Really.
There is NO...Zero...NO Guarantee that Irving is coming. With or without Butler.
Butler just hung his team out to dry.
And that should motivate us to move heaven and Earth in to make him THE MAN on the Knicks, and that makes us a lock to get Kyrie?
Evidence?
Once again...
Thibs wants to win now...that is his mandate.
That is his life/death sentence.
His owner is beginning to get freaked. Thibs does not have a great bedside manner.
And the trade they made for Butler has blown up in their face.
They basically gifted the Bulls three young starters for an uber-talented two way player, who, alas, has marked himself as a self-absorbed malcontent.
PG: Kris Dunn
SG: Zach LaVine
PF: Lauri Markkanen
And the money they saved on Butler, they were able to spend on Jabari Parker, their new starting SF.
And they just drafted Wendell Carter as their center of the future.
That's five #1 picks, basically. Three of which came the Bulls way for Butler.
The Bulls have committed to moving on from their bell cow in favor of youth, and they are looking pretty damn good going into 2018-2019. They have a youthful core, and a potential superstar in Markkanen. And while Parker cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Butler, defensive-wise, he has the potential to be an offensive force. Also, come next spring, Jabari will be 24. Butler will be 30.
So, we should put together an analogous package to give Mr. Butler a max deal, make him the bell cow, and leverage him to impact our chemistry, potentially blowing off our coach and dictating the future direction of this franchise.
Really?
NO.
There is no guarantee that Butler's presence would presuppose Irving leaving the Celtics.
Nor is there any hard and fast evidence, that the lack of Butler's presence would presuppose losing Irving if he really wants to come to NYC.
Butler is a mirage.
Been down this road before, and what you and I think is essentially moot, because the Knicks AIN'T DOING IT.
We have Knox and Hezonja (and Thomas) at SF-PF, we have Hardaway and Nitilkina (and for the moment, Lee and Dotson) at SG-SF.
And like it or not, Porzingis is our bell cow. I know you agree with Phil Jackson that we should trade him.
Mazel Tov.
The Knicks appear fine with their rebuild as presently constituted moving forward, the allure of this shining object and the drumbeat of fans and media notwithstanding. I am sure they have done their due diligence, and I am just as sure Thibs has blown them off, or asked for the moon.
While I do not necessarily share Biz's projections of us as a 20-win team, I do believe, a #1 in the summer of 2019, and room for one max contract looks fine, going forward.
And Jimmy has said he wants to be traded before media day?
Yup, just the kind of presence we want to define OUR FRANCHISE.
"To dream, the impossible dream..."