The Knicks didn’t make any significant upgrades at the trade deadline and it may be coming back to haunt them in their opening-round series against Atlanta, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. New York trails 3-1 in the series and there’s no hint of a comeback. Coach Tom Thibodeau was hoping for an upgrade, with Norman Powell high on his wish list, but management viewed this season as a stepping stone while protecting their ample cap space for a potential summer bonanza.
We have more on the Knicks:
- Julius Randle has yet to return to his regular-season form and now it may be too late, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News notes. Randle is shooting 27% from the field in the series after winning the league’s Most Improved Player award. “This is all a learning experience,” he said. “I need to get better individually, we need to get better as a team.”
- Reggie Bullock went scoreless in 34 minutes during Game 4 and Thibodeau attributes that to Bullock guarding Trae Young, Steve Popper of Newsday relays. “We’re asking him to do a lot,” he said. “He’s in a lot of actions offensively, but he’s guarding Trae. You’re using a lot of energy there.” Bullock will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
- Luca Vildoza is out of quarantine but didn’t join the team in Atlanta, Mark Berman of the New York Post tweets. The Knicks signed the Argentinian guard to a four-year deal in early May but, according to Thibodeau, he’ll be added to the mix next season. “For later in the summer,” he said.
Knicks need cap space to sign top 5 players
Go Knicks
Hater Berman is back. Really now you wanted a trade. I think Fournier would have been a good move. Cause he fits long term and wouldn’t have cost much. Story goes Thibs wanted Powell. Raptors I’m sure would of wanted too much. Either works for me and both are FAs next yr. So why make move to win a first rd series. We weren’t even suppose to be in. Berman and whole media never believed Knicks would be top 5 let alone 4th seed. Just another critic after the fact. This is why it’s so hard to rebuild in NY. They never follow thru on young talent or the draft. Cause no one wants to wait for results. But waiting and losing with dumb moves is what exactly. Knicks are on right track. Stick to the rebuild. There’s a FA we will sign. And there is always a trade that can happen. Now that we are a more attractive destination. This series ain’t over. Just win the next gm. We are not losing series at Garden. Best defensive team in this series is Hawks. Who would of thought that, huh.
All true I think. Ujiri probably would not risk a Powell trade for draft picks.
They’re probably better off in the long run without those trade deadline moves…should be interesting to see their activity this summer, two firsts and an early second plus all the cap space
Yeah this is nonsense from D Berm.
Also we got Rose essentially for free not to long before the deadline and he’s probably the sole reason this series is still alive.
Fournier wouldn’t have changed a thing other than sucking up cap space. He’s overrated.
The available upgrade this year was available thru player development but Thibs wasn’t interested in doing anything but playing the guys he likes best more and more minutes until they finally win.
It doesn’t work very often but who can complain when you don’t take any risks right?
I would play this way. It may seem extreme, but it’s a win or go home situation for the knicks. No need to say Thibs is a great coach who took a projected cellar-dweller to a home court advantage playoff team.
Knicks need to stop, or at least make it difficult for Trae and their shooters, especially Bogi, to get their points.
Going radical, I would shake things up and start Ntilikina AND Payton, Rose, Randle and Noel.
Give Randle half of the first quarter to see how he’s that night. If he doesn’t play defense, nor show fighting spirit (I didn’t put an emphasis on scoring), you put Obi Toppin at the 4.
Knicks should aim to limit Atlanta to 90 pojnts o below, and score 95. Knicks game plan should be give the ball to D-Rose, let him create, and surround with shooters and Noel/Gibsonn/Toppin for the dish under the basket or lob.
But the most important thing is DEFENSE. You put Ntilikina or Payton, whichever you like most, on Young full court from the opening tip. Make him sweat for his baskets. Annoy him. Harass him. Play physical, play the passing lanes, box out, give a hard foul, even flagrant, when he gets to the basket. The guy’s good, he’s talented, but if you let him play, you resolve him a lot of things already. Full court press him and scrape him, he will get annoyed, will get pissed, may push his defender and get an offensive foul, may get a T, you gotta frustrate the guy with good, physical, full court defense.
You gotta clamp Bogdanovic too. He’s torching the knicks this series. You gotta play him the passing lanes, scrape him, box him out strong, be physical, make him shoot contested shots, close out hard and give gim no open outside looks. Knicks are at home.
Payton is totally unmotivated, but if you play him, he gets a good defense, a good close out, a deflection, he starts getting confidence. You don’t even ask him to do anything on offense other than stand in the corner and replace positions. You enter the game to clamp one of their two top perimeter threats and will play 40+ minutes. Same with Ntilikina.
Knicks gotta get aggresive, gutsy, scrappy, hard-nosed, play the passing lanes.
I know Noel isn’t %100 percent because of his ankle. But he isn’t less athletic than Capela, he can aim to box him out hard.
Knicks gotta get fired up. Bullock is an enforcer, that’s why he starts and plays. Gibson is an an enforcer but you need him to play heavy minutes, so you don’t want him starting scuffles. I don’t like seeing guys like DeAndre Hunter getting hyped up, shoving people, talking to the refs. I mean, you’re the Knicks, You are in the Garden. He wants to push you, you smack him. He’ s a sophomore. You put Gibson on a hard box out on him, you throw a forearm on him, and this guy shuts his mouth. You shut him up, he’s a kid, he ain’t gotta be loud like that. But i’ts up to the knicks to put an end to that.
If Young’s defender limits his drives, then most of Capela’s offensive game is over. Gotta box him out though, he can wreak havoc on the offensive glass if you don’t put a body on him.
You play:
Payton
Ntilikina
Rose
Bullock
Noel/Gibson for most of the game.
Give 7 min to alec burks, no more, he can score but this game needs to clamp down Young and Bogdanovic more than scoring and he ain’t gonna do that.
Put Barret in the second quarter and see how he is. If he’s slumping, you only use him to rest Bullock.
Randle: Only can get minutes if he sprints back on D, and plays D. I’m not taking you out of the game for shooting 2-15, i’m getting you out mostly for not playing defense, allowing baskets, allowing offensive rebounds. Anybody can box out, it’s a matter of hustle. He’s 6-8 255, he can definitely box out. He needs to box out if he wants to stay on the court.
Stars are stars anyway. Nobody’s taking Randle his MIP trophy nor his All-Star, borderline All-NBA status. But this a team game. If he’s not able to help the team right now, and somebody in the bench can help more, you put what’s best for the team.
It would be a major shocker if this actually happens, but hey, stranger things have happened. I would like to see the two currently demoralized knicks point guards coming back strong to hound Young and Bogi. It would make a memorable story, for sure.
First and foremost Knicks need a PG. How good would Haliburton have been instead of Toppin
But Knicks are heading in the right direction
Go get Kyle Lowry or Dennis Shroder.
Go bring in a center to split time with Robinson- Lopez, Kanter, Holmes.
Trade up in draft couple spots (at most 3) for Jared Butler if he’s there.
Not drafting Halliburton hurts, but I wouldn’t go after Lowry or Schroeder. Lowry is going to hit that downhill very soon (if not now) and DS is looking for way too much $$$ if he’s turning down $20M+ from the Lakers.
As for the centers listed, I’d pass on all of them. Been down the road with two of the three already. Noel is fine as a backup and seems to fit for now.
Knicks need a SF who can score and lock down opposing players. Knicks will have the cap space for a max, but need someone to opt out that is better than what’s on the table right now for the current FA class to hit this summer.
If there was a way for the Knicks to package some of those upcoming draft picks for someone like a Haliburton and get lucky with someone like Leonard opting out (he won’t unless they exit early), then they’d have a chance of moving into the next tier.
How many years in a row have the Knicks expected to save their cap space in order to sign a big free agent in the offseason? How many years in a row have the Knicks been disappointed? It’s Charlie Brown and the football all over again.
I bet it happens tho… We have not heard much from Dolan.
Saving cap space is probably the last thing I’d critique them for tbh.
As bad as they’ve been this series, the Knicks are still a young team with a winning record playing in New York City. And with cap space.
That puts them in the conversation with Miami and maybe Dallas as the frontrunner for the next disgruntled star. Considering someone gets disgruntled every 3-6 months in the NBA now, I think they’re in good position in that regard.
They have young players on the roster but the minute getters are veterans Gibson, Rose, Bullock, Randle. RJ and Quickley are the only young players getting minutes consistently. Toppin and Knox barely play and Robinson plays for the Knicks Training Staff.
Things didn’t go as planned a couple of years ago. But it’s refreshing to know they can instead of harboring overpriced, washed-up players like they have in the past and over cap themselves.
Knicks need a lights out shooter and possibly move RJ to small forward. Yes Halliburton would be my choice to. It’s possible that no one knew during the draft. Randle would be this good this season so Knicks took OB1. The Knicks could of thought they could of traded Randle at the TD. The Knicks need a Superstar. Randle and RJ are good players but not great. I have no idea who that Superstar will be. All Knicks fans will have to wait and see. Is that Zion, Doncic, Dame, no one knows. The Knicks are moving in the right direction. I thought they would play better as a #4 seed but the Knicks got very lucky being that high. They still have a lot of flaws and a lot of work to do this off-season.
@hiflew – I can think of only 2 off seasons total in the salary cap era (since the mid 1980s). 2010 and 2019.
2011 they created about 80% of a max level amount by waiving Billups under amnesty. 2016 they had about 70% of a max deal amount available. 2020 they had more than enough, but were looking at max level FAs (as there weren’t any) or any one that high priced.