I will say this, us Knick fans are pretty good at finding silver linings.
Printable View
I will say this, us Knick fans are pretty good at finding silver linings.
Nice article Rady .... I been skeptical bout Durant's injury since Iggy return from a calf injury that cost him only one game rest.
Plus as a long time Knick fan the thought of a Super-Star or a star FA signing on to the Knicks has become a JOKE after the Ewing trade!
I never thought Durant would ever want to be a part of the Dolan's mismanagement Knicks organization.
The past 2 Knicks season, the best i could do for the Knicks were dream, hope and imagine a star FA like the young 2-Way leadership of SG Klay Thomas or the NBA top play-making PG Chris Paul signed on to the Knicks. Or the Knicks sign Mark Jackson as their head-coach to a 4 yr contract.
The thought of Durant being injured the next season and a half should take KD out of the Knicks 2019 star FA search in the offseason.
If the Raptors didn't take a 3-1 lead in the FINALS .. we fans (and Mills/Perry) wouldn't have found out how bad KD injury were in Game-5 !!!
KD was calling his Warrior teammates his brothers in his post operation twitter posts and did you see the Warrior GM Myers crying discussing KD's injury. There seems to be a deep connection there that KD might not want to let go and the Dubs are the only ones that can sign him to one of those supermax deals. He may pick up his option this year, rehab and then sign that supermax deal with the Warriors.
I’m sure Durant called his OKC teammates brothers at some point too. The Warriors GM crying was kind of hard to believe. No doubt these guys all like each other, but this is all a business to them. If Durant was planning on leaving GS, I’m assuming he still does it.
KD is thinking about challenges and his legacy. He has nothing more to gain if he stays with the Warriors. This was why he was leaving... forget DG yelling at him “we can do it without you” and the owner claiming KD not same as SC, bc Curry a lifer with GSW.
He went there to get his chips and help them sustain a dynasty. Probably told them it was a 1 contract thing.
I imagine he’s thought out this move as part of his fleeing OKC strategy. Playing with Curry and Klay more fun than playing with Russell. I’ll go there and get me rings... then spend second part of career in NYC and trying to win there.
Windhorst saying his sources with the Warriors said they are prepared to offer full 5 year max contracts to both KT and KD. Klay’s always expressed wanting to stay with the Warriors but this news may change KD’s thinking about leaving them. Warriors may have a payroll and luxury tax bill of 1.6B over the next 4 years but Windhorst said that new building they’ll be playing in will allow them to afford it.
Maybe 1, but I can’t imagine GSW throwing away a year of Curry’s prime by signing 2 guys to max deals who won’t play next year.
Now, with the 5 straight finals appearances.... and with Klay due back in March... anything is plausible.
Well, it is being reported that Durant has moved all his stuff to New York and is at least staying the Summer here. Seems kind of likely he is still signing with us.
Kyrie becomes more of a question mark again. Seemed likely he was going to Brooklyn but now it is being reported that Kyrie and KD are still talking about playing together.
Both Durant & Kyrie should be taken off of the Knicks off-season FA radar.
The Knicks Mills/Perry has to look else where in the offseason to put together a decent starting-5 unit for next season.
Plan-A
PG: Conley or Rubio
SG: RJ Barrett
SF: Harris
PF: Vonleh
C: DJ
Plan-B
PG: D'Angelo Russell
SG: Damion Dotson
SF: Kevin Knox
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Mitchell Robinson
Or Plan-C
Keep non-strategical coach Fizdale to Tank-Tank another season !!!
Gotta be careful with KD
Remember how the Joakim Noah contract crippled this franchise's ability to make moves?
If KD isn't the same after the achilles injury (and he won't be because it's like the worst possible injury for a basketball player) then imagine Noah's contract except times 10; it'll cripple the franchise for the next 5 years
The GM who was fired by PHO in 2018 was on NBA radio and said that the NYK last season were most aggressive team he’s seen in his 15 years trying to shed payroll for this free agency period.
Folks, we traded KP (arguably a top 10 under 26 talent) just to clear up cap space for this July. We could’ve let Lee expire next year and found a trade partner for Hardaway come
Feb...
If NYK don’t sign KD plus something else then the team looks foolish and spent their top asset on a prayer.
Have to imagine they “heard” that KD was coming, and at some point I’m sure Kyrie’s camp made it seem like there was interest... AD was sending NY love, and I believe they felt confident they could meet with Kawhi.
They had to be 100 percent adamant they were getting 1 of these 4... and I’m positive they understood that to get 1 of those 4, then they needed space to squeeze in another max spot.
Word is they offered the third pick, 1 of DAL’s first rounders, and their choice of either DSJ, Knits, Knox or Mitch... We can’t fault them for not pushing everything into the middle of the table (if that would’ve even made a difference).
Knicks have to hope AD doesn’t sign with LAK, and then they still have hope in 12 months...
To have even a glimmer of hope for that... YES... 100%... KD or KL must be a Knick.
Forget Kyrie, because Irving or Kemba was an option only as a Robyn to KD... There was no sense for Kemba or Kyrie without KD.
So, yeah... It’s all about KD, and did this life-changing happenstance change his mind?
Anyway, I hope plan-A all along was KD and KL... they were the two best. Get 1 and hope the other (or AD) sees our roster and KD as enough, and with them as the final piece, they come and take over NY.
If KD got spooked and opts-in and KL stays in TOR, the decision to stretch Noah and trade KP makes Mills and Perry look like idiots.
Good news is... there still hope bc with all these lottery picks, even by accident and led by incompetence... a slight chance 1
or 2 or even a few hit and we have something regardless.
But NO passed on our assets, and if AD, KL, and KD do to... then we are in a dark place, are behind the odds, and will pretty much be at the mercy of RJ and Mitch.
(And, BTW, RJ and MRob working the high pick and roll, with Knox in the corner... that’s gonna be fun).
Did NO like the youth from LA that much or was it more they weren’t high on the potential of RJ?
SI reporting Warriors may SnT KD to the Knicks to allow the Knicks to give him a 5 year max deal. If true looks like there is still interest on the Knicks part despite his injury. Lot of pressure on the Knicks to sign their “Star” but leaves them wide open to second guessing because of the injury and the fact he maybe 32 before he even plays a game for us.