Official NBA General Discussion 2025-26 V1.0

[MoneyBall]

It's kind of remarkable that the series might very well have been decided by the Knicks' Game 1 choke.

[TimeForChange]

Brunson is what FVV was like here post-Kyle Lowry.

Can’t win in the playoffs with a player like that.

[Pointgod]

Brunson is what FVV was like here post-Kyle Lowry.

Can’t win in the playoffs with a player like that.

Brother what are you talking about? Brunson was 29 and 7 in the playoffs and averaged 30 and 6 against the Pacers. It was obvious that he had carried too much of an offensive load, Thibs ran this man into the ground.

It’s an insult to compare him to Fred Van Vleet.

[WaltFrazier]

We need a voting thread on who we would rather see win.

OKC with 2 Canadians
Pacers with 2 and Pascal

Canadian team is in such great shape. We have the best player in the world. We’ve never been able to say that.

Last summer Olympics were disappointing compared to the FIBA bronze the year before. When I saw Murray play well these playoffs I thought why couldn't he have played like that last summer. But now Mathurin will hopefully play next big tournament, Nembhard will be better, maybe Sharpe will fit in. So guard depth is awesome. Probably too late for Wiggins. And the big thing, Edey will be a seasoned pro. Although Olynyk is likely done, and Dwight Powell is limited, so 4s and 5s are still lacking.

[WaltFrazier]

It's kind of remarkable that the series might very well have been decided by the Knicks' Game 1 choke.

Yep if they hung on to win that it's a very different series. And look how Nesmith didn't shoot remotely that well again in the series after going crazy in game 1.

At the end of the season only 1 playoff team is happy, the rest question what went wrong. Think of Boston, Cleveland who had the best RS records. The Knicks reached the ECF, first time in 25 years, but defeat is still bitter. We'll see what Indy's narrative is if they lose in 4 or 5, then face what to do with Turner's contract.

When Minnesota lost to OKC I read a lot of comments about Edwards made the WCF two years straight and lost, will he ever get over the hump, etc. But what if they maximized their potential this playoffs but OKC is just simply too good for them as I suspect. I don't think of them as a failure.

[WaltFrazier]

Play KAT at the 4 and start a defensive 5( not Mitch Robinson) like they did in Minnesota. They also need a SG like an Andrew Nehmard that can relieve pressure from Brunson. Most of all they need better than 15 points in a deciding game from their 24 million dollar man

Is there a better defensive C than Robinson?

But a slightly less great defender who has more offense than Robinson, I agree would help.

If you go by defensive ratings, there are a few better C’s than Robinson. Last year the Wolves had the best defensive rating in the league with Towns at PF. A lot of it is the Gobert and Jalen McDaniels but the team dropped to 6th with Randle replacing Towns which shows that Towns isn’t the only problem.

The Knicks needed more from Bridges, Hart and their bench.

I'm more of an eye test guy but I'll just say you can only judge Robinson from these playoffs, where he was much better than in the season. He was working his way back very slowly from ankle surgery until the playoffs hit. Not saying he's the best C on D but he's up there. I wasn't watching them closely before the OG trade but I understand in early 23-24 he was playing DPOY level, starting ahead of Hartenstein, before another serious ankle injury.

Not saying he's the total package at C because he doesn't have much scoring ability. But his rim protection is elite in the right system.

[WaltFrazier]

nyk were in a pretty good position last offseason, took one offseason to spend their wad and now are all dried out.

And they spent it on Kat and Bridges. Really poor use of assets from the Knicks.

In hindsight I agree. When I started following them after the OG trade the big thing was they still had assets and were waiting for the right big move. Then last year's deadline they traded Grimes for Burks and Bogdanovic and that was not a needle mover. I wish Randle was healthy in last year's playoffs so they really could have seen how good that team was, before making the Bridges and KAT moves. Maybe just make one of those trades not both, but the loss of Hartenstein was also huge. They needed a C to start the season because Robinson was out.

Now they can only tweak the roster around the edges, unless they trade a starter. Like Kat for Giannis. Otherwise, sometimes a new coach can come in and refresh a team by changing the offense and utilizing the bench more. Like Atkinson this year. I don't know if they'd actually remove Thibs, it would be a huge step, but I'd like to see it.

[ATLTimekeeper]

KAT's knees were a known thing before the trade. He's a great fit for them, but they need another guard to run offense. RJ and IQ would have demolished the Pacers. You need guys that can handle the ball and score. Like, look at how inept TJ McConnell looked out there.

[Psubs]

nyk were in a pretty good position last offseason, took one offseason to spend their wad and now are all dried out.

And they spent it on Kat and Bridges. Really poor use of assets from the Knicks.

In hindsight I agree. When I started following them after the OG trade the big thing was they still had assets and were waiting for the right big move. Then last year's deadline they traded Grimes for Burks and Bogdanovic and that was not a needle mover. I wish Randle was healthy in last year's playoffs so they really could have seen how good that team was, before making the Bridges and KAT moves. Maybe just make one of those trades not both, but the loss of Hartenstein was also huge. They needed a C to start the season because Robinson was out.

Now they can only tweak the roster around the edges, unless they trade a starter. Like Kat for Giannis. Otherwise, sometimes a new coach can come in and refresh a team by changing the offense and utilizing the bench more. Like Atkinson this year. I don't know if they'd actually remove Thibs, it would be a huge step, but I'd like to see it.

Trading away Grimes was a huge blunder!!!

[MiamiSPX]

It's kind of remarkable that the series might very well have been decided by the Knicks' Game 1 choke.

That game will now live in infamy. It wasn't just one guy making one gaffe. It was a series of (comedic) events, by their top guys, that contributed to that epic collapse. Even if a team tried to intentionally replicate that, I'm not sure they could. Comeuppance for Knicks' media and fans, I would say.

Now they get to pay Bridges and OG a combined 80M next season, yikes.

[Psubs]

Really, just can't help at all an stay with shooters. I think that SGA, Cason, Dort, Caruso and JWill can stick to shooters.

[TimeForChange]

One guy being a good positive teammate after a loss and one guy who ran to the media 2 hours after the game ended

[ATLTimekeeper]

It's kind of remarkable that the series might very well have been decided by the Knicks' Game 1 choke.

That game will now live in infamy. It wasn't just one guy making one gaffe. It was a series of (comedic) events, by their top guys, that contributed to that epic collapse. Even if a team tried to intentionally replicate that, I'm not sure they could. Comeuppance for Knicks' media and fans, I would say.

Now they get to pay Bridges and OG a combined 80M next season, yikes.

Bridges, OG and Hart on the same team is overkill. It's like if someone built a team just listening to guys that podcasters really liked. The Celtics had this mistake with White and Smart. You don't need two guys making money doing the same stuff.

[TimeForChange]

Brunson is what FVV was like here post-Kyle Lowry.

Can’t win in the playoffs with a player like that.

Brother what are you talking about? Brunson was 29 and 7 in the playoffs and averaged 30 and 6 against the Pacers. It was obvious that he had carried too much of an offensive load, Thibs ran this man into the ground.

It’s an insult to compare him to Fred Van Vleet.

his style of play isn't conducive to winning in the playoffs.

can;t hold onto the ball for 17 seconds every shot clock. got to learn to move the ball better.

he could have averaged 35 and they still would have lost. he should not be their 1A if they want to win.

[Agimat]

Just checked out the Kings subreddit and man I feel for the fans.

[ash_k]

Just checked out the Kings subreddit and man I feel for the fans.

They were in a very good place with Sabonis&Fox, much better than the Pacers as the 3rd seed in the west , they had the momentum as the next great up-and-comer team taking it to 7 games against Golden State. Success is never guaranteed.

Safe to say, They must be regretting not wanting to include Keegan Murray , at the time, I really thought Pascal running with Fox as a trio with Sabonis would be very dangerous.

[Brinbe]

that post-mortum athletic article on the knicks s a pretty funny read considering they had it ready to go right almost right away after that loss but they've probably been sitting on it for a while now.

this off-season is def a sort of last exit pivot opportunity for the knicks before they possibly hard commit to that core with bridges/mitchrob's contracts coming up shortly and deciding whether to extend or not.

first and foremost, they gotta decide if brunson/kat is actually workable as a duo (the article did a great job of pointing out that they didn't even gel all that well together offensively) and if it isn't, who are you choosing then? I'd asume it'd be brunson considering that's his team. and then what does that mean for kat in terms of possible trade destinations and what sort of return are you looking for? are you following the pacers or okc model in how they've built around hali/sga respectively? what's the plan to actually shore up the defense, which was the major problem. i don't think running it back is a smart move in that respect. also think they were better off not making that randle/ddv trade plus the bridges move didn't pay off at all.

it feels like Brunson and OG are the only certanties right now and everyone else can go. even hart's long-term role needs to be questioned and if his lack of shooting is ultimately a hindrance.

that leap from good-great to real legit championship contender is a hard one to make and not every team gets there.

[Brinbe]

Just checked out the Kings subreddit and man I feel for the fans.

they had hali right there and chose wrong with sabonis. and then chose keegan murray over siakam who would've been a difference maker for them.

i'd be depressed too.

Read on Twitter

[ATLTimekeeper]

Just checked out the Kings subreddit and man I feel for the fans.

they had hali right there and chose wrong with sabonis. and then chose keegan murray over siakam who would've been a difference maker for them.

i'd be depressed too.

It could have been worse, Morey turned down Haliburton for Simmons.

[Brinbe]

Just checked out the Kings subreddit and man I feel for the fans.

they had hali right there and chose wrong with sabonis. and then chose keegan murray over siakam who would've been a difference maker for them.

i'd be depressed too.

It could have been worse, Morey turned down Haliburton for Simmons.

damn, totally missed that... a real morey L there. chose harden instead lol. hali and joel would've been a great duo together.