The Knicks are expected to pursue a roster shakeup this summer, but the Heat’s Jimmy Butler believes there’s already a future star to build around, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. RJ Barrett impressed Butler and his Miami teammates with a 46-point outburst Friday night.
“He had a helluva game, an all-around game at that,” Butler said. “We all know he’s capable of that. I don’t think anybody is surprised or should be surprised. He’s definitely going to be playing in this league for a long time and he’s going to be the face of the Knicks.”
Barrett is averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game in his third NBA season, but Bondy points out that he’s still a streaky shooter and has trouble beating defenders off the dribble. The question for the Knicks, Bondy adds, is what to do about Julius Randle, who needs to handle the ball often to be effective and isn’t an ideal complement to Barrett. Bondy notes that Randle and Barrett have only reached 20 points in the same game seven times all season.
There’s more from New York:
- Executive vice president William Wesley has been lobbying owner James Dolan with a plan to acquire a star and is focused on Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, a source tells Steve Popper of Newsday. There are some New York connections for Mitchell, who is a former client of team president Leon Rose and worked closely with associate head coach Johnnie Bryant when he was in Utah. Popper points out that Mitchell will make $30.4MM next season and won’t hit the open market until 2025 at the earliest, and any deal the Knicks could offer would have to include almost every asset at their disposal.
- Rookie guard Quentin Grimes, who suffered a subluxation of his right patella in Friday’s game, will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). Grimes was at the team facility today and was “walking around pretty well,” tweets Ian Begley of SNY TV, who adds that Grimes’ response to physical therapy will determine how much time he has to miss. Surgery won’t be necessary, a source in Grimes’ camp tells Ashley Nicole Moss of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link), and he will likely be sidelined two to three weeks because of slight ligament bruising.
- The medical procedure that Derrick Rose underwent on his left ankle Friday won’t affect Kemba Walker‘s decision to sit out the rest of the season, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. Walker made the decision in the belief that he wouldn’t have a spot in the rotation once Rose returned, but a source told Berman that he’s unlikely to change his mind and coach Tom Thibodeau also dismissed the possibility.
No offense, but if RJ Barrett is the face of your franchise then you are in pretty bad shape.
Don’t be a hater
Truth is not hating. Barrett is a third option at best on a good team.
I’m a Knicks fan & even I see that. Others keep putting those rose colored glasses on. Weird.
RJ has game. But so does (did?) Terrence Ross…who dropped 50 off the bench at one point and he’s not the face of anything. Whole point of being in the NBA means you’re one of the 450 best in the world. Doesn’t mean you’re one of the 10-12 best of the 450.
Face of a team means best of 30. Only 30 teams in the NBA. And some have 2 or three major stars. So get your arithmetic in order. RJ is 20 yrs old. He’s absolutely going to be a star for many yrs. On this team. He’s absolutely the face and future. He’s our own pick. Get with the program.
RJ has game but also has a lot of work to do. I don’t see the one defining characteristic that grabs my attention and makes me say “oh shit this guy is gonna be something”.
Knicks gotta decide on his rookie scale extension before they figure out if his shot can be trusted. Wonder if the Heat will have that issue with Herro or the Cavs with Garland…
No need to mention Ja’s game.
If you’ve seen his games lately, I’d say he’s figuring it out and has stood out in almost all of the last 20 games or so. I’d say he’s going to be a star, and deserving of the contract he will probably get.
He’s 21, he will at least be a 2nd option. He can definitely be a 20-25 PPG player with good defense. Most good teams that’s a 2nd option.
Hahahaha! Knicks FO game plan over the last decade has been trying to steal stars from other teams using NY big city talk. And have failed miserably on all accounts. Hey Knicks here is an idea. How about scout and draft better players and not make bad FA signings?
Julius Randle, IQ and 3 first round picks for Zion “the fat boy” Williamson, Temple and Lewis Jr.
Pelicans then have a starting 5 of Graham McCollum Ingram Randle and Big V with IQ, Herb Jones and Hayes coming off the bench playing big roles.
Pelicans would thrive and next season be a likely 6-10 seed and have a bright future with all their young players and picks.
Knicks have a core of Reddish Barrett and Zion the Duke big three. DRose coming off the bench.
They probably need to make a couple more moves with Kemba Burks and Fouriner but they could be aiming for the 8-10 spot and with a bright future ahead
Go like Kemba, Burks and a second rounder for Dinwiddie and the Mavs first.
Plus Fouriner for Rich Holmes and Mo Harkless
Leaving the Knicks with this plus the draft and FA.
1. Dinwiddie. DRose
2. Barrett. McBride. Grimes
3. Reddish. Harkless
4. Zion. Toppin
5. Holmes. Noel
If Zion is moved I think a Randle centered deal is probably going to be far from the best offer.
Having said that it seems like putting your fate in the hands of Zion is a lottery ticket at this point. It’s clearly worth it for some teams, but I don’t know of many guys who’ve had this type of injury history this early in their careers and gone on to do much.
Embiid is probably the only one I can think of off the top of my head. But there’s a long list of guys (Oden, Bowie, Fultz, Walton, etc) on the other side.
Hey Al… in thibs we trust? Not heard that in a while. All well at the garden? Think not.
From a loving bulls fan!
It’s not just the Knicks…..
The NYC media pushes the notion that all name players want to play for the NYC pro teams. Hardly true as Stan Van Gundy noted in an article below about playing for the Knicks.
Whenever players go to NYC – via free agency or trade – where they get generously overpaid, they do the obligatory thing and say: “Since I was growing up it was always my dream to play for the [fill in NYC team name].”
Consequently, NYC fans know nothing about team building other than their team needs to spend a lot of money and trade whoever they have to to get one or 2 big name players….then magically the rest of the ensuing championship dynasty will fall into place. I see it on all Internet sports chatrooms, including the 4 this organization publishes. The last 6 months or so I read astonished posters comment that most NYC fans think that the other teams in the pro leagues exist to develop and feed them their best players. It’s gotten to be funny reading their expectations.
Years ago the Knicks brought in a professional GM from Indiana to dig out from under the outrageous contracts Isiah Thomas had given out. By about the 3rd year he’d put together a decent team that was playing well, getting better, and there was payroll room to bring in more quality players. Then Dolan stepped in and made the trade for the “legend in his own mind” Carmelo Anthony. Within 3 weeks the team started playing badly again. Phil Jackson was brought in to stroke Anthony’s ego , but alas….that failed as it always has with “Melo”. (Gee the Lakers don’t have any payroll wiggle room).
Dolan is one of the 3 or 4 worst owners in all of pro sports. The Knicks will never be more than a so-so team at times as long as he owns them. And it appears that he has no intention of selling.
Meanwhile the Rangers, who are also owned by Dolan, seem to be doing well and have gone to a Cup under his ownership. Now, I’m not saying he’s a good owner, but the crappy front office management that’s been in place over the last couple of decades has failed.
He doesn’t Bud into Rangers like he’s done with Knicks. Where you from man.
And so far he’s not Bud into our rebuild. So we still got time.
Child please. Where are you from? He just cleared out the front office before the season started. Take a seat.
Yeah that’s all true. And it’s the major reason for Knicks never building a team right. Supposedly he’s standing on the sidelines now. That’s why Rose is here and Thibs. They are in charge if the rebuild. I know Dolan is an Aaa. It’s only been a year and half. He’s done nothing. So it seems the rebuild is still going on. Can’t cry over thing you can’t control.
His way has failed for over 20 yrs. In business they would of got rid of him long ago. So he should leave it to the basketball people now. You’d think he’d learn by now.
Everybody knows these issues esp in NY. Knix did not land Irving or Durant or anyone major before or since. That’s mostly why actual current NY sports fans go overboard with thorough rebuilding. (it worked eventually with the Yankees.)
—–
It was Barrett with a good game, not another team’s star. Barrett leads his his draft class in minutes played, and the team was conservative in the last free agency whey had some momentum. But is that good enough for World Wide Wes and the FO? They are not scouts and are still looking for the big score like Utah’s Mitchell.
The two pulled the posse of Knick-critics away from Dolan, so they are working okay for Dolan, but if not overall, Dolan is still the obstacle.
No one in NY is going overboard with rebuilding. I’m in the minority. Last yrs success makes most forget what rebuilding is about. This is yr two. And already we got anxiety all over the Knick world and media. Folks not from NY will just never get that.
Knicks have NEVER …… that’s never . Rebuilt thru draft since the Ewing era. And that’s Ewing as in one star era. And they didn’t do that well. Considering they traded away MJ and Strickland. Plus Rylie with his power play. Only NYC has this kind of drama. Basketball is not baseball or football. Most here don’t even get that. Only real ballers understand what real Knick fans are about……. We’re all about the game lol.
Trade RJ for Spider
RJ + Reddish + a first for Spida
Spida and Randle would make the playoffs
RJ and Randle made the playoffs. What’s your point?
Not this year they won’t
That would be a decent start to trade package for Mitchell. It would take more than that though.
Yeah the diss function of fanatics will bring Mitchell here.
I always wonder what this is about. Americas sports world, business, media. That always needs NY to be a part of the narrative. Seems like a Diss to the rest of America. And it just goes on n on n on. Why would you even take that. If you consider yourself an informed fan. Leave us alone please. Can we take 4 yrs to build a team thru the draft. …
We are a yr or two from buying or trading for a player.
One thing is right. Is Mitchell’s age. That’s the kind of star we need. Not a 32 or 33 yr old. Knicks will have plenty of cap space in 2023. Best thing to do now is build the assets. For those who don’t get it. Means play the youth. Get Randles value back up..
For all the clowns who hated on Kemba. He’s now an asset as an expiring contract. Which was part of plan (go with plan B). Thibs worst mistake now. Is not playing Cam and McBride. Rose and Dolan should make him play them. And play Obi a minimum of 25-30 mins a night.
The NY sports media’s endless Dolan narrative is good business for them, but there’s no requirement that fans need to keep buying into it. Truth is that Dolan, these days, is largely an absentee owner, with very little involvement in basketball decisions. It’s basically been that way for a decade (since the Cablevision spin-off) and certainly since Jackson was hired. Dolan’s toxic legacy lives on in the team’s MSG borrowed corporate culture, and the fact that his last two FO chiefs (Jackson and Mills) failed. But Dolan isn’t a reason that either failed, and he won’t be a reason that the Rose FO fails (if in fact it does). Just because Dolan is a maniac, and the Knicks have been lousy, doesn’t mean that one caused the other. It certainly makes for better stories if one did cause the other, and maybe that’s enough.
Not really true since.he got involved with Mello and Phil. Phil started the true rebuild. But then got Mello against him. So Dolan stepped in and we moved Mello for nothing. Then got KP a Mello supporter believing he was new king. So eventually Phil got fired. And four coaches later we are here. Dolan can’t help himself. These last two yrs are new territory for him. And I for one have always pushed for a draft rebuild. Which never takes place here. Until now.
How did he get involved? Phil wasn’t really fired, he essentially quit. What happened had nothing to do with Melo.
A few weeks after both parties exercised the mutual option in the contract for the last two years, Phil went to dinner with Dolan and told him he’s unhappy living in NYC and intends to finish out the 2 years, but is not interested in the job longer term. I can’t blame Dolan for firing him at that point. This wasn’t a 2 year rebuilding job by a disinterested rookie FO chief. Now, hiring Phil’s #2 (Mills) without looking at anyone else, I will blame Dolan for.
I’m not the most bullish on RJ, but he is still only 21, and he’s clearly shown flashes.
Again some of this falls directly on Thibs’ unwillingness to see the long game here. The Randle thing is real—at what point does the coach make the call and say, “Hey Jules, you’re shooting 4% from 3, and we have a 21 year old wing showing promise”—then hand the reigns over?
Instead it’s Randle shooting fadeaway mid rangers and Reddish getting DNP-CDs.
NYK might have a future but it’s increasingly seeming like it won’t or shouldn’t involve TT.