are the Knicks LEGIT contenders?!

[SkyBill40]

Lots of talent, but not sure they have that ONE guy. Theres only been one 2004 Pistons. I like Brunson but I would still contend hes a 2. Also like Bridges but... I would also contend hes a 2. We will see if they can make it all work without a true super star.

You give Bridges too much credit. He's not a 2. He's a 3.

I'd be inclined to agree, although he's a pretty nice stretch between the two positions. In this age of "position-less" basketball, attaching him to one over another doesn't really do his versatility much justice.

[omerome]

IF they stay healthy, and IF they get lucky like THIS year when Embiid, Giannis, and others are injured, they might give Celtics problems. Both are big IFs. This trade brings them to ECF contenders. But Pacers were in ECF.

Huh? The Pacers were literally in the ECF because of the injuries of the aforementioned teams.

Why bring them up in the conversation while downplaying the Knicks based on bad luck of injuries. They were injured themselves.

That's exactly it - Pacers made it to ECF this year so what does being ECF contender say about this trade? Not much.

With all of the injuries we've watched these teams suffered, one team had to get there. And the Pacers were the beneficiary.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Lol.

Can you imagine Giannis being hounded by OG with Mitchell Robinson in the paint to back him up?

Can you imagine OG and Mikal matching up with Tatum and Brown?

Just as easy to spin this the other way around.

As for Brunson vs Jrue/White, I’m sure he’ll be fine.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/O1XHUQEsyaw?si=HLrB-RtqBXGt3sYO[/youtube]

OG and Mitchell Robinson are going to bother Gianiss???

He won't be fine. Its very hard for a small guard to overcome that kind of defensive pressure.

No one has been able to stop Brunson when the pressure was at its highest. In fact, that's when he's taken his game to another level. I mean why has that small guard still been able to average over 30 points a game in the post season for the last two years - especially when you look at who he's had around him.

And yes, Giannis will be bothered by OG. Will OG stop him? No. Because no one can. But to say that Giannis will have no issues against NY is almost silly.

The Knicks are building a team. Not a superstar lineup. They have guys that fit together because they have played together and have great chemistry. Their strength is the sum of their parts. It's why their next man up mentality has allowed for them to win 50 games.

No one? He hasn't faced very good defensive teams.

The Pacers lol.

The Celtics are different.

No he wont be bothered by 6'7 OG. This is pure delusion. He would DESTROY OG.

You guys absolutely do not have anyone to give him issues. Not even close.

Nice teams do not win Championships. The Celtics had a top 5 player and another all star. Knicks don't have that.

[Grahf]

knicks were 20-3 with OG playing in the regular season....add Mikal on top of that I think they're more than capable of being a 60 win team.

I don't think they should go all out in the regular season though, 60 win shouldn't be the goal....it should be for Thibs not to overplay his players.

“The Knicks were 20-3 with OG” is officially the new “the Mavericks were actually the best team in basketball after the trade deadline”

I don’t get what you’re all losing your minds over, Bridges is 27 and has never even been an all-star or made an all NBA team, and yet some of you genuinely seem to think he’s worth 15 games in the standings.

I will say, I’m happy that Knicks fans will get to watch a very good team next year, I give them credit for being passionate and loyal to a franchise that has tortured them for so long, and they deserve to see a winner, but this thread is a stupid overreaction.

Boston has a small subset of “fans“ who get off on hating their own team. the OP is one of them, hard to take anything he writes seriously

addition of OG and Bridges for an entire season is definitely worth around +10 wins. Nobody is saying that Bridges alone will give +15 wins, that's a strawman argument.

The Mavs were a great team but they didn't have the elite defense that you need to win a championship....the Knicks will have that elite defense assuming they re-sign OG.

Certainly they could be worth +10 wins, but what're the chances OG is able to stay on the court for a full season? His games played totals the last five years: 69, 43, 48, 67, 50.

The East as a whole is probably going to be better next year as well. Miwaukee will bounce back, Indiana's rising quickly even though almost no one seems to notice how good they are, etc. Things are getting more interesting at the top.

This trade feels a lot like the Raptors trade for Kawhi, taking a big risk to win a championship in a very short window. Maybe it ends up just as well for New York as it did for Toronto, but it's hard to say, and will probably depend on the health of several different teams.

[Ben-N1ce]

Yes. 76ers did the same thing with Tobias Harris and it made them legit.

[Birth of the Cool]

Good Coaching. 10th best defense in the league. 11th best 3pt shooting in the league. Adding Bridges. If they keep OG I think they are a contender out of the East.

Also you always kind of worry about a team built around 6'2" Guard but Steph was able to do it, but Steph is a Unicorn. Brunson has shown he's capable but you wonder if he'll fall off or defenses will learn to reduce his efficiency.

[Jcity08]

OG and Mitchell Robinson are going to bother Gianiss???

He won't be fine. Its very hard for a small guard to overcome that kind of defensive pressure.

No one has been able to stop Brunson when the pressure was at its highest. In fact, that's when he's taken his game to another level. I mean why has that small guard still been able to average over 30 points a game in the post season for the last two years - especially when you look at who he's had around him.

And yes, Giannis will be bothered by OG. Will OG stop him? No. Because no one can. But to say that Giannis will have no issues against NY is almost silly.

The Knicks are building a team. Not a superstar lineup. They have guys that fit together because they have played together and have great chemistry. Their strength is the sum of their parts. It's why their next man up mentality has allowed for them to win 50 games.

No one? He hasn't faced very good defensive teams.

The Pacers lol.

The Celtics are different.

No he wont be bothered by 6'7 OG. This is pure delusion. He would DESTROY OG.

You guys absolutely do not have anyone to give him issues. Not even close.

Nice teams do not win Championships. The Celtics had a top 5 player and another all star. Knicks don't have that.

You mean this OG right?

Watch on YouTube

[omerome]

OG and Mitchell Robinson are going to bother Gianiss???

He won't be fine. Its very hard for a small guard to overcome that kind of defensive pressure.

No one has been able to stop Brunson when the pressure was at its highest. In fact, that's when he's taken his game to another level. I mean why has that small guard still been able to average over 30 points a game in the post season for the last two years - especially when you look at who he's had around him.

And yes, Giannis will be bothered by OG. Will OG stop him? No. Because no one can. But to say that Giannis will have no issues against NY is almost silly.

The Knicks are building a team. Not a superstar lineup. They have guys that fit together because they have played together and have great chemistry. Their strength is the sum of their parts. It's why their next man up mentality has allowed for them to win 50 games.

No one? He hasn't faced very good defensive teams.

The Pacers lol.

The Celtics are different.

No he wont be bothered by 6'7 OG. This is pure delusion. He would DESTROY OG.

You guys absolutely do not have anyone to give him issues. Not even close.

Nice teams do not win Championships. The Celtics had a top 5 player and another all star. Knicks don't have that.

Okay then, that's your opinion. I guess we'll see with MIL. Provided they can also stay healthy with their older roster.

Was the Heat when they went to the NBA finals not a good defensive team? He averaged over 30 against them.

And no, even Boston with their great defense hasn't been able to figure out Brunson in their matchups. They were simply able to overwhelm the Knicks simply because they had no one who was able to guard KP. And he destroyed them with his length and shooting ability.

But that "nice" team has arguably a top 5 or definitely a top 10 player based on all nba selections and a fellow all-star. That's a qualifier for a contender to me. Yes, Randle was an all-star last season. So they are not far off from anyone.

[Optms]

They're already better than Boston because Brunson is already better than anyone on the Celtics. Tatum is trash and only Brown has an argument.

Talent wise they match up fine.

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

Legit? No, they can max out at the ecf with a competitive series, but they need a legit 2nd star

They have option 1, they have even option 3-6, they NEED option 2 to win

I don't think Brunson and OG can stay healthy enough

They might actually need option 1, and already have option 2. Brunson had a breakout season but I am not sold on him being the best player / star on a championship winning team

[louc1970]

Still see size as an issue with NYK.
Assuming Brunson, OG, Bridges, Randle, Mitchell is the starting lineup. If they lose Hartenstein, NYK will certainly need to pick up size in the draft - other than an unrestricted Achiuwa, they have no size over 6'8".
if NYK could lucky enough to role players in Missi/Ware/Holmes they could at least have some players to grow as the guards/wings are all 27 or younger.
I do not think they are Boston ready.

[Thaddy]

The Knicks need a point forward instead of Randle chucking. The team has a good 7 man unit but they need a better coach.

??? Thibs was one of the best coaches among the HCA teams.

He needs to load manage in the season if he's playing guys >40 mins/game in the playoffs.

[louc1970]

Legit? No, they can max out at the ecf with a competitive series, but they need a legit 2nd star

They have option 1, they have even option 3-6, they NEED option 2 to win

I don't think Brunson and OG can stay healthy enough

They might actually need option 1, and already have option 2. Brunson had a breakout season but I am not sold on him being the best player / star on a championship winning team

I agree. Let's see Brunson duplicate with good players before anointing him.

[fallguy]

They're already better than Boston because Brunson is already better than anyone on the Celtics. Tatum is trash and only Brown has an argument.

Talent wise they match up fine.

LOL.

[hugepatsfan]

Lots of talent, but not sure they have that ONE guy. Theres only been one 2004 Pistons. I like Brunson but I would still contend hes a 2. Also like Bridges but... I would also contend hes a 2. We will see if they can make it all work without a true super star.

You give Bridges too much credit. He's not a 2. He's a 3.

I'd be inclined to agree, although he's a pretty nice stretch between the two positions. In this age of "position-less" basketball, attaching him to one over another doesn't really do his versatility much justice.

I don't think he means 2 as in SG and 3 as SF. He means 2 as in #2 option and 3 as in #3 option.

[omerome]

Still see size as an issue with NYK.
Assuming Brunson, OG, Bridges, Randle, Mitchell is the starting lineup. If they lose Hartenstein, NYK will certainly need to pick up size in the draft - other than an unrestricted Achiuwa, they have no size over 6'8".
if NYK could lucky enough to role players in Missi/Ware/Holmes they could at least have some players to grow as the guards/wings are all 27 or younger.
I do not think they are Boston ready.

Did Mitchell Robinson die?

Sure he shouldn't be expected to play big minutes, but he's still a very big defensive force when he's on the court.

[aj174]

Legit? No, they can max out at the ecf with a competitive series, but they need a legit 2nd star

They have option 1, they have even option 3-6, they NEED option 2 to win

I don't think Brunson and OG can stay healthy enough

They might actually need option 1, and already have option 2. Brunson had a breakout season but I am not sold on him being the best player / star on a championship winning team

That's true, he did well in these playoffs, it's another thing altogether to be a #1 guy on a championship team. This knicks team is still missing that big piece, but they're close

[SkyBill40]

You give Bridges too much credit. He's not a 2. He's a 3.

I'd be inclined to agree, although he's a pretty nice stretch between the two positions. In this age of "position-less" basketball, attaching him to one over another doesn't really do his versatility much justice.

I don't think he means 2 as in SG and 3 as SF. He means 2 as in #2 option and 3 as in #3 option.

Ahh. I suppose that could be the case. Seems like either works though. LOL

[KingofTheClay]

Yes. 76ers did the same thing with Tobias Harris and it made them legit.

Comparing DPOY-Caliber Bridges to bum Harris?

The green teamers have never watched a single non Celtics game in their lives. I highly doubt they watch their own team, they just Stan for Tatum.


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[iLLmatic860]

No one has been able to stop Brunson when the pressure was at its highest. In fact, that's when he's taken his game to another level. I mean why has that small guard still been able to average over 30 points a game in the post season for the last two years - especially when you look at who he's had around him.

And yes, Giannis will be bothered by OG. Will OG stop him? No. Because no one can. But to say that Giannis will have no issues against NY is almost silly.

The Knicks are building a team. Not a superstar lineup. They have guys that fit together because they have played together and have great chemistry. Their strength is the sum of their parts. It's why their next man up mentality has allowed for them to win 50 games.

No one? He hasn't faced very good defensive teams.

The Pacers lol.

The Celtics are different.

No he wont be bothered by 6'7 OG. This is pure delusion. He would DESTROY OG.

You guys absolutely do not have anyone to give him issues. Not even close.

Nice teams do not win Championships. The Celtics had a top 5 player and another all star. Knicks don't have that.

You mean this OG right?

Watch on YouTube

Lmaoo dudes just be talking out they ass on the gb. Say **** without doing simple search

Og is one of the few guys in the league that can contain Giannis