RJ and IQ traded to TOR

[mafra]

OG a better fit with Brunson and Randle. I would’ve liked to see IQ get more of a chance, but Zi do think his ceiling is 6th man Jamal Crawford type player. I supported RJ but I’m also not surprised that he’s the piece that had to go… again, when you commit to Brunson… RJ gotta go. RJ needs to be SG.

We shall see what the next move is… you don’t make this trade unless you have another move in the works. I think we got the best all around player, but gave up more talent and a solid draft pick. Steep cost, unless you needed to move RJ’s contract.

Also, don’t forget NY got Achiwa. He could be a better version of Obi.

 

[Broadway]

OG a better fit with Brunson and Randle. I would’ve liked to see IQ get more of a chance, but Zi do think his ceiling is 6th man Jamal Crawford type player. I supported RJ but I’m also not surprised that he’s the piece that had to go… again, when you commit to Brunson… RJ gotta go. RJ needs to be SG.

We shall see what the next move is… you don’t make this trade unless you have another move in the works. I think we got the best all around player, but gave up more talent and a solid draft pick. Steep cost, unless you needed to move RJ’s contract.

Also, don’t forget NY got Achiwa. He could be a better version of Obi.

I honestly feel the organization makes moves based on no real design. As you've pointed out they have a pattern of being heavily nepotistic in nature(Agent/Player Relationships). Some moves appear to be okay but in the end they prove nothing

BTW trade could've been made in the off-season and D2 was an unnecessary signing

 

[mafra]

IQ didn’t do much of anything in the playoffs last year. I believe Knicks are looking at Round 2, and how to compete with the BOS, MIL, PHI caliber teams.

You need a wing stopper and that’s what OG is. He is a beast on defense. Cover a Tatum, a Maxey, a Giannis…

Full list of all NBA players to average more than 5 rebounds, more than 2 made 3PT's and more than 1.5 steals per game over the past four seasons combined:

OG Anunoby

Over the past three seasons combined,
OG Anunoby is:
149-for-330 (45.2%) on corner three-point attempts

Over the past three seasons combined,
RJ Barrett is:
89-for-271 (32.8%) on corner three-point attempts

cc: Thibs

OG Anunoby is 21-of-42 (50%) on Left Corner 3PT's this season (second most in the NBA)

Donte DiVincenzo is 21-of-33 (63.6%) on Right Corner 3PT's this season (second most in the NBA)

Bruson and Randle should have plenty of room to operate with DVV and OG camped out.

 

[Dark Raider]

The morning after the trading of R.J. Barrett and IQ. Thank God both are gone!! I been waiting for this moment for five years.

There are still those that believe Toronto got the better of this trade. Even those that would go to their graves believing in R.J. WHY? Since coming to this forum I have spared with everyone about RJ being a Knick. Don't understand what he was going to do for the Knicks. Maybe now we can talk truthfully about him in the context of what each saw(at best) him improving the Knicks.

I never spoke ill of RJ and felt IQ should've been given a green light to run the team before we decided to invest in Brunson. Let's be honest, most fans didn't like RJ Day 1 of drafting him. He really had no chance to succeed here long term. We have one of the most unhealthy and toxic fan bases in all of sports

OG has done nothing of true significance and it shows what Masai thought of his contributions as a whole. Couldn't even elevate above the GREAT SCOTTIE BARNES, A.K.A. HIM...lol

Trade likely ends up being addition by subtraction but if either team sees an increase...I'm guessing it'll be The Raps

Let me correct you about day 1 of drafting RJ. It was the moment the ping pong ball gave the Knicks the #3 overall pick. That is why there were many suggestions to trade back.
We ( me, you and every Knicks fan) just came from the bottom of the NBA because Perry and Mills took us there unnecessarily.
May you FORGOT!!
But to come away with R.J. Barrett is an insult to my intelligence and every Knicks fan that knows something about Talent and BB. Maybe you couldn’t or just didn’t want to see it but that was not good.
Nothing explosive about RJ!!
Nothing electrifying about RJ!!
This is a #3 overall pick and we( me and you) just crawl out of dungeon of the NBA.
Again maybe you FORGOT!!

“Was never given a chance” are you serious!!
The start of his rookie season… he wins not one starting position but two!! I have never EVER seen that in my entire life as a BB fan. Never!!
Now if you think he won those starting positions think about that the same time of the signing of all those F.A. not to mention Peyton, Frank, Trier, Dotson(returning S.G.) and Dennis Smith.
Your antennas should have been up long time before that but I’ll give you a break. Certainly as a knowledgeable Knicks and BB fan, you have a lot of problems with them. The word competition should come to mind and cancel or destroy all( not some) your grieving thoughts about RJ.

Do you realize how many good players were destroyed by F.O . and coaching to prop up RJ so they could look like they knew something about BB?? They had to get rid of all the players would show up RJ.

Your questions should be ‘where is the Championship’??

 

[mafra]

I won’t say RJ was a bust. He’s a professional caliber NBa baller. He’s still only 23. But I will say he didn’t live up to expectations. He wasn’t asked to be a #1 or even a #2. He had Randle & Brunson for that. He just needed to be a #3. After a solid playoff run and a good start to the season, I was hoping he made that next step in his development. It’s been 4-5 years!

I will point to his FT shooting tho, to show he is improving. Who knows what his ultimate ceiling is. But he’s too selfish and inefficient of an offensive player. Going back to loss to Michigan St in NCAA tourney to this late stretch of slumping ball, he just refuses to make the necessary pass when defensive dictates give up the rock.

Anyway, it was never gonna work with Randle and JB. 3 lefty ball dominant players with little spacing and shooting range. OG and DDV space the floor and OG, Mitch and Grines a defensive triumvirate.

It’s not GSW of Klay, Curry and DG…. But Knicks just went from good to pretty good. They did improve. Let’s see what the next move is.

I loathe Dolan. I’m not impressed with Rose either, especially his draft and free agent record. He seems to be gathering players he has relationships with… makes me think he’ll grab S-Bey or Bridges to compete the Villanova roster. Lol.

I like OG as a player. Just wish it cost only IQ or RJ.

 

[Kiyaman]

Knicks get Precius Achiwa to be backup C. They also acquire Malachi Flynn. Knicks only sending a 2nd rounder.

New York is also sending the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick in the deal, which is projected to be fairly valuable in the early 30s… not sure if 1 or 2 second rounders?

Anunoby, a 3-and-D wing, will likely replace Barrett in the lineup and is theoretically a better positional fit in a lineup with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson because he spaces the floor and doesn’t need the ball in his hands.

OG can guard all 5 positions. When & if Robinson returns, OG-Mitch-Grimes will be a nice defensive trio.

Maybe this frees up Hart to be more productive. Do they have an another move up their sleeve — D-Murray? They could use a 6th man type scoring plug.

Not sure why this move couldn’t be made after the Pacers game? I wonder if Evan gets to play finally?

The 26-year-old Anunoby, who recently switched representation from Klutch Sports to CAA, is averaging 15.1 points for the Raptors on 49 percent shooting — including a respectable 37 percent from beyond the arc.

CAA ties strike again.

Quickley has shined this season but became a trade candidate after he and the Knicks failed to agree to an extension in the summer.

His departure clears up the glut at guard that had become an issue with players since there were only a finite amount of minutes for Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Donte DiVincenzo.

Now, Grimes and DiVincenzo can split those minutes, and Anunoby moves to small forward.

The Knicks only had TWO problems with their 2023-24 season rotation/roster ..
1) The missing PF Obi Toppin.
2) Tom Thibs poor coaching-staff, poor substitution, and poor season preparation of 12 players.
The coach changing last season starter lineup, caused us a season injury the same game.
If it ain't broke don't TRY to fix something that's not broke.
The Knicks bench will miss the young Quickley's all-around performance doing big & little things to win in the 2nd half of the game .. like IGGY (Andre Iguodala) role-player performance in all the Warriors rotation to get their titles. -
The Raptors rotation plus PG Schroder NEED a combo-guard Quickley's skills in the backcourt to push the ball on offense to there 6.6 forwards Barnes/Siakam, and now Barrett in transition to boost team scoring by +8 points.
The Raptors wanted/needed our future-star Quickley dynamic services.
Both Barrett & Quickley will be looking to score 40 points on the Knicks in the next 5 NBA seasons.

 

[Dark Raider]

Question- Why would the T-Wolves trade KAT?? Leaving the west…

 

[mafra]

Randle showed you today that he’s better than KAT-Gobert combo. WOW! Randle ain’t perfect but the man has gave his blood, sweat and tears to this city and this org. Get a bench scorer and get Mitch back and this team could make that next jump…. From second round caliber team to battle for EC title type team.

 

[skisloper1]

Randel does seem to vanish in the playoffs

 

[mafra]

He was hurt last year. Had a bad series vs ATL, but didn’t have much help on offense. There will be no excuses this year. He’s not settling for midrange and taking to hoop. That’s a good thing but it’s also the sort of game that’s dependent on officials giving him calls when he’s fouled. You know they’ll hack away at him and he won’t get calls come playoffs. Also a black hole when he gets ball in paint…. ORL announcer said team should send all 5 guys when he gets ball in the paint bc he isn’t passing the ball.

Still, dude carried team to a 4 seed one season, a 5 seed and playoff win over CLE last year…. Had a bad 2 other seasons but he’s been playing very well after a rough start. Let’s give him the Larry Johnson - Charles Oakley love.

 

[Dark Raider]

Knowing talent and what a player is truly capable of is not your strong suit.
Randle is pouring everything he has into this team. But he isn’t a player that can carry the Knicks to a championship. As much as I like Randle that to much pressure on him that is not something he is capable of doing.

Let not get carried away with there holes in team and MRob and Brunson are some to mention. They are alright if things are going good but one is a liability on offense and the other a liability on defense.

Remember you are same person that pull and prop up RJ Barrett.
“He’s only 19, 20, 21, 23 and 23!!”
“Just wait until he 25year old”!!
AND THE ALL TIME FAVORITE
“Just wait until next year”!!

So now you in the Randle camp after wanting to trade him for the last five years.

 

[mafra]

I’ve supported Randle plenty over the years. How often have I mentioned it was a blessing to have Randle over KP… how fortunate the org was to be on the Julius wagon over the Porzongis train. He is flawed and I wanted to trade him after the dismal 3rd season.

Randle isn’t a championship caliber player? We shall see. Probably not a top 2, but after 2 decades of nada… after that horrific Phil Jax - Gaines era that destroyed this org… you start with baby steps. Imagine that, rooting for your team. If you don’t enjoy it, then don’t watch it.

You keep acting like RJ was some colossal bust. That’s BS. This isn’t Knits over Mitchell or Knox over SGA. Those are franchise destroyers…. RJ over Garland? Guess who won playoff series head to head?

And I still think RJ is a player. He may not be All NBA, but he’ll be just fine in TOR. He helped beat Cavs tonight. He and IQ.

 

[Dark Raider]

Your problem is you can’t admit you don’t know nothing and you are hypocritical.

Every post you make says it plain and simple. Wanting Randle traded and build around RJ Barrett are things you said. I have made mistakes but no one in this forum or any other can say I said close that.

Maybe you forgot what KP is doing with Boston. Of course you wanted to get rid of him for Randle. Well you got your wish… just say Championship with Randle leading!! or can you see championship NOW?? Well can you??
You will say ANY and EVERYTHING in the moment no matter if it wrong.

Learn something about the game before you speak or post.

Question- Phil had how years with the Knicks??
Question- Mills, Perry, C. Robinson and now L. Rose have how many years since Phil left??
Question- Championship?? No!!
There prize Lottery pick traded after 5 year experiment.
It easy to say dumb stuff like “Phil destroyed the organization”. Think before you post it.

Finally, if you know so much about BB drop the dumb stuff, ok!! If you knew more than I do at 9 years old then you must have lost it somewhere along the way. GO FIND IT!!

 

[skisloper1]

Dark your a but harsh.........Clearly RJ has some value that others see hence using him to get OG.
Phil sucked. Resigning Melo with a Trade Clause was foolish.
Porzingas wanted out and we don't need a player who does not want to be here.....

We can all agree with Dolan at the top of course the chaos will always spread.
I don't like using the word cancer as you do I hope you understand.


OG brings the same offensive stats as RJ but he brings solid defense all game and every game and to me that was RJ's primary weakness....

 

[skisloper1]

adding OG had a plus 19 in the last game. Highest of any Knicks.
RJ never had that

 

[Dark Raider]

Ski, I step back and thought about things you said. I had written a very long reply to you but I deleted it and decided to answer your responses.

Harsh!!
For 5 years those of us that knew drafting RJ was not just a mistake but a horrible mistake. If you know BB this wasn’t even close but very simple. Why would it take knowledgeable BB not to know this?? First of all, knowledgeable BB people didn’t make this mistake.
Question to you: Do you think Knowledgeable people in the organization are slowly taking over and having influence??

RJ having value?? It’s no way if I’m Toronto I’m trading for RJ unless I’m getting the better of deal. That is why maybe the lawsuit has something to do with it. Now that just my take. There is no way to assess RJ real value because he been given so much for not doing anything. All competition was moved out of his way.

Phil - when was the last time you had any hope that Knicks were headed in the right direction??

KP - There have been a lot of players unhappy with there team. As for KP there were only three players to trade him for… KAT, Embiid or AD. If you can’t get one of them then he is just unhappy… period!!

As for the usage of the word cancer I do understand… please know it wasn’t to hurt anyone in this forum. Wildfires would be a better choice of words going forward. Thank you for enlightening me.

 

[skisloper1]

The last time I felt the Knicks could win a championship was Ewing, Oakley, Starks and Team.
Right now I see Zero shot.
I am also a believe that its a Championship or bust.

You are right on KP. No reason to give a baby what they want.

I did think Phil would be great. When we resigned Melo with the no trade clause I lost Faith that he too would do what Dolan wanted. Especially when Melo said he gave up 5 million to help the team......I mean really.

We are loaded with First rounders and it will be interesting to see what the Knicks do here.

I will assume for now OG, Brunson and Randel are not going anywhere.

So with those 3 in the starting line-up for the next 3 years ( no matter what ) what move do you make.

 

[mafra]

Hard to refute a scathing statement such as: “you can’t admit you don’t know nothing.” That should be etched in the walls of Harvard. My lord…

Your reading comprehension rivals your Bball knowledge, DR. And that’s saying something.

I’ve been supportive of both Randle and RJ bc they are (or were) NYK. When Randle went off the rails, I said it was time to move him. I’ve always praised his effort and production, and I’ve continually said RJ was as good as anybody else after Ja-Zion. That pick isn’t anywhere close to the selections of Knox or Knits.

I like KP. I wanted to keep him but Phil bungled that relationship, just like he ruined everything while he was here half awake and snoring through his workday. Still, KP isn’t Randle. Imagine Randle with Tatum & Brown.

We get it. You don’t like RJ. It’s all you ever talk about. Time to put you back on mute mode b/c “i can’t admit I don’t know nothing.” That will make me laugh all weekend.

 

[Kiyaman]

Wsup Dark .. No one complain more about RJ Barrett's inconsistent performance than me (OK u too.),
plus I admitted several times RJ did not having enough talent after college to play above 24 minutes a game in the NBA.
My famous 3 season quote, "Barrett's not a NBA starter"!
In Barrett's 4th and 5th season as a Knicks Barrett improved his performance tremendously by playing well in lineups without Randle.
In RJ Barrett's 4th season in the NBA, Barrett performed in two different lineups every game, the starter lineup and the 2nd unit 4 bench player lineup.
Barrett's improvement showed in early Dec. when the Knicks went on their first 9 game win streak of the season having a dynamic bench lineup of Hartenstein. Toppin, Barrett, Quickley, and Deuce McBride co-existing well in the 2nd unit bench lineup. The bench lineup showed winning consistency in all 9 games., Each bench player were performing better and better game after game together in the bench lineup having Barrett throughout last season. And the Knicks bench performance had a lot to do with the Knicks having a 47 win season, plus making it to the 2nd round of the play-off.
Barrett may have been inconsistent in the starter lineup a lot however, Barrett's energy in the bench lineup was consistently well to have another 9 game win streak in February, when we went back to having a 9 man rotation trading for Josh Hart. Or did u forget how coach Thibs had a Full-House (D.Rose, McBride, Fournier, Cam Reddish, and Sims) in the Dog-House playing a 8 man game rotation throughout January.

We are gonna look at the 12-20 Raptors record, and the 17-15 Knicks record 10 games after the trade?

 

[Dark Raider]

Wsup Kiya... everything you said is correct about RJ and the team. Building a strong second unit is important to the growth of any team. Mike Miller showed how important that was when he bench the starting unit 5 years ago. That the last time I saw a strong second unit up until the last 3 games. Generally, not impress but to my surprise I'm slowly coming around to maybe cheering for this team. I don't see Championship but there are now at least two players I can cheer for since Frank. Not crazy about the make-up of this team but I see signs since the trade.

What is truly amazing to me is negativity that got from both RJ and IQ. It like a cloud has been lifted from over this team. Again, don't see championship but some BB people removed the cloud and I'm glad.

As good as Brunson and Hartenstein is playing I'm still not sold on Brunson. Hartenstein is growing on me because of his offense. Which MRob had none. To me that makes the Knicks offense a lot better cause team didn't fever MRob. If Hartenstein was right-handed then maybe it wouldn't be so hard, LOL. Brunson height is going to be a problem and materialize in the near future. They are putting way taller players on him to disturb the offense. Have notice the he can't create separation from a defender unless he uses a drop-step. Now you would think he was faster. Running off picks and pushing off. Just what I see.

Ok, 10 games and less evaluate the Raptors and Knicks.