Big Blue Huddle

I know there are some Knicks fans on this board, but there's been almost no banter about the last couple of days that have been the most amazing time since the NFL draft IMHO. The Knicks have gone all out to turn the team into a contender and going for the whole enchilada NOW
Prior to the draft, the Knicks traded for Mikhal Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby 

The draft: Knicks had three draft picks - two 1st rd picks and one 2nd rd pick (24, 25, and 56), but moved all over the board and ended up with 4 draftees, a plethora of additional future draft assets, while managing to free up a ton of money in cap management. In the words of respected NBA Insider & Reporter for ClutchPoints, Brett Siegel, "The New York Giants won the draft...getting Tyler Kolek and Kevin McCullar Jr. today won New York this draft". Another well respected analyst asked the question, "when was the last time you heard that the Knicks' front office was the smartest in the NBA, and by a large margin?"

Pre-draft rankings:



The Knicks wanted Kolek with their first of two first round picks, but they needed cap space to sign IHart, so they traded that pick away for future draft capital and freeing up money instead as signing IHart is priority one

With their second first round pick, instead of taking Kolek (who would eat up cap and hinder singing IHart), they chose an 18-yr-old European player with huge potential who they can stash in Europe, again...freeing up cash and cap

Then luck fell out of heaven and into their laps as they still got their two targeted primary players they really wanted in the second round, which of course, doesn't count against their cap like the first round players. Both players were considered first round talents and McCuller was considered a potential lottery pick until he was injured late in the season

Round 1 (25) 6'9" Pacôme Dadiet SF/PF- 18 yrs old with 2 years of professional ball under his belt against men ten years older, and nicknamed "Baby Durant". In one game last season, he went up against the no.1 overall draft pick fellow Frenchman, Zaccharie Risacher and flat out burned him three times. Risacher could not stop him. He's a natural-born scoring machine and needs to develop better defensive skills. But keep in mind, he's a teenage boy playing against seasoned professional men. Regardless, he's a "draft and stash" player to save money and a developing project. A blank slate and a ball of clay for the Knicks to mold into whatever they want


Round 2 (34) 6'3" PG Tyler Kolek - plug and play backup PG to Brunson - style of play is eerily similar to Brunson. Has incredible vision and high IQ that keeps track of every player and uses "no look" passes that made him the assist leader in the NCAA. Last player to get that many assists in college was Brunson...also considered a "backup" guard, and we know how that went. Plays with a chip on his shoulder. Opposing crowds booed and taunted him as the "bad guy"...especially Nova fans who were ruthless on him...mainly because he single-handedly beat them every game they played. Hung 34 point on Nova in one game under a chorus of boos. Note of interest: The Celtics tried to move up in the second to snag Kolek, a local boy (Rhode Island) who would fit their system. Also, the 76'ers wanted both Kolek and McCullar according to their fan board 


Round 2 (56) 6'5½" OG/SF Kevin McCullar Jr. - defensive stalwart in the mold of Grimes but with better numbers and better defender, but also a two-way player. He is also compared with Josh Hart because of his energetic style of play

Round 2 (58) 7'0" C Ariel Hukporti - athletic big from Australia whose interior play is relentless, but his perimeter value is nonexistent. Great shot-blocker, and insane rebounder. Another "draft and stash" player

The only two players likely to see playing time this season is Kolek and McCullar. If Deuce is traded (as is rumored - to free up cap to sign IHart), the Kolek will see time on the floor very quickly

Off Season:

- Will IHart sign for less than market value to stick with the Knicks?
- Is there a chance we can keep both Mitch and IHart? If so, we are ready for a run to the top
- Will we have to sacrifice Deuce to manage the money game?
- Where are our biggest weaknesses?
- Is there a single player out there that you feel should be on the Knicks...and why?

Assuming they are able to sign IHart:

First team

PG Brunson
OG Bridges
SF Anunoby
PF Randle
C IHart

Second Team

PG Deuce or Kolek (depending on Deuce's future with the Knicks)
OG DiVincenzo
SF Hart
PF Precious
C Mitch

Subs

Sims
McCullar
??? Obi's little brother 

The knock on Kolek: not highly athletic (same was said about Brunson BTW). As an old timer, I remember another guy who wasn't all that athletic; however, he had an incredible sense of the entire floor and where everyone was as though seeing it from an overhead camera and in slow motion. Blind passes that defied logic, and when left alone...made the opposition pay. His name, Larry Bird. Not saying Kolek is Bird, but he has that same gift for seeing the entire floor without looking, and if you leave him alone, he'll hang 30 on you. It's insane

https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1806695618108149909

https://twitter.com/NYKMuse/status/1806458629870194981

I must say that I completely underestimated Leon Rose.  I never thought he had the construction vision he has demonstrated.  This guy deserves a serious round of applause and thanks.  They may be all in but they did not mortgage 100% of the future either.

I'd like to know who's the genius behind the cap management. He (she?) is making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Try as I may, I cannot understand the rules of the cap. I understand what the goal was/is (not allowing an already stocked team to pay a tax to get another great player...parity), but it is so complicated with two aprons to deal with, that stifles moves at different levels 

Without a doubt, the Knicks are in go-for-it mode, and why not? Only been a half-century since they sprinted off the old LA Forum floor with a title.

That being said, I'm very excited because they finally have the front office chops running the show. Also, they did add 2 young players in Kolek and McCullar who can contribute off the bench and are typical Thibs guys.

As far as losing I Hart, that seems inevitable, but there's another big out there in Andre Drummond they could turn  to. Randle's fit is another story.

Quote from: spiderblue43 on June 28, 2024, 03:52:03 PMWithout a doubt, the Knicks are in go-for-it mode, and why not? Only been a half-century since they sprinted off the old LA Forum floor with a title.

That being said, I'm very excited because they finally have the front office chops running the show. Also, they did add 2 young players in Kolek and McCullar who can contribute off the bench and are typical Thibs guys.

As far as losing I Hart, that seems inevitable, but there's another big out there in Andre Drummond they could turn  to. Randle's fit is another story.

Not sure how they could swing a deal for AD as they are against the wall since trading for Bridges and especially re-signing OG. They are doing all they can to shed money in order to try and keep IHart on board. Of course, if they lose IHart, that'll give them a little room...not star money room, but room for a veteran bench player. I just hope other teams aren't going to offer him some huge contract. Although, Toronto just signed IQ for 175M (which means it was good we traded him because we couldn't afford him either) and Dallas traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and three draft picks for Grimes...so teams aren't afraid to spend right now

As far as Randle goes, we need to keep him. He takes a lot of grief from fans, but he's a bulldog who gets in the middle of scraps and still knocks down 40 pts and 10+ rebounds. He's a routine All-Star that can take a game over when everyone else is cold. He must always be accounted for, freeing up others. And he isn't afraid of getting bruised up in a scrum

After watching a video Kolek has unique passing skills that should transfer to the pro game. Previously I was curious what Randle might bring in a trade. Not so much now. We need a big who can score at the basket to take advantage of Kolek's skills.

Quote from: files58 on June 28, 2024, 06:33:58 PMAfter watching a video Kolek has unique passing skills that should transfer to the pro game. Previously I was curious what Randle might bring in a trade. Not so much now. We need a big who can score at the basket to take advantage of Kolek's skills.

Trading Randle would be difficult. Nobody wants that contract.

The Knicks are probably best off trying to figure out how to make it work with him for the next couple years.

To be fair to Randle, he was playing very well this past year before he got hurt. I feel like his worst years on the Knicks were when we didn't really have a point guard, and he felt like he needed to constantly handle the ball on the perimeter and bring it up the floor. That was awful.

Quote from: files58 on June 28, 2024, 06:33:58 PMAfter watching a video Kolek has unique passing skills that should transfer to the pro game. Previously I was curious what Randle might bring in a trade. Not so much now. We need a big who can score at the basket to take advantage of Kolek's skills.

Someone like Randle would thrive getting the ball fed to him by Kolek...good call

I love this cocky clip of Kolek explaining how hitting a couple threes kills the zone and then it's "bbq chicken", a basketball term coined by Shaq when you've put the other team at such a disadvantage that you have time to eat chicken while they're catching up

https://twitter.com/KnicksMuse/status/1806429765168971845

Apparently, it is Brock Aller who is the money magician behind the scenes. A great article on how he and Leon have been manipulating the system to an advantage over other teams

https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2024/6/29/24187546/leon-rose-brock-aller-isaiah-hartenstein

Well, we lost Hartenstein 

He signed with Oklahoma...3 yrs, 87 mil (close to 30m per, and he'll still be in his prime for a new contract when he's still in his 20s)

Can't say that I blame him, we could only offer 4 yrs, 74 mil

Too bad about Hartenstein but we all knew this was probably coming. TBH, while I like him a lot, $30mm/yr seems like a lot for him. I feel like we should be able to find someone for half that price who can be 75% as effective once we coach him up. Didn't we sign Hartenstein initially for like $8m or $9m? I would think for $14mm we can get somoene who can be solid and play whenever Mitch is hurt (which is obviously a lot). Simms is ok as a number three.

The worst part about losing Hartenstein isn't so much that he is a great player, but that he was a very good fit on the team and became something of a fan favorite. A big part of what the Knicks have going right now is fit and team chemistry. He was part of that, although to me the truly untouchable core consists specifically of the Nova Four and OG. Those five guys are untouchable. It's a big step down after them on the importance front.

Wow.. the Sixers got Maxey for 5 years, $204mm. That's less than the Knicks gave OG for the same number of years. Not the best look for the Knicks.

I like OG as much as the next Knicks fan, but Maxey is a superstar caliber type guy. The Sixers got a steal there. Believe it or not, $40mm/yr is very good value for him in today's marketplace. That guy is basically unstoppable off the dribble from the perimeter, and he can shoot the lights out too.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on July 01, 2024, 01:15:13 PMWow.. the Sixers got Maxey for 5 years, $204mm. That's less than the Knicks gave OG for the same number of years. Not the best look for the Knicks.

I like OG as much as the next Knicks fan, but Maxey is a superstar caliber type guy. The Sixers got a steal there. Believe it or not, $40mm/yr is very good value for him in today's marketplace. That guy is basically unstoppable off the dribble from the perimeter, and he can shoot the lights out too.

And we thought Boston was the only division foe we had to beat. Looks like it will be a three-way race now that the Sixers got Maxey and Paul George. I have to think they'll be in cap hell soon. Maybe they believe they are going to lose Embid 

For a decade, the West owned the NBA and the East was little to worry about. Looks like the East is the Beast now, and the West is no longer the best. Look at that, I'm a poet and didn't realize it, LOL