LFGK wrote:just so i get this clear
-Brunson isn't a 1
-Randle is a black hole
-OG will play 40 games
-Bridges doesnt move the needle
-Thibs sucks
-Knicks have no future assets
Well looks like most of the haters on here are wrong, Vegas sure likes their odds since they are now tied w/ Denver as the second best odds to win it all next year.
I don't think ppl understand what a nightmare matchup the Knicks will be, the celtics top end talent is better? really?
I have been very critical of the trade but let me try to give a very fair and balanced response here:
- Brunson is awesome, but not on the level of Doncic/Giannis/Jokic ect - on this front neither is Tatum but Tatum has the luxury of playing with another top 15 guy in Jaylen Brown. Brunson does not.
- Randle has struggled in both playoffs he's been in and is coming off an injury - you need him to play like an all-star level in the playoffs if your going to have a deep run. The biggest issue here is (a) you don't have a path to upgrade from him as your #2 and (b) he has all the leverage to get a monster contract next summer.
- OG is injury prone - but when he plays as he's as good a 3 and D guy as there is in the league. I don't think there is much debate here. Hopefully he is available in the playoffs this year (reminder, his injury is a big reason why the Knicks lost in the 2nd rd this year)
- Bridges is also awesome as a 3 and D guy. And if Randle is playing like a #2 he will excel as a 3A/3B partnership with OG. I think we all acknowledge that at their best, the Bridges/OG pairing as 3 and D wings, shooters, and tertiary ballhandlers/creators is awesome. I think he moves the needle in the sense that he elevates the Knicks above the Cavs, Pacers and other teams in that 2nd tier of the East. I don't think he moves the needle putting the Knicks in the same category as the Celtics (i'm not really sure what to think of the Bucks, I hated their draft last night), and if he ends up being the 2nd best player on the team that limits your upside. But if Bridges costs Hartenstein (plus additional depth of Precious and another vet ballhandler who can eat regular season minutes like Burks), it offsets how much he moves the needle. Let's reserve judgement here until we see how this roster is rounded out
- Thibs is an excellent coach - this roster will overachieve in the regular season and win a lot of games. This roster fits his style perfectly
- The Knicks don't have any future assets unless they get lucky with that Detroit (or Washington) pick. On the flip side, they do have moveable contracts, although with the restrictions in the new CBA they are not stackable as the Knicks will be a 2nd apron team for the foreseeable future. But they can end up flipping Mitch, Duce or even Hart or DDV for better fitting pieces provided they make the same or less money and the other team will take whatever scraps the Knicks can offer in a trade.
Long story short - the Knicks are going to have an awesome team next year at a time where the league is more wide open than it ever has been. Boston is far from a juggernaut like the HEATles or Warriors and all the other teams in the conference have serious questions going forward. So on that front, I understand why they said F-it and just went all in. Maybe the breaks fall in their favor and they get to the finals and win the championship. I hope I'm the first one on this board eating crow and saying I was wrong. Get Boston in a close game and give Brunson the ball and I like my chances. Having said all that, I do have concerns with this roster in terms of having an additional ball handler and front court depth. Both needed to be upgraded and where things stand, they are going to be downgraded losing Hartenstein and Burks.
On the other hand, this is it. There isn't really an off ramp here. And this only works (a) for as long as Brunson remains a top-7 player and (b) if Randle regains his all-star form and can show up in the playoffs. And being in the 2nd apron under the new CBA with limited draft picks and rookie scale players it's going to be hard to upgrade in the margins. The downside isn't a disaster like the Piece/Garnett trade, but there is the downside of being a play-in team/fringe play-in team in a few years with a bloated payroll and no draft assets - similar to the end of the Melo years.
I understand why the Knicks took the risk. I would not have taken the risk at the cost of all my future draft flexibility (which limits trade ability). But if you would have swapped out the Knicks 2029 and 2031 picks for a 2024 1st and the future Detroit first I would have rolled the dice.
I hope this shows that I'm a reasonable Knicks fan that just has a difference of opinion than most of you, not a troll. I'm going to have fun watching the Knicks this season and the playoffs are going to be fun, I hope they win the championship. But I don't think the Knicks did a great job this offseason - I think they significantly overpaid for a non championship level team and crushed all future flexibility in the process.
