The decision by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to join the Nets instead of the Knicks as free agents in 2019 set the two franchises in opposite directions, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The difference in star power was evident Wednesday night as New York built up a big lead before Brooklyn seized control in the fourth quarter for a 12-point win.
“That helps,’’ Knicks coach Tom Thobdeau said about having two superstars after Durant posted a triple-double and Irving scored 24 points. “But I love our young guys. I love what they’re doing and they’re getting better and better. Hey look, those guys over there were once young guys, too. It’s part of this league. Trial and error. Kyrie, Kevin, throw in Patty (Mills) and (Seth) Curry, you get that through experience. The more we go through it, the better we’ll get at it.’’
The Nets are headed for the play-in tournament and appear to be in good position to claim a spot in the playoffs. The Knicks, meanwhile, are wrapping up a disappointing season at 35-45 and are moving into what Berman considers a “make-or-break offseason” for team president Leon Rose. Fans are hoping for a franchise-altering move, possibly involving Donovan Mitchell or Zion Williamson, two clients of Rose’s former CAA agency. Unless something major happens, Berman suggests that owner James Dolan may reconsider his decision to put Rose in charge of the team two years ago.
There’s more from New York:
- Irving told reporters after Wednesday’s game that the Knicks were in a strong position to sign himself and Durant in 2019, but the two stars opted to make an imprint on the Nets (video link from SNY.tv). “They had a good chance of getting us back in free agency,” Irving said, “but we just felt like we wanted to build here and just make our mark on this franchise.”
- RJ Barrett has improved his chances for a rookie scale extension, says Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The Knicks will have to decide this summer whether to give Barrett the offer, which would be worth a projected $181MM over five years. No matter what happens, Barrett is hoping for a long-term future with the team. “I’ve said it since day one that I wanted to come here. I didn’t work out for any other team (in the draft),” Barrett said. “This is where I wanna be. I love playing for the Knicks. I love playing in the Garden. I love how we got to the playoffs last year and looking to do that again. I love everything about being a Knick. Yeah, 100% the place I wanna be.”
- Strong late-season performances by Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin may be changing the Knicks’ offseason plans, according to Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. With several veterans sidelined for the rest of the season, Quickley is showing signs that he can handle point guard duties, while Toppin has excelled without Julius Randle on the court, Sanchez notes.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic examines the Knicks’ draft options under five different lottery simulations.
Imagine that a Top-5 and Top-20 player “helps” lol
But so far, KD and Kyrie havent won anything and overall have been a disappointment. They can still do something special in Brooklyn, but they are also getting older and time is running out. Kyrie can score and look pretty on court, but he is lacking the hunger to win. :(
If Simmons and Joe Haris were playing, they would be the best team in the East. Its been Kyrie, KD, and Curry these past 20 games or so. Off the ball these guys all together could be lethal with Simmons facilitating
People have been sayin they are the best team for awhile now…. They are already 3 yrs into their contracts.
if my aunt had a d** she’d be my uncle…..
Really?
Thibs… talk less, coach more
Kemba will be gone. If Mitch resigns, then Noel is gone. For the “right” price, Burks may be gone. If the Knicks can figure out a way to get Fournier up outta here, that may be the best case off season scenario. Unfortunately I don’t see how a Randle trade happening unless some team like Portland decides make a move. IMO what the Knicks do with the draft is just as vital as FAs.
Knicks are over the cap. Only FA will be some sort of exception.
Correct 4Quarters. Hopefully Knicks can free up some cap room trading the contracts I previously mentioned.
But if you’re over the cap, you can’t trade away much more salary than you receive. Meaning the only way to clear money off the cap is in expiring contracts…which have to be on the books before the offseason begins.
If you enter the offseason over the cap, without expiring deals – you leave that offseason over the cap. Hopefully with some expiring deals for the next summer.
Got you, thanks. To clarify, the expiring contracts of Noel, Burks & Kemba would be salary dumps for any kind of draft compensation. If the Knicks lose Mitch though, keeping Noel would make sense. IMO Burks’ expiring contract has the most value, considering $$ and his skill set. Furthermore, hoping the Knicks can use the draft to unload Fournier’s contract (trading down could entice a team like SA to take Fournier).
Might be hard to find a team that wants both a higher pick plus Fournier’s shooting. Spurs already have cheap shooting on their roster. Maybe a deal with the Bulls or Jazz, a playoff team that could use another wing to space the floor more. Not sure if moving Fournier is worth trading a lottery pick tho.
I agree that Burks’ contract probably has the most value, but the Knicks need to be collecting picks right now and stay the course with a youth movement.
Total agreement with the youth movement and collecting picks…I read some time back that the Spurs were looking to consolidate their 2 non lottery picks to move up. Just wondering how serious they’d be. They take #11 & have back to back picks or use the picks to move even further up. Throw in Fournier, maybe Knicks take back McDermott. Years match, salary is close enough. Fournier numbers are on par with his career numbers. Idk just being a delusional Knick fan I guess lol.