Shams: Knicks, Guerschon Yabusele agree to deal

[KnicksIn5]

[JayTWill]

:roll:

I’m guessing that the team is going all out on offense. I doubt that Mitch starts, and I think they’ll go 5 out. McBride at point of attack and OG + Mikal helping and recovering.

They’ll try to be best on offense, and middle of the road defensively.

Yeah, I would like to try Deuce in the starting lineup to provide point of attack defense, a little bit of ball handling and better spacing.

My biggest concern is that last year they had the ability to have a middle of the road defense partially because the defense was much better when Brunson and KAT weren't on the floor together. I'm not sure if they have enough offense to negate 48 minutes of poor defense at 2 positions if 2 of Brunson, Clarkson, KAT and Yabusele are on the court most of the time if Yabu is also a poor defender.

I'm just hoping Yabusele has some strengths defensively that I don't know about.

I think we are too Thibs minded. As long as the new coach isn’t as rigid in how he works the rotation it shouldn’t matter who starts and who doesn’t. Thibs was pretty keen on having a starting unit and a bench unit and leaving the starting unit as is was one of his main downfalls IMO.

The roster they put together seems very interchange. I don’t see Deuce starting because it will be tough to get Mitch, Yabu, Hart the requisite minutes at the 3,4,5 if they all coming off the bench.
If they lean into 5 out principles, I could totally see Yabu starting at the 4 with JC, Deuce, Hart and Mitch off the bench.

Yeah, I don't really care who starts. I prefer the OKC model where you adjust the starters depending on the matchup. I prefer Deuce over the 2 big lineup in most situations but i'm more concerned with the overall fit.

The little bit of feedback I have gotten from Sixers fans Yabusele seems to have some similarities to KAT. Offensively he is at his best as a stretch 5 but he provides absolutely no rim protection. At the 4 is less of a liability but still not a good perimeter defender while his offensive impact is diminished. I feel like they may need to finally play some zone defense if they are going to make some of these poor defenders fit together.

[TheGreenArrow]

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[thebuzzardman]

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Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent awareness and footwork. No wasted movement. I'm gonna like this one

Watch him set screens.

You may encounter priapism.

[Galvationknicks]

[nykfan42]

Don't know much about him but saw some highlights. I like what I saw but feel even better about it bc it seems unanimous that this was a good signing from what everyone's been saying.

[WaltFrazier]

Good pickup. He is a lot more versatile than Achiuwa so he will be able to help space the floor and also still provide some size inside

Does this mean Precious is gone?

[Jalen Bluntson]

Good pickup. He is a lot more versatile than Achiuwa so he will be able to help space the floor and also still provide some size inside

Does this mean Precious is gone?

Yes. This and his 11.4mil cap hold.

We have two spots we need to fill at some point. We have 3.53mil left. That's been assumed to go to McC and either the kid we drafted or the Nnaji guy we got in the KAT trade. I think it will be Diawara because of the French Connection.

The only way to clear more cap is to adjust the Yabusele deal to slightly less than the full TPMLE so, you never know what they do with the last two moves but, one is most likely a rookie minimum.

[WaltFrazier]

Good pickup. He is a lot more versatile than Achiuwa so he will be able to help space the floor and also still provide some size inside

Does this mean Precious is gone?

Yes. This and his 11.4mil cap hold.

We have two spots we need to fill at some point. We have 3.53mil left. That's been assumed to go to McC and either the kid we drafted or the Nnaji guy we got in the KAT trade. I think it will be Diawara because of the French Connection.

The only way to clear more cap is to adjust the Yabusele deal to slightly less than the full TPMLE so, you never know what they do with the last two moves but, one is most likely a rookie minimum.

Aw I like the Yabusele signing but will miss Precious. And Wright if he goes. I like having former Raps on the team. I guess we aren't getting Boucher either.

[Jalen Bluntson]

Does this mean Precious is gone?

Yes. This and his 11.4mil cap hold.

We have two spots we need to fill at some point. We have 3.53mil left. That's been assumed to go to McC and either the kid we drafted or the Nnaji guy we got in the KAT trade. I think it will be Diawara because of the French Connection.

The only way to clear more cap is to adjust the Yabusele deal to slightly less than the full TPMLE so, you never know what they do with the last two moves but, one is most likely a rookie minimum.

Aw I like the Yabusele signing but will miss Precious. And Wright if he goes. I like having former Raps on the team. I guess we aren't getting Boucher either.

Precious/Wright definitely gone. Boucher not coming. Sorry bro. You still got OG!

[El Poochio]

My guy Yabu!

[CyKnickal]

Surprised we were able to sign players even though we don't have a coach. Makes me wonder if Clarkson and Yabusele already know who the coach will be.

Why the surprise?

Great signing....but it would all be for moot if Thibs was still at the helm. The ribbon on all of this is the fact that he's not...10 deep, solid team, what would be the point with a guy who plays 7 at the helm?

Does the immediate firing make sense to some of you guys now? We had this debate..."oh my God, Knicks have no plan, fired a coach and don't even know who's going to replace him", and a lot of us went....duhhhh...that's how it SHOULD be.

You use your analytics department, scouts, development staff, to assemble a team that fits, has chemistry and fulfills a vision of the style of basketball you want them to play. Thibs had this chance...people don't realize, he was under a microscope the whole year, and he continued to do what he does, and didn't bend. That's why he's gone...his own doing. I believe he did the lineup changes in the playoffs out of pressure from above...it worked...and that was it for him...the biggest I told you so.

So now you do some interviews and ask.....what are you going to do with this??? Instead of hiring a coach and trying to assemble a roster that fits HIS NEEDS....why? Why do that for somebody in the organization who is most likely to be fired, gone if things don't pan out. Now you're stuck with highly paid players that were shoehorned for his needs that won't work for the next guy.

Make the roster you envision working first...then hire the coach that shows you he can make it happen if the current one doesn't get it.

Brilliant. This front office is a breath of fresh air....they're doing things in unconventional ways and it scares the old guard. I remember when they signed somebody for 1 dollar less to get away with something....that told me how they think, work...it even pissed off Silver, how they circumvented his fine print and found a loophole to get what they want. Wall Street ****. We gotta sign some 1 year nobody to be under the second apron after THESE signings because 2 year players put us over it? They already announced the guy...Najji....shows that they made a move to be under the second apron before we even heard about this.....they were a step ahead. It's why everybody thinks we will be over it....they aren't paying attention to the little signings, details, that our front office is doing....only report about the big ones and the coaching drama, because to them that's all that sells, matters. NBA media isn't to provide us with information, it's for drama...it's why because they had nothing, Leon gives them nothing, they pulled out the old tried and true Dolan is doing this sthick. **** all that noise.

We aren't just competent as a team, but as an organization. Feels so good after the circus we've been watching for over 2 decades....we are in good hands.

I'm a Bryant guy, but I can now see why Brown is at the front for the job. He can work with this squad...the Kings team he had , second seed in the west I believe, ran like a machine...too bad they were young and that dumb organization didn't let them grow. I'm on board.

Gaershon Yabusele folks!!!!!! Yabusele!!!!!!!!

I know I bite but I love his posts...always make me smile. Good times.

[Context]

My guy Yabu!

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[HopelessKnick]

I understand the excitement about adding another talented player but can someone please tell me about his defense? The last time I watched the Knicks their 2 best players were being hunted mercilessly on defense and we didn't have a solution for it. I know if Clarkson comes in when Brunson is out good teams will target him also.

Just looking at the numbers I see Yabusele played a ton of minutes at the 5 this year with Embiid out. He averaged .3 blocks per game in 27 minutes with opponents shooting 72% against him at the rim on 5fga while he picked up fouls at a slightly lower rate than KAT. Is he good defensively on the perimeter or is he another guy that will get attacked on defense or does nobody care about his defense?

I’m guessing that the team is going all out on offense. I doubt that Mitch starts, and I think they’ll go 5 out. McBride at point of attack and OG + Mikal helping and recovering.

They’ll try to be best on offense, and middle of the road defensively.

I agree with this. This is just me speculating but I believe everyone in the FO has been surprised by the lack of chemistry between Brunson and KAT. They are bringing in an "offensive" coach like Brown to maximize the offensive potential and see what it can do. There is probably no easy path to fix the roster trade wise so may as well double down on offense and see what it does. With KAT/Brunson here there is no way to be top tier defensively anyways. I still believe there may be a Mitch trade looming in the background somewhere where they would pick up a 3-D wing or shooting big man.

[thebuzzardman]

I understand the excitement about adding another talented player but can someone please tell me about his defense? The last time I watched the Knicks their 2 best players were being hunted mercilessly on defense and we didn't have a solution for it. I know if Clarkson comes in when Brunson is out good teams will target him also.

Just looking at the numbers I see Yabusele played a ton of minutes at the 5 this year with Embiid out. He averaged .3 blocks per game in 27 minutes with opponents shooting 72% against him at the rim on 5fga while he picked up fouls at a slightly lower rate than KAT. Is he good defensively on the perimeter or is he another guy that will get attacked on defense or does nobody care about his defense?

I’m guessing that the team is going all out on offense. I doubt that Mitch starts, and I think they’ll go 5 out. McBride at point of attack and OG + Mikal helping and recovering.

They’ll try to be best on offense, and middle of the road defensively.

I agree with this. This is just me speculating but I believe everyone in the FO has been surprised by the lack of chemistry between Brunson and KAT. They are bringing in an "offensive" coach like Brown to maximize the offensive potential and see what it can do. There is probably no easy path to fix the roster trade wise so may as well double down on offense and see what it does. With KAT/Brunson here there is no way to be top tier defensively anyways. I still believe there may be a Mitch trade looming in the background somewhere where they would pick up a 3-D wing or shooting big man.

Yabu is the shooting big

[El Poochio]

My guy Yabu!

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[HopelessKnick]

I’m guessing that the team is going all out on offense. I doubt that Mitch starts, and I think they’ll go 5 out. McBride at point of attack and OG + Mikal helping and recovering.

They’ll try to be best on offense, and middle of the road defensively.

I agree with this. This is just me speculating but I believe everyone in the FO has been surprised by the lack of chemistry between Brunson and KAT. They are bringing in an "offensive" coach like Brown to maximize the offensive potential and see what it can do. There is probably no easy path to fix the roster trade wise so may as well double down on offense and see what it does. With KAT/Brunson here there is no way to be top tier defensively anyways. I still believe there may be a Mitch trade looming in the background somewhere where they would pick up a 3-D wing or shooting big man.

Yabu is the shooting big

Yeah could be seen that way but trading Mitch without getting a C back still feels risky IMO. Only if they feel Hukporti is physically able to fill out that 15-20minute backup role, otherwise we'd be entering the season with only 2 potential backups and zero rim protection.

[Butch718]

Another great value signing.

The NBA season is a grind, and players will miss time due to injuries or load management. So I’m not really worried about any of these signings eating into other player’s minutes. All the matters is the post season. Teams like Indiana and OKC both had quality benches that they could lean into, which is luxury that the Knicks didn’t have. Now they do. If Huk, Kolek or Dadiet can take a leap into the rotation, this team will be extremely dangerous. This also allows them to part ways to make a big deal, without losing too much depth if they happen make one.

[DaGawd]

i’m gonna miss precious but this is definitely an upgrade

[HopelessKnick]

Another great value signing.

The NBA season is a grind, and players will miss time due to injuries or load management. So I’m not really worried about any of these signings eating into other player’s minutes. All the matters is the post season. Teams like Indiana and OKC both had quality benches that they could lean into, which is luxury that the Knicks didn’t have. Now they do. If Huk, Kolek or Dadiet can take a leap into the rotation, this team will be extremely dangerous. This also allows them to part ways to make a big deal, without losing too much depth if they happen make one.

Minutes are really no big consideration IMO. KAT , Hart, Bridges and OG were playing way too many minutes anyways. We are like 9 man deep and there are going to be many games missed due to injury/load management. Hart should ideally play 25-28 minutes......Bridges, OG should play a combined 10-12 minutes less. KAT should be playing around 30minuntes if we want to keep him healthy. That's already 25minutes freed up or optimized in regards to loads. Then you have Mitch going to miss games. Yabu is easily going to be playing around 25minutes a game. JC is probably be closer to the 20minute mark but still a big role.