Well, Leon is on the clock.
And TT is tasked with making a savory stew pot of paella from a very on the fly assemblage of ingredients.
According to some things I gleaned from the POST, always a fairly iffy source, so take it for what it is worth...
Leon was ALL IN on trading for Chris Paul.
But, Chris' desire to be closer to his son in Los Angeles was a significant factor, and apparently the projection of strutting his stuff before 20,000 empty seats in the world's most famous arena did not appeal to him.
Leon also apparently REALLY wanted Carmelo, which, if I might channel my own inner BoD, seems a grotesque notion, when you are trying to prioritize the development of key youth at PF and SF such as Obi, Kevin and RJ. Thanks to the Lawd Portland made that a moot point.
[A MOOT POINT being how one might characterize our backcourt]
Finally, that FVV did not give the Knicks the time of day or even show the barest hint of titty, to least ways, as Bo suggested, drive up his Raptor price, would seem to obviate the notion that our pursuit was half hearted at best, negligent at worst. WE NEVER HAD A FUCKING PRAYER.
The fact that this was NEVER on the table, might explain the implementation of Plans B & C. That Leon respected the input of Aller and Perrin, as well as Wesley and Callipari, is comforting as we approach our cyberpandemic training camp.
GRAIN OF SALT...
There was another interesting TIDBIT in the POST's reporting.
“They took a conservative approach by signing one-year, stopgap players,’’ ESPN’s cap guru and former Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks told The Post. “This is a huge year for RJ [Barrett], [Kevin] Knox and Obi from a development stage. It’s important for the young kids to develop this season. That will be the draw to free agents.”
So....there is THAT. Tell me about the Rabbits, Leon.
Now, that we have been over the Knicks draft and personnel decisions with a fine tooth comb...clearly, the X-Factor moving forward, is how Iron Chef Salad Bar TOM THIBODEAU proceeds, and how he empowers Assistant Coach and Player Development gurus Kenny Payne and Johnnie Bryant.
One can see him signing off on Obi and Immanuel...it remains to be seen, based on useage and open competition, how much input actually had or trust he subsequently confers on veterans such as Randle, Payton, Noel, Rivers, Burks, Bullock and Gilchrist, contrasted with the toss the into the deep end of the pool developmental efficacy of Robinson, Toppin, Knox and RJ a clear and present priority, and to a lesser extent, Brazdeikis, Spellman, Ntiliknia and Smith.
We've seen how Rose responded to the draft and free agency, and now we will see how he responds to input from Thibs and his mix and match, youth v. placeholders roster, and how the Knicks might respond going forward in the way of possible trades.
Stay tuned. At least now we have some scrimmages and games to contemplate. ONWARDS.