Berman will be among the last to bury his focus on starphucking.
Just before we signed Kemba, SpermMan Berman was still hocking Oladipo for God's sake. How LAME is that?
Star Fucking?
SHINY OBJECTS?
Leon Rose CLEARLY had any number of well thought out plans and pivots, Plan A, Plan B, Plan C.
We tried to move up in the draft, and when that didn't work, we moved down.
People are mocking the Knicks for accepting a TOP 18 protection from the Hornets on putting our #19 pick on ice in 2022, 2023, 2024.
Well, Charlotte looks to be a playoff team, #1.
Number Two, it's worth noting that in the past two drafts we copped Immanual Quickley AND Quentin Grimes at #25. It's not always how low you draft, but how WELL.
Number Three. Trading out of #19 till next season, and trading down #21 for #25 and a future #2, saved us what $2.4 in cap space, which paid for Taj Gibson.
Trading #32 to OKC for #34 and #36 not only gave us Rokas
and Deuce, but possibly [arguably] engendered good will with Sudden Sam Presti, which led to Kemba appearing on our radar out of fucking nowhere.
We can surely debate any number of moves the Knicks made, but for me, Commander in Chief Rose and his Joint Chiefs of Staff played things thoughtfully and sensibly.
Collin Sexton? Dennis Schroeder? Kelly Oubre?
Very expensive shiny objects.
Lonzo Ball? Spencer Dimwiddie?
Two faves of mine.
Lonzo, four years x 85 million? Spencer, three years 62 million? Or Evan, three + fourth year option, 78 million?
Or Derrick, two + third year option 43 million [roughly 14 million per, signed with Bird rights, which also saved us money] plus Kemba two years on a buyout at 8 million.
So Rose + Walker for the combined money Ball or Dimwiddie would've cost. And we spent THAT MONEY on Fournier.
Debate among yourself.
I believe Leon's guiding principles in going this way were maintaining SALARY FLEXIBILITY, TEAM CHEMISTRY and [vis a vis reupping Taj, Noel, Burks]
CONTINUITY.
How long has it been since we had any semblance of continuity? Do not underestimate that when contemplating sexier signings, shinier objects.
Did Thibs and Leon want to simply hand the keys to the car to Lonzo, let alone give up players/draft picks in a sign and trade? Ball is a talent, and would surely have been an upgrade. But the Knicks opted not to rock the boat, to sustain the continuity and leadership of Rose, and supplement him with Kemba Walker for fuck's sake. WHO AMONGST US SAW
That COMING?
Likewise, DimWoody, a spirited player, who reveled in trolling the Knicks, at 28, coming off of AC surgery?
Both Rose AND Walker [post All-Star Game] have demonstrated that they can be very effective in MANAGED MINUTES.
Is it a calculated risk? Damn right it is. Are the Wizards rolling the dice on Spencer? Sure are, and a good gamble it is. Dimwiddie, Pope, Beal? Nice rotation. Beal AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE.
And with Ball on the Bulls, Lavine is likely a keeper.
So those moves make sense for the Wiz and Bulls going forward.
Rose + Walker buys us two years of competitive veteran skill and leadership, on reasonable contracts, with the ability to nurture our PG Pups.
I read where some "expert" felt like the Knicks over paid for Noel and Burks. REALLY? Both earned their raises, and Noel offers us Mitchell Insurance and showed he can carry the load, even if Capella did out muscle him and show his limitations. But he has Thibs' faith, he improved immensely in his system...as did Burks...
soNoel-Rose-Burks-Gibson
reupsPayton >
WalkerBullock >
Fournier, GrimesNtilikina >
McBride, Vildoza, Jokubaitis And a cherry on top, the final shoe drop.
Reupping Julius for four years at $117,000,000.
Julius could've played out till next summer and squeezed the Knicks for $200,000,000.
A) Wanted to remain a Knick
B) Wanted to allow the Knicks financial flex going forward to be able to wheel and deal and engage talent as it might manifest on the open market.
Compare THIS, with the approach Carmelo took, which was to force a trade which caused the Knicks to sunder all of their young talent, plus two #1 and two #2 picks, and subsequently to press for a Max MAX which allowed the Knicks no flex to surround him with talent. I grew to admire Carmelo as a Knick, but he came in as a douche and he left as a douche.
SpermMan Berman in his piece on Julius reupping and giving the Knicks a hometown discount [$29 million/per is nevertheless, pretty fucking sweet] dropped this sack of shit...
THAT JULIUS
MUST NOW PROVE HE CAN ATTRACT A SUPERSTAR.
Fuck U. What Julius must prove...* Is that he can sustain his leadership.
* Is that he can improve on 2020-2021.
* Is that he learned from getting sandbagged by the Hawks in the playoffs.
Adding offensive players such as Walker and Fournier, and reupping Rose and Burks, suggests that THIBS looked at Julius's regular season ascension and his playoff struggles, and determined that we needed to adds players who CAN CREATE THEIR OWN OFFENSE, and allow Julius to avoid constant double teaming.
So...
WHAT LEON ROSE & THIBS wrought, might not seem the sexiest approach, but for this Knicks fan, it represents the most thoughtfully calculated and executed. We are now genuinely fifteen deep, with a genuinely serious 20-year old PG prospect on ice in Europe, a pair of genuinely serious young PG prospects on our roster, a pair of potentially solid two-way contract players to nurture in Westchester, solid vets at reasonable/tradeable rates, a FA signing who offers us offensive firepower at the 3-Spot [currently tearing things up in the Olympics], potentially TWO #1 Picks in 2022, and TWO #1 Picks in 2023, and the coaching continuity of Thibs, Bryant & Payne with a full summer and fall to plan and train and nurture and extend upon what we accomplished in 2020-2021.
Are we an Eastern Conference Finalist?
The Bucks, Nyets, Sixers and Heat and might have something to say about that.
Are we competitive with the Hawks, Hornets, Pacers, Celtics and Wizards?
We are.
Are the Pistons and Raptors and Magic and Bulls going to be better?
Count on it.
NOTHING IS GIVEN.
We are built to
improve, we are built to
remain flexible should tasty tidbits appear on the event horizon.
WE ARE BUILT TO SUSTAIN A LEVEL OF COMPETITIVE EXCELLENCE Quite Unlike Anything Seen Since Latrell and Allan and Larry and Charlie and Chris and Marcus and KT heroically made it to the NBA Finals, only to fall in five to a San Antonio juggernaut. 
Not good enough? Get over yourself.
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