The Future Looks Bright for the Knicks

In the end, time was never on the New York Knicks side. Once they blew that nine point, fourth-quarter lead in game three and lost to the Indiana Pacers, this series became a war of attrition. And wars of attrition never end well for the team that is shorthanded. Apart from game five, the Pacers were in total control the rest of the way. They won every matchup on both ends of the court. Not even the raucous Garden crowd could save their beloved team.

The list of the Knicks walking wounded could fill an NBA roster. Julius Randle (shoulder), Mitchell Robinson (ankle), OG Anunoby (hamstring), Bojan Bogdanovic (foot), Josh Hart (abdomen), and, yes, even their MVP, Jalen Brunson (hand). You can't keep saying "next man up" once you've run out of men. Brunson was the last straw. Once he went down, Tom Thibodeau was basically left with a five-man rotation. In other words, no bench.

It sucks, I know, that the season had to end this way, because let's be honest: if the above players had been healthy and available in this series, the Knicks would've won in five. You know; I know it; even Indiana knows it. But that doesn't change the facts on the ground. Injuries are a part of the game and always will be. Thibodeau, for his part, didn't blame his team's loss on injuries. Instead, he congratulated the Pacers and looked forward to what lies ahead for this team. And what lies ahead is very promising.

Think about it: the Knicks went 12-2 in the month of January with a roster that included Isaiah Hartenstein, Randle, Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo, Hart, Precious Achiuwa and Deuce McBride. They beat teams like the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers (with a healthy Joel Embiid) and the Miami Heat with that roster. Fully healthy, this is a team that can compete for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. And that's before Leon Rose uses one or more of his first round draft picks to land another scorer, which you gotta believe he will spend the bulk of the summer doing.

But who to get? There's Dejounte Murray. The shooting guard would make the ideal two. A backcourt of Brunson and Murray would be formidable. Atlanta will ask for the proverbial king's ransom for him. Mikal Bridges is another intriguing possibility. Though technically more a small forward than a guard, he did play with Brunson and Hart at Villanova, so there's a history between the three. Like Murray, he will not come cheap. Assuming the Brooklyn Nets are willing to part with their number one star, you'd have to think they'd be reluctant to trade him to a cross-town rival.

Then there are the usual suspects: Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Paul George. I'd pass on all three, especially Durant, who when he had the chance to sign with New York five years ago, chose Brooklyn instead because he thought the former was "not cool" to play for. Fuck him. As for Booker and George, neither has done much for their respective teams. The last thing Rose needs is to replicate his predecessors mistakes by bringing in high-priced mercenaries who have historically underperformed in the playoffs. The reason Knicks fans have fallen in love with this team is because they work their butts off. Whether they're up by ten or down by ten, they never stop hustling. Can you imagine KD running up and down the court the way Josh Hart does? Neither can I.

Which brings me to an issue that was brought up by Mike Greenberg on ESPN. Greenberg suggested that perhaps the reason the Knicks sustained so many injuries was because of the system Thibodeau employs. Let me put this to bed right now. Yes, Thibs demands a lot of his players; yes, it can take its toll. But, no, it had absolutely nothing to do with the injuries. Robinson broke his ankle against the Boston Celtics in December and then re-injured it because of a dirty play by Embiid in the Sixers series; Randle dislocated his right shoulder driving to the basket against the Miami Heat; Anunoby had bone spurs that required surgery and then pulled his hamstring reaching for an errant pass in the Pacers series; Bogdanovic stepped on an opposing players foot in the Sixers series; and Hart pulled an abdominal muscle reaching for a rebound in game six of the Pacers series. Every one of these injuries could just as well have occurred with a different coach employing a different coaching style.

And here's another bogus claim that needs to be put out of its misery. Thibs does not bury players on the bench; they bury themselves. Alec Burks was given multiple opportunities to earn playing time; he didn't capitalize on them. Yes, it was nice to see him contribute some in the playoffs, but for anybody who was watching this team during the regular season, the last player they wanted to see on the court was Burks. He was, for all intents and purposes, useless. Worse than that, he was a negative, meaning he cost his team valuable points.

But all that aside, I'm very bullish on the Knicks. It's been a very long time since I've been able to say that about this franchise; the 1990s, in fact. With Rose and Thibs at the helm, they are in good hands. 

The future looks bright for the men in orange and white.

Hey, that rhymes.

28.9 Seconds

There's no way to sugar coat what happened at Madison Square Garden last night. The New York Knicks were 28.9 seconds away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Deuce McBride had just nailed a 14 foot jump shot to put them ahead 96-90. The crowd was going wild. Yours truly was pumping his fists in the air for joy.

And then...

Then the roof caved in. The most disciplined team in the NBA unravelled like cheap sackcloth. They made error after error and wound up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.

Let's go through each of them.

One: After the Sixers called their final time out, Tyrese Maxey took the inbounds pass and was fouled by Mitchell Robinson while making a three point shot. Maxey made the free throw to cut the Knicks lead to two. Every basketball player from high school on knows that when you're up by six with under a minute to go you don't foul under any circumstances. Robinson had no business being anywhere near Maxey. He should've been under the basket to secure the rebound in case Maxey missed. Terrible lack of judgement.

Two: After the Knicks inbounded the ball, Josh Hart was fouled with 15.1 seconds left. All he had to do was make both free throws and the Knicks would've been up by four. Instead he missed one, thus giving the Sixers life.

Three: With the Knicks up by three and the Sixers out of timeouts, Maxey dribbled the ball across half court and drilled a 34-foot three pointer to tie the score at 96. Mike Breen, who called the game on MSG Network, said the Knicks could not let Maxey take that shot. But that's exactly what they did. Instead of fouling him when he was in the backcourt and letting him make two free throws, they gave Maxey a chance to tie the game, which he did. Unconscionable.

Four: With 8.1 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Knicks elected not to call their last time out to set up a play. Instead, Jalen Brunson took the inbounds and dribbled the ball up court where he took a wild shot that was blocked out of bounds with no time left on the clock. 

We all know what happened in the overtime; that's not the point. The point is the game should never have gone to overtime in the first place. 

And, no, this collapse was not, as Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said on ESPN's First Take, the same as what happened to the Sixers in game two. In that game, after Brunson made his three pointer to pull the Knicks to within two, there was a sequence of events that happened in quick succession, beginning with a bad inbounds pass by Kyle Lowry and a loose-ball scramble that led to two three-pointer attempts by Donte DiVincenzo; the latter finally going in. The whole sequence took 14 seconds. Before the Sixers knew what hit them, they went from leading by five to trailing by one.

The Knicks had numerous opportunities to recalibrate, gather themselves and prevent this collapse. Their poor judgment and lack of execution was what did them in. And now they have to go to Philly to play a game six instead of resting up and preparing for the winner of the Milwaukee / Indiana series. And don't assume they win that game. You think the Sixers are going to lose two out of three in their building? If I were a betting man, I'd say we're heading back to the Garden for a game seven.

And here's the thing: even if the Knicks manage to advance, what this series has revealed is that, apart from Brunson - who scored 40 in a losing effort - this is an offensively challenged team. Face it: once Julius Randle went down with that shoulder injury, the Knicks no longer had a genuine second option to go to. DiVencenzo has been inconsistent pretty much all season; with the exception of game two where he put up 19 points, he's been virtually invisible this entire series. And while Hart has contributed on the boards, his offense sometimes has a nasty habit of disappearing as well. Think about it: were it not for the 42 points the bench scored in game one, New York would be trailing 3-2 in this series instead of leading 3-2.

In retrospect, it was a mistake for Leon Rose not to go after someone like Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline. Yes, it probably would've cost him multiple first round picks, but it would've been worth it. Unlike DiVencenzo, who, let's be honest, is more of a sixth man than a starter, Murray is a  bonafide star who averages 22.5 points per game. "Can you imagine a backcourt of Brunson and Murray?" I wrote back in January.

Regardless of how this series ends up, Rose must do everything in his power to land a scorer during the offseason. For the Knicks to be legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, they must have multiple options on the court. Right now they have only one.

A Bridges Too Far?

While we still don't know the full extent of Julius Randle's right shoulder injury, it does appear as if the New York Knicks may have dodged a bullet. Preliminary test results do not show a tear, which would require season-ending surgery for the all-star forward. That means Randle will likely miss several weeks instead of months.

And while Knicks fans were breathing a collective sigh of relief over the encouraging news, Randle's teammates were taking care of business in Charlotte, beating the Hornets 113-92. The Knicks are now 13-2 in the month of January. The trade that sent RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn has transformed the Knicks into a force to be reckoned with. Not only have they feasted on teams with losing records - 20-0 after last night's win - they have beaten the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, last season's NBA champion Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. It should be noted that the Denver win was a blowout.

In my last piece, I wrote that the Knicks, as good as they are, still need a third option; that one player that could catapult them from competitor status to contender status. Initially, I thought Dejounte Murray might be that player. The Atlanta Hawk would give New York its most talented backcourt since 1972-73, the last year they won a championship. However, it appears as though Leon Rose doesn't want to give up the assets needed to land the shooting guard.

Names like Malcolm Brogdon and Bruce Brown have been tossed around as possible trade targets. Both players would bolster a bench that had been depleted in the Toronto deal, but neither would move the needle much. With the trade deadline only a few days away, and Rose sitting on eleven first round draft picks, seven of which belong to him, it's beginning to look more and more like if a trade does happen it will take place in the offseason.

Then, as if on cue, a proposed trade popped up on social media that was so wild I had to do a double take when I saw it. The Brooklyn Nets send Mikal Bridges to the Knicks for Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier and five first round draft picks.

Let's put aside for the moment the total number of draft picks going to the Nets, which is considerable, given that Rose was reluctant to give up two number ones to Atlanta for Murray. And let's also put aside the fact that Bridges was part of that Villanova Wildcats team that won the NCAA championship in 2018 along with Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom are Knicks. The fact is Bridges has been a small forward most of his NBA career, except for a small stint last season after the Nets acquired him in the Kevin Durant trade. There's no telling how he would handle the move back to guard. 

Then there's DiVencenzo. He was just starting to come into his own as a starter. The arrival of Bridges would relegate him to the bench. How would that affect him? Further, how would that affect the team as a whole? A team that is about as tight and cohesive as any Knicks team I've seen since the Pat Riley days. We've already seen how adding a star onto a roster can have unintended consequences. The Heat are 0-4 since they traded for Terry Rozier.

Look, there's no denying the talent Bridges would bring to the Knicks. And with Randle returning sometime in March, they could be the prohibitive favorites to win the Eastern Conference, perhaps the whole enchilada. One thing is certain: with Tom Thibodeau coaching them, regardless of what happens at the deadline, this will be one tough team to play against in the postseason.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Like most proposed trades, they tend to fizzle out within a day or two. I seriously doubt Rose will part with that many first round picks, even for someone as gifted as Bridges. But it's always nice to dream, especially for a fanbase that's gotten used to having nightmares the better part of the last two decades.

Knicks Still Need a Third Option

After nine games, the verdict is in: The trade with the Toronto Raptors that brought OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks is an unqualified success. Not only have they've gone 7-2 over that stretch, they've gone from being one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA to one of the best. If there's such a thing as a secret sauce, Anunoby would be it.

And yet as good as this Knicks team has played, you can tell there's still something missing. Yes, their work ethic is beyond reproach. And, yes, to paraphrase Mr. T., "I pity the team that has to play them in the postseason." As things stand now, they would give the Philadelphia 76ers a run for their money. Hell, they might even beat them. But against the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics, it would be game, set and match. Anybody that doubts that hasn't seen enough basketball games.

That's because for all their grit, they don't have quite enough polish. Every team that plays against them knows who's going to get the ball: it's either going to be Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson. That's about it. Oh, OG will get his points, as will Donte DiVencenzo and Josh Hart. But come crunch time, the game is in the hands of the dynamic duo.

The fact is that without a genuine third scoring option, the Knicks will continue to be outmanned and outgunned against the elite teams in this league. This isn't the NHL, where you can effectively "neutralize" the other team's best players. In Adam Silver's NBA, the cream always rises to the top. This is one professional sports league that knows how to showcase its talent.

And that's why Leon Rose needs to pull the trigger on the one deal that would catapult this team into a bonfire contender. He has enough first round draft picks to populate an entire roster. Sitting on them is not a viable option. In an earlier piece last month, I wrote that maybe Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz might be available. But the more I think about it, the more it seems unlikely that Danny Ainge would part with the centerpiece of the Donavan Mitchell trade, especially for just draft picks.

I then posited that Rose would do well to turn his sights south to Atlanta where the Hawks are clearly in rebuild mode. Dejounte Murray is on the trading block. Everyone on this side of the Milly Way Galaxy knows it. For the right package, he could be a had. Can you imagine a backcourt of Brunson and Murray? As I wrote last month, "it would harken back to the days of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe."

Think about it. With three players capable of scoring 25 plus points per game, the Knicks would be almost impossible to defend. And with their defense, they could capture their first title since 1973.

So what needs to happen to make this trade a reality? For starters, Rose has to do something he's been reluctant to do: roll the dice. You're not going to land Murray for just a couple of picks. Atlanta GM Landry Fields needs to know he's getting a package that he can sell to his fanbase. And that package must include players who can actually play as well as first rounders he can rebuild around.

Here's a proposed trade that would be a win / win for both teams.

New York receives Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela.

Atlanta receives Quentin Grimes, Deuce McBride, Evan Fournier and three first round picks.

In addition to Murray, the Knicks get Capela to backup Isaiah Hartenstein. Nobody knows when or if Mitchell Robinson will return this season, and at 6' 8" Precious Achiuwa is simply not the answer.

In Grimes and McBride, the Hawks get a starting backcourt that is both young and has potential. And even though he fell out of favor with Tom Thibodeau, Fournier has played both guard and small forward and is a proven scorer. Regarding the three number ones, need I say more?

Some Knicks fans may squawk that including McBride in the package is too high a price to pay, even for an elite guard like Murray. I would counter that in a rotation that includes Murray, Brunson and Hart, it's unlikely that McBride would see the court anyway. Let's face it: unless the Knicks are up 20 with less than two minutes to go, Thibs is not one to empty his bench. That's not his style. In fact, in such a three-man rotation, DiVencenso could well see his minutes reduced.

With the Indiana Pacers improving themselves by acquiring Pascal Siakam, the Knicks don't have the luxury of standing pat. Yes, they are a better team now than they were three weeks ago, but ultimately their success will hinge on what they do come April, May and June.

The NBA trade deadline is February 8. The clock is ticking, Leon.