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Knicks Morning News (2024.10.02)


  • Karl-Anthony Towns soft reputation doesnt add up – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 23:11:00 GMT

    Karl-Anthony Towns soft reputation doesnt add up


  • So, what about the bench? – Posting and Toasting
    [Posting and Toasting] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:01:34 GMT
    1. So, what about the bench?
    2. The case for the Knicks to start McBrunson


  • NBA Power Rankings: Where league stands as training camps open after Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade – CBS Sports
    [CBS Sports] – Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:04:00 GMT

    NBA Power Rankings: Where league stands as training camps open after Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade


  • Knicks’ Mikal Bridges admits he struggled handling Nets’ losing – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 23:48:00 GMT

    Knicks’ Mikal Bridges admits he struggled handling Nets’ losing


  • How the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade banks on Year 3 leap for Miles McBride – sny.tv
    [sny.tv] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:31:55 GMT
    1. How the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade banks on Year 3 leap for Miles McBride
    2. Knicks may already have next hidden gem on their roster
    3. Knicks Guards Value Goes Up After DiVincenzos Knicks Exit
    4. Knicks’ Miles McBride: Set to reprise secondary role
    5. The Hidden Winner of Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Trade


  • Knicks Cut Former Celtics Forward After Karl-Anthony Towns Trade – NESN
    [NESN] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:17:40 GMT
    1. Knicks Cut Former Celtics Forward After Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
    2. Knicks waive former Celtics forward after blockbuster trade
    3. Atlantic Notes: Morris, Knicks, Embiid, George, Nets
    4. Marcus Morris declined to join Knicks on camp deal
    5. Knicks Rumors: Marcus Morris Declined Camp Contract After Being Waived for KAT Trade


  • Karl-Anthony Towns set to bring Knicks into different stratosphere – New York Daily News
    [New York Daily News] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:18:43 GMT

    Karl-Anthony Towns set to bring Knicks into different stratosphere


  • Who has the better starting five: Timberwolves or Knicks? – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:39:56 GMT

    Who has the better starting five: Timberwolves or Knicks?


  • In Anunoby & Bridges, Knicks have best pair of defensive wings in NBA, experts say – NJ.com
    [NJ.com] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:25:00 GMT

    In Anunoby & Bridges, Knicks have best pair of defensive wings in NBA, experts say


  • Duane Washington Jr., Partizan are involved in blockbuster NBA trade – Eurohoops
    [Eurohoops] – Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:11:00 GMT

    Duane Washington Jr., Partizan are involved in blockbuster NBA trade


  • New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby’s Free Agency Decision Wasn’t Hard – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:00:03 GMT

    New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby’s Free Agency Decision Wasn’t Hard


  • How much do tickets cost to see Towns and the Knicks at MSG this year? – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:52:00 GMT

    How much do tickets cost to see Towns and the Knicks at MSG this year?


  • Knicks could add spark plug off bench by signing former No. 1 overall pick – Empire Sports Media
    [Empire Sports Media] – Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:52:47 GMT

    Knicks could add spark plug off bench by signing former No. 1 overall pick


  • Who is James Nnaji, the player acquired by the Knicks in the KAT trade? Where does he play and career stats – AS USA
    [AS USA] – Wed, 02 Oct 2024 09:17:45 GMT

    Who is James Nnaji, the player acquired by the Knicks in the KAT trade? Where does he play and career stats

  • 101 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.10.02)”

    Brock Aller is the new Pico della Mirandola, this trade is the work of a (evil) genius even more than the Mikal one, and I can’t fathom the amount of work and behind the door diplomacy* needed to put every tile of the puzzle in the right spot.

    It also exploits, at least to me, a clear loophole in the rules but hey, Morey made a living finding ways to game the system…

    I was eager to watch the new team even before this trade, now I’m counting the days left before the regular season starts.

    * Partizan and his fans aren’t happy to be stripped one of their summer’s big acquisitions two days before their Euroleague debut, but he’ll be back soon and 500K grease many wheels (they’ll probably ask him for a discount in his re-signing after the “found money” he got from the Knicks).
    Anyway I think this part of the trade is a slap in the face of both the NBA and FIBA.

    James Nnaji was Rokas’ teammate for years so I basically scouted him for free while following our favorite lithuanian 🙂

    His draft capital took a big boost* after a nice season with Barca as a 18-year old in 2022-23 and Charlotte took him at 31 that summer, but a flush of nagging injuries stalled his development and he had a disappointing season last year.

    Then in june he went under the knife for “lumbar spine surgery” with recovery time expected to be around 4 months.

    Later Barcelona loaned him to Girona in an attempt to boost his playing time and, while he hadn’t played for them so far, he should be close to returning.

    As a player, Mitch’s a very good comp.
    Fantastic physical and athletical tools, good rebounder and intimidating rim protector, very limited offensive arsenal, no shooting range, bad free throws shooter and a penchant for dumb fouls.

    Barca usually used him as the third stringer big (our old pal Willy and lottery bust Jan Vesely were the main centers last year), good for 5 fouls to spend and to dunk everything thrown around the rim.

    He needs to play a lot and he’s only 20 years old, so the potential to become a useful rim protector/rim runner is absolutely there, I think he needs at least another 2-3 seasons of continued play to grow.

    Getting a secondary asset like this in the trade is another cunning feather in the cap of this FO.

    * I can’t remember if it was Vecenie or the ESPN’s draft guys who wrote glowingly about him in a couple of columns.

    Here’s a 2023-24 offensive highlight reel for Nnaji (featuring lots of Rokas).

    What I see offensively is a Jericho Sims-level prospect, meaning a guy who could eventually become a quality backup. I see some flashes of Clint Capela, but without the consistent fast-twitch/motor…and that makes all the difference. The main positive I came away with is that he seems to have very good hands and finishes pretty well in traffic, although obviously highlight reels don’t show the proportion of stumbles and bumbles that happen between the highlight-worthy plays. I looked that some the stuff posted here and there yesterday and there seemed to be tons of obvious traveling violations, including some that weren’t called (is Euroleague more lax with these calls?). Those were probably from a prior year because in this reel his footwork definitely looked cleaner.

    All in all, I think he is a very nice throw-in and certainly equivalent to a future pick in the 30’s. He just turned 20, and the film I watched seems to indicate some development. And that’s what it comes down to with prospects like Nnaji…where does his development stall?

    (is Euroleague more lax with these calls?)

    Usually not, they’re generally called more tightly than in the NBA (that’s true for FIBA basketball in general, not only Euroleague), but it happens.

    So in the past year, Leon shipped out:
    RJ
    IQ
    Grimes
    Randle
    DDV
    Assorted scrubs
    4 unprotected firsts
    1 lightly protected MIL 1st
    1 moderately protected DET 1st
    1 near-1st (2024 DET 2nd @ #31)
    Assorted 2nds

    Leon took in:
    KAT
    Mikal
    OG
    Precious
    Nnaji

    Leon lost via FA:
    iHart

    Leon gained via draft/FA:
    Payne
    Shamet
    Dadiet
    McCullar
    Hukporti

    Does that seem to sum things up?

    Thanks for the scouting report, Max!

    I do wonder if the NBA will move to close The Aller Loophole, since it seems to fly in the spirit of this ridiculous new CBA. And, if they try, I wonder if the players association will push back, since it allows guys like Charlie Brown Jr. to get paid money they would otherwise never, ever see.

    From last night:

    Alan, are we now definitely over the 2nd apron? Spotrac seems to think not…

    We are under the 2nd apron, but juuuust barely. We can sign Shamet to a vet minimum contract, and we can either convert McCullar or Hukporti to a rookie minimum deal, or we can do the same for a rookie that’s not already signed to an NBA contract, but that’s it. We can’t have a 15th man on the roster this season, at least not in our current configuration, or we go over the 2nd apron. And we have obvious incentive to avoid that unless it’s for a move that will clearly put us in the inner circle of title contenders.

    For that 15th slot, what if we cut Shamet and sign an additional player to a rookie deal? (or pick one up off the waiver wire?

    More importantly, why did you say that we have to match salaries exactly if we aren’t actually over the second apron?

    I think if signing three rookies to fill slots 13-15 was an option, somebody would have mentioned it by now. It’s Shamet plus rookie.

    And I may have misspoken on the exact match. I just meant that, by virtue of being above the first apron, we can’t take back more salary than we are sending out. And since we have now exhausted the limits of The Aller Loophole in multiple ways (we have no remaining eligible free agents, and you also can’t sign and trade free agents once the season begins), it is going to be a lot trickier to pull off trades. Not impossible, but trickier even than the shenanigans they just pulled off with Duane Washington Jr. and Partizan.

    If you are looking all the way out to the trade deadline, I don’t really see it that way.

    The “Untouchables”:

    Brunson
    KAT
    Mikal
    OG
    Probably Hart

    After that, you have:
    Mitch @ $14.3M
    Precious @ $6M
    Deuce @4.3M
    Sims @ $2.1M ($600K guaranteed?)
    Payne @ $2.1M
    Kolek
    Dadiet
    McCullar (TW)
    Hukporti (TW)
    Shamet (Exhibit 9)
    Rokas (Stashed)
    Nnaji (Stashed)
    WAS protected 1st
    Assorted seconds

    Once the dust clears on Precious, he becomes a potential salary piece. After that it seems like we can bring in someone up to the $26-27M salary range, no? Not that we would ever do that, but the point I’m making is that this isn’t necessarily a finished product with no flexibility. I think Mitch is being actively shopped as we speak!

    I have to update my previous post, I wrote above that 500K grease a lot of wheels, so what about 1M?

    Accoding to serbian sports outlet Mozzart Sport, Knicks and Partizan, with FIBA’s helping hand, agreed to double the buyout amount.
    They ended up well compensated for the annoyance.

    Washington is already in the US and he’ll try to be back and cleared to play (he needs to wait a few days for NBA’s waiver rule and sign a new contract) in time for Partizan next Euroleague game, scheduled for october 12th.

    I don’t think that watching the Summer League we would have suspect that the crazy gunner would be so useful, uh? 😉

    (https://www.mozzartsport.com/kosarka/vesti/ode-vasington-u-sad-vraca-se-tek-za-studentski-centar/493155)

    I figured at some point during the season the pro-rated minimum salary, either for a rookie or a veteran, would become low enough that we can squeeze it under the second apron and sign a 15th man. But as of now we’re truly squeezing every last penny under the second-apron such that that won’t be the case at least for a while, which is honestly more impressive than anything.

    Looks like we have $185,351,521 going to our top-12, Shamet will count for $2,087,519, McCullar/Huk will get $1,157,153, leaving us at $188,595,992. The second-apron is $188,931,000. Aller magic!

    I figured at some point during the season the pro-rated minimum salary, either for a rookie or a veteran, would become low enough that we can squeeze it under the second apron and sign a 15th man. I don’t know though, we’re truly squeezing every last penny under the second-apron such that that won’t be the case at least for a while, which is honestly more impressive than anything.

    Looks like we have $185,351,521 going to our top-12, Shamet will count for $2,087,519, McCullar/Huk will get $1,157,153, leaving us at $188,595,992. The second-apron is $188,931,000. Aller magic!

    Aller magic!

    Let’s not forget Dadiet’s 80% of the rookie scale salary (only for this year)! A genius! 😀

    My final commentary on Pete Rose, who it is kinda creepy to defend:

    I watched a ton of Pete Rose games during his prime, both regular season and playoffs. And although his character and skill were not analagous to Derek Jeter’s, I strongly believe that Jeter is his best modern analog.

    As with Jeter, there was something special about watching Rose play. He was both inspiring and intimidating. It just always seemed like he would make the right play at the right moment, and that he instilled his teammates with confidence. In that sense, the numbers don’t tell the complete story, although the numbers themselves are amazing when put in the proper perspective.

    Forty years from now, my guess is that there will be folks who think that Derek Jeter was overrated. Yet I don’t think the Yankees would have won a single one of the World Series’ they won during his career without his innate ability to lead and inspire, especially in the most important moments. Similarly, I don’t think the Reds or Phils win their championships without him. Obviously this can’t be proven but that’s my gut feeling. You had to see them in context to understand their impact on winning beyond the numbers.

    Here’s a quote from an article published this week

    He won an MVP Award in what was pretty much a typical year for him: He hit .338 in 1973 with 5 home runs, 64 RBIs and 115 runs, although he did pound out a career-best 230 hits. It was an excellent season, no doubt (although teammate Joe Morgan probably should have won that year). But the writers respected Rose so much, they gave him a lot of extra credit for the Reds’ success. They ran quotes like this one from a Reds coach: “He resembles no other player I have ever been associated with or even seen. Recently in Houston, Doug Rader told me, ‘Just playing against that guy inspires me.'”

    How could you not give him the MVP Award when he inspired opposing players?

    At the end of the day, I don’t think Rose (or Jeter) is in the top-20 greatest position players of all time, and it’s arguable that he’s not in the top-50. But having watched them play in context, and watched many of those fairly ranked above him, if I was building a champion, I would pick Rose or Jeter above a slew of the players ranked above them by the numbers.

    Forty years from now, my guess is that there will be folks who think that Derek Jeter was overrated.

    Where were you during Jeets’ career? People said this all the time!

    The funny thing is while I think there may have been a time Jeter was overrated generally speaking (I never really love evaluating this because it’s so subjective–overrated by who, exactly?), I think he’s actually become underrated because of how hard analytically inclined people were on him. Jeter grades out very, very well by any metric!

    Prime? His peak WAR (7.4 on Fangraphs, 8 on Baseball Reference) is better than, say, Manny Machado’s. Longevity? How about thirteen consecutive seasons at 3.4 WAR or above?

    Even critiques of his fielding specifically went overboard. His advanced defensive metrics were ugly at times and he definitely didn’t deserve any of his gold gloves, but he sprinkled in a few seasons where he graded out as above average too.

    Man, I forgot we still have Toppin the Younger. I assume he’ll be 100% in Westchester this year.

    I’m eager to see what McCullar can do. He’s like a big, strong wing with a variety of talents… but can he stay healthy? To me he feels like a potential “guy who fell too much in the draft” candidate.

    Of course Derek Jeter was a great player. He’s a deserving first ballot Hall of Famer.

    A typical Derek Jeter season was something like a 130 wRC+, league average-ish defense at shortstop, outstanding durability, 5 WAR. He did this for like 15 years. Every once in a while he’d fire off a 6+ season or have one a little bit below 4. But overall his body of work was consistently excellent for a very long time.

    I’d argue that Francisco Lindor through age 30 has been a better player than Derek Jeter through age 30, because Lindor is a Gold Glove shortstop who typically has a 120 wRC+, and that is more valuable.

    Not a slight on Jeter! The fact that Lindor comes off well in that comparison shows you what a truly great player Lindor is.

    I’m eager to see what McCullar can do. He’s like a big, strong wing with a variety of talents… but can he stay healthy? To me he feels like a potential “guy who fell too much in the draft” candidate.

    Speaking solely from reading a ton of pre-draft scouting reports, the knocks on McCullar are twofold: 1)The health issue, and 2)Can he/will he shoot? He is very much a Josh Hart Jr kind of player, but without Hart’s physical indestructibility. But if he is healthy, and if he shows that he’s a willing and passable shooter, then he is very much the kind of player we could use as a 9th or 10th man.

    On Macri’s podcast with Katz yesterday, they talked a lot about how complicated it’s going to be for Thibs to juggle the rotation so that we don’t get killed on either size, spacing, or ballhandling, depending on which combo of bench players and starters is on the court.

    Meanwhile, I’m listening to today’s KFS pod with a longtime Minnesota fan/podcaster, who is for the most part glowing in his praise of KAT, but also aware of our new center’s obvious flaws. One of those is drop coverage. He said that every time there was a new exec or coach in Minneosta, among their first pronouncements was that they were going to use a defensive scheme that would have KAT at center playing drop. And each time, this person would soon realize that KAT, for all his other skills as a defender, simply can’t do that. Given how drop-heavy Thibs’ scheme is, and his own experience watching up close as KAT defended, it’s going to be fascinating to see if he has a new scheme in mind, or if he still believes he can unlock something in KAT that no one else has before — Thibs included.

    We can’t have a 15th man on the roster this season, at least not in our current configuration, or we go over the 2nd apron. And we have obvious incentive to avoid that unless it’s for a move that will clearly put us in the inner circle of title contenders.

    I’m pretty sure staying under the 2nd apron is a league mandate for us bc we’ve aggregated players in trades (2nd apron teams can’t do that).

    Lindor has definitely bested Jeter through age 30, BUT, the most impressive thing about Jeter is that he remained productive though age 38 (and to our knowledge without, um, help). So we’ll see what happens. I definitely like Lindor and have no problem rooting for him against any non-Yankees teams.

    Re: KAT in drop coverage, while I think the defensive concerns surrounding KAT are overstated (he’s been on plenty of excellent defenses and Minny’s numbers with him on and Gobert off the were still quite good), I do hope we can get a reasonably healthy Mitch back at some point. Being able to throw out an elite rim protector whenever we want would really bring this team together.

    I’m pretty sure staying under the 2nd apron is a league mandate for us bc we’ve aggregated players in trades (2nd apron teams can’t do that).

    Yeah, that sounds right. So, again, 14 players only. As Z-man pointed out earlier in the thread, we still will have the ability to make trades, and I expect Mitch and/or Precious to be sent out at some point. It will just be trickier than even the Mikal or KAT deals.

    “I do wonder if the NBA will move to close The Aller Loophole, since it seems to fly in the spirit of this ridiculous new CBA. And, if they try, I wonder if the players association will push back, since it allows guys like Charlie Brown Jr. to get paid money they would otherwise never, ever see.”

    Good luck on that. Firstly, unlike some agreements, there is no beginning statement on aims, spirit or, intentions that would allow for interpretation of specific actions as against them if technically allowed. Secondly, now that we have seen the initial real world ramifications–good and bad depending upon where you are currently standing–any re-opening would result in way more than the Aller Loophole issues being up for re-negotiation.

    Looking at the NBA Executive Year Award criteria, Aller is eligible. Sounds like a horse race between him and Rose!

    Jeter had the great hit tool, and that ages well. He could always put the bat on the ball. As a defensive player he had great instincts that made up somewhat for his pedestrian range, which also aged well. He was never a great defensive shortstop but he also never declined to the point where he became unplayable.

    The back half of his career was truly a marvel.

    Seems like the Knicks are going to do a lot more switching and a lot less drop coverage. Tom Thibodeau is not a foolish man, so I don’t expect him to build a defense around Karl Anthony-Towns playing tons of drop coverage.

    Aller truly is everything we hoped he would be. It feels like Bizarro world after all the years of stupid gm shit we went through but we actually seem to have some of the smartest most competent people in the NBA in our front office now. Which is all I ever wanted.

    As for Lindor, he’s the best Met of my lifetime right? Has anyone been better than Lindor in the last 40 years?

    Dadiet saying he doesnn’t like bagels. . .I am afraid he’s not going to make it.

    Dadiet saying he doesnn’t like bagels. . .I am afraid he’s not going to make it.

    Bagels suck… bialys are the only way to go…. it shows the young man’s intelligence.

    Degrom is fair. He had that one season that was all time great. And then he was absurdly good the next year. But I think Lindor’s 23 war across the last four years as the big ticket acquisition and rebuild figurehead has a slight edge, especially with how he put them in the playoffs.

    Good thing to be able to discuss!

    Lindor and Brunson parallels are there….

    Carlos Beltran (a very underrated player) was comparable to Lindor. His legacy is (fairly) tarnished because of the cheating, but he was a great player for the Mets.

    Really impressive stuff by the FO.

    Tells you they were thinking long ago about this KAT trade since all the #s had to line up juuuuust right including OG’s new contract (which happened AFTER the Bridges trade – so they knew exactly how much they could pay OG without eventually 3 months later going over the 2nd apron in this trade), the Dadiet 80% contract, etc.

    my assumption is they had all these machinations already well thought out, and maybe this was the plan regardless of whether Hartenstein decided to leave or not.

    Anyway – also nice work getting Nnaji who seems to be a physical freak worthwhile flyer to be Mitch’s eventual replacement. I assume he will come over next year (on the 1st year of his super cheap rookie deal).

    I am bizarrely happy that we have Dadiet on this roster (for now). I love having a scratch off ticket on the team, and will enjoy checking the Westchester Knicks scores.

    I don’t know anything at all about baseball since batting average stopped being a thing of note, but I will point out that David Wright’s career WAR was the most of any position player in Mets history (as of 2018) and second-most of any player to wear the uniform, behind only Tom Seaver, while his 242 home runs put him second to Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 HR for the Mets.

    The “Untouchables”:

    Brunson
    KAT
    Mikal
    OG
    Probably Hart

    After what Leon just did with Randle & Donte I would be shocked if he considers Hart untouchable.

    In the post Doc-Straw days I would think the best Mets players have to be Piazza and Wright no?

    Wright was absolutely on a hall of fame track through age 30, really a shame what injuries did to his career.

    Maybe Okeke still has a shot to get the 13th spot? Ben R would be happy and I wouldn’t be too miffed, but I still think all roads lead back to Soup Kitchen Donte AKA Landry Shamet.

    @JLEdwardsIII
    Sources: Chuma Okeke will return to the Knicks on a camp deal after being waived as part of the KAT trade.

    It still sounds like Shamet has that 13th roster spot locked down. Is Okeke too old/experienced to get a two-way? Or would he just be willing to go to Westchester and hope the Knicks or (more likely) another club signs him if he plays well? In theory, he seems more useful to the current version of the Knicks roster than Shamet does, even if the shooting piece isn’t great.

    Rumors of moving Mitch rob for Trey Murphy. From the pelicans. I really hope they don’t make that trade. Murphy is young. He’s a 3 and D guy. But kind of soft on the boards and is only 6’8”.

    I would say that there is a high probability that Hart does not get traded, because he is probably viewed as “indispensable” even if not quite untouchable. My guess is that Leon and Thibs value his versatility far too much to put him into any trade the way they reluctantly put the strict SG DDV into the KAT trade.

    I’m not a big fan of Hart’s contract, but it is probably market value for now and if he becomes a starter it makes even more sense. I just don’t see how you can improve the rotation overall in any trade involving him at this point. At least, that’s the way I think Leon and Thibs see it.

    The Trey Murphy stuff is Knicks For Clicks nonsense. Here is what was actually written in the story everyone is aggregating:

    https://x.com/KnicksMuse/status/1840795136281743585/photo/1

    NOLA values Murphy enormously. He’s the reason they don’t want to sign Ingram to a big extension, because they’d rather pay Murphy down the road. Even in the incredibly unlikely event that NOLA would send out Murphy in a trade where Mitch was the chief return, it is also very very hard to come up with a deal that works under the cap and apron for both teams, given how much more Mitch makes right now.

    Mitch for Trey Murphy would have to involve some other pieces coming back from the Pels because of salary reasons. I’d do that trade in a minute if the Pels added Yves Missi to it. I got a Mitch for Murphy/Missi/flotsam and jetsam trade to work in the trade machine for what it’s worth.

    But Alan’s right: this trade makes no sense from the Pels’ perspective.

    Yeah, no way Pellies do that trade. Maybe Herb Jones, but then would WE do that trade? I’d rather have Mitch, and I do love Jones. We would need one of our bigs to emerge for me to consider it, and that seems unlikely. Sims doesn’t have the spatial awareness, Huk is at least a year away, etc. KAT gets hurt a lot, so we would be really exposed at center.

    I am bizarrely happy that we have Dadiet on this roster (for now). I love having a scratch off ticket on the team, and will enjoy checking the Westchester Knicks scores.

    I will enjoy him being coached by Thibs and staff rather than by coaches on another continent with other priorities…

    Same, Z-man. And good on Kendra to put as happy as possible a face on the move. (If the small condo was a problem, they could have gotten a place in the suburbs, though the commute would have been more annoying with that than it will be for them in Minnesota.)

    @FredKatz
    The Knicks have discovered a new loophole in the CBA.

    Teams in their situation cannot aggregate minimums anymore. So in the sign and trades of Jeffries, Brown and Washington, they are paying each of those guys just $1 above the minimum, league sources tell @TheAthletic

    @FredKatz
    I have heard from various people that the league isn’t thrilled about this — but such is the way it goes with new CBAs. The NBA tries to close up loopholes and then smart people working for teams find new ones.

    Brock Aller, ladies and germs.

    The Knicks have discovered a new loophole in the CBA.Teams in their situation cannot aggregate minimums anymore. So in the sign and trades of Jeffries, Brown and Washington, they are paying each of those guys just $1 above the minimum, league sources tell @TheAthletic.— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 2, 2024

    I guess we can do this with non-Bird Rights. Hilarious. Give Brock Aller a key to the city.

    Being smart is good, but there’s no need to be arrogant and mock the League this way, especially for a fistful of Dolan’s money.

    Don’t be surprised the next time Embiid breaks a Knick player’s ankle and skates away untouched by the referees…

    Is there any doubt that Brock and the entire NY front office, religiously monitor this blog now? Would you be suprised if one, or a few of them, actually posts here too?

    Is there any doubt that Brock and the entire NY front office, religiously monitor this blog now? Would you be suprised if one, or a few of them, actually posts here too?

    And Katz, and Macri and many others… wassup boys? 😉

    I’ve been drinking some Precious Kool-Aid. What if we get a 20% bump from him? Hopefully Donte & Hartenstein left some of their pixie dust in the locker room.

    And I’m sorry but the league cannot be too angry someone found that loophole. It was like having “password” as your password.

    FWIW (probably not all that much), the ESPN Knicks depth chart has the following:
    PG: Brunson/McBride/Payne/Kolek/Shamet
    SG: Bridges/McBride/Payne/Shamet/Dadiet
    SF: Anunoby/Hart/Bridges/Dadiet/McCullar
    PF: Hart/Achiuwa/Anunoby/Bridges/Sims
    C: Towns/Robinson/Achiuwa/Sims/Hukporti

    That’s 15 total players: Brunson, McBride, Payne, Kolek, Shamet, Bridges, Dadiet, Anunoby, Hart, McCullar, Achiuwa, Sims, Towns, Robinson, and Hukporti.

    It’s probably not correct, but if it’s close, I like it a lot.

    Doogie, that matches pretty much my start-of-the-season take on the team. I think Payne comes in as regular filler at point, after McBride, but I’d expect Kolek to take that position by season’s end, if not long before.

    Lots of different looks in that list.

    And Hubie, I’m sorta with you on Precious. I can see him being a very cromulent PF and backup center. He was really inconsistent last year, up and down almost from play to play. If he can clean that up, he’s a solid NBA player.

    That’s 15 total players: Brunson, McBride, Payne, Kolek, Shamet, Bridges, Dadiet, Anunoby, Hart, McCullar, Achiuwa, Sims, Towns, Robinson, and Hukporti.

    They left out Toppin but included the other 2-ways for some reason.

    And I’m sorry but the league cannot be too angry someone found that loophole. It was like having “password” as your password.

    😊

    felt like we got a good deal when bringing in julius, jalen, isaiah, josh and donte…

    feels like we’re paying full price now for OG, mikal and KAT…

    that is a heck of a starting lineup we have now…

    Remember when TJ Warren really randomly had an insane year, and specifically went crazy in the bubble? Wasn’t that long ago!

    Anyway, seems completely washed now.

    Is there any doubt that Brock and the entire NY front office, religiously monitor this blog now? Would you be suprised if one, or a few of them, actually posts here too?

    And Katz, and Macri and many others… wassup boys?

    I said that a couple of years ago and people laughed at me.

    A few years back I said a couple of things that were not discussed yet anywhere in the local newspapers or social media outlets and they made their way into a local newspaper article a couple of days later. I can’t be sure and couldn’t care less, but it made me think a few media people must be reading this blog and getting ideas for what to write or talk about. There are a lot of good discussions here. So who wouldn’t be interested in finding out what other serious fans are interested in and discussing.

    i think right now we have 5 out of 14 players on our roster we drafted…only two are clear to contribute this season, if they stay…

    i’m trying to decide if we have a merc team again…hopefully we can start establishing some consistency to the roster…

    although we’ve cobbled together pieces from around the league – they do seem to connect to either each other, management, coaching staff, or even the city/team…

    we’ll need to wait and see what this will look like, but – it does feel like a pretty cohesive roster, for being so “new”…

    Rose not only bet on the Reds, but did so as a manager. So he could, you know, make decisions that were suboptimal for the team and/or his players, but good for him personally. It was a shitty thing to do and he had no one to blame for himself for his lifetime ban.

    TNFH,

    I agree. If he bet against, then it’s major issue.

    The testimony that he bet on Reds games came from bookmakers, but as far as I know there was no documentation or proof that he ever bet against them.

    Betting on them is trickier.

    The only ethically suspect thing you can do is make moves with pitchers and players trying to maximize your chances of winning a specific game because you bet on it but at the expense of the long term of the team. So if for example your wiped out your bullpen to win a game and that left you in a bad spot the next couple of games that could be a problem. You might be sacrificing more in the future than you gained by going all out to win the game you bet.

    Anybody else find it confusing to read parallel discussions on the same thread, one about basketball one about baseball, but both about Rose?

    The more I think about Leon’s deals the more I think I’ve underrated how important it is to get the best player in the deal. As long as you manage your salaries and assets well enough, you can seemingly overpay multiple times with picks and role players and still create a superior team 1 through 5.

    @JLEdwardsIII
    My early takeaways from Knicks camp: I wasn’t here last year, obviously, but there seems to be a real seriousness/focus tucked inside the jokes, several mentions of Payne and Shamet from Thibs, and Mikal Bridges still has the longest arms I’ve ever seen.

    The only ethically suspect thing you can do is make moves with pitchers and players trying to maximize your chances of winning a specific game because you bet on it but at the expense of the long term of the team. So if for example your wiped out your bullpen to win a game and that left you in a bad spot the next couple of games that could be a problem. You might be sacrificing more in the future than you gained by going all out to win the game you bet.

    Yes, Strat. You nailed it. Nice job.

    Rose should not have been betting on his own team. He also should not have been betting on other teams, either.

    I still think you put him in the HOF for his accomplishments, but hand-wringing over bullshit like Cooperstown is what sports media is built on. Even Mike K., the least bullshitty of sports media folks, benefits from us worrying about this nonsense. Luv u guise n all, but who gives a mother fuck at this point?

    We keep F5ing over ethics in sports, sound and fury, etc., signifying nothing.

    Anybody else find it confusing to read parallel discussions on the same thread, one about basketball one about baseball, but both about Rose?

    Yes, but I’m confused about a lot of things, like how J.D. Vance apparently managed to convince a broad swath of the American public that he’s not a lying, craven, socially-hapless, corporate-captured, grifting, hypocritical vulture because he took a milquetoast tone about Trumpism for a couple hours last night.

    I can’t wait to see this team drop the Celtics in game 1 of the year.

    Anybody else find it confusing to read parallel discussions on the same thread, one about basketball one about baseball, but both about Rose?

    Two Roses by the same name are not as sweet

    Yes, but I’m confused about a lot of things, like how J.D. Vance apparently managed to convince a broad swath of the American public that he’s not a lying, craven, socially-hapless, corporate-captured, grifting, hypocritical vulture because he took a milquetoast tone about Trumpism for a couple hours last night.

    Just maybe because that is a complete mischaracterization of the man’s life?

    Just guessing….

    Hey did you guys know KAT for Giannis works in the trade machine?

    Just sayin’.

    Just maybe because that is a complete mischaracterization of the man’s life?

    So true. Jance Dance Vance is also a race baiting dog whistling bigot.

    Let me know if we are going to go all PoliticsBlogger, because if we are, I’d probably have some things to say. I’ll keep it to myself, though, if we’re going to decide not to go there.

    I think a short rant from Jowles is good. Cathartic. We can move on.

    The KFS guys have noted in the past that KAT and Giannis somehow make the exact same salary, such that I don’t believe there is any kind of apron restriction that could prevent a one-for-one trade with non-salary capital included.

    It is certainly a thing to note.

    Just maybe because that is a complete mischaracterization of the man’s life?

    Just guessing….

    Good point BPL, he’s actually much worse than that

    @YossiGozlan
    The total cost this season for the New York Knicks to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns: $45 million.

    -$23.8 million (luxury tax penalty increase)
    -$9.4 million (payroll increase)
    -$7.2 million (cash to Hornets)
    -$4.1 million (Julius Randle’s trade bonus)
    -$850,000 (towards Duane Washington’s buyout)

    The Orioles scored 1 run in two playoff games and got swept by the Royals. They have now lost 10 straight playoff games

    That’s some serious postseason futility right there.

    Leon gained via draft/FA:
    Payne
    Shamet
    Dadiet
    McCullar
    Hukporti

    Sorry this is a late post, but you left out Kolek.

    The AL Division Series features 3 teams from the historically awful playoff performing AL Central and the Yankees. You couldn’t possibly set it up any easier for the Yankees, if they can’t break their World Series drought this year it may never happen for the rest of my lifetime.

    The KFS guys have noted in the past that KAT and Giannis somehow make the exact same salary, such that I don’t believe there is any kind of apron restriction that could prevent a one-for-one trade with non-salary capital included.

    They don’t have their own pick until 2031. So if Giannis does demand a trade, it’s not like they’d want to get a ton of picks and tank. Trading him for a lesser star and rebuilding through free agency would make a ton of sense.

    Love the return of Yankees Royals in October. Fun fact: 6 year old Hubie is sitting behind the Royals dugout when George Brett comes running out after the pine tar home run.

    The pine tar game was in July, but for some reason, it’s always a playoff game in my memory.

    As someone who doesn’t follow baseball much, why are all the Mets games in Milwaukee for this playoff series?

    I think the premise is to reward the teams that won their division, as well as rewarding the top wild card team, which could easily in any given year be the second best team in the league.

    The fifth and sixth best teams in the league get a pretty sizable disadvantage. Seems fair

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