Nets forward Jeff Green will miss Game 1 of the conference semifinals series with the Bucks due to a left plantar fascia strain, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Green is one of the primary options to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo and he’s considered day-to-day beyond Saturday’s game, according to another Lewis tweet. “He wasn’t necessarily earmarked to guard Giannis but we’ll miss him in a number of ways,” coach Steve Nash said. Green hasn’t played since Game 2 of the opening-round series against Boston.
We have more on the Atlantic Division teams:
- In the aftermath of their first-round exit against Atlanta, the Knicks can start taking bigger steps to contention, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes. They have youth in their rotation, five first-round picks in the next three years and nearly $60MM in salary-cap space, which should lead to a brighter future if team president Leon Rose converts those assets into impact players.
- Determining whether Julius Randle can truly be the centerpiece of the team and which of their own free agents to bring back are among the questions hovering over the Knicks this offseason. Newsday’s Steve Popper takes a look at five issues confronting the front office this summer.
- While it seems unlikely Joel Embiid will suit up for Game 1 against the Hawks on Sunday, coach Doc Rivers hasn’t ruled out the possibility, according to an Associated Press report. The Sixers All-Star center has a small meniscus tear in his right knee. “He’s got to go through his treatment,” Rivers said. “As far as when we were doing shooting and stuff like that, he looked great. It’s too early (to rule him out).”
“If Knicks get impact players, they will be better”
Hot take.
Excuse me, he didn’t say they’d be better, he said they’d have a “brighter future”. I think we all know exactly specifically what that means.
Knicks need one letter K
K stands for Knicks
K stands for Kawhi
Embiid is just another Davis
It’s too bad that both of them have had such a difficult time staying healthy.
A comment like this is a little odd considering even with his injuries Davis is on a borderline Hall of Fame trajectory.
And Embiid isn’t? Right now Embiid is the better player.
Randle has stepped up his gm, no doubt. But of course he benefits from another scorer. It means teams have to pay attention to another player. Knicks have the assets to make a move. Even if it’s just drafting and signing FAs. It’s Thibs first yr. Why are we getting ahead of game. You know me sign Dinwiddie and Fournier. Keep our picks. We can get a star next yr. We still have two #1s
They just ended their season and the media is already trying to ruin next year too.
Would the Knicks trade Randle, Robinson, IQ, Knox and 3 number ones for Beal or Lillard? They desperately need an impact player and with them on the rise they will not be near the top of the draft for awhile.
Why would Portland take that deal? I don’t see them dealing Dame unless a Harden situation unfolds which is highly unlikely.
Why is that highly unlikely? You don’t think Dame would do that?
I doubt his loyalty to Portland is stronger than his title aspirations.
The team has made the playoffs 8 years in a row and they’ve gotten past the first round only 3 times and made the WCF only once.
I don’t disagree, and you can speak more closely to Harden’s ties to Houston, but to me Dame seems more on board with the city and the organization. Maybe you’re right though.
Trading Dame isn’t highly unlikely. Trading him for every good player on the Knicks roster is.
Why would either team do that? Randle and CJ are doing nothing in the West. And Dame + nothing in NY is just Portland East.
Neither Beal or Lillard is worth all of that.
How come Cowboy Dan?
I mean yes JR is an All-Star & must be All-NBA…
But Robinson is just bench fodder…
IQ is ok but too early to say, for me he ain’t near any of the All-Rookie teams, so an average rookie at best…
Knox, well right now he ain’t even an NBA player, right?…
& then 3 late firsts….
I think that would be a steal if NYK get Dame or Beal for that poor package, right?
Randle, almost certainly, can’t be THE centerpiece of contender. Few, if any, players can. Hopefully, the Knick FO isn’t sitting around a conference table trying to answer such an inane question.
What the Knick FO needs to do is ignore the noise, and assess Randle in advance of the last year of his current deal, on talent and fit, price him accordingly and try and extend him on that basis, or, if they can’t, then make him available in the trade market.
The Knicks FO were probably planning to trade Randle for more assets but his comeback season derailed that. It’s also why the drafted OB1 instead of Halliburton.
They were planning to trade Randle, but they weren’t expecting much in the way of assets in return. They were planning to pursue FAs Grant and Wood figuring Randle would be gone. OB1 pick derailed pursuing the FAs. Hate to break it to you, but Halliburton was NEVER going to be their pick at #8. Like almost all teams, Knicks had him as their 3rd rated PG, and not a full time PG. Sac drafted him as a combo.
My guess is playoff berth + multiple first rounders + cap space + playing in Manhattan will mean Rose will be big game hunting this summer. With the assumption Randle will extend at some max-ish number as a number 2 guy.
Tampering is not only more or less legal but it’s essentially norm now, so I’d expect some back alley texting to see what franchise guy they can get to demand a trade to NY.
Kawhi’s probably a long shot but odds are in NY’s favor — every 90 days someone uber talented seems to become depressed in public in the NBA. And what star wouldn’t want to come to NY and take credit for the resurgence that’s already started?
The FO mistakes from past drafts like passing on Donavon Mitchell or Shai Alexander hurts the most especially when your in the lottery and pick the wrong players.
Never happen but I wouldn’t mind Lowry and DeRozan in NY.
Rose will hunt, but, assuming he knows what he’s doing (and I do assume that at this point), he’s unlikely to make the kind of deal that brings in a true star, because the before and after picture is unlikely to look very pretty.
NBA history is long, and yet no team (with one exception from a bygone era that helps prove the rule) has ever made a trade for an established star to be their foundational star and gone on to win a championship with him. It would be even harder to pull off today with the massive premium that stars trade for. The idea that an a team like the Knicks can benefit from an asset depleting trade is for message boards.
The only aspect we disagree on is assets. Knicks have none to spare, agree on that.
But throw some draft picks and cap space at a team. Minus Allen (which made no sense) BK gave up next to nothing to get Harden besides picks. In today’s league it’s possible. You just need the guy to say “I want to go to New York.”
There’s also the outside chance Kawhi just opts out. Unlikely but if he was gonna sign anywhere outside LA…
How would you grade the Nets for the Harden deal if the Nets didn’t have KD and KI? Just gave up Allen, LeVert and all those picks to see if Harden could lead Harris, Brown and Claxton to the championship. I’d give it a P (pathetic). And that’s the same grade I’d give any Knick deal for Lillard or any other star if it’s for Harden level compensation.
A FA like Kawhi is a different matter. That’s a game changer, and could justify an immediate trade for another star even for Harden level consideration (similar to what the Clips did with PG13).
I don’t doubt the Knicks (like most teams) have the assets to pull off a trade like that, it’s just not prudent unless the guy is arguably the final premium piece to a legitimate championship contender.
I’ll go with Dame for the hypothetical. And I agree giving up Allen was pathetic, and also nonsensical.
But if Rose says: Take 3 of our 5 firsts in the next three years, we’ll give you two longer-dated top 10 protected 1sts, you can have Quickley OR Toppin, then we’ll throw in Knox so you can tell your fans you got a former lotto pick to rehabilitate. And we’ll take Dame into our cap space.
I think that’s broadly in line with what the Nets gave up for Harden if I’m remembering the deal (except I’m forgoing the Jarrett Allen equivalent bc that was just dumb), but it doesn’t mortgage our future quite as much Brooklyn’s because some of these picks are current and were acquired from other teams
Is a Dame/Barrett/Randle/Robinson core one that can contend? Probably not, unless RJ really jumps up a few levels. Clearly I’d prefer to see LAC lose today and sign Kawhi outright. But I’d also prefer this hypothetical Dame deal to signing Dinwiddie, Schroeder, Ball to a 20M per long-term contract.
The other option is stand pat and hope Barrett, Quickley, and Toppin improve. But even then I think the larger point remains—even with improvements to our young guys we’re still not a contender. I’m not averse to playing the long game and waiting it out, but there’s risk there as well—Miami just got burnt waiting for a Giannis free agency that never came.
TL;DR I’ll be rooting for Dallas this afternoon and a few PG13 side of the backboard shots in crunch time.
I agree with most of this. I think we can tweak the rotation to make the team stronger going forward while carrying over the asset base, if needed.
Certainly, I consider Toppin (assuming Randle is extended) and both 1st’s this year (and Dallas’ 2023 pick), together with our cap space, as current trade assets. If there’s a worthy target. Before we fell out of the lottery, I thought that package might get us a top 5 pick (and Suggs); now I doubt it. I assume that package won’t be enough for Lillard. It should be more than enough for CJM though, who I see them far more likely to make available; but they’d have to be convinced he can be the starting PG.
I also agree that we should not tie up large amounts of our cap space longer term to give large multi-year deals to second tier UFAs, even if clear upgrades. This is one area where Rose may be challenged to hold the line. We’ll see.
Beginning of year most of us were arguing. If Knicks would win more than 23 gms. Now it’s gotta get a superstar. This is what I mean about rebuilding in NY. It’s Randles first good, solid yr. It’s Thibs first yeat. It’s JRs first descent yr. Mitch didn’t even finish season. What we showed this yr. Is we have rotation players and good bench players. Sign Dinwiddie and Fournier. The ONLY big deal. Should be for #5 pick Kuminga. Kuminga is a big SF who plays both ways. Has a chance to be an allstar. Mitch, Randle Kuminga, Dinwiddie, RJ. Is a serious 5 with a future.