10 games.”
But:
“With most of the improvement over these 10 games being about how poorly (28.2%) the opponents have shot from beyond the arc, it may not be sustainable.”
Well better than the proverbial sharp stick, I say…
So the only level of excitement for some of you is elite defender as a 20 year old?
Got it. Really making those goal posts hard fellas
Hornets Pistons got very close to Malice in the Palace.
Of course Detroit was its usual fake tough.
charlotte’s a fun team to watch, ugh, unfortunately the pistons are a pretty good team…
Beef Stew wasn’t faking. He went after Bridges for basically no reason lol.
But idk what Diabate’s doing. My guy, be glad you’re even in the league! Don’t mess it up.
Pistons must have picked up the invisible sixth man on waivers. Hornets have missed a million wide open 3 pointers down the stretch.
Utah tried to tank again by sitting all their good players in the 4th, and still beat Miami.
A more typical performance from Yabu tonight
Who wins tonight’s battle between our “hate-to-play-against-him-but-love-to-have-him-on-your-team” small, pesky defensive player (Alvie) and their “hate-to-play-against-him-but-love-to-have-him-on-your-team” small, pesky defensive player (McConnell)? I’d love for our guy to show him up.
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