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Knicks should defend their title with the same blue-collar spirit that made history – The New York Times
Can the Knicks afford to play hardball with Karl-Anthony Towns? – Posting & Toasting
Karl-Anthony Towns extension talks stall as Knicks face $276 million question – Posting & Toasting
Karl-Anthony Towns contract negotiations show how difficult it will be for Knicks to keep title core together – CBS Sports
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson to host 52nd season premiere of ‘Saturday Night Live’ – SNY
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson says he’s fully cleared after offseason surgery – SNY
Can we name every Knick who has made 100 3PMs this century? | KNICKS SPORCLE – Knicks Film School
ESPN Ranks Jalen Brunson & It’s A Disgrace – Knicks Fan TV
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62 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.09.26)”
Bringing this back from late last night as something of a preview of what Brunson’s late career is going to be like here. We have to hope he can hold up as well as Steph has. And the fact that his game is so ground-bound will hopefully help with that. Regardless, though, he will get paid as much as he wants for as long as he wants to play, because he’s our Steph.
Not sure how true this is. If you look at his highlights from the playoffs, he sometimes gets the ball by his defenders by fractions of an inch, going up and stretching his body as much as he can. He’ll always have his craftiness, but some of his physical abilities will go with age. I think.
Me too. There’s no way DRed wouldn’t come here, during our playoffs run that ended with what some (most?) of us thought was impossible… a championship!
I’m more than worried about him. 🙁
As he should be. 😉 🧡💙
The VORP analysis indeed suffers from a time bias in that recent draftees haven’t had as many seasons as the ones that came before them, obviously.
Ultimately you have to pick your poison with an exercise like this. BPM is way too wonky because of the small sample size issue, VORP comes with all of the distortions of any counting stat (subject to playing time, both at the minute and season level), we’re not capturing expected value based on slot at all, and above all else we’re using highly imperfect box score aggregators at the end of the day.
There are also weird, technically non-draft related things like Sacramento grading out pretty well because they drafted He Who Shall Not Be Named, who they clearly didn’t proceed to value nearly highly enough.
And yet! I still think we can get a general idea of how a front office has done in the draft using this kind of method. I’ll put it this way—I think it would be pretty hard for a front office that was bad at drafting to grade out well here, though I’ll concede it wouldn’t be impossible if e.g. they made one outstanding pick and a bunch of terrible ones (hello, Sacramento, who accumulates 96% of their VORP in this analysis from [redacted]), though one could of course counter that a single outstanding pick is so valuable that a good overall grade is still merited.
Doing this exercise changed my view on our overall success in the draft in a slightly positive direction, though I still think we’ve made preventable mistakes and generally haven’t utilized the draft as much as we should.
I’d love to see another Quickley level hit. Go Jack Kayil Go.
That seems more like a legacy contract for Curry than anything else.
While Brunson and Curry are quite different physically (Curry more wiry, Brunson more stout,) barring career-altering injury, I think Brunson should be pretty close to who he is until he turns 37 or so. It probably helps that, like Curry, his game is not dependent on elite athleticism or playing above the rim. Whatever he loses physically, he can make up with subtle adjustments to his game. One of the most impressive things about Brunson is his understanding of space and timing, and there are probably still things for him to explore in his off-season training.
After that, it will probably come down to luck…avoiding injury, adjusting his role, having the right guys to play off of, etc. I would doubt that he’s playing 2000+ minutes a season at age 38. Curry’s minutes have come down in the past couple of years. Guys like CP3 and Lowry started to diminish at around 36-37 and while Paul piled up 2200 minutes and played all 82 games with SA at age 39, he was clearly not the same guy.
But hell, I would sign up right now for 7 more near-peak seasons of Brunson, and then a couple of seasons in a diminished role. He has a very outside chance of catching Ewing and becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer.
“I’d love to see another Quickley level hit. Go Jack Kayil Go.”
The funny thing about the IQ hit is that it was just as much of a “not miss” as it was a “hit.” No one had him that high on their draft board, and some prominent folks had him going entirely undrafted. It was a very controversial pick, and the “consensus” pick there was Desmond Bane. Payton Pritchard was the next pick and he has been pretty close to the same player as IQ.
It’s also funny because my recollection is that it was World Wide Wes that insisted on going for IQ.
Well, all the reporting at the time was that we wanted Maxey — rightly so, as it turned out — and then when the Sixers took him, we pivoted to his teammate.
I would also say that the draft rating can be ascertained by simply listing the guys without looking at their stats.
2020 Obi Toppin, 8: solid rotation player
2020 Immanuel Quickley, 25: solid starter
2021: Quentin Grimes, 25: solid rotation player
2021: Rokas Jakubiatis, 34: Bust
2021: Deuce McBride, 36: solid rotation player
2021: Jericho Sims, 58: fringe rotation player
2022: Trevor Keels, 42: Bust
2023: No picks
2024: Pacome Dadiet, 25: Bust (so far)
2024: Tyler Kolek, 34: fringe rotation player (with limited upside)
2024: Kevin McCullar, 56: Bust (so far)
2024: Ariel Hukporti, 58: fringe rotation player (with limited upside)
2025: Mohamed Diawara, 51: fringe rotation player (with significant upside)
So 12 picks were actually made, 11 of which were made at spots 25 or later, and only 4 of which were made in the first round. Three of the four 1sts turned into solid players: IQ, Obi, Grimes. Five of the eight players picked in the second round have a floor of NBA player, with Deuce being the high water mark at “fringe starter” and Mo looking very promising to reach that level at some point.
It’s not surprising at all that the VORP numbers align with the “that’s pretty good!” conclusion one would have just by looking at the names and dead-reckoning it. Lots of singles and doubles, IQ maybe a triple, no true home runs. A couple of whiffs, some walks, some inefficient sacrifice bunts.
Failing to land one or two of these four picks set the bench unit back a ton.
With no picks in ’23 and only one 2nd in ’25, it was really important to land one rotation player in ’24 that can start in relief for a dozen or so games a year.
Then Leon pivoted and somehow came up with with Alvie, JC and Shamet. Gotta love it.
That’s a great point, Director. It seems like the equivalent of “back end of rotation filler,” which is actually a positive outcome for the typical late first/second round pick, is more dependably available in the vets’ minimum bargain bin. It’s hard to argue that the Knicks have gotten much upside for those picks, but it turns out that they didn’t really need to.
You’re spot on. Thank god we have a Steph.
My beef is with our Klay. He needs to chill out and process his emotions or will end up spending his last few pre retirement years like Shaq did.
During the Spurs dynasty years, neither Parker nor Ginobly ever made more than 20% of the cap. Zero chance Leon makes a Middleton type mistake with KAT.
I will say that it was very disappointing that they didn’t take a flyer on an available big in the 2026 draft, knowing that they were quite vulnerable to losing both Mitch and Huk.
Did he strain anything shooting from that far out? 😉
100% agree. They don’t need Jack at he point guard spot.
I came here this morning because there were so many silly arguments on Horse Racing Twitter I needed a break from it. Then I caught up on yesterday’s thread. Doh! 🙂
I wish I had a nickel (not you, Tyler) for every offseason video of non-shooting bigs looking good working on their jumper and handle. That was quite the theme with Tyson Chandler too, iirc.
But hey, I never thought Andre Drummond would be knocking down 3’s, let alone FTs. So you go, Mitch! Just not against us!
I think it’s worth pointing out that the case against Leon in the draft has never really been about the players he did select.
But one thing this exercise did for me was change my view on importance of making a selection. And the reason for that is the emergence of a very robust vet minimum market in the new CBA.
In the 2021 draft, not taking all your swings was a mistake. But in 2024, it was different.
5 years ago a vet min center was raggedy old Taj Gibson, and a bum like Elf Payton cost real money. Now you get Andre Drummond for the vet min, and recently we snagged an Elf level player like Cam Payne for the vet min, too. And ultimately we got Landry Shamet, who outperformed almost everyone we could have selected in ’24.
So in 2026, while I really like Sergio DeLarrea, I have to admit it’s probably smarter to trade out and use the roster spot on someone like Jon Konchar.
We used to have to depend on those picks to fill out the rotation, and we really don’t anymore.
here’s what i’m not getting at the moment…
HBOmax has been using a guy gardner thumbnail all season to promote their Lanterns series…
if they knew most wanted to see guy gardner – why not just give us MORE guy gardner?
Lanterns has been a blast.
I heard van lathan on the ringer recently suggest it’s like watching the different ways George W Bush and Barack Obama became president, which I thought was pretty clever.
In fairly judging Leon Rose, I think that, while he made some very consequential decisions in his first couple of years, he is entitled to a “grace period” due to being completely new to the team executive role. For me, the real Leon era started at the end of the 2021-22 season. The team had missed the playoffs, largely due to Leon’s bumbling in the prior offseason…somewhat in the draft, but much. more so in trades, free agency, and contract extensions.
And even starting then, there was a massive amount of luck involved, and some blunders to overcome. Without what has evolved into the “Free Agency Signing Heard Around The World,” it’s hard to see a path to what we just witnessed, given the methodology he has employed since then. At best, if the “he’s probably pretty good!” version of Brunson were not already in the fold, I could see Leon upping the offer for Spida and trying to build a championship around him. But given all that it would have taken to acquire Spida, it’s hard to see a path to a championship, especially given how things have worked out for Cleveland.
There’s really no substitute for the way that the Brunson-OG-KAT acquisitions have panned out. These three guys cost IQ, RJ, Randle, DDV, and a couple of generic picks. Turns out that Brunson by himself was worth way more than that package. That left a lot of margin for error in filling in the roster, including overpaying for Bridges and a bunch of whiffs and singles in the draft, and that dumb Grimes trade.
the use of the term: manhunter in the series threw me off a bit…was expecting to see some version of j’onn ‘j’onzz…
then when they revealed the manhunter had a spouse, that really threw me…
zack synder teased the martian manhunter in some end clip of one of his movies…
heard wonder man, spider noir and daredevil all won’t be renewed…
maybe if Lanterns gives us more guy, it’ll see season 2…
think the new blade runner series releases soon…looking forward to that…
me, too.
but you know what’s really thrown me? Kyle Chandler. I wonder if this Hal Jordan is supposed to be so charming and likable, or if we just can’t help ourselves from liking the actor.
I read somewhere they intended it for Josh Brolin. That would have made for a very different show.
hey mister hubie, hope you are well 😊
been reading up a bit on green lantern lore…when it comes to DC comics, only ever really read a bunch of superman and batman stuff…and, even at that enjoyed the Elseworlds (kind of like marvel’s “what if” stories) publications most…
something about a not so nice superman works for me…or batman, but from a different timeline…
also enjoyed some of DC’s team stories with JLA and JSA…
honestly, I liked what zack synder was doing and where he was going…obviously in the minority on that, because, well gunn took over…
recent superman was fun…
supergirl was not so super…the comic Lobo always seemed too cartoonish to interest me, same for him in the movie…kind of like marvel’s ghostrider…
and yes, both jean grey and cain marko being possessed of some alien super power entity seems perfectly plausible, story wise…
cuz well, they’re x-men…and x-men rock…
“supergirl was not so super…”
Shocker. 🙂
Geo, if you’re exploring DC comics, I strongly recommend The New Frontier, a miniseries from the early 2000s, set in the 50s and 60s, about all of DC’s Silver Age heroes like Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, Barry Allen as The Flash, etc. One of the most fun, exciting, and simply cool titles the company ever produced, and it’s available in multiple collected editions.
thanks al, that sounds really interesting…I’ll find it 👍
thinking back, I remember yourself and BC both mentioning a preference for a more traditional portrayal of Kal El…like george reeves stuff…
think it was JLA: Destiny from 2002 that switched everything up for me…just hadn’t read anything like that before…
it was cool, around the same time I discovered the elseworld books, marvel was also producing a great “alternate” version of things with the Exiles run (one of the few comic book boxes i still keep in the house)…
1st time I ever saw tony stark as a bad guy…and, it worked, really well…felt like they used some of that in the ultron movie…
wow, HAL really knows comics, really well…
Armor Wars (The Paranoiac Maverick)
Title: Iron Man #225–232
Writer: David Michelinie & Bob Layton
Illustrator: Mark D. Bright (penciler) & Bob Layton (inker)
Publication Date: December 1987 – July 1988
Emperor Stark, the alt universe Exiles story was actually 3rd…
interesting, another bad guy tony stark story came out a year later, ’04, with this storyline:
Driven insane by an alien war on Earth-5012, this alternate Stark blames his allies, murders his friends, and takes over Latveria while donning a Doctor Doom-style outfit. He later gets trapped on the main Earth-616 and aggressively fights its native heroes.…
okay…
Shams:
Man, remember when the Wolves traded real stuff to trade up to draft Dillingham?
ole miss is getting tested today…
gm’s love buddy hield…
Yeah and they gave that stuff to San Antonio, who have an unnerving supply of surplus draft picks:
– Atlanta’s 2027 from DeJounte Murray
– Minnesota’s 2030 from the Dillingham
And the kicker…
– Sacramento’s 2031 from facilitating the DeMar DeRozan deal
Hubert, if I may, what the Spurs have for the draft years mentioned are:
2027: Hawks 1st round pick, but not their own, which went out in the De’AAron Fox trade;
2030: 1st round swap rights with both the TWolves and the Mavs, entitling Spurs to the one most favorable of the three picks involved;
2031: 1st round swap rights with Kings, entitling Spurs to the one most favorable.
So, bottom line, just one first round pick due SAS in each of those three years, no surplus.
Spurs did also obtain a 2031 first round pick (not a swap) from the TWolves in the Dillingham trade, but that also went out in the Fox trade. And he has turned into an (arguably) bad long-term contract.
Nice work, timo!
you always may 🙂
and you’re correct… I should have said they have an unnerving amount of swap rights, not surplus picks.
I’d be shocked if any of their own firsts are below 26 in the next 3 years, so every swap right seems almost assured. The one with Sacramento seems almost unfair.
I suspect they thought the available big guys at their pick positions weren’t any good. Time will tell if any of the guys they passed on actually end up as functional NBA. Players.
Tim Reynolds is something else (with Dave Matthews, who I am not a huge fan of but appreciate)
It was, wasn’t it?
Notice how easy it is to respectfully disagree with someone when you’re not agressively seeking personal validation for 5 years worth of your own stupid takes. 🙂
I learned that the Dodger’s September call-up and #1 prospect is Stephon Marbury’s cousin. No matter how hard I try and how far I travel, the Knicks haunt me down. And that’s factorial.
Probably not a good sign that he’s going public like this: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25503254-deuce-mcbride-disappointed-knicks-contract-talks-id-love-get-something-done
“Notice how easy it is to respectfully disagree with someone when you’re not agressively seeking personal validation for 5 years worth of your own stupid takes.”
So much for ignoring me!
There aren’t enough crows for you to eat for all the shit you spouted. Incineration? Mezzanine? Team We’ve Seen Enough? Ring a bell?
I don’t need validation, or anything else from you. And cut the shit about respectful disagreement. It would be nice if you actually went back and read all of your own posts and had a moment of self-realization about being a pompous, dismissive, patronizing dick compared to most of the other posters, and an unnecessarily cynical one at that. You rage, rage, rage about how stupid anyone who does something differently than you want them to is, and then when you turn out to be stupidly wrong, you just say “Oops!” and demand that all of that ugly shit you said over and over again must be forgotten, no matter how many good vibes you killed along the way. Well, sorry bud, I’m not forgetting it. If you don’t like it, tough shit. Go hang out with djphan, another pompous dick who thankfully moved on permanently.
But hey, this is only a sports blog. You should start with everyone who actually knows you well in real life, since I’m pretty sure your reputation as a loudmouthed know-it-all gadfly is hardly limited to this space.
Was at a house concert in my hometown featuring the inimitable Rupert Wates tonight, with unexpected join-ins by the hostess on flute and female voice on the last song, “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” I thought that her joining in on the flute to his guitar playing was the highlight until she joined in on that song. Just wow.
Willie Nelson at 93 still has it. Unbelievable!
that all sounds way cool doogie…
Here comes Brunson… 🤞
It’s been a lost season for the Mets, but they did at least use this year as an opportunity to develop some of their young guys. Today they got a really promising start from a former top prospect who had fallen off the radar: Jonah Tong.
Tong got a stellar 19 whiffs today on 84 pitches, and looks like he has made some major progress with his curveball, a pitch that was not a major league caliber offering at the start of the season. Tong desperately needed a quality glove-side breaking pitch in his arsenal, and if that curveball is for real he’s right back in the picture as a top of rotation prospect. He was hitting 97 MPH with his fastball and his fastball has nasty shape, it’s a high induced vertical break fastball.
BEST MONOLOGUE EVER
Good news, Doogie: Knicks sign N’Faly Dante to a 10-day contract.
Dante has a live body, not sure what else. He is currently out recovering with a torn ACL, so this seems like a play to acquire his G-League rights, if there is such a thing. Here’s some highlights from the G-League.
Seems like Dante also had a cup of coffee in the NBA…
Ironically this is opposite of what Alan feared… Jalen seems pretty comfortable but he’s working with really stiff & uncreative writing.
Monologue good. Skits bad.
That skit was a fun little callback to the time ptmilo joked that my physical therapy appointment was the massage chair at Newark airport.
Not really funny, though. Haven’t watched SNL in a long time. Seems like a pretty lame cast.
That’s a band? That’s music?
Excellent monologue… funny Tucker Carlson parody… but im regretting the two double espressos I had after dinner to stay up this late.
Really cringy skit.
This band makes the spice girls look like the supremes.
This does not bode well for when my son starts liking his own music.
That was one long hour and a half.
Nick Mullen does the GOAT Tucker Carlson impression
Isn’t he a backup QB for the Jags, too?
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