A nice description of how a lot of what we talk about with the Knicks’ lineups maybe isn’t quite what we should be saying.

AND generational wealth, all at the same time!

The GM ballparked the price of the current market:

• Borderline starter? “An agent will start at $1.5 million.”

• A definite starter, but not all-conference? “$2.5 million.”

• A player projected to be all-conference? “$3 million and above.”

• A player projected to be an NBA Draft pick? “$3 million floor. Basically, it’s 30 percent of your budget. So if you’ve got $12 million, that guy is likely up to $4 million.”

See
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7198289/2026/04/15/college-basketball-transfer-portal-roster-cost-2026/

Pina: The Hawks will beat the Knicks. I don’t even think that this take is particularly hot. The Hawks are very good and match up well against New York. In the past 60 days, Atlanta has ranked second in defensive rating and seventh in offensive rating. For the season, its starting lineup’s net rating is plus-20.3. Unlike New York, this is a team that will really benefit from the rotational belt-tightening that happens in the playoffs. It’s a golden opportunity for Johnson to stake his claim as one of the NBA’s brightest young stars, and Dyson Daniels and Alexander-Walker are set to make Brunson’s life a living hell for two weeks. Speaking of, who is Brunson guarding in this series? There’s no place for him to hide.

OK, Michael Pina. Good luck with your Jalen Brunson short.

Any team that doesn’t win a championship can look at one of their top 4 or 5 guys and find one guy who “didn’t show up.”

I think you’re confusing showing up with playing well.

I don’t know Jalen Brunson is going to play well Saturday, but I do know he’s not going to give less effort bc he’s not happy about something. That’s showing up.

It would be nice if he played well, but there’s plenty of glass here that can be broken in case of emergency. Whether Mike Brown picks up the fire hydrant is at this point an unknown.