NFT - Karl-Anthony Towns is a New York Knick

[Philosophers]

Easy question for me...no way. Hart is the heart and soul off the bench, that changes the rhythm and nature of the game in progress. Calling him a "scrapper" doesn't begin to define him. He's tenacious at every level and for the opponents, like a nasty pest that throws you off your game

I loved what Divi brought to the game (catch and shoot threes), but he was going to the bench the minute they signed Bridges...and he knew it; hence his unhappiness with the trade. Divi's a great shooter and decent defensive player, but nowhere on the level of Bridges, who will most likely become a permanent fixture at the shooting guard position in tandem with Brunson. Divi cannot do for the Knicks, what Hart brings to the show

Also, I do not believe that Leon/Thibs is through tinkering with the lineup. I think there is frustration with Mitch and his too-regular injuries. Now that we have a legitimate center/PF...I can see the Knicks pulling another trade (involving Mitch) to get a up-n-coming PF who is at the very least, "available". But I don't know, I guess we'll see

But to reiterate my answer to your original question. Hart all day long over Divi

Thanks for the detailed explanation.  I love DD's shooting but did not consider Bridges effectively replacing that plus everything that Hart brings.  I do undervalue him so bad on me.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.  I love DD's shooting but did not consider Bridges effectively replacing that plus everything that Hart brings.  I do undervalue him so bad on me.

I think the addition of Landry Shamet will become Divi's replacement as the 2-guard off the bench (which is where Divi would have been). Divi has always been a bench player until he solidified himself as an NFL starter with the Knicks, which was forced once we traded away IQ

If you didn't watch the video I posted on another page concerning Shamet, here it is again. He's basically Divi 2.0. Same exact size, but has a little higher 3-pt percentage than Divi, and a few months younger than Divi. I think the Knicks will groom him on the bench the way they did with Divi at first, to come in and inject offense and to give Bridges a breather. Of course, that is all my opinion, but who knows. Thibs keeps his cards close to his chest...and he's kinda reaching "genius" level at putting a chess board together

[nb587]

The Athletic's take on the trade:



Just when you thought it was safe to print out those rosters and depth charts as the entire NBA enters training camp this coming week, the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves shake things up. The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski reported a massive and confusing trade on the precipice of being completed by the two teams late Friday night.

The Knicks are set to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from the Wolves, and are sending back Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a protected first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons. The Charlotte Hornets are also involved in the trade to help balance out salaries in this move for the Knicks.

If you're scratching your head on this one, join the club. It's kind of a bizarre trade in many ways, and it's a massive gamble for both teams. Best way to make heads and tails of this trade is to bust out a red pen and throw down some trade grades.

(No offense to the Hornets grabbing random role-player salaries and secondary draft compensation, but they will not be graded today. This is like a pass/fail pop quiz for them and we'll give them a pass for absorbing salary dumps to even out the trade.)

New York Knicks acquire Karl-Anthony Towns

On the surface, this can make some sense for the Knicks. There have been rumors about them going after Towns for some time now, and it finally came to fruition. Towns is a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA Third Team selection and one of the best outside shooting big men we've ever seen. The best, if you ask him. While Towns is much maligned on the internet, he is a very good player and one of the better big men in the NBA. He can score anywhere on the floor, is an exceptional and effortless outside shooter and is a pretty good rebounder, as well. The Knicks desperately need a center with Mitchell Robinson injured, Isaiah Hartenstein off to Oklahoma City and Jericho Sims as the only real center-sized player left on the roster (you can throw Precious Achiuwa in there sparingly).

Towns absolutely fills a need, and he does so while not disrupting the flow of the Knicks' offense. They can now play five-out, put tremendous pressure on the perimeter and might even be able to mimic a little bit of what Boston did offensively in its championship run — at least in terms of how the Celtics attack and bombard from the 3-point line. Remember: The Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges this summer, and paired him with OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, as well. So there's a ton of versatility and perimeter defense. Randle was always an odd fit once Brunson came to the Knicks and quickly established himself as an MVP candidate. Keeping Randle happy with touches and opportunities was always a bit of a ticking bomb because it could very easily take the Knicks out of what was working.

All that said, New York is doing two confusing things here. I wasn't a big fan of the DiVincenzo signing a year ago because the Knicks didn't appear to need him much at the time. I thought they needed to prioritize more size on the wing or in the interior. All of that changed when Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were moved in the Anunoby deal. At that point, DiVincenzo became indispensable in their rotation and played the best ball of his career. It's not that you can't move him in a deal, even a deal like this. But there was a lot of great vibes gathering by bringing in another Villanova player with Bridges, and the "Nova Knicks" had everybody legitimately excited. They immediately break that up to acquire Towns (RIP Nova Knicks: 2024-2024). Although, this means more playing time for Deuce McBride, and he can really play.

The other confusing part about this for the Knicks is I'm pretty sure Towns drove Tom Thibodeau wild during their time together in Minnesota. Forget, even, the whole Towns and Jimmy Butler thing. Towns would often talk about the defensive tenets that were utilized in his time with the Kentucky Wildcats, as Thibs was pleading with the team to buy in defensively to what he wanted the Wolves to do. Towns has the capability to be a good defensive player. I know that because prior to the Rudy Gobert acquisition, there was always one month of the season in which Towns played great defense and you'd start talking yourself into him finally turning the corner on that end of the floor. Then his bad tendencies would come back and that sentiment would vanish. The fun part was you never knew which month it was going to happen. Towns is too aggressive going for blocked shots and not timely enough to actually affect the shot. That leaves the offensive boards open for the opponent. He also struggles with help positioning and rotations when he's the primary defensive big man. That's the biggest part of Thibodeau's defense with his big men.

The Knicks badly need Towns to be solid defensively. They're going to be up against an incredible Boston offense, a potentially dangerous Philadelphia squad with Joel Embiid (a Towns nemesis), and the relentless attacking of Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim and Damian Lillard in a pick-and-roll on the perimeter with Milwaukee. Not to mention teams like Orlando, Indiana, Cleveland and occasionally Miami in the mix. New York desperately needs Towns to play the best, most consistent defense of his career and to rebound against physicality. The good news is when Robinson is back for the Knicks, he and Towns can play alongside each other. Towns showed that often with Gobert in Minnesota.

Even though this is a talent upgrade in the frontcourt where the Knicks were lacking, I'm still confused why this is the move for the Knicks. Their floor is raised but I'm not sure they'll get to that higher ceiling. Towns has to change the way he's played on defense to make this a massive win for the Knicks. It also removes any glimmer of financial flexibility Brunson gave them by taking a discount with his extension. Towns is signed through 2027 for $160 million and then has a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 season.


Grade: B-

One of the major reasons for Brunson he taking less money at least in the short run is that it gave the Knicks the flexibility to bring in a big time player.  So, they did that and the Atlantic author criticizes them for losing that flexibility

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Sad news to share

Unrelated to the current thread, but he was a Knick for a while, and Knick fans read this thread

May Dikembe Mutombo rest in peace. He died today at 58 yrs old of brain cancer. A great ball player, and even greater human being!



https://www.nba.com/news/dikembe-mutombo-passes-away

[DaveBrown74]

Just curious to you hoops fans.  Would you have preferred that Josh Hart be included in the trade or DD?  It may be a really stupid question so sorry if it is.

I don't think it's a stupid question Joe, FWIW. Divencenzo was awesome for us last year, and I can understand people not wanting to lose him. I don't like him not being a Knick anymore, either.

For me, I'd much rather preserve Hart though. By getting Bridges, Divi is less necessary. He would still help off the bench for sure, but Bridges is simply a much better player and plays the same position. Moreover, we're getting a lot of help with three point shooting from Towns, a career 40% guy.

So while Divi was a really good Knick for the short time he was here, I'd much rather have Hart now and all that he brings to the table with the rebounding, defense, and inside-out game.

[Philosophers]

I don't think it's a stupid question Joe, FWIW. Divencenzo was awesome for us last year, and I can understand people not wanting to lose him. I don't like him not being a Knick anymore, either.

For me, I'd much rather preserve Hart though. By getting Bridges, Divi is less necessary. He would still help off the bench for sure, but Bridges is simply a much better player and plays the same position. Moreover, we're getting a lot of help with three point shooting from Towns, a career 40% guy.

So while Divi was a really good Knick for the short time he was here, I'd much rather have Hart now and all that he brings to the table with the rebounding, defense, and inside-out game.

The logic of your post makes so much sense when read.  I am at peace with his departure now.