iHart expected to sign with OKC 3/$87

[louisorr]

The doom and gloom here by some is really ridiculous.....you'd think we lost a star player. Hartenstein was really solid for us but he was far from someone irreplacable. Also taken all 4 playoff series together that he played for us---they were relatively underwhelming if we are honest. Last season he averaged 3points/4rebounds in 20minutes through 11 playoff games and was invisible. This time he had some very good games but also a lot of bad ones in the playoffs and ended up getting 9points/8rebounds in 30minutes. Good, solid but definitely not some irreplacable force. There are at least like 10-15 backup Centers that provide things that he does but haven't gotten the playing time to showcase it.

Again, we have two protected FRPs remaining, we can pick swap as well. If the FO can create two salaries that aggregate around 10mill.-15mill. we will be able to correct this deficit during the season 100%. The worst case scenario is we go into the playoffs with a slightly worse backup Center than Hartenstein. That's the absolute worst case....like a Jonas Valanciunas type backup. Anyone thinking we'll go into the playoffs with Mitch and Sims has not followed this FO the past 2-3 years.

you would think a team needs Kareem or Wilt to make the finals.
The Mavs just went with a rookie and Dan Gafford.
The dynastic Bulls had Wennington, Cartwright and Longley
folx gotta relax, we have everything covered and are better than last year.

I think some of the panic is that Knick fans saw how well the offense operated when it had a C playing at least half the minutes who was euro inspired (or old NBA) in his style of play, where that C is a solid passer, screen setter and some semblance of offensive ability.

I think another aspect of the gloom is that some subset of fans don't exactly trust Thibs to have a creative offense, and to the extent he'll have one, having a good high post passer, who has to be a rim protector on defense because Thibs, unlocks whatever Thibs has in that regard.

The worry, probably not founded but who knows, is now the offense will revert to a steady diet of DHOs while the big dummy clogs the paint. And if the Knicks get another big dummy for the other 24 minutes, then it's 48 minutes x 82 games of DHO extravaganza.

Or, all that is hyperbole.

Yeah it is definitely a loss. can't sugarcoat that. but no team is perfectly constructed. We don't want to start grasping for straws (Kemba/Evan) again. I'm a little surprised they didn't target Kolek's teammate Ighodoro? he was sitting there for the taking in the draft.Not exactly a euro style player, but worked well out of the high post at least in the pnr, plus has the built in chemistry with Kolok....oh well, didn't happen, but something I will wonder about

[RHODEY]

Hukporti needs his own thread. I was watching those highlights today and he can be a big contributor especially with all the attention the other 4 guys will have on them. His footwork is great, he moves easily even coming off his achilles injury and has shooting touch. Then you watch his interviews and he's just very mature, high IQ...I really want to see him play here.

That's very encouraging to hear... I need to research him.

Update...

Oh Damn he can really ball well ...he has post moves and a floater.

Watch on YouTube

and he's 7ft, thought he was smaller..

[Guano]

Watch on YouTube

is this you man?

you're always posting this cat.

RHODEY picks the worst podcasters from YT.

this guy talks like he is an extraterrestrial wearing human skin

[RHODEY]

Watch on YouTube

is this you man?

you're always posting this cat.

RHODEY picks the worst podcasters from YT.

They are trashy and entertaining...like reality TV or TMZ.

[Guano]

first time watching him. why tf didnt you guys mention that we drafted a center that has an offensive game???? and he's 7'0!!
ariel hukporti folks!!!!

ARIEL HUKPORTI!!!

Watch on YouTube

ofc melo likes him - he has an affinity to terrible bigs
check out the shot @ 20 seconds

Watch on YouTube

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Did any playoff team have a rookie 2nd rounder contributing as a rotational player in the playoffs? The answer is no.


Ariel could be good, but the odds are he's a project and won't be able to contribute to a team trying to contend.

[DOT]

Did any playoff team have a rookie 2nd rounder contributing as a rotational player in the playoffs? The answer is no.


Ariel could be good, but the odds are he's a project and won't be able to contribute to a team trying to contend.

If he's good, that's incredible

But we shouldn't expect it. Sims is like, a 90th percentile 58th pick, Hukporti being better than him isn't guaranteed.

[BrOnXKing1]

Knicks FO must really like Hokpurti for them to be so quiet in free agency. But please just resign Precious, he can man the backup spot and he should he can fill in as a starter as well

[Jalen Bluntson]

Knicks FO must really like Hokpurti for them to be so quiet in free agency. But please just resign Precious, he can man the backup spot and he should he can fill in as a starter as well

I am hoping the silence is because they are working through the Mikal trade apron implications and they already have a center lined up...either part of the Mikal trade or separate...that they are just working the kinks out with the teams and players etc. If that's not the case....oh boy.

[K_ick_God]

first time watching him. why tf didnt you guys mention that we drafted a center that has an offensive game???? and he's 7'0!!
ariel hukporti folks!!!!

ARIEL HUKPORTI!!!

Watch on YouTube

ofc melo likes him - he has an affinity to terrible bigs
check out the shot @ 20 seconds

Watch on YouTube

Bam - Draymond hybrid clone.

[TrueWarrior]

The doom and gloom here by some is really ridiculous.....you'd think we lost a star player. Hartenstein was really solid for us but he was far from someone irreplacable. Also taken all 4 playoff series together that he played for us---they were relatively underwhelming if we are honest. Last season he averaged 3points/4rebounds in 20minutes through 11 playoff games and was invisible. This time he had some very good games but also a lot of bad ones in the playoffs and ended up getting 9points/8rebounds in 30minutes. Good, solid but definitely not some irreplacable force. There are at least like 10-15 backup Centers that provide things that he does but haven't gotten the playing time to showcase it.

Again, we have two protected FRPs remaining, we can pick swap as well. If the FO can create two salaries that aggregate around 10mill.-15mill. we will be able to correct this deficit during the season 100%. The worst case scenario is we go into the playoffs with a slightly worse backup Center than Hartenstein. That's the absolute worst case....like a Jonas Valanciunas type backup. Anyone thinking we'll go into the playoffs with Mitch and Sims has not followed this FO the past 2-3 years.

you would think a team needs Kareem or Wilt to make the finals.
The Mavs just went with a rookie and Dan Gafford.
The dynastic Bulls had Wennington, Cartwright and Longley
folx gotta relax, we have everything covered and are better than last year.

I’ve said it before, but Isaiah had elite advanced stats. Even going back to his Cavs and Clippers days (where he had even better numbers).

- Top 15 in overall EPM (2nd in Defensive EPM).
- Top 10 rim protector.
- Top 5 pick and roll defender.
- #1 offensive 2 man pick and roll efficiency (with Jalen).
- Top 1-3 in all the other big advanced stats on our team (PER, TS%, BPM, WS/48, VORP).
- One of the only players to average over 1 stl and 1 blk a game.
- Elite passing center with an elite floater. Rare qualities.
- Shot over 70% from the stripe so he wasnt a liability there, and he still has stretch 5 potential.
- Hustled the most out of any of our players (ran the most distance in the season).

Some people just look at his 8/8/3/1/1 (in only 25 mpg tbf) and think he wasnt that great, but he was. He did a whole lot of stuff that didn’t necessarily show up in the basic stat sheet.

He wasn’t as good in the playoffs this year outside of a few games, but seems to have been banged up. If he dominated then there was no chance he’d come back anyway.

You’ll prob see more of his offensive game on the Thunder, as his shot attempts were down with us compared to his LA/CLE/DEN years and Thibs tends to limit his centers.

This doesnt mean he was Wilt Chamberlain, but he was a big loss. Mitch can make up for 75% of him if he stays healthy, but he’s not as good overall and now our backup is a huge question mark. Let’s hope Leon has another trick up his sleeve.

[JayTWill]

The doom and gloom here by some is really ridiculous.....you'd think we lost a star player. Hartenstein was really solid for us but he was far from someone irreplacable. Also taken all 4 playoff series together that he played for us---they were relatively underwhelming if we are honest. Last season he averaged 3points/4rebounds in 20minutes through 11 playoff games and was invisible. This time he had some very good games but also a lot of bad ones in the playoffs and ended up getting 9points/8rebounds in 30minutes. Good, solid but definitely not some irreplacable force. There are at least like 10-15 backup Centers that provide things that he does but haven't gotten the playing time to showcase it.

Again, we have two protected FRPs remaining, we can pick swap as well. If the FO can create two salaries that aggregate around 10mill.-15mill. we will be able to correct this deficit during the season 100%. The worst case scenario is we go into the playoffs with a slightly worse backup Center than Hartenstein. That's the absolute worst case....like a Jonas Valanciunas type backup. Anyone thinking we'll go into the playoffs with Mitch and Sims has not followed this FO the past 2-3 years.

you would think a team needs Kareem or Wilt to make the finals.
The Mavs just went with a rookie and Dan Gafford.
The dynastic Bulls had Wennington, Cartwright and Longley
folx gotta relax, we have everything covered and are better than last year.

I’ve said it before, but Isaiah had elite advanced stats. Even going back to his Cavs and Clippers days (where he had even better numbers).

- Top 15 in overall EPM (2nd in Defensive EPM).
- Top 10 rim protector.
- Top 5 pick and roll defender.
- #1 offensive 2 man pick and roll efficiency (with Jalen).
- Top 1-3 in all the other big advanced stats on our team (PER, TS%, BPM, WS/48, VORP).
- One of the only players to average over 1 stl and 1 blk a game.
- Hustled the most out of any of our players (ran the most distance in the season).

Some people just look at his 8/8/3/1/1 (in only 25 mpg tbf) and think he wasnt that great, but he was. He did a whole lot of stuff that didn’t necessarily show up in the basic stat sheet.

You’ll prob see more of his offensive game on the Thunder, as his shot attempts were down with us compared to his LA/CLE/DEN years and Thibs tends to limit his centers.

This doesnt mean he was Wilt Chamberlain, but he was a big loss. Mitch can make up for 75% of him if he stays healthy, but he’s not as good and now our backup is a question mark. Let’s hope Leon has another trick up his sleeve.

I hadn't realized how much of his game was sacrificed to fit in here until recently. I was surprised how involved he was on his previous teams as a bench player. He had spoken about adjusting to being a more traditional center in his first season here. I was looking at his numbers from the Clippers his involvement had declined in many areas except for rebounding.

His usage dropped from 18% to 11-12%. He had assisted on 20% of the field goals made while he was on the floor and it dropped down to 8% here. It moved back up to 13% last season but we were decimated by injuries. His shots dropped from 15 per 100 possessions to 10. With the return of Randle and Mitch and the addition of Mikal his role would have become more limited. I'm curious how he will be used in OKC.

[thebuzzardman]

The doom and gloom here by some is really ridiculous.....you'd think we lost a star player. Hartenstein was really solid for us but he was far from someone irreplacable. Also taken all 4 playoff series together that he played for us---they were relatively underwhelming if we are honest. Last season he averaged 3points/4rebounds in 20minutes through 11 playoff games and was invisible. This time he had some very good games but also a lot of bad ones in the playoffs and ended up getting 9points/8rebounds in 30minutes. Good, solid but definitely not some irreplacable force. There are at least like 10-15 backup Centers that provide things that he does but haven't gotten the playing time to showcase it.

Again, we have two protected FRPs remaining, we can pick swap as well. If the FO can create two salaries that aggregate around 10mill.-15mill. we will be able to correct this deficit during the season 100%. The worst case scenario is we go into the playoffs with a slightly worse backup Center than Hartenstein. That's the absolute worst case....like a Jonas Valanciunas type backup. Anyone thinking we'll go into the playoffs with Mitch and Sims has not followed this FO the past 2-3 years.

you would think a team needs Kareem or Wilt to make the finals.
The Mavs just went with a rookie and Dan Gafford.
The dynastic Bulls had Wennington, Cartwright and Longley
folx gotta relax, we have everything covered and are better than last year.

I’ve said it before, but Isaiah had elite advanced stats. Even going back to his Cavs and Clippers days (where he had even better numbers).

- Top 15 in overall EPM (2nd in Defensive EPM).
- Top 10 rim protector.
- Top 5 pick and roll defender.
- #1 offensive 2 man pick and roll efficiency (with Jalen).
- Top 1-3 in all the other big advanced stats on our team (PER, TS%, BPM, WS/48, VORP).
- One of the only players to average over 1 stl and 1 blk a game.
- Elite passing center with an elite floater. Rare qualities.
- Shot over 70% from the stripe so he wasnt a liability there, and he still has stretch 5 potential.
- Hustled the most out of any of our players (ran the most distance in the season).

Some people just look at his 8/8/3/1/1 (in only 25 mpg tbf) and think he wasnt that great, but he was. He did a whole lot of stuff that didn’t necessarily show up in the basic stat sheet.

He wasn’t as good in the playoffs this year outside of a few games, but seems to have been banged up. If he dominated then there was no chance he’d come back anyway.

You’ll prob see more of his offensive game on the Thunder, as his shot attempts were down with us compared to his LA/CLE/DEN years and Thibs tends to limit his centers.

This doesnt mean he was Wilt Chamberlain, but he was a big loss. Mitch can make up for 75% of him if he stays healthy, but he’s not as good overall and now our backup is a huge question mark. Let’s hope Leon has another trick up his sleeve.

Dude was elite at having an injured achilles every other week

[Guano]

first time watching him. why tf didnt you guys mention that we drafted a center that has an offensive game???? and he's 7'0!!
ariel hukporti folks!!!!

ARIEL HUKPORTI!!!

Watch on YouTube

ofc melo likes him - he has an affinity to terrible bigs
check out the shot @ 20 seconds

Watch on YouTube

Bam - Draymond hybrid clone.

sensible expectations

[stuporman]

Don't be silly, there's only one number in Thib's Rolodex in case of emergency...

[TrueWarrior]

I’ve said it before, but Isaiah had elite advanced stats. Even going back to his Cavs and Clippers days (where he had even better numbers).

- Top 15 in overall EPM (2nd in Defensive EPM).
- Top 10 rim protector.
- Top 5 pick and roll defender.
- #1 offensive 2 man pick and roll efficiency (with Jalen).
- Top 1-3 in all the other big advanced stats on our team (PER, TS%, BPM, WS/48, VORP).
- One of the only players to average over 1 stl and 1 blk a game.
- Hustled the most out of any of our players (ran the most distance in the season).

Some people just look at his 8/8/3/1/1 (in only 25 mpg tbf) and think he wasnt that great, but he was. He did a whole lot of stuff that didn’t necessarily show up in the basic stat sheet.

You’ll prob see more of his offensive game on the Thunder, as his shot attempts were down with us compared to his LA/CLE/DEN years and Thibs tends to limit his centers.

This doesnt mean he was Wilt Chamberlain, but he was a big loss. Mitch can make up for 75% of him if he stays healthy, but he’s not as good and now our backup is a question mark. Let’s hope Leon has another trick up his sleeve.

I hadn't realized how much of his game was sacrificed to fit in here until recently. I was surprised how involved he was on his previous teams as a bench player. He had spoken about adjusting to being a more traditional center in his first season here. I was looking at his numbers from the Clippers his involvement had declined in many areas except for rebounding.

His usage dropped from 18% to 11-12%. He had assisted on 20% of the field goals made while he was on the floor and it dropped down to 8% here. It moved back up to 13% last season but we were decimated by injuries. His shots dropped from 15 per 100 possessions to 10. With the return of Randle and Mitch and the addition of Mikal his role would have become more limited. I'm curious how he will be used in OKC.

Exactly. The notion that Isaiah was just a flash in the pan or that Thibs made him is ludicrous. His scoring and assist rate actually dropped a good amount here because Thibs didnt utilize him at all outside of the way he used Mitch/Noel/Taj/Sims until half our team got hurt, yet he still put up great advanced stats across the board.

The Cavs had Mobley/Allen and the Clippers stupidly chose John Wall over him because they had Zubac. Isaiah just fell through the cracks into our laps.

The Thunder have Shai, JWilliams, and Chet so I wonder how much more involved Isaiah will be there, but I guarantee he will take more jumpers and have more freedom than here. They didn’t pay him 30 mill to be a rim runner.

[TrueWarrior]

Dude was elite at having an injured achilles every other week

Valid concern about his Achilles. When he was hampered by it he only seemed to be half as effective. Yet it says something that he still put up great stats with it bothering him doesn’t it?

Isaiah got through the season without seriously injuring it and now has a whole offseason to heal it more. If it’s a serious chronic thing that never goes away then Im happy we dont have to deal with that, but he’ll probably be okay. Chet can keep his minutes in check if needed.

Also, Mitch is now our starter again who misses every other season, so we cant talk lol.

[Jalen Bluntson]

Dude was elite at having an injured achilles every other week

Valid concern about his Achilles. When he was hampered by it he only seemed to be half as effective. Yet it says something that he still put up great stats with it bothering him doesn’t it?

Isaiah got through the season without seriously injuring it and now has a whole offseason to heal it more. If it’s a serious chronic thing that never goes away then Im happy we dont have to deal with that, but he’ll probably be okay. Chet can keep his minutes in check if needed.

Also, Mitch is now our starter again who misses every other season, so we cant talk lol.

Shart can be good and replaceable at the same time.

[K_ick_God]

Mitch promising something brand new sounds like Infrastructure Week.

[NYKinMIA]

Hukporti needs his own thread. I was watching those highlights today and he can be a big contributor especially with all the attention the other 4 guys will have on them. His footwork is great, he moves easily even coming off his achilles injury and has shooting touch. Then you watch his interviews and he's just very mature, high IQ...I really want to see him play here.

That's very encouraging to hear... I need to research him.

Update...

Oh Damn he can really ball well ...he has post moves and a floater.

Watch on YouTube

and he's 7ft, thought he was smaller..

he appears to be more skilled than Sims on offense already.