Does this send shivers down anyone else’s spine?
FO did everything right. Issue was iHart got better than imagined and outplayed his contract and the economics of the game changed in those two years.
Isiah second half of last season really enhanced is worth.
So we have Randle contract in limbo, and no starting center.
Leon is patient. They won't rush into anything stupid.
Kessler and John Collins for Randle? But Utah will resign Randle and he wants to be there? Details.
ALl this stems on what Randle wants, when he wants it, and how good he returns from a long layoff.
What has Leon taught us? Us fans won't outthink him nor should we even try.
Few deals jump off the page to logic. Money matters.
Mitch is doing the Knicks a favor, they get to practice and perfect small ball lineups for the next 4 months before Knicks playoffs god-mode hits with Beast Mitch back in action.
Help me find the flaw in all of this? 
It’s about time to trade Mitch.
martin wrote:Mitch is doing the Knicks a favor, they get to practice and perfect small ball lineups for the next 4 months before Knicks playoffs god-mode hits with Beast Mitch back in action.Help me find the flaw in all of this?
We can be enthusiastic. No harm.
Its not that we did not see the Mitch thing coming. We just choose to enjoy the summer.
Small ball is not in Thibs DNA but here we are. Yes, its Sims time.
Huk the new Jackie "Blue" Butler?
Leon gets the benefit of the doubt so enthusiasm reigns!
martin wrote:Mitch is doing the Knicks a favor, they get to practice and perfect small ball lineups for the next 4 months before Knicks playoffs god-mode hits with Beast Mitch back in action.Help me find the flaw in all of this?
Mitch retires in January.
I'd bring in Dwight Howard. No diddy.
I like the idea of the Knicks giving their home grown players a shot. Ariel Hukporti could be a real sleeper. He didn't look like a stiff during summer league - and he's a legit 7'. He sort of reminded me of a young Mitchell Robinson. Still lean and mobile, catching lobs and finishing with authority.
And I think the narrative around Sims is legit - that he's been injured the prior few off seasons, so he couldn't really put in work.
There are a few nice FA options out there, esp if you are only looking for 10-15 minutes of shot blocking mayhem, boxing out, and some beef to throw at the few big boys out there:
1) Biyombo
2) Javale McGee
3) Dwight Howard
Javale is probably the best of this group because of his legit height.
Beyond this, Nerlens Noel is still out there with his stone hand, waiting for another chance. Sure he's made $45m over the course of his career - but what's he gonna do, come back for $2m league min to chase a ring, get injured, possibly traded as cap fodder again?
His latest post on Instagram was from 2023, celebrating the bday of his daughter. Maybe, just maybe, at the ripe old age of 30, he's done with basketball.
I mentioned this before and I think the FO is a step ahead of us and maybe ahead of Thibs in going smaller. We did it last year when we didn't replace Obi (Josh was the backup 4) and I think we are doing it this year as well with OG/Randle big man duo. There's a bright side to this and it could be a death lineup that Thibs otherwise wouldn't play much if we had two big Cs like last year. I think we need one more body because I don't trust Jericho much but I don't think our regular season ceiling is lessened at all here. It might even be raised. But we will need Mitch come playoff team to match up with Embiid primarily.
When we traded for Mikal it seemed odd we were going to put DDV, Josh into 20 mpg roles and also guys like Deuce wouldn't see the court. If you shift Randle to C for 20 mpg it moves everyone up a little bit and those minutes all of a sudden make sense. Also, the only way you can get by with Randle at C is by having dynamic defenders/rebounders at the 2-3-4 which we can do. Brunson - Hart - Mikal - OG - Randle is a ridiculous lineup.
JesseDark wrote:I'd bring in Dwight Howard. No diddy.
ha that's exactly why no one will bring that guy back
DLeethal wrote:I mentioned this before and I think the FO is a step ahead of us and maybe ahead of Thibs in going smaller. We did it last year when we didn't replace Obi (Josh was the backup 4) and I think we are doing it this year as well with OG/Randle big man duo. There's a bright side to this and it could be a death lineup that Thibs otherwise wouldn't play much if we had two big Cs like last year. I think we need one more body because I don't trust Jericho much but I don't think our regular season ceiling is lessened at all here. It might even be raised. But we will need Mitch come playoff team to match up with Embiid primarily.
DLeethal wrote:When we traded for Mikal it seemed odd we were going to put DDV, Josh into 20 mpg roles and also guys like Deuce wouldn't see the court. If you shift Randle to C for 20 mpg it moves everyone up a little bit and those minutes all of a sudden make sense. Also, the only way you can get by with Randle at C is by having dynamic defenders/rebounders at the 2-3-4 which we can do. Brunson - Hart - Mikal - OG - Randle is a ridiculous lineup.
I joked about it earlier but this injury may be the biggest surprise gift in disguise for the Knicks. And just to properly set the stage: everyone should already take the assumption that of course the Knicks would be much better with Mitch with his super rim protections and rebounding and PnR D - especially during playoffs - so let's put that aside for a mo. For me, Brunson and Randle are in the same'ish level of defense. Jalen got the edge with his charges but Randle throwing elbows and body as good as the next.
Randle will struggle some times guarding some bigs and making some defensive rotations, he just doesn't got 100% concentration for that. But he got strength, rebounding, a fuckton of grit, and on the other end of the court, the Knicks are gonna go wild. Almost freak off wild but without all of the baby oil.
Knicks are not near the level as GS in their hey day but they can be scary good.
We should not underestimate Thibs on anything. He turned Noel into gold for a hot minute. Taj did his thing and he was like 47. iHart was a cast off from 3-4 previous teams before Thibs and team got a hold of him, 2 years later he got the biggest surprise contract in the offseason? Thibs squeezed a lotta juice out of Derrick Rose for a half season. Thibs will figure this out or just go full small ball while simultaneously developing the yutes and shock us.
I am pumped for Nova ball.
The Bulls won six NBA championships, and their center rotation varied over the years.
Follow that blueprint. Add a few more goons with the goons we already have and let them fight over who fouls out first.
This is not GS. This offense feeds off turnovers and stops. GS was a different offensive machine. We not there yet. But the Bulls shows you how to win games with a rotation of goons at center. Add a few more center retreads and we are fine.
Play Mitch for the playoff runs and let him be that hero to complete the picture and bring home a chip. It’s a great story. Mitch plays better as the savor. That motivates him to dominate on both ends.
Plus we get to see how all this wing talent can actually play together:
Brunson
Mikal
OG
Randle
Josh
Devo
Deuce
Precious
Goon#1
Goon#2
Let’s play jeopardy
Who’s too slow to play PF
Too small to play center
And lacks basketball fundamentals
What we need to upgrade are our goons. The goons the bulls had were fundamentally sound with high basketball IQ. I think Dwight and Javel McGee would be the type of upgraded goons we need. Unless Sims has drastically improved. Otherwise he’s wasting a bench spot.
martin wrote:
There’s a very simple potential solution that no one in the media has mentioned since this news broke; go back to Methias Lessort and get a deal done. The Knicks have the taxpayers MLE to give him and they can take care of the buyout stuff off the books. Since they were already negotiating with him earlier this summer I have to think he’s still got an NBA out. The money and the potential playing time are both there. He’s a 28 year old physical big who has proven himself in euro league. He’s got to be at least a halfway decent player to help for the season.
Knixkik wrote:martin wrote:
There’s a very simple potential solution that no one in the media has mentioned since this news broke; go back to Methias Lessort and get a deal done. The Knicks have the taxpayers MLE to give him and they can take care of the buyout stuff off the books. Since they were already negotiating with him earlier this summer I have to think he’s still got an NBA out. The money and the potential playing time are both there. He’s a 28 year old physical big who has proven himself in euro league. He’s got to be at least a halfway decent player to help for the season.
That Stewart contract is brutal. 4 years at 15M, yikes, hard pass
Mitch being out is always expected but hoping this season it's the start of the regular season and not the playoffs. We need him when it matters. I think we'll be fine in the regular season. Got a gut feeling both Sims and Precious will play well and that small lineup with Randle at the 5 and OG defending the 5 will do well in spurts.
This 'news' changes nothing. It just creates some opportunities for Sims and Achiuwa. Will wait to see how these guys look in camp. There is a good chance Taj gets waived by Charlotte. That signing looked like pressure on the Knicks to up our bid for Nick Richards. Nick is among my top candidates to be the next IH. Looks like a guy with solid fundamentals and perhaps underutilized.
Knicks are in great shape. We will start the year hitting the ground running.
Opening day SL: Brunson/DD/Mikal/OG/Precious, Bench: McBride/Josh/Sims and whoever has a great camp. My guess is Keita Bates-Diop
Then very soon Randle will get worked in. That will move DD to the bench and likely kill the minutes of whoever that 9th guy was above.
Then Mitch will come back do Mitch type things. That will be good. IDK if Thibs starts him or sticks w/ Precious who I think is going to look great with that group.
I do think our end of game "death" line up is
PG Brunson
SG DD/Josh
F Mikal
F Randle
C OG
the DD/Josh is dealers choice for Thibs.
Players I wanna see OG matched up on at C late in games:
Tingus Pingus
Myles Turner
Embiid
BroPez
Carter
pretty much every 5 in the east. Jarret Allen is a great example of someone you sick Mitch on. Gobble gobble
