News & Blogs
Knicks trade 2026 NBA Draft pick Sergio De Larrea for multiple second-round picks, cash – SNY
REPORT: Knicks expected to trade more picks before NBA Draft second round – Posting & Toasting
Knicks navigating 2026 NBA Draft with second apron restrictions in mind – SNY
Becky Hammon on Jalen Brunson’s Knicks’ title run: ‘He’s an outlier’ – The New York Times
Becky Hammon defends Jalen Brunson ‘1A’ take after Knicks title, then admits she was wrong: ‘He’s an outlier’ – CBS Sports
What the Knicks’ draft-day dealing means for their tenuous cap situation – Posting & Toasting
Leon Rose Works Draft Magic with 2nd Round Pick Haul! 2nd Apron Talk – Knick of Time
Strickland Round 2 Livestream – The Strickland
CP The Fanchise Reacts To Bevky Hammons Controversial Comments About Jalen Brunson – Knicks Fan TV
The case for Henri Veesaar (UNC) – Knicks Film School
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207 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.06.25)”
“You know Clyde is dying to say “Nickel with the dime”
Clyde will never have the opportunity to say that. If Nickel makes it onto the floor for us in an NBA game, one thing he *won’t* be doing is passing the ball (a “dime”) to anyone else, or even really be *expected to* pass the ball to anyone else. He’s a really good shooter, and can’t do much of anything else (although he possesses good size and at least tries a little bit on defense).
Question: If Nickel can make our squad, would he be more of a Shamet replacement with a little bit more size and a little less defense, or more of a Clarkson replacement with better shooting and less of looking for his own shot? For the most part, Nickel scores off of passes—but dude only needs like a second to get his shot off. It’s actually kind of remarkable to watch.I’m thinking he tops out at Duncan Robinson (who was actually undrafted) if he develops, which really is not bad at all for a pick that low.
Still wish we had picked up a behemoth Center as Mitch insurance, though, whether he leaves or gets injured. I want to believe in Huk, and for sure he’s had his moments, but I haven’t seen enough to be excited by him or think that he can really be a piece for us.
It looks like LaMelo is on the move. It also looks like he just had his most efficient season in ’26. Bucks, Wolves, Raptors interested… I’d like to see him on the Warriors
How to look at the draft, glass half full edition:
The natural assumption by many (myself included) was that the Knicks pinched pennies last night to stay under the apron.
There’s another way to look at it, though.
Let’s say Dolan is willing to let Leon & Co go over the second apron to run it back. That would put the Knicks payroll somewhere around $230M. The luxury tax line is $201M. The bracket for being $30-$36.5M over is 5.75% (the Knicks are not a repeater, more on that later).
Let’s assume the front office knows they can sign these guys for the minimum like Diawara. That’s about 1.4M each, 2.8 total.
The two picks we had (24 & 31) probably would have cost $6M
That $3.2M difference, at a rate of 5.75, saved Dolan over $18M in tax.
In sum, this could signify we are planning to bring everyone back, and Brock did his magic not to avoid the apron, but to minimize the tax bill. The guys we got at 24 & 31 would have been better, but not worth $18M.
Hubs, that’s what I’ve been thinking. We will go into the SA but Dolan doesn’t want us to go crazy over it, so we’re doing everything we can to go as little over it as possible
You can also be over the SA during the season but get under it before the end, and it doesn’t count towards the penalties.
That said, I’m assuming it is what it is, and we will not go over it.
On the repeater tax, it’s been suggested that the Knicks will begin paying repeater rates this season. That’s incorrect.
In fact, this is the last season they can go all-in while paying standard luxury tax rates, which makes spending this year even more compelling.
A team pays the repeater tax only if it finishes the current season over the tax line after having been a taxpayer in three of the previous four seasons. The current season does not count toward satisfying that test.
When the Knicks finish next season over the tax line, the four preceding seasons will include only two taxpayer seasons (2024-25 & 2025-26). That means they’ll still pay the standard tax rates next year.
What does that mean?
I’ve seen people suggest it would cost $100 million in tax just to bring Mitch & Landry back. That’s overstated.
If the Knicks go right up to the second apron, as expected, their tax bill would be roughly $45 million (which is what they paid this past season).
If they went $11 million over the second apron, the tax bill would be roughly $95 million. That’s not an additional $95 million; it’s roughly $50 million more than staying at the apron.
For context, the Suns, Clippers, and Warriors have all paid luxury tax bills well north of $150 million.
Longer term, the math changes. If everyone receives the extensions currently being discussed and the core stays together, the luxury tax bill is astronomical.
So you can throw Jeremy Cohen’s remedial analysis out the window. It was built on the assumption that the Knicks will simply extend everyone to keep the starting 5 intact indefinitely. I did the math on his imaginary 2028-29 roster and the tax bill is almost $400M.
There is nothing compelling about an argument which suggests we should sacrifice today for a tomorrow that will never come. We’re not extending OG at age 31 when a $50M salary comes with a $200M tax bill.
The reality is that the Knicks probably have a 2–3 year championship window before the luxury tax bill (not the second-apron restrictions) becomes the real obstacle keeping this core together.
All signs point to now.
Just spitballin’ here…
I think Mitch is the priority signing and that the two parties have already settled on a number that his camp will accept and that Leon can pay without committing 2A “suicide.”
The FO went into the draft with that number top of mind. They had a shortlist of players they liked who would accept the $1.3 MM 2nd rd min in 26/27 and then set Brock loose to position the team to select them. That none of the players targeted in any way, shape, or form resembled a Mitch replacement was a tell.
I’m no capologist so can’t really guess what Mitch’s next number might be. I would guess that it leaves no room for the team to retain Shamet, which is sad. The sharpshooter Nickel will likely be given an opportunity to audition for his role or we’ll see Leon try & pluck another eclair out of the trash. The team prob sees Mitch’s skillset as harder to replace cheaply than Landry’s and is proceeding accordingly.
Not pertinent to the draft, but thought I’d share. For proper spacing see:
https://notapoem.com/roundball-blues/
ROUNDBALL BLUES
It’s not the chain-linked, West 4th war courts,
nor the restless irons encircling
in pale gray aboves..
Not the charity stipend of a peacekeeper,
for their bing-bong asphalts
wearing warm parade pennies thrown..
Not a bending knee (it don’t know no Never),
as evening elevated, claiming
shells of when petrified shots did stray..
Not the off, stick-&-move routine implosions,
into abysmal, Abyssinian realities;
desert watch’s negativity, peninsular..
And no to that boxed out, major collective,
reflections: this crazed that line
misaccorded, attemps stark, adumbrated..
Neither (either, ever) silky jumper past pinch-
post, nor baseline divvies
sorting up banal, rash carpeting theft..
To negate, too, a canonical, a projectile tip:
trajectory’s violence spiraling,
at odds, heedless ends, hollering all ball..
Ne’er stretched o’er buildings’ depth, balloons
thru circuitous held air,
gasp-light, & the ones finally nestling..
Put another (shorter) way:
In two years, when trading Mikal Bridges can save $150M, do you think Mikal Bridges is still going to be on the team?
The second apron problem will solve itself when the tax bills come.
Nice job, Hubert.
One other thought.
Mitch is sooo important to the team culture. Not only is he the longest tenured Knick, there appears to be a genuine love between him and his teammates. In many ways, he’s the emotional heart of the club.
We also know that personal relationships are very important to Mitch, who famously brought his Louisiana HS coach to live with him in NYC. I doubt that earning more $ elsewhere among folks he doesn’t know is something he really wants to do.
In short, both sides have compelling reasons that go beyond just basketball fit and money to make sure that Mitch remains a Knick.
Plus, the Kawhi/Ballmer misadventure has added additional scrutiny to cap avoidant schemes. No question, Leon has knowledge of and access to player revenue streams across the entire spectrum of sponsorship opportunities and partnerships. But the risks of exploiting these avenues and putting Dolan in the crosshairs of the league ties his hands.
Lamelo to the Timberwolves . What the hell are the Hornets doing ? They looked to be finally figuring it out ..
That was a scenario I threw out there the other day.
I think it’s slightly more likely now given they didn’t draft a C to replace the potential loss of Mitch.
On the flips side, given who they did draft it might just mean they have something worked out to keep Mitch, but Shamet is out.
Yeah I also think Shamet, even though he was fire in the playoffs (until the finals), is mor replaceable than Mitch. We do have Deuce, who had a rough playoffs, but is probably the better player overall.
Also, the new CBA has hurt the middle class of NBA players and there seems to be every year Shamet like finds to be had for the vet minimum once the initial wave of free agent signings happens. Plus, there is always a trade deadline move to be made. We got Alvarado for 2 second round picks. We just picked up a bunch of second round picks. Once the season is under way and a bunch of teams realize they aren’t going to make the playoffs, they inevitably will unload players, cut players, etc. And we can swoop in to grab someone if we need to.
I’ve been saying this. Mitch may not really want to go to another team. He’s settled here. Been with us for a long time. We stuck with him for nearly 2 seasons while he was injured. We load managed him last season beautifully.
If some team offers him a huge contract, the expectation will be that he starts or at least plays heavy back up minutes and doesn’t load manage. Does he really want to risk getting injured again and going through what he went through a second time? Mentally, that is really tough. Even if the money is guaranteed, health is every thing. Does he want to be limping around in old age? Also, the Knicks do take care of players after they retired if they are loyal.
I just think here he knows his role. He’s loved. We’ll load manage him.
I think the most exciting thing is Diawara being locked up now for 4 years. He represents a huge opportunity for us to improve.
Wow, T-Wolves gave away Randle and now Naz Reid is included in the trade to get LaMelo.
LaMelo and Ant Man is a sick back court though.
Yeah they have no PF
Sure there is — you don’t want to be an awful, dreg, dogshit team from 2028-2038.
This roster was never sustainable, was entirely front-loaded, and now they aren’t drafting and have given away their 1s for a bunch of years in the future, so there’s no real way to replace the talent they’re going to be jettisoning. That’s not “negative” — it’s reality.
How many years of trash the championship buys essentially comes down to one’s personal calculus. Whatever that calculus is, it’s starting to look like a very expensive championship. A second one next year obviously changes the calculus.
A LaMelo Ball/Anthony Edwards will be a lot of fun and generate great highlights. Not quite sold on it leading to a large number of playoff wins.
This is E’s new way of changing the goal posts and sneakily not admitting that he was wrong. We front loaded the team to win a chip! leon cheated!
How is an extra 3.2 translating into a tax bill of 18 when the marginal tax rate is 5.75?
You, sir, are a professional goal post mover.
The “tomorrow that will never come” is specifically the day where all 5 starters and Deuce have signed extensions. That’s never going to happen.
The way you avoid being an awful team is by getting good returns for the likes of OG or KAT or Mikal when the tax bill comes.
Swifty, I was probably the most optimistic person on the board about the Knick chances to win the championship this year.
Every championship is expensive.
The LaMelo trade is so weird. The Hornets are good, and he was their engine. Why are they selling him for so little?
Edit: so little might be an exaggeration, but it’s 1 first round pick. The three swaps have value, but how much, considering we are talking about Charlotte here.
I’m trying to work with what you’re saying/advocating because there’s probably some good stuff there, but I’m having a hard time at the moment figuring out what exactly that is.
It sounds like you’re saying they have an unsustainable roster, no? Using Sportrac and Jeremy Cohen math? Ok, then what follows from that?
Wolves fans freaking LOVE Naz Reid. Their desire to see him start was among the reasons they were so eager to see Julius go. I suspect they will be going through it regarding this trade.
Selling Coby White as a LaMelo replacement is carrying water.
I don’t think anyone wins a title with Lamelo. And i love Naz. I honestly don’t like that backcourt.
And shoutout to Al Horford, signed a two year deal at 40.
The Hornets were a fun team last season. For the first time in ages. I don’t know, this is really weird.
OK, you added that after I wrote … but no one’s giving you close to their value when you’re fire selling them. No one’s going to be able to fit OG or KAT under their cap, which means you’re taking back shit salary. (*) Etc.
(*) A hypothetical 2028 trade of OG for that time’s Barrett and Quickley doesn’t solve the money problem.
Okay, so the Wolves traded away both their power forwards. Their big FA signing was to bring back Ayo. Now they’ve traded for LaMelo. LaMelo is tall, so I guess in theory he can play the 3 on defense if they start Ayo along with him and Ant. And McDaniels slides up to PF the way we’ve done with OG?
Yeah, I don’t get it either Alan
LaMelo and Edwards will sell plenty of tickets for a team that felt stale. They had to shake it up I guess and Edwards was most likely behind the move.
As fun (and good) as LaMelo is, he is almost always injured. I completely understand the Hornets getting value after a healthy season.
The Wolves got a $30M trade exception for Randle.
I don’t think the Hornets liked LaMelo that much.
Lamelo’s a bit of a chucklehead and a bit inefficient and a bit lazy on the defensive end. Not a fan of that combo. Good playmaker and entertainer, though. Certainly has commitment to the bit.
Good chance Chris Fitch will be pulling his hair out come February/March.
You guys are worried about “basketball” and “winning championships”
The 14yo running the TWolves has bigger things on his mind like CLOUT and TIKTOK VIEWS. Who cares who wins the NBA Finals when your highlight reel is getting absolutely mogged by LaMelo and Edwards alleyoop clips?
BRAND RECOGNITION MAXXING.
LaMelo was 7th in the league in EPM last season
Yeah, man. We’re going to struggle when the peak is over. Like everyone ever.
The point is to keep the peak sustained as long as you can, not diminish the peak so you can elongate the tail.
You guys are debating whether things are perfect for the Knicks now and longer term.
There’s no such thing as perfection in the NBA.
The current CBA is gigantic unnecessarily complex pile of shit. It reminds me of something congress would pass to address a problem but whose primary result is to make life miserable.
Leon and his team did an incredible job using the draft, trade, pick assets and free agency to put together a starting 5 where each was good enough at their job to win a championship. They fit togther perfectly and that were supported by perfect bench pieces.
Now this flawed CBA is going to make it difficult to keep it together. And as our players age over the next few years it will be difficult to navigate the waters to the next version of the team.
That’s why they pay Leon and his team the big bucks.
I’m not sure what they are doing yet and whether it’s Dolan, Leon or both making the apron decision, but we already know we have very smart basketball people as part of the team. Let’s see what they do to keep this window open now and also prepare for the future.
I actually do like the move for the TWolves
They definitely needed a PG and it appeared the Randle move was setting up something else big, but I didn’t think it would be LaMelo given the way Charlotte turned it around last year with him.
I think the T-Wolves may not be done.
Wonder how IQ feels about the Raptors purported interest in LaMelo
Yeah, because of his personality, LaMelo is being underrated everywhere. He’s been excellent. He’s one the primary reasons why the Hornets had a top 5 offense last season. Wolves will be very happy with a 42 AST% (3rd highest in the league by the way), they lacked that quite a bit.
Regardless of the merits of the CBA, everyone has known its terms, incentives, asset impact, etc. for like 10 years.
The difficulty isn’t really the age of the players; it’s the fact that they’re all on veteran retail contracts and the team hasn’t drafted and won’t be drafting to replace them. Indeed, had they just drafted in the ordinary course, they most likely wouldn’t have needed to have six full-on retail contracts in their top six.(*)
This all happened, even with the advantage of JB taking the early extension.
The system is set up to significantly penalize this philosophy. Everyone knew that all along.
(*) Seven, really, if you count Mitch.
I assume Donte is out for the entirety of next season?
LaMelo-Ant-Donte-McDaniels-Gobert would be a fun team. Shame they aren’t getting it. I don’t think size would be an issue there.
Hornets sent out $55M in cap space and took back $23M. The shoe to drop is what they do with the space. Indication from CHA message board is that they are looking at Giddey.
Can’t believe I can only see 1 championship from these damned mezzanine seats.
E expects absolute perfection. A 10 year championship window built off players who were all drafted by the team and signed to team friendly deals where not a single dollar is wasted and then when that window ends, the team flawlessly pivots towards a rebuild where they have all of their picks (and extra picks from trades they made where they got above “market value” back in the trade).
anything less than that is a failure in E’s mind.
It’s not enough to win your first title in 53 years. We need to win 3 or 4 in a row and then not have any bad seasons after that window is over. Otherwise, Rose is a failure and he could have done it better if only they had listened to him and not traded Cam for Josh Hart!
I can also see LaMelo getting injured and derailing the TWolves immediately, as he’s done most years.
Leon’s worst move ends with a title https://x.com/NBA_NewYork/status/2070133910860931501
That LaMelo trade makes me damn glad I’m a Knicks fan. Just a stupid trade on both sides, though Minny fleeced em and can probably handle losing Randle & Reid in one offseason better than Charlotte can handle losing Ball without another PG on the roster. Coby White can play the point, but I don’t like the fit with the pieces around him as a starting PG. Sheesh. Just what in the fuck? LaMelo Ball really believes he’s an elite top option, how is he gonna work with a true elite top option in Edwards? Yikes. I think Minny will still be good if Finch can figure out the chemistry with those 2. But Charlotte…I fear they are ruining Charles Lee’s acumen, and have alot of work to do to make that roster make sense and continue that momentum. Naz Reid is a Center in a PF body, Bridges is an undersized PF with a SF game, Miller and Knueppel are good where they are, and all of their PG’s are really combo guards- though the rookie has a PG frame. They’re gonna score alot of points for sure, but I don’t know if that roster fits well enough to even match the win total from last season.
Wow. This is gonna be one wild offseason. Not gonna lie though- I am a little anxious to see how Ant and Ball play together. That’s a potentially hellacious combination. Minny probably could’ve stolen Morant for less and still kept Reid.
Good ol’ OAKAAK Keita Bates-Diop
From the moment Dolan made his unfortunate comments on WFAN, Knicks fans have been twisting themselves into knots, in an effort to manufacture belief that the owner’s words should not be taken at their literal meaning.
First, it was “Dolan is an idiot too stupid to understand the subtleties of the cap. Leon will set him straight.” This bubbe meise was even put forth by a beat writer. It was widely repeated. Fans wanted to believe.
Didn’t buy it, myself. Sadly – and all too predictably – my skepticism turned out to be warranted.
Now, it’s “Dolan will kinda, sorta go into the second apron. Just enough to keep the team together but not so much as to be punitive.”
Not buying that one, either, despite Hubert’s well reasoned and nuanced analysis. If there’s one thing we know about Dolan, though, it’s that he don’t do “well reasoned and nuanced.” Royal mandates are more his thing and here, once again, I’m taking his radio comments at face value; i.e. an ironclad ukase from the Tsar.
With that in mind, I see the post-draft lay of the land as follows:
Mitch: stays
Shamet: gone
Alvarado: TBD
Sochan: prob gone but who cares
Also, who is the Charlotte PG now? Can Kon do that?
the downside is gaping but i can absolutely see what connelly is thinking. lamelo is a huge injury risk, a shit defender and not exactly mike conley above the neck. but he’s also pretty clearly one of the 10 best offensive players in the league when healthy and minny was at extreme risk at calcifying below contention level. gobert and jmac (and if only include the second halves of playoff games, ant) are very good defenders to pair with lamelo, so you get an instant high-end two way lineup. it’s a huge die roll with a lot of bad outcomes but i get it.
Also, who is the Charlotte PG now? Can Kon do that?
probably plan to keep coby white and start him at pg. definitely not kon.
Reminds me of Lillard to Milwaukee.
The Wolves are desperate to placate Ant. This bought them a year. But I don’t think it will work.
Next summer’s Ant sweepstakes will be huge.
Ant-man’s gonna be a Knick next year.
It’s nice to not have to care about big trades done to try to get a team into Finals contention, because the Knicks already won the championship.
Man, that’s awesome.
Happy Fuck ‘Dem Picks Day for all who celebrate.
“Ant-man’s gonna be a Knick next year.”
Man…….it’s not going to be a happy day around here when we have to watch the Knicks ship Brunson off to the Wolves to get him.
One random tid bit of the CBA I can’t figure out…
You can’t do sign-and-trades if you’re over the second apron.
But the second apron penalties only come if you end the year over it. You can go over it and get under.
So can the Knick sign-and-trade Mitch if signing him takes them over the apron but trading him gets them under?
The way I read it, they can, because the hard cap would be instituted after the trade, not before it.
The Knicks should settle into their Post-Championship Chili Davis, David Justice phase. The core is there with a small youth contingent and a revolving series of add-on vets.
The backcourt in Minnesota is well balanced now: they have the most charismatic and the least charismatic. (Is Ayo perfectly average in charisma, I don’t know who he is, so I am thinking yes?)
Maybe they have something lined up for Ja Morant? I know he was dangled last year quite a bit and nobody took a chance.
Speaking of NBA owners https://x.com/FOS/status/2070159452649443489
Coby White just got 24-25 million a year to start I think
One of the weird thing about modern discourse is that rich guys now aren’t afraid to just come out and plainly state their asshole positions. It’s very odd.
Wow, Minnesota GAVE UP A FIRST (and a very good rotation big in Naz) to get LaMelo Ball? The chances of that making them any better are zero. Where can I bet the under?
Sure, Charlotte has a point guard problem at the moment but they are way better off in the long run getting rid of Ball, who is a true NBA loser. And they’re not a serious contender yet – I still don’t really see it with Kon or Miller, but they’ve at least made their way to the plus side of the ledger and seem to have a future.
An unexpected side effect of the Knicks winning a chip is that I feel excited to root for other shitty teams to get good again. I’ve spent a lifetime becoming jaded and bitter towards everybody who’s ever tortured us… and while I’ve had my dalliances with Steve Nash Suns and C-Webb Kings… lately it’s been Knicks or nothing.
Would love to see the Blazers or the Kings or the Wizards have a bit of a renaissance (especially if it can come at the expense of the old “powers” like the Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Spurs… and not while we’re trying to win more rings ofc).
The new owner wants to move the Blazers.
Antman is gonna strangle Lamelo by game 15.
Idk why ppl here are befuddled that the Hornets moved off LaMelo, he of the .515 efg. Yes, he makes the occasional flashy pass but so what? Coby White is a lot more efficient, and they just added a new pg in the draft who should help with ball movement.
This was a terrible desperation move by Minny to appease Ant, don’t think it will age well.
The Blazers owner also couches it in “if you woke communists don’t buy me a $600M stadium I’m moving your team to MAGA country” language.
Dude started out as a used car salesman, moved into the subprime loans game, and is known as “El Cheapo” by fans of the team. He cut one of the team’s two mascots to save money, doesn’t let two way players travel with the team, cancelled the free playoff t-shirts the team traditionally gave away, and refused to pay for players’ late checkout at a hotel on the day of a play-in game, so the players had to get massages in the hotel lobby instead of their rooms.
Truly a ridiculous asshole.
Also, what’s up with billionaires no longer bothering to shave but not bothering to do anything with their facial hair but look like the worst kind of homeless meth addicts?
I get that they no longer have to give a shit, but still. It’s not a good look.
Lamelo is a good player but this is going to end disastrously for the Wolves. They’re not good enough to win big with this core, and after this trade they don’t control their own draft pick until 2034.
Nah, we’re gonna send them Mikal and Diawara and a bunch of second round picks for Ant-Man.
He also extorted Micah Nori into accepting a one-year deal (with two team options) to coach the team, which the BB coaches association is livid about.
Also, Minnesota feels like reverso 2019-2020 Knicks. Let’s get rid of ALL our power forwards, that’s sure to work!
LaMelo Ball has had a lower TS% in each of the last two years and for his career than Cam Reddish had in the two seasons in which he played for the Knicks.
Now, one might say, “Yeah, but he has a way higher basketball IQ than Cam,” to which one plausible retort would certainly be, “You sure about that?”
We should ask Charlotte if they’re willing to trade Coby White to us for Brunson since Brunson’s eFG is only .533, barely better than LaMelo’s.
LaMelo definitely takes some stupid shots but he’s absolutely an elite offensive player. He’s one of the best passers in the league and taking the ball out of Ant’s hands so he doesn’t have to create for everyone else is really going to unlock their offense. The only real issue is LaMelo’s health.
E can’t help but bring up Cam Reddish, lol.
Givony said the Knicks got $3M from the Lakers to move down a spot.
That means Brock’s work in the draft saved the Knicks $21M.
Maybe you prefer ts%? Lamelo’s is an unimpressive.546 compared to Brunson’s stout .580. I guess when your fg% is barely north of .400, you’re pretty much not going to be efficient.
Yeah, remember all those times Cam Reddish had a 4.7 BPM season in 2000+ minutes and was the primary shot creator for a top 5 offense? Also, remember all of those years Cam Reddish had an AST% over 42.0?
Also; remember all those times Cam Reddish’s USG% was up above 30?
So many Cam Reddish memories. That guy was totally not a trash basketball player who combined mediocre efficiency with zero playmaking ability, no ability to create his own shot, and low usage. Oh no. That is some other Cam Reddish you guys are thinking of. That’s the OTHER Cam Reddish, the one who stunk up NBA arenas so bad he was playing in Lithuania by age 24.
* if they go over the second apron.
Wow they’re really screwing with the draft… the #1 pick automatically gets the 16th 2nd-round pick, and the #16 pick gets the 1st 2nd-round pick. Maybe they’re overthinking this?
The dude on espn just gave Manny a D+ on the trade….
One random tid bit of the CBA I can’t figure out…
You can’t do sign-and-trades if you’re over the second apron.
But the second apron penalties only come if you end the year over it. You can go over it and get under.
So can the Knick sign-and-trade Mitch if signing him takes them over the apron but trading him gets them under?
The way I read it, they can, because the hard cap would be instituted after the trade, not before it.
you can sign and trade mitch for just draft compensation even if you end up over the second apron and stay over. the getting out of the penalty by year end has nothing to do with it. minnesota did this with kyle anderson. you just can’t use the TPE. now, minny was not permitted to take back ANY salary in that deal, because you lose even the standard traded player exception with respect to sign and trades if you’re over the 2nd. BUT…
because the trade is considered a condition precedent to the contract in a sign and trade, i am pretty sure that you could hypothetically sign mitch at a price that would have brought you over the apron and accept a lower-salaried player back that brings you immediately back under, because technically the cba does not see you as have having cross the second apron at all in that case.
If Mitch is not resigned – how would you feel about Drummond as the backup C? His EPM is awful, and I haven’t seen much of him outside of the playoffs. Maybe he was playing too much for Philly with Embiid out most of the year?
Thanks, pt.
This is the precise scenario I was wondering about:
it’s not hard for me to see what people don’t like about lamelo. but just regurgitating his efg/ts and giving the angry santa yankee fan thumbs down is missing the plot. it’s impossible to argue that lamelo has not been a great regular season offensive player.
in the past 5 years with lamelo on the floor, charlotte has scored 117.7 / 100 vs 108.6 / 100 without him. league average was 114.8 using the same possession measure. his orapm over the past 5 years is top ten in the league in pretty much any possible version.
not great, bob
Windhorst says we are “highly unlikely” to re-sign Mitch and that he has other suitors. Not exactly new info, but the confirmation is a bummer.
“Windhorst says we are “highly unlikely” to re-sign Mitch and that he has other suitors.”
Not exactly new info, but the confirmation is a bummer.And we drafted nary a Center to mitigate it. Well, we drafted two of them, but not for long.
Anyway, Windy might be wrong on this one.
In re LaMelo, lots of guys out there in basketball land with elite tools and ten-cent heads. Always have been. Top-40-ish recruit at Lil Penny, Jr.’s school washed out completely after a year at Fairly Serious Basketball Power, that’s one. Closer to home, LP himself has from time to time recalled the Top-40-ish recruit who he played against in summer league in his days at Podunk High. (*)
Dude rolled into the game a few minutes before tipoff on his bike, eschewing the layup line and other customary warm-up exercise and rituals in which the other 20 players were engaged, flashed immense skill for like three game minutes (**), but then did a couple chuckleheaded things (***) upon which his coach got on his case for seemingly not the first time, to which T4R responded not by nodding or pounding his heart to signify “My bad” (****), or even by snarling a bit at the coach to get off my case tone it down I’m the best player on this team and this court (*****) shut the fuck up already — but instead by hopping on his bike and pedaling away into that good summer night.
Fast forward a few months to when all the basketball magazines come out and they’re eagerly digested by LP and his name shows up pretty high on the recruiting charts that LP peruses and then fast forward a few months later when he commits to play at none other than the very same Major Big Ten University that LP will be attending and becoming a fan of, and then fast forward a few months after that to the glorious time on the calendar when the leaves are turning and another basketball season is fast approaching and various local newspapers are celebrating MBTU’s excellent recruiting class with the bike rider as one of the anchors of the class.
While LP has perhaps been a bit overzealous in recent years about toolsy players like Cam Reddish (******), suffice it to say that, irrespective of the tool-drooling in which the local media were engaged, LP knew from cold, hard experience (and said to several friends who at least pretended to pay attention) that the undeniable tools were irredeemably appended to a ten-cent head and the virtually certain outcome of this story was “major bust,” and so it came to pass, and in this case in less than a full freshman season.
(*) Both LP and T4R rising seniors, albeit with T4R at about 6-7 and LP at about 6-2.
(**) The degree to which that involved LP as any kind of likely-ineffectual on-court obstacle is lost to history, though T4R did have one really sweet, Instagram-ready-if-Instagram-had-only-been-a-thing-then one-hand tomahawk throwdown when LP was busy guarding a guy around 25 feet from the basket, that LP has a hazy recollection of thinking something in response along the lines of “We’re not on the Podunk City playgrounds tonight.”
(***) Poignancy alert: And deep down at some level, most likely intentionally or something very close to it, self-sabotage being an unfortunate part of the human condition.
(****) Which really wasn’t even a thing among Gen X but came into vogue quite a bit later. Nor was there a primal scream after the sweet tomahawk jam even though jams a quarter as sweet routinely bring out the Tarzan amongst 21st century ballers.
(*****) Which he undeniably was.
(******) Who, while obviously and unfortunately not possessed of much basketball brainpower, is, compared to the bike rider, something like a cross between Josh Hart and Jimmy Butler with some Bob Cousy rolled in.
LaMelo Ball doesn’t SUCK, but does his elite passing fully make up for his incredibly inefficient, ball-dominant (poor) shooting and crappy defense, especially now that he can’t be the 1A option on offense? And that’s to say nothing of the fact that he’s never healthy…
This doesn’t feel like a move that makes MIN better. Certainly not more of a contender.
Maybe Leon can ask Drummond to go back to clanking FTs so that folks won’t notice the difference…
It’s Willis Reed’s birthday. Very much saddens me that he didn’t live to see this day.
I thought the rule was that even first apron teams couldn’t do a sign-and-trade if they’d still be over the FA after the trade.
OK, now do their defensive rates with him on/off. Hornets were nearly 10pts better per 100 defensive possessions with him off the floor. Yikes. Now granted, their offensive rating was better enough with him that it wiped out that defensive gap and then some, but is that going to be the case in MIN? Is he really going to play that same way?
The two biggest factors in whether this trade is a success or a disaster are – how does LaMelo actually get used alongside Ant, and does he stay on the court?
Very big question marks, both, for what MIN gave up.
I don’t love Lamelo as a player, but comparing him to Cam Reddish because their TS% is similar is like saying Duane Kuiper’s batting average was higher than Mike Schmidt’s.
Lamelo compiles that TS% with sky-high usage and a very low assisted basket percentage, and also throws in a shit ton of assists. Reddish can’t do much except stand around and wait for somebody to pass him the ball, so his usage is half of what Lamelo’s is, and his assisted basket rate is more than double.
Let Cam Reddish go out there and try to do what Lamelo Ball does, then get back to me about their relative TS%.
All I said was that LaMelo was inefficient and dumb.
Windhorst apparently put it at 51-49 odds of us keeping Mitch, and said there’s just a number the Knicks won’t go above.
OK, now do their defensive rates with him on/off. Hornets were nearly 10pts better per 100 defensive possessions with him off the floor. Yikes.
lamelo sucks at defense but this is not even close to accurate. last 5 year w lamelo on they gave up 117.9 vs 115.2 w lamelo off.
Well said, Hubert.
The right move is to elongate and ride the high while knowing that the hungover will be painful. Mezannine level is for steady cruising. Who prefers that? – Leon and Co worked so hard and got so lucky just to be here today…
Voluntarily deciding to lower our odds of defending a championship because we’re worrying about potential pain later for the reason that Leon may or may not be able to trade OG’s salary for 2 young productive players & picks in two years is silly.
“…is like saying Duane Kuiper’s batting average was higher than Mike Schmidt’s.”
Except for all the ‘we’re losing Mitch’ posts, this has been a quite enjoyable thread.
And Lil’ Penny is a much better storyteller than he is an NBA prognosticator.
E…love you much…
just stop with the annotations already…beyond bizarre for informal communications…
kind of glitching out with that there…
and trust, i know bizarre behavior and glitching out…
One thing I’m increasingly wondering…
We know Dolan is a spiteful cunt…
We know he hated this CBA…
Is he so spiteful that he would break up the Knicks just so he could blame the CBA?
I think he might be.
gotta be honest director, I love when hubie slips in the sexy wealth management lingo…
beats the heck out of all the lawyer talk we get here…
George Steinbrenner may have been a jerk, but at least he spent money to keep his team together and winning.
Dolan can’t even get that right.
think a lot of folks are envisioning young knucklehead lamelo…
he ain’t that guy no more…very well regarded by his teammates and other players these days…
plus, i mean if rudy gobert can’t cover up defensive lapses, who can…
very surprised to see naz reid heading out, solid player projected to start this year…fan fave in minny too…
gotta give to get though…
dame was already past his prime when he went to the bucks, so, much different circumstances…
only gonna be one champ next season, so yeah, swing big, sell as many tickets and merch as you can…
gene michael was steinbrenner’s saving grace, just like leon is dolan’s…
This is what I found when I googled it, and it’s surprisingly encouraging:
I was at 80/20 to leave!
EDIT: Alan beat me to it.
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-mitchell-robinson-latest-espn-revelation/
Got on a bit of a roll there … and of course had to get on Google and check in on a guy I hadn’t thought about in at least 20 years to see if everything turned out ok for him and it looks like it has. Basketball skills coach in his hometown with like six other guys, looks good and healthy in the picture, whatever bumps in the road there have or haven’t been seem fine now. Good deal.
Kind of chuckled at the resume enhancement, though: “McDonald’s All-American,” um, nope; “Mr. Basketball” in state, um, yeah right, come on dude we have Wikipedia now. But “Parade All-American,” is actually a “yep” as confirmed by college BB-reference. They probably have an honorable mention group or something and he made it. Dude could ball. Right in my sweet spot, too, 6-7 toolsy wing. Always had a thing for them, way more than point guards or bigs. Probably explains the Reddish situation.
Sorry, I should have clarified, I was just referencing this past season.
So Windhorst doesn’t know anything. Saying it’s 50/50 is literally the easiest way to be like “oh he might leave! Wait, he didn’t! I wasn’t wrong!”
Possibly letting Mitch and Shamet go is not breaking up the team, let’s be fucking serious.
windy’s weak sauce prognostications…
This wasn’t about Mitch & Landry, Al.
If we’re never going over the apron, the writing’s on the wall.
It’s Mitch and Landry now, next summer it’s Deuce & Mikal, eventually you’ll be choosing between OG and KAT.
If Shamet is the only true second-apron casualty, I would say there’s a strong case to be made that’s worth not starting the clock on the draft pick death penalty.
Obviously he’ll be a hero in NY, and in my heart, forever, but I can buy the case that maintaining the ability to trade our 2034 first and aggregate for trades is worth more championship equity, provided we get an adequate replacement (either from internal development or another home run minimum signing/pick).
If it’s both him and Mitch though…yeah, no. It’s not “breaking up the team” and it’ll still probably be feasible to get through the regular season without much of a drop off, but we’d be losing a player with genuinely elite, unmatched skills who singlehandedly opens up a lot of lineup and schematic flexibility for us. There’s a reason we didn’t have much of an issue with KAT’s foul trouble in the playoffs, and it ain’t because he stopped committing the fouls.
I’d consider losing both a 6 on the Jeffrey Loria scale.
So it’s a long shot when I ask if Dolan might be using misdirection but then you suggest this??
This is where I’m at. I think we can survive losing Shamet but losing Shamet and Mitch would be hard to come back from if we want to repeat next year.
And if it’s one or the other, Mitch is more valuable even if his flaws are greater.
Really weak sauce of Dolan to not even be willing to pay a dime of tax at this fan ticket price point.
That Windhorst story is actively a GOOD thing, right? It means that their current plan IS to re-sign Mitch. It’s just a question of whether Mitch gets a better offer, but, I mean, come on, how good can his offers possibly be?
Agree and he’d even be post more easily read stories if he skipped the footnotes since the posts are not legal briefs and he’s not David Foster Wallace.
Windhorst is a self-important twit who owes his entire career as an NBA pundit to having had the good fortune to be born & raised in Akron at the same time LeBron was coming of age in that city.
Starting at the local rag, he moved on to the Cleveland Plain Dealer to serve as Cavs beat writer when LeBron was first drafted there. He was then hired by ESPN when James went to the Heat, where he took on the role as the network’s resident LeBron whisperer.
I can’t recall ever hearing or reading any insightful NBA commentary from him that does not involve LeBron. When LBJ ultimately hangs ‘em up, Windhorst will find himself just another NBA hack without portfolio. His speculation re Mitch probably has no source other than an overinflated belief in the brilliance of his own presumptions. I’d wager that every regular reader of this forum has a far deeper understanding of the inner workings of the Knicks and all the attendant minutiae than does Windhorst.
I wonder if maybe Mitch’s medicals aren’t so hot. They might be reluctant to give him multiple years given the punitive nature of the apron rules if his ankle is being held together with duct tape.
Most likely, Mitch’s agent and the team have looked at the cap sheet together and Mitch’s agent has told the team that if it can clear out the number EB posted, by basically clearing everyone out including Dadiet, it would be enough for Mitch to seriously consider but he owes it to Mitch and the process to go out and see how other teams value Mitch.
So still possible, but in reality, Mitch’s market value is probably higher than the number the Knicks can scrounge up so it will come down to whatever discount Mitch might be willing to take.
I mean, this really is the rub of it. I would also miss Shamet, but he’s always one well-timed pick away from having his arm fall off.
And Mitch is Mitch. we’ll miss the o-rebounds and defense but not the free throws and lack of offense.
I think they’d miss Shamet quite a bit. The only other guy who shoots at his volume is Deuce, and I’m a little worried that Deuce post-surgery didn’t look right.
something else to like about you E, you seem pretty well suited to entertain yourself…more than a few of us here like that, guess…thankful for that…
can not remember the whole thing with E, i like it though…stands for you now…little penny sounds like something from your childhood…kind of remember the doll…oops, figurine…
it can be taxing at times being around folks whom need to be entertained, a bunch…oh well…
reference the annotation, just how many times do you reread what you write in order to try to edit properly?
a while back now, when did do work, needed to share a bunch of data through emails/docs…
the anxiety makes me move/think fast, not necessarily better though, that is a sorry fact…thankfully the paranoia helped me learn before sending anything out, needed to reread everything written/number entered at least 3 times…fast on the front, slow on the end…good habit though, right…
I’ve been willing to accept this possibility, but if they’re trying to clear out enough room to offer him ~$10M, it’s pretty hard to make the case that the reason they won’t offer him ~$14M is his medical report.
One thing for certain, I can safely say I’ve entertained myself with this more times than anyone should admit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MGX0h7eNhU
Me, too. I’d rather keep Landry than Jose or Deuce. Possibly Jose & Deuce.
Of course I’d rather have an owner who isn’t a cunt, then we wouldn’t have to make any of these choices.
I wonder what vet min types might fall through the cracks. We’re a premium vet min destination now.
can we just guarantee mitch more money ( + 2 mil each year) in the 2nd and 3rd year of the deal…
do the nba players get like some annual inflationary bump anyways?
new truck of choice, every 2 years, for life…
anyone have a list of potential suitors?
he should think about his family…what about the poor dogs…
what about the old coach guy, sure he’s comfortable where ever he is at…
gotta believe his agent is gonna recommend grabbing that fatter stack…
sure, ain’t his family that has to move…
IMO, the team’s actions over the past two days strongly suggest that the team and Mitch have already agreed on a number and are currently in the process of hammering out the fine print.
Aller is a detail freak every draft but this year it seemed even more so; every move appeared to be plotted out to the penny. It really did seem as if he had in mind a specific dollar amount that he knew had to be cleared by the end of Wednesday night.
Also: the team passed on opportunities to pick a reasonable Mitch facsimile once they entered the neighborhood in which they finally felt it fiscally prudent to do so. That can be seen as confidence that Mitch won’t be going anywhere. One of the players they did select fits the Shamet profile, suggesting that he was the one chosen as the designated cap casualty.
Don’t get me wrong I would love to keep both Shamet and Mitch, if it’s only possible to keep one of them Mitch would be preferable cause his skill set is alot harder to replace.
But in the current NBA this is what happens, teams are constantly having to change their benches cause role players change teams all the time, mostly not even the fault of the team. Hell it already happened to us with iHart.
The starting lineup is going to be in tact for the 3rd year in a row and most likely stay together for another year or 2, thats an eternity in the current NBA landscape. I fully expect only Brunson to possibly retire as a Knick, I’m just gonna try to enjoy and appreciate watching this championship starting lineup for as long as they’re together.
You’re 100% right…its not a team break up but it does lower he odds of a repeat. Thats the point.
Us fans, coaches and current Knick players now ALL have to hope that Leon gets lucky again where a capable 3&D wing vet falls in his lap and/or he’s able to pull a Yabu for Jose type trade at the deadline.
All this marginal basketball winning risk, for what? – It’s bad for business too; MSG shareholder values are maximized if we are playing next June not by the luxury tax bill amount.
who says josh hart should start…
He’s still ugly.
If I could have two of the three potential FAs, I think I’d choose Mitch and Alvarado, because they’re specialists.
Shamet had a fine couple of seasons for us, but he was a journeyman guard who we were able to bring in for cheap who bought in, played scrappy defense when we needed him to, and knocked down his shots which were overwhelmingly assisted baskets. That seems like it would be more easily found in a vet min signing than the specialist skillsets that Alvy and Mitch bring to the table.
nobody is wearing donnie walsh’s out there in the world…
plus, it only takes one buyer, right…hopefully the right buyer…
forgot the saying, but basically: for every odd sandal, there’s a match…you get the point…
Lol I just learned that the players can opt out of the CBA and end the entire apron system in the summer of 2029.
None of this shit will even exist in 4 years.
Get your fucking head out of your ass, Dolan.
Didn’t happen to the last two champions. Boston brought everyone back after they won, and so did OKC (they even handed out three supermax extensions).
We would become the first champion to not bring everyone back in the apron era. And (I think) the only champion this decade other than the ’23 Nuggets to not bring everyone in the rotation back the next season. I know a few teams broke up a year later after failing to defend. But it’s been standard practice to bring back the whole rotation, bench and all. Only the notoriously cheap Kroenke’s failed to do it.
I do agree that that is what it LOOKS like. Here’s hoping it actually IS that.
I might be wrong about Lamelo. Interesting points made above.
But it also seems like a huge package for a guy who isn’t, to me, a true top tier superstar
Mike Brown! 😉
Also, apropos of nothing, but loving Zlatan’s commentary for the World Cuo
see donnie, there you go right there…the gentleman may not be the handsomest fella to all, but even in the far recesses of the internet, and owen’s mind, it is solidly understood:
lamelo ball = huge package
quite a bit of appeal…
Locked on Knicks is getting me psyched up about Nickel as a 3pt shooting specialist. Would be interesting if he could push for minutes eventually.
I miss Bruno Brasilsplaining the World Cup to Donnie.
That Mark Williams contract has me hopeful about a Mitch signing—3 years averaging $12.8 mil per for a starter.
“You’re 100% right…its not a team break up but it does lower he odds of a repeat. Thats the point.”
There are lots of assumptions built into this statement.
“Us fans, coaches and current Knick players now ALL have to hope that Leon gets lucky again where a capable 3&D wing vet falls in his lap and/or he’s able to pull a Yabu for Jose type trade at the deadline.”
Lucky? There was very little luck involved.
“We would become the first champion to not bring everyone back in the apron era.”
The apron era is a whole 3 seasons long so this is a ridiculously tiny sample. OKC built its championship roster via a completely different route, so they don’t even count. The highest paid player on their championship team earned $less than $36M that season and they have still not gone into the second apron. If they go into it this year, it doesn’t impact them the same way. They have young, marketable players on good contracts, loads of juicy draft picks, and so they are far less concerned about roster flexibility going forward. They are extreme outliers. Whatever, neither of the teams that brought everyone back repeated. The Celts are no longer in a championship window.
I don’t really think that anything that happened before this CBA is comparable. But even so, there hasn’t been a repeat champion since the Warriors team that went to the finals 5 straight time. That team rolled out a different bench pretty much every year.
Assuming that Leon does not go into the second apron (seems like that is highly likely at this point) I agree that the priority should be to keep Mitch. We can easily do without one of Shamet, Alvarado, or Deuce, and maybe two. There really isn’t a reason to hold on to Dadiet if he’s not gonna be in the rotation. If Alvarado opts out, then it’s Kolek time….otherwise why have him on the roster?
Thing is, I don’t think Leon can keep Mitch and stay under the second apron because he is going to get a much bigger offer. The good news about that is that it makes it easier to keep everyone else in the fold. Mike Brown is going to figure out how to adjust to not having Mitch, and we’ll be just fine. I’m not the least bit worried about it.
bummed about this if the latest is true. summer league mitch was an all time nyk moment for me. for a minute there i thought we had drafted an admiral slash scottie pippen hybrid on defense in round 2.
What latest? Bobby Marks speculating?
https://x.com/sbondynba/status/2070307338473418869?s=46
^ Dolan sucks, was Brunson aware of this during his pay cut
Skip the draft
Skip the apron
Well that’s sort of been the assumption all along. The only reason to go into the second apron would be to keep Mitch. Seems like they can retain all of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, and Huk under the apron, plus have room for a TPMLE and a vet’s minimum. Maybe work some magic at the deadline.
I know this is gonna feel like a blend of Jeremy Lin 2.0 and iHart 2.0 for lots of folks here. But hey, maybe Huk makes a leap, or some other development puts it in the rearview mirror. I just hope Mitch gets his bag out west.
Two things we can now safely assume to be true:
-Brown is not going to compensate for losing Mitch by playing the starters more minutes
-Brown is not going to try to turn another player into Mitch…he will adjust the schemes to the personnel he has
-The kids on the roster are gonna get lots of PT this year…especially Mo and Huk, but others as well.
-Leon is not gonna sit on his hands if a void develops.
I should mention that some folks feared that Mo would get a big offer from an opponent and he was retained on a cheap long-term deal. He will probably come back stronger and make playing small to eat some non-KAT minutes more of a thing. Hey, the East is (not that) big, man.
I love Mitch. He should stay here. James Dolan is still an asshole.
But not going to let it ruin my summer. Hopefully.
Hey, no worries, Huk would’ve had like the 6th best block% in the league if he had qualified minutes-wise. Plus, there’s always Nick Richards!
Someone please remind me why we didn’t draft a cheap center with upside in the second round, and why we sold off not one but two of them that we actually drafted.
Yankees had a Mets like embarrassing loss tonight, might just watch Knicks playoffs highlights for rest of the summer…
26, Henri was sitting on the board all night and they passed and they traded away the one they drafted in the 50s . I would’ve just taken Tarris Reed with the 25th pick and called it a night.
The thing is I keep hearing Mitch is gonna get some huge offer from some team but have yet to hear anything about which team that might be.
He’s the worst free throw shooter in the league and he has to be load managed throughout the season and playing him starter’s minutes is asking for him to get hurt and then you’re stuck with a contract you can’t move.
So who is that’s going to make him this offer? And which team has the cap space
to do that and is willing to let him just be a back up who plays max twenty minutes a game and misses a third of the season?
Knicks weren’t going to use 3m salary cap space on a 1st rd pick this year.
“Someone please remind me why we didn’t draft a cheap center with upside in the second round, and why we sold off not one but two of them that we actually drafted.”
I was surprised/disappointed that they didn’t keep Onyenso rather than swapping him for cash, especialy to a conference rival. But he was very, very raw.
Walker I said the same thing during the season. He isn’t going to play starter minutes so is a team willing to blow that much money on him..
my pick is the Lakers if they miss on Kessler . Robert Williams is another option
Who’s Walker?
Poster above
Celtics seem like another team that could go after him .. .
I’m pretty sure Nurkic is a FA, and probably would like to play for a champion/contender. (Yeah, we might be desperate pretty soon.)
Eww.
I’d check in with OKC . They have so many bigs now if they keep I-Hart.
We are also one of the only teams to not have signed any undrafted free agents (yet). Summer league might be brutal this year.
So on the surface, the post-Mitch team looks like this:
Starters: Brunson, OG, KAT, Hart, Mikal
Bench: Deuce, Huk, Alvarado, Shamet, Mo
Situational: Vet, Kolek, Dadiet, one of Nickel or Kayil
2-Way: Other of Nickel or Kayil, ???
-I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved on from Dadiet, he hasn’t really developed.
-If Jemison accepts a 2-way spot, he might eat some C minutes unless they can find someone better to do that.
https://x.com/NBA_NewYork/status/2070318622472306990
Seems like Shamet will be out as well
Those undrafted players don’t belong in the NBA. NIL killed the second round . So many players who should’ve gone undrafted got picked.
Knicks like Dadiet https://m.youtube.com/shorts/hQdK3ihmk9A?ra=m
Maybe, Mitch is just done with the Knicks. He is a champion. His mental health took a toll here and the resultant behavior may have alienated some of his teammates and coaches – as much as they love the guy. Mitch may not give us a hometown discount. He may sign with a smaller market team down south and get out of Dodge.
“Maybe, Mitch is just done with the Knicks. He is a champion. His mental health took a toll here and the resultant behavior may have alienated some of his teammates and coaches – as much as they love the guy. Mitch may not give us a hometown discount. He may sign with a smaller market team and get out of dodge.”
Sign-and-trade to his hometown Hornets?
“Seems like Shamet will be out as well”
That seems like pure speculation. We’ll see.
“Sign-and-trade to his hometown Hornets?”
He’s from Lousiana…
That still gets me even though it was probably 15 – 20 years ago (or longer?) since the Hornets were in New Orleans. LOL
Pelicans, then. 🙂
ahhh..just got my first knick championship tee in the mail…i ordered from some sketchy website but it was 20 bucks versus the 100 on fanatics….
Its got the front cover of the NY Post the morning after the victory on the front of the shirt…..noooiiice!
ps…I hope it survives the first washing…
oh man, procrastinated pepper and missed out on that one black championship t-shirt that had the glitter in the word champions…all sold out dang it…
will just have to act quicker after we win it all again next season…
Nice, Pepper! If anyone has any other championship tee recs, please post them here…
I’m still looking for more shirts . I went to Dicks and the selection was mediocre.
i found another one that was even shadier in China and they had both the NY Post front and back cover the “Champs” pic and then the other side was “We’re number Brun”…on each side of the shirt….I tried to track the shipment and today it said “just left the Wuhan” facility …so not only will I get a shirt but maybe the next iteration of Covid…
https://x.com/AndrewJClaudio_/status/2070341208212136091
The whole mental health angle has become front and center since he hurt his hand.
I honestly was unaware it was an issue before this year. Little things here and there sure, but it’s now talked about like it was always a huge deal.
It’s kind of surprising…
Here’s how I see it shaking out (as of now):
PG: Brunson, Alvarado, Kolek
SG: Hart, Deuce, Dadiet
SF: Bridges, Shamet, Nickel
PF: Anonuby, Diawara, Sochan
C: Towns, FA Signing, Hukporti
Roman Moroni Deported to Sweden: Claims He’s Not From There.
Without Kayil on the main roster it might be a squeeze to bring Shamet back and get a decent C.
With Brown willing to play OG at C, I wonder if they’re going to really carry Huk, Sochan, plus another C.
They could carry 14 players and just give Sochan’s extra money to the backup center. I probably should’ve put Huk as 2nd string, but thought there’s a slim chance they could find a decent center in free agency.
I mean, none of it’s ideal: Deuce is small for a 2-guard, Shamet is small for an SF, but hey, we won a Chip that way.
Yet one could also argue that losing Mitch could start a domino effect with the whole bench, and suddenly we’ll need more rebounding and defense from other positions. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Knicks will grab James Nnaji of their draft rights stash scrap heap and problem solved
Last I heard, Nnaji is going back to college and then re-entering the draft.
We know that Dolan is far more spiteful than frugal. On that note, I wonder how much of Dolan insisting on staying below the second apron is out of spite, i.e. to keep the tax bill down because the money would go to the rest of the teams. He hates the other owners and the commissioner and vice versa. He hates that his media empire has been impacted by Silver’s deals with Prime, Peacock, etc. and ranted about it.
I also wonder if he is more angry at Mitch than the rest of the brass and Brown. Meaning that if Leon, Brunson, Browm, etc. are all trying to convince him to go over the second apron to retain Mitch, his response is “Not for that guy who almost cost me a championship…” It seems like that really is that is the only reason to do it, and it’s probably a hard sell, just like keeping Lin was a hard sell.
Dolan just burned liked $40M on Thibs, and before that, tens of millions on Phil. The Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the league and he’s raking in the championship spoils. It can’t be just the money, and if he’s saying no to Leon et. al., it can’t be for strategic reasons alone.
Dolan is an idiot.
I also have to wonder why persuasive voices like Rose, WWW, and Brunson can’t talk Dolan into going over the second apron line. Are their hearts just not into it? Is there dissent? Maybe medical is telling Dolan it’s a bad idea? If they pushed hard enough with airtight arguments (the most compelling of which might be that they could probably unload Mitch before the deadline for assets which would be better than losing him for nothing), would Dolan relent?
I guess we’ll have the answer by Wednesday.
I don’t buy that they were blindsided. They were $53,000 and change under the SA two years ago and $230,000 and change under the SA last year. They’ve rarely drafted and haven’t put a 1 in the regular, normal 1 draft slot number for years — clear evidence of picking and choosing your spots, and pinching pennies.
They didn’t go right up to within a rounding error of the SA, but not put their toes over the SA, by accident or coincidence. Plus it’s in the interest of the FO to paint it as them being surprised rather than not planning well. Can’t buy it. I can maybe buy “we can talk the boss out of it if and when we need to but let’s try to not need to,” but a full-on shock? No way.
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