VFX wrote:pepe1991 wrote:VFX wrote:
East definitely got better at the top. Knicks were already knocking on the door but now they are contenders.
My point is that KAT has done absolutely nothing in the playoffs. Neither has Randle, but Wolves have Reid who looked like their second best player at times. KAT shows up during the season and disappears when it matters. He’s the big man version of Harden.
This is one of those “on paper” deals that people look at in theory that might not translate in practice. Like Lillard on Bucks last season. Only difference for New York is that they will have a healthy OG AND Bridges next season. That puts them over the top already.
New York lacks depth, especially inside. They are a Robinson injury away from being probably the worst interior defense. I get your point about Thibs though. Playing MR and KAT together gives them no depth at all. I thought DD was a pretty good piece for them.
Towns is career 19 ppg, 10 rpg, BPM positive 58% TS player in playoffs. Those are good numbers, nobody expects him to be 1# option, that's Brunson's job.
They stacked 3 great wing defenders.
As for depth, Celtics dominated in regular season and won playoffs with relative comfort while having 5 starters + 37 years old Horford and two playable players ( Hauser and Prichard).
Knicks will have 2 allstar players ( Brunson, Towns), 2 above average role ( OG, MIkal) players , 2 good role players ( Mitch Rob , Hart) , + Mcbride and hope that Shemet, Achiuwa, Sims, Payne can give them some 12-16 mpg without sucking life out.
btw i belive Knicks still have one more trick in their sleeves. They have top 10 Wizards 2025 pick, if it does not convert, it becomes top 8 protected in 2026. I highly dobut anybody is under any illusions that is asset has high chance of converting, but to some team that is going nowhere, mid season , it's gamble worth taking ( by sending exp. contract to Knicks and giving them some playoffs playable PF/C ).
To me Wolves part of a trade is waaaaay more questionable to me. Randle and Gobert on team that already struggles to produce high efficiency offense, by trading most effective offensive player they had
Easy really for the Wolves.
Avoid second apron, maximize Ant taking majority of possessions now, give Reid more minutes to split with Randle. They weighed how important KAT was to what they were doing and cut bait. Which is why I don’t view KAT as an amazing player in total. X factor in decision was Reid. He’s really a starter anyway.
Nobody doubts the Knicks starting lineup didn’t get better. I just think their depth is already thin. Like you said though, Thibs runs starters into the ground anyway so maybe it won’t matter. I can make a deal with you though, they will have at least one starter injured in the playoffs by the time they roll around because of this. Guaranteed.
Orlando, Boston, and New York games should be interesting.
Did they maxemized offense? Lack of offense eliminated them last year from playoffs.
They changed one of best outside shooting bigs with ballhog who shoots 33% for 3 for career but takes 27% usage AND is pretty much usless off ball? Career 55,7% TS.
And they mix him with 7 foot Gobert who can't score pass 1 feet.
On that they add McDaniels who is very limited on offense himself ( career 9,8 ppg, 56% TS).
Edwards himself is hardly "average" in terms of efficiency but has sky high usage.
Conley is 37 years old, 6'0 guard.
As far as Reid goes, he is only useful in playoffs if his questionable 3s go in. He scored 38 points over 2 first games of WCF on 10-15 for 3, for rest of a series ( 3 games) he scored cumulative 23 points on 1-10 for 3. He did not rebound ball at all ( 3,8 rpg) , he hardly ever passed ball to anybody ( 1,2 assists ).
Against Nuggets, in series they won, in one game by 46 points, he still had +/- negative ( -22) for a series.
Wolves were 16# ranked offense and 1# defense. Now they got massive downgrade on offense at PF/C and are banking hard on notion that DiVincenzo can continue to play like he is Klay Thompson. Almost nobody else on that roster can sniff near above average efficiency.
You mentioned lack of depth of Knicks: This is Wolves depth:
PG: 37 years old Conley- backup Rob Dillingham ( a rookie)
SG: Edwards/ Divincenzo
SF: McDaniels / NAW
PF: Randle / Leonard Miller ( played 17 nba games in his life)
C: Gobert / Reid
Like Knicks, Celtics, they have 8 men capable of playing, if everybody is healthy and hope that Conley won't fall apart due age, size, mileage.
I don't know, i guess i value Towns way more than you do. We will see.
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. -John Lennon
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