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Knicks Morning News (2025.07.13)
07/13/2025 10:47:23
07/13/2025 10:00:00
07/13/2025 09:00:00
07/13/2025 04:44:33
07/13/2025 01:46:38
07/12/2025 23:12:00
07/12/2025 23:05:32
93 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.07.13)”
Please go read the last few posts of the previous thread, i think it’s worth it.
I’m with Director, Leon is doing a good job. Is it a perfect job, even not counting the Mikal trade? No, it isn’t. But we’re right there contending to get out of the east and reach the Finals, so i don’t get the constant bashing on the man as if he is doing a job on the same level as Phil or Mills.
And of course, the Mikal trade can go down as the reason that prevented the Knicks from getting to the promise land, so there’s blunders also.
There’s a chance he can rebound from that, if a superstar becomes available (i’m counting on your work during the summer, KYN).
I am with you Cyber, and I guess Director. It’s a mixed bag for sure but five years ago there is no way I would have projected the Knicks to be in the position they are now.
I’d also be surprised if the Cavs aren’t the actual favorites for the sharps. Just seem like a better team.
Yeah, cyber, Director, and Owen. There’s lots of stuff Leon could have done better, but getting us back to at least where we generally were in the ‘90s is certainly worth celebrating.
Re: Cavs, I’m dreading the thought of a LeBron homecoming, but aside from that, I think we are as good.
And hey, Cooper Flagg can be good in Summer League.
He is super young too. Not turning 19 until December. It’s impressive what he is doing while still not close to peak physicality.
Here are some under/over estimates for next year.
https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/07/06/2025-26-win-totals-odds-for-each-nba-team/
Knicks are at 52.5
Cavs 55.5
There’s no need for dogmatism, Cyber. Leon’s done good work that should be appreciated and bad work that should be criticized.
He’s been good enough to swim with the sharks but he’s getting badly outmaneuvered by Sam Presti, Kevin Pritchard, Brad Stephens, Rafael Stone, etc now that he’s here. His shortcomings were as critical to us coming up short as KAT’s defense.
The games that are played in May & June are usually won now and before the deadline by the GMs. And the superior work of other GMs is the reason teams like the Celtics and Pacers and Cavs vaulted past us in the East, and why the Thunder (and likely now the Rockets) did it in the west.
Pritchard vs Leon was more consequential the last two years than Brunson vs Halliburton.
You’re welcome to appreciate Leon. I don’t tell people they can’t. But Thibs got us this far, too, and the same exact people telling me to appreciate Leon told me to appreciate Thibs. Right up until they all started quoting everything I ever said about him while calling for his head.
I didn’t call for Thibs’ head, although i thought maybe it was time for a change. I even got a little sad when he was let go.
Speaking of Pritchard, I’m actually really curious how Indy does without Myles. I don’t think they’ve brought in anyone on his level but Huff and Isaiah Jackson are both young and intriguing. One of them will need to take a step forward to replicate last year’s success.
Weird. I thought we beat Boston in the playoffs and now they’re blowing it up and rebuilding. I didn’t realize they had vaulted past us.
My hot take for the day:
I think Mitch’s health, fitness and how he’s used is going to be the key to the season. He’s the potential upside compared to last season unless you think Mike Brown can make a significant difference (I don’t).
Of course it’s always possible Mitch could be traded or part of a trade. If so, I’ll adjust my thinking. But right now I think if Mitch has a big year and is healthy we can have a very good year, but if he’s hurt and struggling, I think we are likely to have a disappointing year.
Sinner vs Alcaraz is pretty good so far.
We (along with Cleveland) might be favorites in the East, and Leon has done a good job overall (which we should appreciate), but I think the East will be a lot closer than it might seem at first.
Indy’s guys, especially Mathurin, could hit another level next year; Cade probably has another level to reach, as do Detroit’s young wings; does Maxey have another level? Even without Embiid, they have good young players now; hell, Charlotte now has a lot of good, young talent. At least one or two young teams will surprise the league this year to some degree.
That’s the nature of “the window”… it passes by fast! And 2025-26 might be our best shot considering the ages of our core group.
“ but he’s getting badly outmaneuvered by Sam Presti, Kevin Pritchard, Brad Stephens, Rafael Stone, etc now that he’s here. His shortcomings were as critical to us coming up short as KAT’s defense.”
Sorry, got to call this out as the non-E inanest comment of the year. Yes , Presti out manoeuvred us with Kemba, but when did Stephen’s or Pritchard? They are arguably better GMs, but what they inherited vs today, to say Leon has been outmanoeuvred is just trying to be argumentative.
Likewise enjoying Wimbledon.
Likewise appreciate Leon and wonder who wins our collective vote for best Knicks GM since, say, the championship years?
Also agree this year may be our best chance to win one with this core. And I really can’t say enough about how our team’s good health (luck?) contributed to our success last season. Let’s hope for more of the same this year. Go Dallas physio guys 😉
I’m pleased that Leon has left us with the argument of whether he has been completely outplayed and left lying in a puddle of his own urine on the floor of the mezzanine, or if we’re first or second to come out of the east this coming season.
Continue being outplayed, Leon! It seems to be working…
Man I wish Carlos had converted one of those break points
In Thibs we trust
My apologies if I came off the wrong way about Leon yesterday. Its was personal.
I recently finished the basement in my primary house. It’s over 2k sq/ft and cost me a bundle even though I did much of the work myself. Took me 15 months. Worked on it every weekend, day off, holiday and forced myself to work from home on days I had to babysit contractors.
It came out unbelivable but there are three small minor mistakes that 99.99% of the people would never notice + I’m short a door handle on one of the cabinets in the laundry room.
Everytime my wife gives a basement tour to our friends and family members, she points out the mistakes and talks about how we’re still missing a door handle. It went from being a little funny to fucking infuriating yesterday. Feels thankless, ungrateful and makes me feel like shit for all that work I did.
Sure, lets talk about Leon’s mistakes but let’s not forget they joy and excitment he brought us and let’s talk about that a lot more than the several mistakes he made. Especially, since we all know he reads the blog.
Wow, Director, great/sad story. May you have better luck gently cajoling your wife into more positive tours going forward than we’ve had convincing Hubert to talk about something else other than Leon’s missing door handles…
Leon completely ruined the great set-up he got from Phil, Mils, and Scott Perry. A half competent GM would’ve gotten us 3 rings by now.. More likely 4.
Also thanks for the great story, Director.
‘It came out unbelivable but there are three small minor mistakes that 99.99% of the people would never notice + I’m short a door handle on one of the cabinets in the laundry room.’
But does she constantly harp on that there was a better (in hindsight) and cheaper door handle you could have installed for the last three years? And only to try to make a point that she is smarter than you?
“But does she constantly harp on that there was a better (in hindsight) and cheaper door handle you could have installed for the last three years? And only to try to make a point that she is smarter than you?”
Or does she incessantly remind you that some of the other husbands on the block did a way better job on their basements than you did?
I bet you didn’t incinerate it! 😉
Even if you like Alacaraz better or dislke Sinner I think his was a better result for tennis. Alcaraez was beating him so often when it really mattered, there was at least some question in my mind whether he had mental edge and would dominate him over time. Now it feels like there’s more of a real rivalry. That’s good for the sport.
Thank goodness for Outlook reminders — totally forgot about the Summer League game.
So far maybe that would’ve been for the best.
Damn. These soph Knicks can’t hold on to the ball! So many turn-overs in so little time. Kolek and Huk look lost.
Is this the worst SL team ever assembled?
You know that last summer league game?
It was better.
Fire them all Including, sadly, Kolek.
Diawara seems to be playing PG right now. Not sure if this is a thing he does or the rest of the Knicks just suck.
Edit: nvm, whoever gets the ball takes it up
Ae we sure these are NBA players on our summer league team?
Liking what I see from Diawarra
Except for the missed free throws!
I am moderately more Diawara-curious than I was an hour ago.
Did not know Diawara had that straightline speed. I’m really loving Diawara.
Nnaji also incredibly athletic. Should’ve finished after that steal.
It’s as if these kids spent the last two months sitting on a beach, sipping Margarita’s. They might’ve had a few before this game.
That’s more of what I saw in the Diawara clips. Really nice take to the rim but right into the defense and gets swatted. You can definitely see why we drafted him though
McCullar with perfect ball denial.
Nnaji with another steal above the arc. 2 this game plus the double big man full court press last game.
In a league with 30 extremely well funded front offices with access to an endless supply of willing, brilliant personnel, assembling the team with the 2nd or 3rd best odds of winning the championship is per se good work. I mean that literally–you cannot do that if you have not done good work.
Leon’s made mistakes, I’ve criticized him for them, and everyone should feel completely free to discuss them to their heart’s content. Trying to argue he’s not a good NBA executive is quite frankly unserious, though.
I’m generally skeptical of criminalizing nominally non-violent conduct but replay reviews in summer league should be illegal.
Need to get the ball to Diawara there with 0.7 seconds in the quarter
Would be great if Kolek learned to foul bait like that on an ongoing basis. Dude has to score somehow if he’s gonna stick.
Kolek has GOT to lose the headband. Right now the only thing he can do is pass to the other team. It’s frankly embarrassing.
Diawara should be credited with an assist for the pass to Beauchamp alone
Nice start for McCullar at least. Kolek’s shit might not work if nobody knows what they’re doing
I’ve seem way more of BeauChump than I needed to.
Are we allowed to cut players in SL? Maybe at halftime? Beauchamp is playing the worst 2 minutes I’ve ever seen.
I miss Duane Washington Jr.
Doesn’t explain why Kolek can’t make a layup. Nobody else to blame for that one.
Lose
The
Headband
I’m giving Kolek a total pass. He looks like a guy who has been weight training and needs some time to get used to the new muscle and loosen up.
I don’t find Leon’s extreme press shyness to be some kind of moral outrage but it’s definitely annoying. It’s interesting to hear someone like Stevens walkthrough his thought process a bit, even if it’s guarded. It’s weird that our most successful GM in my lifetime doesn’t want to talk about that success a little bit!
as the song goes…”the future isn’t so bright…so I don’t gotta wear shades” …or something like that….
this is fucking brutal…are we obligated to field a team for this or could we have just passed on having an entrant…
and yeah…challenges in summer league..wtf
These hack-fests are unwatchable.
All he’s done is get in-network guys he knows, so what’s to really say about it?
“I don’t draft and have fast forwarded all our assets through 2031. Thank the gods that Jalen Brunson, a guy I would have signed regardless because I’ve known his family for 30 years, turned out to be a tentpole superstar when the league had him valued as a non-max player.”
Wow, that’s fascinating Leon.
Brad Stevens being interviewed is actually better than any play-by-play they might have done these last few minutes…
And I don’t even know what to say about repeat offenders. Not sure they can be part of a civilized society.
I’m giving Kolek a total pass as he’s obviously been infected with a demon.
0-6 with 4 turnovers in 14 minutes.
“0-6 with 4 turnovers in 14 minutes.”
Do we have Ben Simmons on quick dial? 😉
Very much liking Diawara.
This is the only lineup I care about.
Kolek is a lot worse than last SL and other than passing he wasn’t particularly good last year.
Nnaji now has 1 rebound through 20min of SL.
We are 2/20 from 3 today
If we can get through this atrocity without Kenny Loften Jr. Tractor Trayloring any of our roster candidates, I’ll take it.
McCullar and Kolek both have 7 shots. One has 18 points, the other has 1.
What was Dadiet thinking with that pass?
Well that failed alley oop leading to a successful alley oop by the Celts MIGHT have been the game’s low point.
But it’s still early.
did the announcer just say “i wouldn’t call this a rock fight as that would be disrespectful to rock fights”?
Any word on Dadiet?
had to turn it off….i started feeling nauseous…
perhaps same thing happened to dadiet…
That’s less the issue than we didn’t buy door handles when they were on sale. We could have had 12 door handles by now!
Huk and McCullar looking too good for SL
Also, catching up on the thread, did not realize SL was on…sounds like maybe better to watch the condensed version tomorrow….
Pate has an ugly ass looking jump shot.
Just watch a McCullar highlight reel, you won’t miss anything except the Celtics highlights
Dadiet: left foot soreness, severity of injury unclear. (via Steve Popper)
Z-man jinxed us
Tyler Kolek. Sigh.
Kolek…..oy vey….
Did the Knicks just put in two random fans in the crowd?
Espn has Diawarra & Hukporti with big/powerful slam videos in 2/3 of there video section for this game.
not sure there was anything else worth worrying about.
This looks like something out of a Will Farrell movie…
He injured his right big toe last season.
One of the fans just banked in a 3!
BA-BA…BA-BA…
They need to get rid of the 10 personal foul rule. Players are abusing it.
That game film should have a warning label affixed to it…
“They need to get rid of the 10 personal foul rule. Players are abusing it.”
Yeah, it’s dangerous.
Ess gets us!!!!!
I recorded this game but based on the comments I just read I guess it’s time to free up space on my DVR.
Kolek taking 13 shots is probably a good sign, he’s got to look to score if he’s ever going to really play in the league, but you know it wouldn’t hurt to make a few of them
Also Yuda Babi needs more court time
Dred, you ask an awful lot. Kolek made one, if he made a few of those 13 it’d be at least twice as many. Possibly three times.
“We could have had 12 door handles by now!”
Solid work
Going to challenge the existence of a player named Yuda Babi. Stand up rap comedian maybe but not a baller.
Also, no question which sporting event in Las Vegas has my interest right now….
I think I could live with Kolek’s defense if he both scored and set up others to score. His defense is not good, but it didn’t look that bad today. But his scoring was awful. His shots didn’t just miss, they mostly weren’t close either. He has to improve that over the summer.
Jacob Toppin with 15pts and 8 rebounds.
Another player “thriving” outside of the Thibs shackles /s
Even more than Luka “Shuka”?
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