Fournier goes quiet/takes nights off too often.
Like he's friends with Courtney Lee.
Sexton small and erratic. There's a reason he's available.
(admittedly I barely saw him last year).
BallZo -- make a sizable offer of say $22.5M starting, dropping to $20M. A 23 year old 3&D PG, who will up our pace and ball movement.
Pels might be going in for Lowry, for vet leadership and toughness. Re-signing Hart for $10-$12M and letting Ball walk.
For trades, if we don't get Ball, I'd keep an eye on DeJounte, a long defensive PG coming along a bit slowly -- $15M and locked up for 3 years. Not ideal pairing with RJ, but Barrett has started nailing 3's some. I'd be interested in Markaanen if we hadn't drafted ObiT. A stretch 4 who could use some Thibs toughening.
For the draft, Jared Butler sounds like a very solid player, a Ty Haliburton type, who slid because of a heart condition (he's just been cleared).
Otherwise plenty of intriguing G's such as McBride/Springer/Mann.
CBSports has Knix taking PF Kai Jones and then raw athlete Keon Johnson, all of which sounds exactly wrong. They have Springer going in between those two and Butler going just after Keon. Would hope Knix wouldn't pass on both Butler and Springer.
So add Ball, if possible. Bring back Rose. Draft an SG shooter (no SF's in our range) and a PG. If the draftee or IQ shows promise as a backup PG, then Rose could be moved mid-season. But the Rose/IQ bench pairing was pretty nice. Having Ball would keep the Knick core identity, while improving the halfcourt offense. Ball - Barrett - Bullox - Mitch. That's a tough defensive unit. Rose and IQ (and ObiT?) can score off the bench.
Would just be a starting SF away from contention. So that Bullocks and Noel would shore up our bench.
I'd also pay Noel his $10+M and bring Mitch back on his cheapo one year deal, and work out an extension. One can always be traded later.
Otherwise, see if ObiT could be traded for Giddey ...
Then drafting Kai Jones would make sense. And we'd have more ballhandling/passing.
We actually appear to be on the same page, more or less.
Giddey could conceivably go to the Warriors at #7 or the Grizz at #10. Or the Spurs at #12.
Don't see him falling much below here. I believe these teams see him as a big wing/point forward.
We also disagree on Obi, but that is nothing new. I am also in the minority as regards Obi and his upside. Given how effective Taj was as a hybrid C-PF for Thibs, I see no reason why Obit could not be groomed as such, given his athleticism and comparable size.
I can already anticipate your objections. But the Knicks history of reflexively cashing out their high draft picks well before they have had an opportunity to blossom, remains disturbing to me. The last Knicks #1 pick to be tendered a vet's contract re-up, was CHARLIE WARD.
I mean, Knox + Obi PLUS both the #19 & 21 for Sexton? Aaaaarghh. More shiny objects, let alone one who will want a max deal next summer? Knox AND #19? Perhaps...but bot our #1s AND Obi. Fuck that. I mean, there was plenty of traction to give up on RJ after a spotty rookie year. I realize that I am a walking cliche when I intone my mantra about PATIENCE, but, well...it is a virtue if we are going to build and sustain a competitive environ for the next 5-7 years. I mean, Sexton is a pretty dynamic, high energy scorer, and I can recall one game against the Knicks last year where he really lit us up. Still, more shiny objects. Not sure he's the cat you go all in on...
Otherwise, we appear to be in sync.
Not sure there is a consensus within the Knicks Brain Trust on Lonzo Ball, but the notion of a 6'6" PG with great court vision, who can push the pace, hits a decent percentage of treys, and who has been getting to the FT line at a more acceptable clip and who is a lock down defender? Well...we shall see.
It would me a miracle if Duarte fell to #19, a drop dead 6'6" shooter who is a ferocious defender. And it would appear Troy Murphy, a 6'9" SF, has seen his stock rising as well.
Thibs apparently really likes PG McBride. I myself am pulling for Butler.
Not sure where we stand with our FAs. One has to believe that Rose would really like to come back, and that the feeling is para-mutual. It was a good fit, and at $10 million for another year [or two], he could optimally give us 20 minutes a night without burning out while mentoring IQ and Vildoza and whomever we bring on through the draft or FA.
Noels? Would love to bring him back, but I suspect he is looking for something richer and longer term than we might be prepared to offer. If he is sitting there like low hanging fruit at 19 or 21, I would expect the Knicks to give Kentucky [KENTUCKY] C-PF Isaiah Jackson.
As for Bullock and Burks? I suspect Thibs would really like to bring Reggie back, but he and Burks are both going to court significant offers. Fournier for $18 million...Oubre...good players but not feeling it. Fournier can surely shoot, but for that type of money? I would be all in for offering Ball money comparable to what Fred Van Vleet got from the Raptors, in the $20-22 million a year x 4 country.
Finally, I suspect something tasty in the way of a shooter or a point guard or BOTH [Tre Mann?] might very well fall in our laps at #32. This is a pretty deep draft.
Be that as it may, will be interesting to see what Thibs-Rose-WWW-Aller-Perry-Perrin-Houston have learned from last season and their previous dip into the draft and free agency. Or if there might even be some draft. night deals where we use our cap space to take on contracts in exchange for more draft capital. Thursday is the draft and Monday if Free Agency, so by this time next week, we will have a clearer idea of what we will look like going into summer league.
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