Speaking of home: I’ll be on a flight back to New York later today during the Knicks’ third summer league game, tipping off at 4pm against the Detroit Pistons. My plan is to watch the game on the flight, but airplane WiFi being what it is, there’s a chance I won’t get to it until I’m back. Long story short, there’s a chance tomorrow’s newsletter won’t be coming your way until slightly later in the morning than usual. Thanks in advance for your patience!

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Summer League Roundup

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Or, more accurately for the Knicks, what happens in San Antonio stays in San Antonio.

As in, quality basketball.

As we celebrate the one-month anniversary of the big club climbing the NBA mountaintop against the Spurs, our penance is a summer league team that has been outscored by more points than any other team in Vegas.

Needless to say, it is a price we are all thrilled to pay.

Whether or not you believe my colleague Shawn Hardie about the first two rules of summer league1, 2026 was already shaping up to be perhaps the least consequential Vegas residency the Knicks have had in some time. With Jordan Clarkson re-signing and Tyler Kolek having outgrown the summer festivities, the Knicks arguably have their top 11 rotation players set without the need to rely on anyone playing in these games.

That sentiment was only reinforced by the outcomes, although it wasn’t all bad, as we’ll get to in a bit. On that note, here are my top five takeaways from my weekend in the land of lost wages:

1. Oh no, Mo

I could have just as easily started off with Pacome Dadiet and his 2-for-13 shooting line from distance, but respectfully, he hasn’t earned it. We’ve seen so little from Dadiet over his first two years that labeling his summer outing a disappointment would be disingenuous. Even with a few nice baskets against the Nets on Friday and one nice finish through contact on Saturday, nothing from this weekend has disproven his tenuous status on the roster. Some Knicks people may still believe in him, but I’m just about ready to write him off as a loss.

Mohamed Diawara is different. We already saw him produce at the NBA level in a way few anticipated, so there was justifiable excitement coming into Vegas this July. If he took yet another step up, maybe that rotation conversation would become even more full-throated.

That could very well still happen. Playing poorly in glorified scrimmages is far from a death knell. Still, one made field goal in 14 attempts across two games is not what anyone had in mind as a follow up to his rookie year. I was happy to chalk up a poor showing on Friday to opening game nerves, and Mo acknowledged his poor play afterwards, but to have a repeat performance against the Spurs was slightly more discouraging. Through two games, the Knicks have been outscored by 54 points with Diawara on the court, which was 20 points worse than the next lowest individual plus/minus through Sunday morning.

The far bigger question: does any of this even matter? Again, Mo has already done it at the highest level, where we’ve seen him in his actual role as a supporting piece as opposed to a generator of offense. My guess is that he’s been enjoying the fruits of being an NBA champion every bit as much as his veteran teammates, so we probably should have expected something of a hangover. Consider me unbothered.

It also wasn’t all bad. Diawara made some great reads in the first quarter on Saturday, and playmaking is probably the area you’d have most liked to see pop. That said, his shooting will continue to dictate his playing time moving forward. Part of the reason he got the contract he did is because of continued league-wide skepticism that his 37 percent hit rate as a rookie was legit.

Come October, we’ll see if he gets the opportunity to proof it wasn’t a fluke.

2. Tyler Nickel, Flamethrower

There was no mystery coming out of the draft about whether Tyler Nickel heard his name called because of his shooting. The question was whether he’d be able to do the other stuff necessary to stay on the court. You can also never be too sure that shooting in college will translate to the pros.

Consider all the early boxes checked.

Through the first three days in Vegas, Nickel led all summer leaguers in made threes, going 10-for-21 from distance in 52 minutes of action.

Far be it from me to analyze shooting mechanics, but the ball looks great coming out of his hands, and boy does it come out fast. As DJ Zullo pointed out, part of the reason for his super quick release is that Nickel does a nice job getting his feet set as soon as he gets the ball. Between that and his 6'7" height, it’s easy to see the shooting continuing to translate.

But that wasn’t even the most impressive thing about his early showing. Defensively, the 47th overall pick looks like he can hold his own. Again, credit to DJ for pointing out both Nickel’s high motor and his penchant for chase down blocks. Watching in person, I saw a guy who should be able to survive on that end of the floor, at least against opposing backup units (although you gotta clean up those backdoor cuts, my guy).

Will it be enough to get him a place on the 15-man roster come October? Don’t bet on that, according to Stefan Bondy:

Despite his promise, Nickel is unlikely to command a standard contract for the defending champs. He’s a candidate for a two-way deal, though, and that should all be sorted out during training camp in late September into October.

We’ll see what happens. Either way, Walt Perrin got himself another notch on the old belt with this pick.

3. Kayil first look, and maybe not the last?

New York’s first second rounder, German combo guard Jack Kayil, made his debut on Saturday after sitting out the Nets game to get acclimated. He scored a dozen points on 5-of-12 shooting, which made him Jerry West in comparison to most of his teammates. By my eye, the kid looked young but also not out of place. At the very least, it made me want to see more, and it sounds like we will:

After initial reports that Kayil would be a draft and stash candidate, he told the media that his plan is to play in the NBA next season but that it would ultimately be up to the Knicks. Bondy indicates he might get his wish. My guess is that he’d get one of New York’s two-way deals, especially if that’s the route they’re going to go with Nickel, but we’ll see what happens come training camp.

One guy who I would be very OK not seeing on another two-way is Dillon Jones, who frankly looked like he’d rather be watching soccer than playing in Saturday’s game. That was especially disappointing after head coach T.J. Saint specifically called out Jones along with Diawara and Dadiet to show up with a better effort against San Antonio after Friday’s dud. I didn’t see it.

4. Andre Drummond is a large human

I don’t care how many times you’ve watched Andre Drummond on television. Until you see him up close and in person, you can’t fully understand how huge he is, even in the company of other very sizable individuals.

That was a secondary takeaway though, behind the fact that Drummond showed up at all. On a weekend when Mikal Bridges, Tyler Kolek and Deuce McBride were the only other current Knicks to support the summer kids from the sideline, it was really cool to see Drummond make an appearance on Saturday. He joined the Knicks’ contingent of Leon Rose, Worldwide Wes, Mike Brown, Walt Perrin and new friend of the pod Allan Houston, along with a few notable Knick dads.

I’m feeling increasingly bullish on the Drummond experiment the more I think about it.

5. Unfinished business

About those dads…

I found it symbolic that the two fathers of current players to make an appearance this weekend were Karl Towns Sr. and Walt McBride, whose sons just so happen to be the most notable Knicks up for an extension, albeit in very different situations.

For Towns, it’s about how much less than the max he’s willing to take. I spoke with The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski last week, and while he hadn’t heard specifically about KAT’s willingness to take a discount, he thought it likely that he might follow in his All-Star teammate’s footsteps.

That decision could directly impact Deuce McBride, who has been eligible to sign an extension since December and is still looking for his first major NBA payday. At this point, it’s an unsafe assumption to presume the Knicks are ever going to cross the second apron under James Dolan. That means continued frugality around the margins.

Which begs the question: is there a happy medium between what Deuce (deservedly) is seeking and what the front office is able and/or willing to pay? Looking at the free agent landscape this summer, if I was Deuce’s agent, I’d point out that Kelly Oubre Jr, Kevin Huerter, Keon Ellis, Collin Sexton and Dean Wade all received between $8.2 and $9.7 million annually. None of those players are perfect comps for McBride, but they’re all (at best) 7th men on a contending team, and some probably closer to 9th or 10th men. We know McBride just played the role of a 6th/7th/8th man on a title team, and did so fighting through an injury that continued impacting his shot even after he returned to the court. Those contracts should be his absolute floor.

I had a chance to speak to Deuce’s dad briefly on Saturday, and can say with confidence that the McBride family would love nothing more than to make New York their long term home. As the (now) longest tenured Knick, I hope the front office makes him a real offer (3 years, $33 million, perhaps?) to keep him in blue and orange through his 30th birthday.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

News & Notes

Welcome back Jordan!

In a move that has been expected for quite some time, the one and only JC is back for year-two in New York. Like Andre Drummond, this goes down on the books as a $2.45 million veteran minimum signing for cap/apron purposes even though Jordan will get nearly $4 million in his bank account.

The Knicks now have $3.27M in second apron space, and as Jeremy Cohen points out, they can sign a vet (potentially a third big) and have $824K in space remaining or sign a rookie (like Tyler Nickel) and have $1.92 million in space instead. For whatever its worth, if the Knicks swapped out Pacome Dadiet for a vet minimum salary, they should have just enough room under the second apron to sign Nickel as a 15th man. There’s also lots of potential chicanery regarding dipping under the mandatory 14 players for a few weeks during the season, as well as signing a veteran later in the year to a pro-rated contract, but we’ll cross those respective bridges when we come to them.

For right now, we should all be happy to have Clarkson back in the fold. I was a tad concerned there might be a team out there willing to offer him a guaranteed rotation spot, or at least a cleaner path to consistent playing time. As it stands, he’ll be ready to step in should someone ahead of him in the rotation go down or if Mike Brown simply needs a jolt of energy off the bench. It’s worth noting that he appeared in every playoff game save one, so I wouldn’t expect him to stay buried on the bench for long, even if he starts the season on the outside of the fully healthy rotation.

A Knick (Rival) You Knew: Wes Unseld

by Ray Marcano

Until now, the summer “Knick You Knew” series focused exclusively on former Knicks players. But I thought about highlighting team rivals, and Jonathan was all for the idea.

Wes Unseld was the first name that came to mind.

Unseld was an undersized (even for the 1960s) 6’7 center who couldn’t jump much and wasn’t terribly fast. But he was a brick of a human at (a listed) 245 pounds who was renowned as the strongest man in the NBA. Willis Reed once said of Unseld, “You always wanted to make sure you had a good night’s sleep when you played against him.”

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Top 5 Questions for Knicks Summer League

For an organization that hasn’t exactly been swimming in high end young talent over the last few decades, the Knicks have represented themselves quite well over the 23-year existence of the Las Vegas Summer League.

Aside from boasting 2007 Summer League MVP Nate Robinson, New York has had six entrants on the All-Summer League 1st Team1 and five onto the 2nd Team2. In 2022, the Knicks even made it to the championship game, but lost to the Trail Blazers despite 19 points from Quentin Grimes and 17 from Deuce McBride.

(Consider that another demon exorcised on June 13)

My guess is that this year’s edition won’t be in the running to win the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean the proceedings won’t have any intrigue.

On that note, here are my top 5 questions for this year’s stint in Sin City, which tips off Friday at 6pm against the Brooklyn Nets and continues on Saturday at 6pm against the Spurs:

1. How will Mohammed Diawara look?

A year ago, New York came into Vegas with a far more stacked roster than they do now (relatively speaking, of course). They started Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr, former first rounder MarJon Beauchamp, Philly-bound Ariel Hukporti and the returning Pacome Dadiet while boasting James Nnaji and the immortal Dink Pate off the bench. Despite the presence of all those names, it was an unheralded second round rookie who generated the most buzz.

If you were among the early believers who took those proceedings to heart, take a bow.

The 51st overall pick said all the right things and was brimming with confidence, but it was still a stretch to imagine Mohammed Diawara would make a contribution to an NBA roster anytime soon, let alone a team with title aspirations.

We know what happened next. Diawara appeared in 69 games, including seven starts, and had folks threatening to take out the pitchforks and torches if Mike Brown had the audacity to pull him from the rotation. Those views were at least partially justified. In 634 minutes of action, Mo put up per-36 minute averages of 14 points, 5.3 boards, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal while hitting 37 percent from deep on real volume. When he popped, he really popped.

Despite that burgeoning excitement, Diawara fell out of the rotation in late March when the Knicks got fully healthy and saw only garbage time minutes in the playoffs. Then to the (pleasant) surprise of many, he signed an extremely team friendly deal well before the start of free agency which we learned on Monday contained only two fully guaranteed years. Essentially, the promise Diawara showed landed him a contract that might be given to a high end second rounder in a normal draft. For as good as he was, the marketplace told him he still has much more to prove.

His opportunity starts now. Diawara should have a chance to spearhead the offense, and we know from last season that he won’t be shy. The key for Mo will be to clean up some of the rookie mistakes that ultimately made him a net negative on both sides of the ball. Shot selection, turnovers and staying sound on defense are the three things I’m keeping an eye on.

2. Will Jack Kayil play?

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Congrats to OAKAAK Guerschon Yabusele! According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Yabu agreed to a three-year deal with Panathinaikos that will make him one of the three highest-paid players in Europe. I’m sure he’s going to kill it over there.

Speaking of centers, Kevon Looney signed on with the Lakers for the league minimum. It’ll be interesting to track whether he or Drummond makes a more significant impact next season.

Lastly, tomorrow marks the 15-year anniversary of The Decision, in which LeBron James told the world he’d be taking his talents to South Beach. Some have speculated that he’ll reveal his next team on July 8 as a way to close that loop. Guess we’ll find out by the end of the day.

The Road Not Taken

Within the span of three hours yesterday, two pieces of news hit the presses that collectively served as a perfect capper to the story of the 2026 NBA Champions.

News item No. 1: Cavs guard and one-time Knick target Donovan Mitchell agreed on a four-year, $273 million max extension to remain in Cleveland through the 2030-31 season. The deal includes a $75.5 million player option on the final year, when Mitchell will be 34 years old.

News item No. 2: NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson had a minor surgical procedure on his left wrist/forearm area after playing through discomfort throughout the playoffs. His rehab is expected to last for two months, and he should be ready for the start of training camp.

Of all the thoughts that crossed my mind reading these two reports side by side, the most prominent was a question:

How close did Mitchell come to joining the Knicks four years ago?

Depending on who you believe, the deal was somewhere between the 10-yard line, the 2-yard line, or had crossed the pylon only to be overturned by a penalty flag. Either way, they wanted him. That much we know.

Less certain is what would have happened if they’d gotten him.

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Andre Drummond: A Deep Dive

When you hear the name Andre Drummond in the year of our basketball lord (Jalen Brunson) 2026, what words come to mind?

My answer, when the prospect of him potentially replacing Mitchell Robinson was first floated, went something like this: Old. Slow. Plodding. Occasionally silly.

Did I mention old?

On that last part, the soon-to-be-33-year-old Drummond was actually the third oldest rotation center in the postseason behind Nikola Vučević and Rudy Gobert, but even that’s a little deceiving. Vučević lost his rotation spot by the end of the first round and subsequently signed with Orlando to be the Magic’s third center, while Gobert has played one fewer NBA season than Drummond even though he’s a year older.

For all intents and purposes, among teams who enter next season with real designs on winning the 2027 NBA Championship, Drummond is the OG big man of the lot.

But with age comes wisdom, or so Knicks PR would like you to believe after they doled out the same line about valuing his playoff experience after the signing.

Indeed, Drummond has been to the postseason five times in his career, but prior to this “run” with Philly, his teams had won just one (1) total playoff game in his four previous trips combined. If the Knicks were really pining for playoff experience, they’d have been better served holding out for Kevon Looney - a relative spring chicken at 30 - who has won two titles, played in three Finals, and appeared in nearly as many playoff series in the last 10 years as Drummond has playoff games.

So if playoff experience wasn’t the true deciding factor in this signing, what was? For that answer, we have to look at the history of the center position during the Leon Rose regime.

Since the start of the 2020-21 season, no team in the league has valued a single skill at a single position more than the Knicks have valued rebounding by their centers. I can make arguments about what they’ve valued more between offensive and defensive rebounding, but being able to crash the glass effectively has been a prerequisite for playing time among New York bigs for six years and counting.

The proof for this is overflowing. Last season, 25 centers who appeared in at least 50 games has an offensive rebounding rate above 10 percent. Three (Mitch, KAT and Huk) played for the Knicks. Towns also finished with a defensive rebound rate above 28 for the second consecutive season - a claim which only Domantas Sabonis can share. Before the KAT/Mitch pairing, Isaiah Hartenstein teamed with Robinson to form the best 1-2 rebounding punch in the NBA, with Jericho Sims more than holding his own as a third big. We’ve also seen Precious Achiuwa do high level work on the offensive glass, and before him, Taj Gibson.

Despite those accolades, these players join every other center throughout NBA history in looking up at one man when it comes to dominating the glass:

That’s right…if you go by overall rebound rate (which measures the percentage of rebounds a player grabs), Andre Drummond is the best to ever do it, just ahead of Dennis Rodman. The Worm has him by a hair in offensive rebound rate, but by the numbers, Drummond and Rodman are in a class by themselves since we started measuring these stats in 19701.

Better yet, those same numbers say there’s been little if any drop off in Drummond’s board work from the start of his career until now. Check out the sea of deep orange for both offensive and defensive rebounding rate on Cleaning the Glass:

Why is this so important to the Knicks?

On defense, while they haven’t always been perfect in their half court execution, they’ve consistently finished possessions better than any team in the league. On offense, for as much as they’ve grown by leaps and bounds stylistically, offensive rebounds are often still a deciding factor. Just look at the three game-deciding plays that won Game 1 (Bridges offensive board leading to the go ahead Brunson three), Game 4 (the OG tip in) and Game 5 (the Mitch board) of the NBA Finals.

So yes, for everything else Drummond may not do well (we’re getting there), he’s exceptional at the one thing New York needs him to be great at.

Is there more meat on the bone elsewhere though? For that, we have to go to the third thing noted in that Knicks PR missive: size.

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A Long Time Coming

Six and a half years ago, a few weeks before the 2020 trade deadline, the illustrious Marc Berman of the NY Post wrote a piece imploring the Knicks to explore trading for Detroit’s Andre Drummond.

At that time, Drummond was less than two years removed from his most recent All-Star appearance for the Pistons, and was still just 26 years old. The Mount Vernon product was on his way to a third consecutive season leading the league in rebounds, his seventh straight finishing first in offensive rebounds, and his third time in five years getting a few Defensive Player of the Year votes.

Berman’s two-fold logic went beyond Drummond simply being a good player. First, he was unsure about second-year pro Mitchell Robinson, writing that it was “anyone’s guess whether he will emerge as a true standout.” Second, he thought ‘Dre was their best option as a star center target, but only because they were unlikely to catch the biggest fish. To wit:

As much as the Knicks are monitoring Minnesota’s injured big man, Karl-Anthony Towns of New Jersey, he probably won’t fall into their laps anytime soon.

Turns out, Berman was right. Towns didn’t fall into New York’s lap for another four and a half years, and for as much as Robinson grew as core player for the organization that drafted him, he reached his full potential as a backup on a strict usage plan, not as a full-time starter.

Even so, it’s hard not to chuckle looking back on that article now, with the Knicks signing Drummond to replace Mitch as KAT’s backup on Friday night. Part of the humor comes from the fact that early 2020 was probably the last time Andre could be considered a superior player to Robinson. It’s also the last time an article like this actually struck fear into the hearts of Knicks fans, as Steve Mills would be fired two weeks later in favor of a man who turned out to be far more trustworthy.

And then there’s the money, which is where things really come full circle. Drummond was making $27 million at the time compared to $1.5 million for Robinson1. Now, Mitch is inked to a new three-year, $47.4 million contract, while the two-time All-Star will play on a veteran minimum deal. The reason the Knicks needed to go bargain hunting is because of hefty expenditures elsewhere on the roster, none of which are heftier than Towns, who “fell into their laps” because of his contract more than anything else.

That cost-cutting mandate from James Dolan has already been well-documented, and Ray Marcano has a special guest column below detailing why the situation isn’t as clear cut as we might think. Regardless, no one is going to care about Dolan’s reasons if Drummond can’t be a reasonable facsimile of Robinson, even if that facsimile is still a shell of the guy Berman wrote about in 2020.

I’ll go into a bit more detail on the 2026 version of Drummond tomorrow, but suffice it to say that he was available on the minimum for a reason. New York’s new backup is probably a borderline top-40 big man at this point in his career. He’s not suddenly going to find the fountain of youth, and his success or failure will likely depend on how well the Knicks can maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

That being said (spoiler alert), if the Knicks think Drummond is the answer in April, May and June, they’re asking the wrong questions. This signing is a half measure in no uncertain terms. Even if Drummond is a better player at this point in his career than I’m giving him credit for, the Knicks just added two major questions to their title defense:

Question No. 1: How much will they be impacted by the re-jiggered East? It’s early, and there are still moves to be made, but I find it quite relevant that on my own personal big board, I currently have neither last year’s No. 1 seed or the team that traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo as top-six teams in the conference. The Cavs are currently heavy front-runners for LeBron James. The Celtics made a trade we’re all still wrapping our heads around, but they’re also replacing Brown with a full season of Tatum and adding Mitch and Paul George to a 56-win core. Even if Tyrese Haliburton takes a bit to get his sea legs under him, the Pacers are adding Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre Jr to the roster that won the East in 2025. The Sixers are adding Brown to Tyrese Maxey, year-two VJ Edgecomb, and whatever they get from Joel Embiid, not to mention Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons. The Raptors brought back Kawhi. That’s six right there. Throw in the Magic with a coaching upgrade, and the team the Knicks were down 2-1 to in the first round might suddenly be the 10th seed in the East, with Charlotte on the outside looking in. When you factor in the flattened lottery odds and the new disincentive to tank too hard, the margins will matter more than ever when it comes to getting regular season wins. The Knicks have confidence and continuity on their side, but will also have to battle complacency. We’ll see how well they balance those competing interests over the 82-game marathon.

Question No. 2: Will kicking the can down the road make their life easier or harder? The good news: the Knicks gave themselves until February to find a better answer at the backup five. The bad news: everyone can see the ticking clock above their head. Ultimately, that may not matter nearly as much as the market, which will sort itself out between now and the trade deadline. They also aren’t necessarily limited to answering this question via trade, and its possible a buyout guy unexpectedly shakes free. But whereas Jose Alvarado was seen as something of a luxury item for this stretch run, the perception may be quite a bit different this time around. Whether that makes their life materially harder remains to be seen.

All in all, if you told me two weeks ago that the Knicks would wind up staying under the second apron while bringing back Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Mohamed Diawara (with a strong possibility of retaining Jordan Clarkson) and signing Andre Drummond to replace Mitch, I’d have signed on the dotted line. I’m betting others would have joined me.

So now we wait…to see what else they do to round out the roster, to see how the rest of the East shakes out, and eventually, to see what rotation they entrust with the title defense.

(Writing those words will never get old.)

And now, a bonus Monday column from the one and only Ray Marcano!

Did the Blind Squirrel Find a Nut?

by Ray Marcano

As a fan, I’m furious that Knicks owner James Dolan said the team wouldn’t go into the second apron to keep the team together.

Dolan couldn’t even let fans enjoy the good vibes from the first championship in 53 years. Instead, four days after the Knicks beat San Antonio for the crown, and one day before the Knicks’ first-ever championship parade (the team didn’t have one in 1970 or 1973), he crushed the hopes of fans with the delicacy of a vice grip squashing a grape.

Dolan, the billionaire who oversees an empire, apparently can’t afford a media team to coach him on the right thing to say, which was as simple as this: “We’ll worry about the business stuff later. We just won and have a parade tomorrow so let us enjoy that first.”

Instead, we had our hopes crushed and watched our guy, Mitchell Robinson, sign with the hated Celtics.

If Dolan has the temerity to show up at this Fall’s ring ceremony at the Garden, he will be booed more viciously than the adult who grabs a foul ball from a child.

The fan is me is pissed, especially given how the Knicks have exploded in valuation. According to the Basketball Network, Dolan has a personal net worth of $2 billion, and although that makes him one the poorest owners in the NBA, the team could surpass an $8 billion valuation, and the Knicks generated an extra $145 million during their playoff run.

The Madison Square Garden Sports Corp, Dolan’s company, can afford the extra tax for a chance to win it all again, the fan in me says.

But the MBA/economics minor in me think Dolan’s right.

I don’t think he’s right about the second apron because the penalties are only severe for repeat offenders.

But I think he knows the team can’t repeat some of the awful decisions that hampered front offices past and held back the franchise.

Shandon Anderson (6 years, $42 million), Jerome James (5 years, $30 million) and (gasp!) Joakim Noah (4 years, $72 million) are just some of the names signed to obscene contracts under the theory they could help the team win. Instead, all they did was clog the cap.

As Jonathan noted last week, giving the injury-plagued Mitch Robinson a three-year deal might not be the smartest move. We love Mitch, but at what cost?

Cost is paramount in any business, as it is at MSG. I was going to dig into its tax records, but KFS alum Vivek Dadhania saved me the effort. His entire ‘X’ thread is worth a read because it dives deep into the cost of resigning Mitch. Here’s one number: sign Mitch and the luxury tax would have jumped to $98M. That’s a number that would make any shareholder squirm.

This departure seems extra painful because we let go of Mitchell Robinson. Fans weren’t quite as upset when Isaiah Hartenstein, who does some things on the court better than Mitch, left for more money in Oklahoma City.

But Mitch is different. He was the longest tenured player who bridged the terrible (17-65 in his 2018-19 rookie season) with the triumphant. He’s the player the coaching staff developed into one of the league’s best offensive rebounders. He’s the player the crowds cheered for if he made just one out of two free throws (or clapped with encouragement when he missed both).

There are other factors.

The Knicks front office has likely run a bunch of simulations to show how many games the Knicks would win if they replaced Mitch with someone like Andre Drummond (welcome Andre). I ran a quick simulation and it makes sense. Drummond’s health gives the Knicks a more reliable win outcome (53-55), while Robinson’s health and game management issues leave open a wider range of possibilities. The front office has more sophisticated tools and knows this.

And for anyone arguing that regular season production still matters, the playoffs did them no favors. The team finished third in the in East with 53 wins - the sixth most in the NBA - and still won the championship. They showed that finishing first isn’t nearly as important as peaking at the right time. Between the beginning of the season, the trade deadline and waivers, there are plenty of chances to peak…

…though they won’t do this as well (1:20 mark)

Dolan isn’t guilty of making a bad business decision or being indifference towards his team. He is guilty of being James Dolan, the owner who for decades was as loathed as Tonya Harding at an etiquette convention. Dolan had one brief moment of forgiveness and threw it all away with a senseless second apron comment.

Dolan handled this in a clumsy manner, and he’s lost any good will earned during the championship.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not right.

Ray Marcano is a long-time journalist who writes for some of the country’s biggest brands and is an award-winning columnist.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We’re now into Day 4 of free agency and the Knicks remain without a backup center. A few options went off the board yesterday - Kenrich Williams is back in OKC and Marvin Bagley III inked a one-year deal with Denver - leaving the Knicks with Kevon Looney, Nick Richards and not much else on the free agent market. On the trade front, Chris Haynes reported that the Knicks have “tried feverishly” to trade for Yves Missi from New Orleans, but those offers have been rejected multiple times as the Pelicans “view Missi as a vital core figure.” The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Oh, and for anyone wondering if the NBA’s all-time leading scorer might be on New York’s radar, Ian Begley shot down that notion before it could gain any real steam.

And now for my favorite time of year: the great Ray Marcano is back for his fifth (!!!) summer writing Friday pieces for the KFS Newsletter. For those who don’t know, Ray is long-time journalist who freelances for some of the country’s largest media brands and continues to be kind enough to grace us with his musings. The former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, Ray is a a two-time Pulitzer juror, a Fulbright fellow, and two-time reigning best columnist in the state of Ohio (let’s hope the Knicks can follow a similar path to a repeat victory next June). If you like what you see here, you can read his primary publication on Substack, the Bourbon Resource, which is available for free and I cannot recommend strongly enough.

He starts off this summer with a banger…

Where Does OG’s Shot Rank?

by Ray Marcano

When OG Anunoby rose like a Phoenix and scored on a tip-in during Game 4 of the NBA finals, his shot immediately became the greatest in New York Knicks history.

It was better than two shots in the unlikely 1999 playoff run that until now were the best. Allan Houston’s last-second floater stunned Miami and won the first round of the playoffs. Larry Johnson’s four-point play against Indiana gave the Knicks a win against the Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals and helped propel the team to the NBA Finals (where they lost to San Antonio 4-1). Houston No. 1, Johnson No. 2, until the tip.

But where does OG’s shot rank in NBA and NYC sports playoff history?

I didn’t rank these because I figured it would make for a fun summer debate. Every instance listed is a game winner that led to a championship, just like OG’s did. You won’t find Jerry West’s 60-foot, game-tying shot in the 1970 playoffs (Lakers lost), or Gar Heard’s shot that forced a third overtime in Game 5 of the 1976 finals (Suns lost), great as those shots were. I was going to include Bobby Thompson’s Shot Heard 'Round the World in 1951 and Chris Chambliss’ 1976 home run, but the Giants and Yankees didn’t win the World Series in those respective years.

And before we get too far, this will never get old. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched this:

So…which of these moments were better than OG’s?

NBA History

Ray Allen, Game 6, 2013 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio

The Spurs were seconds away from a title when they went up 95-92 with 19 seconds left. LeBron James missed a three with 11.7 seconds to go, Chris Bosh got the rebound and passed to Allen, who drilled an off-balance three pointer to send the game to overtime. Miami would win 103-100 and then take Game 7 for their second-straight crown. Talk about a dagger.

Michael Jordan, Game 6, 1998 NBA Finals vs. Utah.

Everyone remembers the shot. Jordan broke Bryon Russell’s ankles, rose up from the top of the key and scored the basket that led the Bulls to an 87-86 win and their third straight championship. People don’t remember Jordan dominated the last minute of that game, knocking down two free throws with 58 seconds left, beating Russell on a drive with 37 seconds left, stealing the ball from Karl Malone with 20 seconds left and then hitting the shot. All-time clutch.

Kyrie Irving, Game 7, 2016 NBA Finals vs. Golden State

With 54 seconds left and the game tied at 89, Irving out stepped (Stephed?) Curry, juking behind the arc and nailing a three to give the Cavs the lead and their only championship during an amazing run. The Cavs went to the finals four straight years, and the Warriors beat them three times.

Magic Johnson’s baby sky hook, Game 4, 1987 NBA Finals vs Boston

Fans, players and coaches knew what was coming because Magic loved that move where he would cut across the lane and float that little baby hook. They knew but couldn’t stop it, much like I know I can’t stop my wife’s ire after I’ve made a mess in the kitchen. With seven seconds left and the Lakers down 106-105, Magic swooped across the lane and made that hook from 12 feet, giving LA a 3-1 lead in a series they would go on to win in six games.

Bob Pettit’s Championship Tip-In, Game 6, 1958 NBA Finals vs Boston

No, I was not at this game, but I wish I had been because it’s the one play I could find that was OG-like. With 15 seconds left, Pettit crashed the glass and tipped in the ball to give the St. Louis Hawks a three-point cushion. Boston scored once more but it wasn’t enough. Pettit, who scored a then playoff record 50 points, led the Hawks to their only championship. There’s a lot of videos of Pettit scoring but not any that I could find of the tip.

NYC Sports History

Buckner

Here’s the thing about New York sports moments. There are some plays that are so iconic you simply need to say one name.

Buckner.

Don’t need more than that. With two outs in the 10^th and the Mets down 5-4, Mookie Wilson hit a soft ground ball to first that inexplicably went through the wickets of the normally sure handed Bill Bucker. Ray Knight raced home from first in disbelief. The Mets won the game and the World Series. The second-best thing about that play was Vin Scully’s call.

Boone

In the 11^th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS, he took Tim Wakefield deep to send the Yankees to the 2003 World Series, which they would lose in six games to the Marlins. I was watching the game in bed, talking to the copy desk about front page changes when Boone hit that bomb. I had the same reaction Jonathan and Andrew did when the Knicks won the championship. (I’ve also watched that more times than I can count.)

David Tyree’s helmet catch

With just over a minute left Eli Manning escaped the rush (he was nearly sacked), threw it downfield and found Tyree, who leapt and caught the ball one-handed against his helmet. The Giants, down to the New England Patriots 14-10 at the time, drove the field and won the Super Bowl in 2008, 17-14.

Matteau, Matteau, Matteau!

The goal was amazing just like the call from Howie Rose. Stephane Matteau’s double-overtime, wrap-around goal helped the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals, which they won in 1994. They haven’t won it since.

The Catch

If you haven’t seen the science behind this, you should. With the Indians and Giants tied 2-2 in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, Willie May sprinted to dead center to make an unworldly over-the-shoulder catch. Larry Doby was at second base and likely could have scored if he tagged up. Instead, he had to hustle back because Mays had the presence of mind to wheel around and throw the ball back to second. The Indians didn’t score and the Giants won the game in the bottom of the 10^th, on their way to a sweep.

So, is OG number one overall or is there a play on this list (or one that you remember) that should rank higher?

Ray Marcano is a long-time journalist who writes for some of the country’s biggest brands and is an award-winning columnist.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Regardless of how you feel about aprons and the justifiable cost of a backup center, yesterday was a tough day for Knicks fans, or at least as tough as a day can be less than three weeks after winning the chip. The day got a little easier a few hours after that signing was reported, when Boston traded the guy who just finished 6th in MVP voting for a 36-year-old who many feel carries the worst contract in the league. I’m not quite ready to re-assess the East, including Philly’s new place in the pecking order and just how much worse the C’s really got, especially since there are likely more moves on the way.

So for today, let’s pay one last bit of homage to someone who has been in our lives since the Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA. He’s certainly earned it, even more than he’s earned this payday.

Goodbye, Mitch

Why.

Why, of all teams, did it have to be them.

Early yesterday morning, even amidst growing speculation that James Dolan’s second apron mandate wasn’t as hard and fast as we may have initially thought, I had reached a place of peaceful acceptance. Mitchell Robinson was going to get his payday, and that payday was not going to be with the Knicks.

Even so, I’d have eight years of memories to take with me, on top of an NBA championship that Mitch would forever remain an integral part of achieving. If this was the end, it was a great ride. I trusted the front office to come up with a workable replacement. Mitch or no Mitch, we’d figure it out.

But of all the organizations that could have ponied up the money to swipe Robinson away from a suddenly frugal owner, why why why did it have to be the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics, who made it their top priority to neutralize Robinson during their 2025 playoff series - futilely, as it turned out - and found out first hand just how significant his impact could be.

The Boston Celtics, who faked it with Neemias Queta until they made it to the postseason, when they learned the hard way that minimum salary players are usually paid that way for a reason.

The Boston Celtics, who have faced the Knicks in the playoffs 15 times - the second most frequent postseason matchup in NBA history behind only Boston and Philly - and will once again be a threat in the east, even after making a borderline inexplicable trade last night.

The Boston Celtics, who will now almost certainly be the Knicks’ opponent on ring night, when their new center will admire his fresh piece of jewelry before walking out to center court for the opening tip of the 2026-27 NBA season against his former teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns.

The goddamn Boston Celtics.

It’s almost as if the basketball gods thought up the bitterest possible pill for Knicks fans to swallow as they basked in the afterglow of a title. Mitch leaving for their oldest rival doesn’t wipe away the championship vibes, but it does leave us with a few significant questions.

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Please note: I went to bed at 11:30 pm before scheduling the newsletter you’re about to read, so if anything went down after midnight, you’ll have to read about it tomorrow.

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A Whole Lotta’ Nothin

Day one of NBA free agency is in the books, and other than LeBron James making official what the Lakers already put in motion last summer, it came and went with a whimper.

Yes, we had one mega-trade earlier in the day, with the Clippers sending Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto for a hefty package centered around Brandon Ingram and picks, but that was essentially it for fireworks. Where free agency was concerned, none of the most prominent guys signed on the dotted line, and there remains a great deal of uncertainty with several contending teams across the league.

As for the Knicks, the most notable event involving them was the release of the NBA Cup groupings, and as luck would have it, New York headlines the Group of Death:

Consider me unsurprised that the league wants to put the Knicks in as many high leverage games as humanly possible. Honestly, it’s hard to blame them.

As for whether New York will return their full roster to defend both the NBA Cup and the NBA Championship, that’s up in the air. Along with the rest of the most notable unrestricted and restricted free agent targets, Mitchell Robinson’s future remains undecided. There were, however, a few signings and reports that provided insight on what his market might be:

• According to Marc Stein, “the growing anticipation league-wide” is that the Lakers will sign Raptors’ free agent center Sandro Mamukelashvili “while still pursuing their top summer target: Utah restricted free agent Walker Kessler.” LA is one of three cap space teams, along with Brooklyn and Chicago, and they had been rumored as a potential landing spot for Mitch. Would they pivot to Robinson if prying Kessler from Utah proves untenable? Kessler, meanwhile, “holds multiple offers in the mid to high 30’s annually” according to Tony Jones.

• The Jalen Duren situation in Detroit remains unresolved, with one report saying he will seek a sign and trade to Sacramento (who was rumored to be a Mitch suitor) and others saying the Pistons will match any offer sheet for his services.

• Speaking of the Kings, they brought back Precious Achiuwa on a two-year, $11.5 million deal.

• Robert Williams - long viewed as a similar archetype to Mitch - got three years and $44 million to return to Portland, where he will (barring a trade) continue to back up Donovan Clingan. Only the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed.

• Kristaps Porzingis is staying in Golden State for two years and $40 million, although only $3 million is guaranteed for the second season.

• Zach Collins is back to the Bulls on a two-year, $17 million extension.

• Last but certainly not least, in perhaps the most surprising dollar figure of the day, Jock Landale inked a one-year, $14 million deal to return to the Hawks.

The moral of the story: as the league trends towards skilled size, decent centers are in as high a demand as ever. That said, free agency has always been a game of musical chairs, and someone is usually left standing when the music stops. Where Mitch is concerned, the Nets still loom even after inking Day'Ron Sharpe to a new two-year $20 million contract yesterday (and spending some of their cap room on a two-year, $18 million deal for Keon Ellis). Nearly half the league has access to their full non-taxpayer $15 million midlevel exception, but few if any of those teams look primed to spend that amount on Robinson. Detroit certainly bears watching, but this Duren thing seems like it may take a while. Between that and the Lakers’ reported pursuit of Kesser, I wonder if Mitch will be waiting around a while for his big offer.

Unless, of course, that offer come from the Knicks.

Earlier in the day, Ian Begley noted that “maybe [James] Dolan is willing to go into the second apron for Robinson this season if he can get out of it next year,” referencing the Craig Carton interview that alluded to Robinson’s return being dependent on Karl-Anthony Towns signing a discounted extension. I guess the door remains open a crack, at least for now.

The far clearer takeaway from day one of free agency is that the Knicks got themselves one hell of a bargain with Landry Shamet.

Between Ellis, Dean Wade (four years, $39 million with Philly), Luke Kennard (to the Suns for two years and $13 million, with a player option on year-two) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (a portion of the full midlevel that is slightly higher than the taxpayer MLE amount, for one year), a whole bunch of players who aren’t as good as Landry Shamet got paid more in annual money than Landry Shamet. Good on him for wanting to stay and help the Knicks defend their crown.

And that, really, is about it. I’d like to hold off on assessing the Raptors as potential threats in the East until we see what other moves they have in store, because as of right now, it still seems like their lack of outside shooting is a major impediment. Like everyone else, I’m fascinated by the Jaylen Brown stuff in Boston, and wonder how much that domino is holding up other matters around the league (along with LeBron and the big restricted free agent centers). It feels like that’s a situation in need of resolving.

Not that that’s any of our concern.

They say heavy is the head that wears the crown, but it certainly doesn’t feel like that right now. Watching other teams scramble to get to the place the Knicks currently hold residence is pretty fun, I’m not gonna lie.

If only every free agency period could feel like this.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Shamet’s Back!

Early yesterday, before news hit that Landry Shamet would be returning to the Knicks on a four-year, $24 million deal, I was thinking about another under-appreciated bench wing who found his home in New York after a long and winding NBA career.

If you want to impress your Knick fan friends at a BBQ this summer, ask them to name the very first free agent signing of the Leon Rose era. My guess is most of them won’t land on Alec Burks, who Rose inked for one year and $6 million - the same annual value as Shamet’s new contract, funny enough - on November 22, 20201.

At the time, no one thought much of the deal. Burks was anything but a sexy name, having bounced around between five teams over the previous two seasons. Pop open the hood though, and this was a player who brought pedigree (a former lotto pick), size (6'5"), versatility (could play either wing spot while moonlighting as a combo guard), shooting (36.4 percent career mark from deep; 38.5 percent the prior year) and was arguably in the midst of his prime entering his age-29 season. Sure enough, Burks became a vital component of the #WeHere Knicks, capped off by 27 points on 13 shots in a thrilling Game 1 against the Hawks.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but getting Burks was a sign of things to come for a regime that has made their bones nailing signings around and between the margins. After Burks, we got Taj on multiple minimums, I-Hart for two years and $16 million, Donte on the midlevel, Deuce on his current bargain contract, Cam Payne on the minimum, Jordan Clarkson on the minimum, and of course, Landry Shamet on consecutive non-guaranteed contracts.

There is a downside to being so good at this part of the job though. After a player outperforms their initial deal, other teams with deeper pockets will come calling. As we saw with Alec Burks, that often puts the incumbent front office in a bind. Leon Rose re-signed Burks on a multi-year deal that needed to be dumped a year later, and in the process, learned a valuable lesson. No matter how vital a player (and especially a role player) feels in the moment, there’s always a price point that is irresponsible to exceed to bring them back.

Which brings us back to Landry Shamet. Much like with Burks, the front office identified Shamet as an asset who perhaps hadn’t found the ideal situation. A career 38.4 percent 3-point shooter when he initially signed with the Knicks, everyone knew Landry was a floor spacer who could operate off movement, and that he brought decent size, toughness, and some degree of positional versatility. At the same time, there were also questions about his defense and consistency which explained why he could be had on such a cheap deal.

To his credit, Shamet turned himself into a much more consistent defender over the last two years, getting to a place where he was arguably the best option guarding Donovan Mitchell in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals. He also went from a player whose efficiency numbers felt like empty calories to one who could be counted on to take the biggest shots at the biggest moments of massive games. That he made this change while overcoming not one but two season-threatening shoulder injuries is a testament to everything he’s about, and thus, everything he means to this locker room.

For that reason, while it was easy to make an on-paper argument that Shamet would be easier to replace than Mitchell Robinson, the reality was more complicated. That decision was ultimately made very easy for Leon Rose, because as is so often the case in life and the NBA, answers can be found by following the money.

At an average annual value of $6 million per season, Shamet will make less than the taxpayer midlevel exception in each year of this deal. Put another way, he will count for less than three percent of the $222 million second apron threshold the Knicks are seemingly mandated to stay below. That’s incredible value for someone who was probably their sixth or seventh most important player during this postseason.

It’s also less than he could have gotten on the open market, as several reports indicated in the immediate aftermath of the signing. This, as much as anything, is the benefit of being reigning world champions in the greatest city in the world. If ever there was a situation where someone like Shamet, who had less than $33 million in career earnings before yesterday, would take a haircut to remain with his incumbent team, this was it. It probably doesn’t hurt that he has the full faith of head coach Mike Brown, who increasingly treated Shamet like a security blanket as the season went on. In re-signing with the Knicks, Shamet not only gets financial security, but the security of knowing he’ll continue to play a major role on a contending team as well.

In a perfect world, this signing would engender nothing but celebration, but alas, there is a flip side to this coin. Shamet being willing to re-sign on a discount is only half the story, with Mitchell Robinson’s presumably frothy market being the other half. Given the owner’s statements and all of the available reporting on the matter, Shamet’s contract may be the final nail in the coffin for Robinson’s Knick career (with one possible caveat we’ll get to shortly).

A part of me is curious about who the Knicks would have picked if, say, Mitch was willing to settle for something around $8-9 million next season, but that number feels considerably less than what he’ll wind up earning. I guess we’ll see. Either way, I’m not going to shovel any dirt on the Mitchell Robinson era until he officially signs elsewhere. If and when that happens, we’ll pay the appropriate respect at that time.

In the meantime, Shamet’s new deal does raise several obvious questions. Here are my top 6:

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As for the rest of the title-winning bench, much is still up in the air ahead of tomorrow’s 6pm opening of free agency, starting with the biggest Knick question mark - both literally and figuratively…

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Money Mitch’s Last Stand?

Steph Curry. Draymond Green. Joel Embiid. Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray. Devin Booker. Bam Adebayo. Jayson Tatum. And for the moment, Jaylen Brown.

Nine names, all current or former All-Stars, most who are likely to make the Hall-of-Fame.

That’s the entire list of current players who have played more consecutive seasons with the team that drafted them than Mitchell Robinson1.

That’s the same Mitchell Robinson who was selected 36th overall in one of the most ballyhooed drafts in recent NBA history. It is the same Mitchell Robinson who is the only one of the 60 players picked on June 21, 2018 that is still with the team they started their career with.

It is the same Mitchell Robinson who, as of this moment, joins the Captain, Willis Reed, and the Senator from New Jersey, Bill Bradley, as the only Knicks in history who played at least eight years in the NBA and never played for another team.

Is Mitch likely to finish his career in New York even if he re-signs this summer?Probably not. Fewer than 50 players ever have retired after spending an entire career of 10 or more seasons with one team. Only three - Udonis Haslem, Nick Collison and Jeff Foster - are role players from this century. Put another way, if you play in the NBA, it’s about four times more likely that you’ll make the Hall-of-Fame than spend your entire career with one team.

Which is all the more reason why James Dolan’s current position hurts so damn much.

I still remember draft night in 2018, and how Mitchell Robinson was an afterthought.

An exciting afterthought, but an afterthought nonetheless.

Yes, he’d been a McDonalds All American, but given his winding road from high school to the pros, it was more likely he’d never make a #meaningful contribution to a winning team than that he’d have a long and prosperous NBA career. That was in part because of how he ducked out of college without ever giving it a real chance, but it was mostly because the team that drafted him was an utter disaster.

To wit: New York’s biggest reason for hope was sitting on the bench recovering from a torn ACL. The highest paid player2 was nothing more than salary flotsam in the Carmelo Anthony trade - the tax for getting the pick that became Mitchell Robinson. The second highest paid player was told to go home and enjoy a year-long paid vacation from his couch, one year before they would stretch out the final year of his contract3. The third highest paid player was one year removed from signing the most pilloried offer sheet in modern NBA history, and was four months away from being salary dumped for a bag full of magic beans4.

This was the setting that Kevin Knox walked into, fresh off a sterling stint in Las Vegas that ended with his inclusion on the All-Summer League 1st Team. He was the leading story on draft night, making us hope against hope that Scott Perry and Steve Mills were geniuses after all. Robinson? He had some enticing moments in Vegas, but also looked the part of someone who was light years away from contributing. Could he stay grounded on a pump fake? Mitch finished his first summer league first in blocks, but also first in total personal fouls. Clearly, this was going to be a process.

Robinson was one of 23 players who would put on a Knick uniform that season, six more than the number of wins New York would accumulate. Only four of those players remain in the league today: Robinson, Luke Kornet, DeAndre Jordan and Tim Hardaway Jr. Jordan and THJ are minimum salary players, while Mitch and Luke are (as of now) respective backups for the 2026 NBA Finalists. Funny how things work out sometimes.

Think about that journey. Some guys get drafted high despite a lack of talent, usually because they check all of the other boxes. Robinson was the opposite, arguably falling as low as anyone with his physical tools and abilities was ever going to. There were no shortage of questions at the start of his career, all centering about whether he could nail the professional part of “professional athlete.” He then had to find the answers to all of those questions amidst an environment that was, shall we say, less than ideal.

Those answers haven’t always been perfect. His social media dossier over the years speaks for itself. He’s never successfully addressed his free throw shooting. Oh, and we still don’t know how he broke his hand before the most important series of his life.

At the same time, Robinson has proven himself to be one of the most dependable, consistent Knicks of my lifetime. He gives 110 percent whenever he’s on the court. Despite the fact that most view him as a capable starting center, he’s been surpassed for a starting spot no less than four times in his Knick career5. He isn’t bitter about that fact, or if he is, he does a great job of hiding it.

He is beloved by teammates, fans, and coaches. He is the rare athlete who has no filter, and yet it only endears him more to those around him. Most importantly, in a league filled with the best players on the planet, he is perhaps the one man for whom no game plan can stop.

“No rebounds, no rings” feels old fashioned in 2026, and yet I’ll give you one guess which team just led the playoffs in rebound rate.

Mitch? His 6.7 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes is the highest rate in NBA postseason history. Moses Malone, Dennis Rodman, Steven Adams…none of them top 5.0. Robinson is quite literally in a league of his own. Josh Hart may get rebounds that break teams, but Mitchell Robinson gets rebounds that win series.

And now, a championship.

I can sit here and make an argument as to why paying Robinson’s next contract is bad business. It might be. The health, the free throws, the second apron, the fact that he will be 29 when the 2027 playoffs begin and the aging curve for big men can be unforgiving even when they don’t have his injury history. It’s a lot.

On top of all that, every ounce of data from the past two years points to one man being the skeleton key that unlocks the best version of the Knicks on both ends of the court, and it just so happens to be the guy who starts at Robinson’s position. New York would never be foolish enough to invest more than a minuscule portion of the salary cap to Jalen Brunson’s backup. Why should KAT’s backup be any different?

And yet I cannot for the life of me willingly accept that this it for Mitch as a New York Knick. If the money or the years get nuts because some team is desperate enough to give him the biggest payday of his career? I’d understand letting him walk in those circumstances. The one thing the front office can’t do is saddle themselves with an albatross on the books, and Robinson is not above becoming that, not with his injury history.

But if the ask is reasonable, and the front office deems it in the team’s best interest to bring him back? To lose him because the owner who spent like a drunken sailor in the past has now suddenly found religion would be a goddamn shame.

So consider this my final plea to anyone out there who might have a modicum of influence on this situation. Put the decision in Leon Rose’s hands. They are more than capable. As for the money, I walked into MSG on parade day and spent $310 on three hats and two t-shirts that probably cost a combined $8.72 to produce. Jim, I get that you have a responsibility to your shareholders, but you know what would make you a god among men to them and everyone else around Adam Silver’s NBA? Being the guy in charge of the team to break the no repeat streak. I’m sure there’s someone in your design department who can finagle “NY, NY” and “Back to Back” into a dynamite logo.

I really hope this isn’t the end, and if it is, I really hope it isn’t for these reasons.

Whatever happens, long live Money Mitch, who is already an all-time Knick even if he never plays another home game at Madison Square Garden.

Thanks for giving us something to believe in when everything else wasn’t worth a damn.

And of course, we’ll always have the D train.

Berman, relax.

Relax.

RELAX.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Leon’s Choice

Much like it took well over a week for it to sink in that the Knicks were NBA champions (and no, it still hasn’t really sunk in), it’s taken just as long for me to accept the fact that the same squad likely won’t be back next year.

I’ve seen several theories posited regarding James Dolan’s public comments on staying below the second apron and the subsequent reporting surrounding the matter. Many have pointed out that the beat reporters seem to be echoing the frustrations of the front office, making it clear that this is a mandate from ownership and not a decision made by Leon Rose and his staff. I’ve read other theories that this is all posturing by the Knicks, and this stance is being used for negotiating purposes only. Someone even pitched that Dolan is hanging this over the players’ heads to persuade them to make good on his White House promise1.

Going into the draft, I decided to put conspiracy theories aside and take the owner at his word…and this was before Steph Bondy’s tweet last night that offered the strongest confirmation yet that this second apron avoidance was very, very real:

While this certainly paints a gloomy picture regarding Money Mitch’s chances to be back in blue and orange, I’ve learned to never say never, at least not until the ink is dry on someone’s contract.

With that spirit in mind, I’d like to end the week by looking at a world where the Knicks get to pick their poison and select only one of Mitch or Landry to return to New York - “Leon’s Choice,” if you will - and go through several factors that might play into that decision, starting with potential replacements that already exist on the roster.

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Knicks ‘26 Draft: Round One Review

Let’s get the trades out of the way first before we talk about the newest Knicks:

• Just before the draft started, the Knicks traded the 31st and 55th picks to the Houston Rockets for the 39th and 53rd picks, as well as a juicy 2029 Kings second-rounder.

• After selecting Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso with the 53rd pick, they dealt him to Detroit (who earlier in the night traded Isaiah Stewart to Memphis) for cash considerations.

• And just to close the loop on the trades from night one of the draft, New York picked up 2029 and 2033 seconds from the Phoenix Suns and 2030 and 2032 seconds from the Dallas Mavericks, as well as the draft rights to three players who will play in the NBA around the same time that I do.

As for who the Knicks wound up with on night two, say hello to…

Jack Kayil, 20 y/o 6'3" combo guard from Germany

Per Sam Vecenie’s draft guide, Kayil is a “jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none” who he ranked as his No. 41 overall prospect coming into the draft. That description seems to be apt, as Kayil does a lot of things well despite a lack of explosiveness.

If you want to be tantalized, have a gander at this tape:

The most notable thing about Kayil at this point is that he said last night he planned on coming over to the states next season. That’s notable on a few fronts that are in conflict with one another at first glance.

On one front, the Knicks are loaded at the point/combo guard position, with Jose seemingly set to return and Kolek on a contract that will pay him less than the minimum for a 2+ year vet. On another front, one would assume that if the Knicks made this pick and plan to roster Kayil, they’re confident he’ll sign for the league minimum for players with no NBA experience, buying them valuable breathing under the second apron in the process. We’ll see if it shakes out that way.

As for the other pick…

Tyler Nickel, 22 y/o 6’6” wing from Vanderbilt

Dubbed the best shooter in the draft by some, the book on Nickel seems simple enough: if he can learn to defend at an NBA level, he might be a steal.

Nickel is a shooting threat in just about every way someone can be a shooting threat, and he has nice size. As Vecenie writes, Nickel “seems to care on defense and take pride in his effort. Makes the right rotations and knows where he’s supposed to go.” That seems like a good sign, as do the (reasonable) ceiling comps to the likes of Sam Merril and Sam Hauser.

Like Kayil, I’d assume that if Nickel signs an NBA deal, it’ll be for the lowest possible amount for a second round rookie.

Cap Considerations / Mitch / Second Apron

I find it fascinating that at 53, they drafted a guy who profiles as an ideal Knick center given what New York has traditionally prioritized at that position during the Leon Rose era…and then traded him to Detroit for cash.

Does that sound like the move of a team that is prepared to lose their backup center, or at the very least, is nervous about how they’ll replace Mitchell Robinson should he leave? Not so much.

Regardless, the Knicks did not come out of this draft with a big man despite having multiple opportunities to draft one (UNC center Henri Veesar also lasted until pick 52).

While we’re on the topic of money, some quick accounting. If you add up the salaries of the five starters (about $192 million), Deuce and Alvarado (about $8 million), Kayil and Nickel, assuming they take the absolute least amount possible ($2.7 million), Kolek ($2.2 million), Mohamed Diawara, assuming he didn’t sign for the taxpayer midlevel ($2.2 million), and then one 2+ year vet minimum ($2.45 million), that gets them to $209.7 million for 12 roster spots, which is $12.3 million below the $222 million second apron. You need to fill 14 spots, although there are ways to duck that number intermittently throughout the season.

Putting that aside, $12.3 million is a decent amount of wiggle room. I haven’t mentioned the name Pacome Dadiet, who is set to make $2.9 million next season. If they move him and sign another 2+ year vet minimum in his place, that gets them to nearly $10 million in space for the 14th guy. That should be more than enough to sign Landry Shamet, and maybe even enough to make Mitchell Robinson a competitive offer. I still don’t see any world where they can make a run at both.

I cannot emphasize enough: there is still a lot up in the air, including whether their two rookies sign NBA deals and what those deals look like, what happens with Dadiet (or for that matter Deuce McBride, who some have speculated as a trade candidate), what are the final details on Mo’s new deal, and of course, what sort of offers come through the door for Shamet and Mitch.

As of right now though, I’d bet on one of Shamet or Robinson coming back, which would be a significant silver lining for anyone frustrated that New York didn’t come out of this draft with at least one top(ish) line prospect.

Stay tuned. The offseason is just warming up.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Knicks ‘26 Draft: Round One Review

Before we get to the “why,” let’s start with the “what”:

• While on the clock for the 24th pick, the Knicks traded down one spot to the Lakers, picking up the 25th pick and cash. The thinking at the time was that they would save a few dollars on the rookie scale contract for their selection. Little did we know, however, that….

• With the 25th pick, the Knicks selected Spanish combo guard Sergio de Larrea. This was followed immediately by reports that the Knicks would stash de Larrea overseas next season to avoid having to pay him next season, thus giving them even more financial wiggle room in the process. Turns out, de Larrea was only a Knick for about a half an hour, because…

• The Knicks traded his rights to the Dallas Mavericks for the 30th pick, Koa Peat, and two second rounders. Peat didn’t even get to put on a Knicks hat though, as moments later…

• New York shipped him off to Phoenix for three second rounders, one of which is the 47th pick in today’s second round. And finally…

• Per Shams, the Knicks “have already received offers of future draft assets for No. 31 and intend to move the pick prior to the start of night two of the Draft.”

In summation, what started as the 24th pick in the draft has now turned into five second round picks, the quality of which were not yet known at the time I hit send on this here newsletter. If they indeed flip 31 before tonight’s continuation of the draft, they’ll add even more future assets to that stockpile.

From this series of moves, we can make a couple of statements:

Brock Gonna Brock

No one is better at getting maximum value out of an unwanted asset than the Knicks front office. This is what New York has always done, and this is what they will continue to do, especially now with financial constraints hanging over their heads.

To their credit, this strategy has served them well. They’ve utilized second rounders in countless deals over the years and want to keep those coffers stocked. Last night’s series of deals accomplishes that.

It also deprives them of an opportunity to get a potentially solid rookie in the door, but this is where we need to trust their evaluation. Does it always work out in their favor? Absolutely not (see: Ajay Mitchell), but as defending NBA champs, they deserve the benefit of the doubt. My guess: the fact that they punted on 24 was an indication that they didn’t view anyone available at that spot as good enough to justify their contract, especially since they already have several young players on the team who have shown enough promise to warrant time next season.

With the position the Knicks are in, it’s hard to justify paying someone more than the minimum not to play, which brings us to statement No. 2…

The Knicks are ducking the second apron

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News & Notes

Welcome back, Mohamed Diawara!

Amidst much speculation that some savvy team would come in with an offer that would force the Knicks into a difficult decision on Diawara, news comes out that he’s coming back. The only question left is the specifics of the deal, and that’s where the devil is in the details.

To get to $10+ million on a multi-year deal, the Knicks can either re-sign Diawara using his non-bird rights, which would mean a four-year deal with an average annual value of at least $2.5 million, or they could give use their taxpayer midlevel exception, which would mean a deal of two years at $5+ million annually. The latter would cap the Knicks at the second apron, which, as we’ll discuss more below, would almost certainly mean saying goodbye to Mitchell Robinson.

Based on the reporting that has already emerged and doing a little digging, I’m assuming Mo is back using non-bird rights, which probably comes as something of a shock to many reading this. How, after all, does a guy at that size and with those tools not attract the attention of at least one team willing to pay him something more than around $2.5 million a season?

I can’t tell you the answer for certain, but I will offer a helpful anecdote someone shared with me last night. In speaking to someone who covers the league, the point was made that even with his surprising season, Diawara wouldn’t be a guarantee to go in the first round if a redraft was held tomorrow. $2.5 million a season is roughly what late first round picks earn. In giving Diawara a new deal using non-bird rights, the Knicks are essentially paying him as if he were a very late first rounder…which is roughly what his performance warrants.

I guess this is a long winded way of saying that for as high as many of us are on Mo, he still has quite a bit more to prove. At least now, he’s guaranteed to make a life-changing amount of money as he continues to work his way up the food chain.

One more bit of Knicks news according to Jake Fischer: Jose Alvarado has agreed to move back the decision date on his player option to June 26, giving the sides more time to work towards a potential contract extension. Good news for those who want Jose back in the fold.

And now for the earthquakes…

Let’s first handle Giannis, who after more than a year (several years?) of trying to nudge his way out of Milwaukee while not looking like he wanted to nudge his way out of Milwaukee, ends up in Miami. The trade package is just about everything the Bucks could have possibly extracted from the Heat, including offloading some additional unwanted money in Bobby Portis (although the Myles Turner contract will still weigh down their books, along with nearly $90 million of dead cap money for Damian Lillard, oof). Still, this can’t feel great for Milwaukee, who after all this drama, will trade away arguably the greatest player in franchise history without getting a true blue chip asset in return.

For the Heat, Pat Riley does manage to land one final big fish. The only question is whether it will be enough to launch Miami back into contention. Putting aside the fact that their bench is now incredibly thin (because I have no doubt the Heat will conjure up a few solid contributors like they always do), I do think the Bam/Giannis pairing makes sense in theory. On offense, Adebayo is inching ever so closer to being a guy you have to guard behind the arc, which is almost a prerequisite at this point for any Antetokounmpo-led offense. Even putting the shooting questions aside, Spo will be able to some funky stuff with the ball. Defensively, they’re going to be a pain in the ass.

Does it vault them to the top of the East though? Assuming they bring Norm Powell back, I certainly wouldn’t discount a top-four regular season finish, but I have to say, I much prefer this outcome to Antetokounmpo landing in Boston. This feels like a team that is good enough to win a playoff series against just about anyone, but I don’t know about three or four. I’m already excited for the first Knicks Heat game next season, which I’m guessing will be in contention for opening night.

As for Boston, there’s been smoke that even if they didn’t land Giannis, Jaylen Brown could still be on the move. We’ll see what happens there, but I have my eye on New Orleans. Stay tuned.

As for the evening’s other big move, after what feels like five years of asking “what exactly is Julius Randle’s trade value?” we got a sad answer late last night. Julius was essentially salary dumped to Brooklyn so the Wolves could make it financially feasible to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu, who they inked to a new nine-figure deal shortly after this trade was announced.

I only wish this trade had happened before I wrote yesterday’s newsletter, because it should 100 percent go down as the final feather in Leon Rose’s cap when considering the championship roster he built. To get Karl-Anthony Towns for what they gave up now looks like nothing short of a masterstroke. Zooming out even further, it’s staggering to think that these guys were the foundation of the team Leon inherited, and he parlayed that into a title. Build a statue on every corner.

For Minnesota, they ultimately ran into the same problem New York did until they landed Towns, which is that for all of his talent, Randle is a tough fit in the modern game, and his role as a prominent piece on a team will always come with some questions that don’t have easy answers. The Wolves ultimately decided that those questions were no longer worth asking at Randle’s price point, and will now move forward with Naz Reid taking his long overdue place in the starting five. I can’t imagine Anthony Edwards is thrilled about the move, especially with the other part of the KAT trade return likely to miss all or most of next season.

Notably, this move likely takes a Mitchell Robinson suitor off the board with Chicago getting Nick Claxton. The Lakers still loom, but the Bulls have long been linked to Mitch, so this is probably a good sign for his chances of returning.

Finally, I feel bad for Julius. He seemed to really like Minnesota and had made a home there with his family. He now returns to his old stomping grounds and gets a chance to be the alpha on a team once again, but it would have been cool to see things work out for him a little differently. Maybe there’s another chapter yet to be written. Here’s hoping there is.

A Knick Fan’s Guide to the NBA Draft

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The Hard Way

Mike Tyson once said that everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Last season, Leon Rose took a hit. Maybe there’s more to his plan than meets the eye, but at the moment, it feels like there’s less. A lot less.

…

Four years.

It’s only been four years since I wrote those words.

Four years is nothing. It’s a presidential term. An Olympic cycle. The time between World Cups. High school.

Four years should not be enough time to take a franchise from NBA purgatory to the Canyon of Heroes, not without an insane amount of lottery luck (hi, San Antonio!) or an existing superstar reaching out and asking if you will accept this rose.

The Knicks? Their highest draft pick they actually rostered over those four years was Pacome Dadiet, taken 25th overall. Their biggest free agent signing was a zero-time All-Star who started 127 games in four years and inked a contract for roughly half of the max…and that deal was instantly, almost universally panned. They traded for a bunch of good players, but only one who had ever made an All-Star team, and he received zero MVP votes over the course of his career.

Not exactly a blueprint for success, let alone the ultimate success imaginable.

And yet here we are, a little more than a week removed from one of the dominant postseason runs in the history of the league, which itself capped a stretch of four years in which the New York Knicks have been arguably the steadiest, sturdiest, most competently run team in the NBA.

Was there more to Leon Rose’s plan than met the eye?

Yeah, I’m thinking there was.

In my defense, I did write that the night of the 2022 NBA Draft would be Leon’s chance to prove my skepticism unfounded, and boy oh boy, did he ever. That much is no longer in doubt.

The only question is how he did it.

It is nothing short of staggering to go back and read some of the concerns I had following the 2021-22 season, which saw the Knicks finish 37-45 and fall from first round playoff host to out of the play-in entirely. Primary among those concerns was that the organization was putting all of their eggs in the “trade for a superstar” basket and forgetting about all of the other nuances of team-building along the way.

How ironic, considering that in the last four years, they’ve completed the most methodical, workmanlike championship roster-building gambit we’ve ever seen.

We didn’t have any inkling that such a future was in the offing though, not back then, when we were collectively fretting about (in no particular order) whether Leon would trade the 11th pick for Malcolm Brogdon, Alec Burks’ recovery from foot surgery, why they weren’t in play for Dejounte Murray, what the plan was for Cam Reddish, how they would navigate the Randle/Obi dynamic, whether they had enough juice to trade up for Jaden Ivey, and of course, would they actually be able to clear enough cap space to lure Leon’s godson from Dallas?

Wilder still is the list of items we concerned ourselves with over the first ~27 months of the Leon era. In texting with my good buddy Alan Sepinwall a few days ago, the name Luca Vildoza came up. You are forgiven if he doesn’t ring a bell considering his tenure with the Knicks consisted of two summer league games. Once upon a time though, his signing was seen as an under-the-radar coup - an “on the margins” signing that might pay big dividends down the road1.

Not so much. Nor were Jared Harper, culture king Theo Pinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Myles Powell, Skal Labissière, James Young (excuse me: former 17th overall pick James Young), Iggy Brazdeikis, da gawd Norvel Pelle, Rokas “surely the Lithuanian Goran Dragic” Jokubaitis, Dwayne Bacon, Luka Šamanić, Danuel House Jr, and of course, Killa Cam himself.

Those were all darts that New York flung at the bullseye before Jalen Brunson arrived. Other fan bases likely would have chuckled if they knew how much consideration we gave to some of these has been’s and never were’s, but we were just happy to have a front office that left no stone unturned as opposed to falling asleep staring at the clouds or quintupling down on any minor win. We knew it would only be a matter of time until this proactivity paid off.

Sure enough, it did, sometimes incrementally, and at other times immensely. For proof of that, look no further than the night they cleared the cap space necessary to sign the eventual 2026 NBA Finals MVP, and the series of moves that allowed that night to unfold as it did.

Way back in November of 2020, almost two years before Jalen Brunson stepped in for the injured Luka Donicic and out-dueled Donovan Mitchell for the first time (although certainly not the last), the Utah Jazz were already feeling the financial pain extending their young superstar.

Because of Mitchell’s impending max deal, they needed to make other moves to ensure their own financial viability as a small market team. To ease that burden, they decided to offload Ed Davis’ expiring contract to a team with cap space. Wouldn’t you know it, but the New York Knicks were all too happy to oblige, taking on Davis in exchange for two future second round picks.

We’ll get back to the second of those incoming picks in a moment, but the first (along with three other second rounders) was used two years later to acquire the draft rights of Jalen Duren from Charlotte, who the Knicks then flipped to Detroit along with their own unwanted money belonging to Kemba Walker. Tacked on to that deal was a future first coming back to the Knicks, which was then spun to Brooklyn in 2024 as part of the Mikal Bridges trade.

But those weren’t all the championship breadcrumbs laid down during Rose’s earliest months on the job.

One night before that Ed Davis trade went down, New York selected Immanuel Quickley 25th overall out of Kentucky. Considering his time with the Knicks and his importance to the completion of the OG Anunoby trade, Quickley may go down as the most important draft pick of Leon’s tenure.

That selection didn’t come in a vacuum though. It was part a trade down that also netted the Knicks the 33rd pick, which they then sent to Minnesota for a future Pistons second rounder.

Fast forward back to draft night 2022, and they were able to send Detroit their pick back in exchange for taking on the expiring contracts of Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel. That pick eventually became James Nnaji, who as luck would have it. the Knicks re-acquired in the 2024 trade bringing them Karl-Anthony Towns.

So that’s two minor moves around the 2020 draft, which gave way to two major moves during the 2022 draft, which tied directly into two cornerstone acquisitions in the 2024 offseason, which brought the Knicks a world championship in 2026.

World domination incoming in the summer of 2028? It can’t be ruled out.

Looking back, it’s actually hard to find a major transaction that wasn’t at least partially enabled by an earlier, smaller move. In the OG trade, the pick New York sent to Toronto along with IQ and RJ was acquired when they slid down from 21 to 25 in the 2021 draft. The player they bypassed, Keon Johnson, has been out of the NBA for a year. The player they took, Quentin Grimes, was the key component of the trade sending Evan Fournier to Detroit for Bojan Bogdanovic and our old friend Mr. Burks. Bogey was then the outgoing salary sent to Brooklyn for - you guessed it - Mikal Bridges. Even the semi-disastrous Cam Reddish trade became semi-useful when he went to Portland in exchange for Josh Hart.

The Reddish trade is also a good reminder that not every decision made by the Rose regime was a good one. Those 2022 draft night trades amounted to a nice bit of business, but they also rendered a final verdict on the bevy of poor 2021 signings. Ditto for Guerschon Yabusele (oof) and Even Fournier, who more or less gave the Knicks what they should have expected, but was still a significant whiff. Draft-wise, New York took other players exactly one spot ahead of Jalen Johnson2, Herb Jones3, Jalen Williams4 and Moussa Diabaté5, did draft Ajay Mitchell and immediately traded him for not very much, and in perhaps Rose’s biggest swing and miss of all, chose Obi Toppin ahead of Tyrese Haliburton. They’ve also gotten unlucky, losing a vital starter in Isaiah Hartenstein to a team with a boatload of “use it or lose it” cap space and a hankering need for toughness and rebounding.

The prior paragraph might seem like a slight, when in fact it’s the biggest reason Leon Rose has been wildly under-appreciated around the league, for two reasons:

1. Everyone screws up. Ousmane Dieng, the guy OKC gave up all those picks for on draft night in 2022? He was dumped at the trade deadline after three and a half wildly uninspiring seasons. The almighty Spurs gifted the Raptors the 2019 title with the most absurd superstar trade of our lifetime. And then just this season, the darling Boston Celtics traded a key bench piece in Anfernee Simons for a backup center who became unplayable in the playoffs. No team is infallible, but as Mike Tyson once said…

2. Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth. The key is how you respond, and despite my fears heading into draft night four years ago, no front office in the league has responded to adversity better than the New York Knicks.

Lost Isaiah Hartenstein and can’t figure out what to do with Julius Randle? Trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.

RJ Barrett fits like a square peg in a round hole, and Immanuel Quickly wants double what you’re willing to pay him to be the best backup guard in the NBA? Make a deal for OG Anunoby.

Didn’t get Donovan Mitchell? Hand the reigns of the team over to Jalen Brunson.

The superstar trade you were waiting for never materialized? Swap those picks for someone you know is going to fit with your core and help everyone else be the best versions of themselves.

And perhaps most impressively of all, the head coach your team sculpted its identity from just couldn’t get you over the hump? Hire someone who retains all the good stuff from Thibs but with all the unpleasant gaps filled in.

They’ve always known when to hold, starting with Julius way back in 2020. They’ve also known when to strike, and viewed other teams undervaluing their players as an opportunity, not a red flag. To varying degrees, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks were all hesitant to commit to five players who comprise the current championship core. I wonder how those teams are feeling today?

And then there’s the flat out home runs. Quickley at 25. Deuce at 36, followed by one of the savviest extensions in the NBA. Diawara at 51. Hell, Huk at 58. Donte for the midlevel. Hartenstein on a deal that ended up being too good. Shamet on not one but two vet minimums. Alvarado for peanuts. Josh Hart - Josh freaking Hart - for a late first and a guy who hasn’t played NBA basketball in 15 months.

Oh, and the guy Bill Simmons just ranked as a top-50 all-time player for four years and $104 million.

About that guy….

It’s tempting to say that Leon stepped in shit when the son of his first client just so happened to blossom into one of the greatest players in the game. To some extent, he did.

But to simplify this title to that extent diminishes the crux of this grand experiment.

The Brunson signing was nothing like, say, Kevin Durant going to Golden State or LeBron James going to [insert team here]. Zero creativity was needed to make the KD/Curry partnership work because Steph is Steph, and a college student with a half decent knowledge of the league can figure out LeBron + shooting = success.

Brunson was different. As Becky Hammon knows all too well, a championship team had never before been built around a small, defensively challenged guard. Leon Rose deserves credit for believing it could be done, but that was the easy part, especially considering their shared history. He really deserves credit for going out and building the damn thing, and doing so almost from scratch.

Go back to the moment Brunson was signed. There was no top-five player on the roster. Or a top-10 player. Or a top-25 player. Or a top-50 one. According to ESPN, RJ Barrett was the highest ranked Knick, checking in at 63. Brunson came in at 67, Randle at 71, and Mitch at 98. Elsewhere around the league, KAT clocked in at 13, Mikal at 49, and OG Anunoby at 75 (one spot ahead of 2026 Walker's Cay Open champion fisherman, Ben Simmons).

Those rankings are made to be derided, but that doesn’t change the perception of these players not long ago.

It isn’t just that a team centered around someone of Brunson’s stature had never won. Virtually every previous champion had a second traditional shot creator. Virtually every previous champion rostered at least one player who had made 1st Team All-NBA. Virtually every previous champion drafted at least one of their stars. Virtually every previous champion wasn’t coached by someone fired multiple times. And no previous champion gave up that many picks for a guy with zero All-Star appearances.

In this very specific sense, Leon Rose is the perfect embodiment of the team he built, and vice versa. Just like it’s no use telling the Knicks the odds when they’re down by 20 or more points in the second half of a game, there was no use telling Leon Rose the odds of building an NBA champion in the manner he did.

Brick, by brick, by blue and orange brick.

309 individual transactions in all6. 309 steps toward City Hall and Alicia Keys and basketball immortality.

Was it easy? Hell no. And why would it be?

This is New York.

We don’t follow roads. We make new ones.

And from now until the end of time, the 2026 New York Knicks will stand as a bright shining example of what is possible with a little faith and a lot of hard work.

So here’s to Leon Rose’s grand plan.

You did it, my man. You really, actually did it.

And no one can take it away from you.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

On a day that started with a 4am alarm for yours truly, it felt like all of New York had descended upon downtown Manhattan by the time the sun came up.

And that was still four hours before the championship parade began.

In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined the sheer volume of Knicks fans that congregated to celebrate this singular achievement. Some got through to the front lines, most (myself included) weren’t quite so lucky, but everyone shared in an unmistakable feeling of accomplishment, admiration and adoration. Our team had scaled the mountaintop, and for that, they would be celebrated appropriately.

So before we get to today’s special missive from the great Ray Marcano, I thought it might be nice to share some of the sights from my experience at the parade. To give you an idea of just how many people were in the area, this was the view in front of me at the intersection of Trinity and Liberty by roughly 7am:

Behind me, someone was smart enough to book a birthday party for their child at this Burger King, or at least I assume they did based on the balloons in the window and the hoard of kids in blue and orange jerseys watching from above:

And then to my left, here’s a group of enterprising New Yorkers atop what I can only assume was a sanitation vehicle:

After several hours in which I moved several inches, me, my friend Bernard and his son Logan tried to locate greener pastures elsewhere and found another throng of onlookers who created some stadium seating for themselves:

I was lucky enough to arrive here just as someone handed this crew a box of doughnuts, which naturally elicited the immediate chant of “Dough-nuts! Dough-nuts!” Better advertising for Dunkin than anything Ben Affleck has done, for sure.

Of course, the celebration wasn’t limited to humans:

I can only assume that Karl-Anthony Towns is the favored Knick of our furry friend, but I did not get a chance to ask for confirmation.

Eventually, I made my way uptown to our parade party at Penn 6, and came across this wall of signs that I quite enjoyed:

Finally, I stopped by Madison Square Garden to grab a few pieces of official Knicks championship merch. As I was waiting in line, I saw my own personal version of Bigfoot, and was luckily able to grab my phone to snap a pic just before the beast wandered back off into the wilderness:

(Honorable mention to most eclectic jersey: Allonzo Trier’s No. 14 right beside Ron Burgandy)

All in all, it was a long and tiring day, but one well worth the expenditure of time and energy. Hearing the City Hall speeches and seeing the players receive their keys (and then react to Alicia Keys) was genuinely moving, topped off by a bar from Jalen Brunson that felt like a lifetime in the making:

"There's a lot of people that have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don't have to say shit to them."

Spoken like a man who let his play over the last two months speak louder and clearer than any Knick in history.

Most Special of Them All?

by Ray Marcano

After OG Anunoby snatched a rebound that clinched a championship, hoisted the ball toward the rafters, and as Jonathan Macri and Andrew Claudio excised 53 years of demons through sobs, I poured a George T. Stagg bourbon that never tasted so good.

For those who have not seen a true Academy Award winning performance:

Later, I wondered whether this championship was more special than 1970 and 1973.

Recency bias plays a part in any analysis, and it’s hard to compare different eras of basketball in a society that’s radically changed in 53 years. Mark Zuckerberg, born in 1984, didn’t launch the first public version of Facebook until 2006, the same year the Twitter (now ‘X’) started. YouTube went public the year before. All of those tools spur community, buzz and discussion that the teams in the 1970s could only dream of.

There was some excitement around the 1970s-era champs, even if it was fairly muted. Forget about the lack of social tools. The NBA, in terms of popularity, was behind the NFL and MLB.

The world-series winning Miracle Mets of 1969, and the “Ya Gotta Believe” underdogs who lost to the powerhouse Oakland A’s in seven games in 1973, were the upstart darlings of New York. The flashy Joe Namath, who wore a double-breasted, long fur coat on the sidelines, was as fashionable as Clyde. Namath was far more brash, and when he guaranteed a Super Bowl win (and did it!) in 1969, he became the face of New York confidence and boldness.

The Knicks? Not so much. Unlike the Mets and Jets, the Knicks were a consistently good team and made the playoffs every year from the 1967-68 to 1974-75 seasons. In the four seasons between 1969-70 and 1972-73, the Knicks went to the finals three times and won two of them. Success can bread some complacency in fans who believe their team will always be that good.

But that was a different time of protectionism and City Hall apathy that crushed excitement like a rock smashing an egg. ABC-TV blacked out home games in 1970 and would only show the 1973 games on tape delay because MSG feared fans would stay home instead of buying tickets. Then-Mayor John Lindsay, the Summer Scrooge, wouldn’t let the team have a parade, and instead sent a congratulatory telegram after the 1970 win. In 1973, Lindsay invited New Yorkers to a celebration in front of City Hall, and an estimated 2,000 fans, roughly the population of Cooperstown (home of the baseball Hall of Fame), showed up. Once again, no parade, which means Thursday was the first time the city has thrown the Knicks a championship parade. Amazing.

I was young in the 70s and had a hard time finding anyone to talk to about the Knicks during either run. Yeah, they won, how nice. But it was a lot of work to find out what happened in the games. There was no Sports Center until 1979, and even the local weekly sports shows like Sports Extra didn’t launch until after the 1973 season. Marv Albert, Bill Mazer and Sal Marchiano only had so much time for highlights during the 11 p.m. news. To read the box scores you needed to buy one of the city’s newspapers, an archaic system given today’s various electronic devises.

Outside of hardcore Knicks fans there wasn’t the palatable excitement that coursed through New Yorkers’ veins like yesterday. People that aren’t big fans (like my wife) were captivated by the 2026 Knicks. They wanted to talk about the team even if all they knew was Jalen Brunson. This team had that unidentifiable quality that captivated non-fans. Unlike the 70s, I had people congratulating me, as if I did something to do with the success.

From excitement came emotion not seen since the famous Willis Reed game, when he limped on to the court in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970, hit his first two jumpers, and provided the lift the Knicks needed. I’ve written before that I thought my transistor radio was on the fritz when I heard nothing but static as Reed exited the tunnel. That wasn’t static, but the roar of the Garden crowd that sustained the energy through the end of the game.

But that moment has now been replaced in Knicks lore by “The Tip.” As Jonathan noted, the off the charts degree of difficulty made it unlikely OG would guide the ball in the basket. When he did, the Garden crowd was so loud I thought we would experience a rare man-made earthquake.

The 2026 Knicks didn’t need a single moment (though they got one). From the start of every game, Madison Square Garden was as alive as Carnival in Trinadad and Tobago. The energy could have powered a small country.

The fans took that emotion on the road and created a spectacle that was, until now, unheard of in professional basketball. Baseball fans are used to the dreaded Yankees’ faithful descending upon their stadiums. But when you have a pro player (Hi there Joel Embiid!) complaining, lamenting, whining that Knicks fans had the gall to show up in droves at Xfinity Mobile Arena, you knew the fans not only took the crowd out of the game, but got in the players’ heads. That same emotion carried through every stop because today, unlike six decades ago, hungry fans knew that a deep playoff run, let alone a championship, comes by as often as a four-leaf clover amid the weeds.

There are runs that excite fans and runs for the ages. I’m fortunate enough to have lived through all three (which only means I’m getting old). I’m interested in hearing what others think, but to me, 2026 was a run of the ages, not just because of the team, but everything that made this (quite literally) an unprecedented experience for Knicks fans.

We have community (thank you Knicks Film School), easier ways to connect when we need therapy in the midst of a losing streak, and a team that we’ll root for even when it drives us nuts.

This is why this run in the most memorable of the three.

Ray Marcano writes and publishes the Bourbon Resource monthly, and he’s president of the 32 Staves Society. He’s a bourbon lover and long-time journalist who freelances for some of the country’s largest media brands. He’s the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, a Fulbright fellow, and was named best columnist in Ohio in 2025. He also covers Fine Wine and Dining in Ohio and writes opinion columns for the Columbus Dispatch/USA Today network.

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“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Back to Reality

We interrupt your regularly scheduled summer of unabashed Knicks championship reveling for a momentary step back into the unpleasant reality of team-building.

Let’s start with the important caveat that just because James Dolan referred to the second apron as a “suicidal” line for a team to cross, it doesn’t mean the Knicks won’t wind up crossing it. If you listen to the interview, he actually says that this is all Leon’s call. I could certainly see a scenario where Dolan had been told something about the second apron in the past and shared his opinion based on that prior conversation, not knowing how much New York’s situation has changed since that time.

I was also encouraged by Ian Begley’s follow up tweet, which might be Begs’ way of saying Dolan misspoke:

Reading between the lines though, it appears (to me, at least) that regardless of whether or not Dolan understands the specific dangers of going above the second apron, he is under the impression that this is not a threshold the Knicks can tenably cross. Whether he got this impression from Brock Aller, Bobby Marks or Stephen A. Smith is anyone’s guess, but taking the quotes at face value, it would seem silly to dismiss the sentiment entirely.

The reason why the comments are so unfortunate is that while crossing the second apron would certainly be suicidal for some teams, for a team like the Knicks, it arguably wouldn’t carry all that many negative consequences.

The reason, without getting into every nuance of NBA cap dynamics, is that the primary result of going above the second apron is that it makes making changes to your roster incredibly difficult (although notably, not impossible. See: the 2025-26 Cleveland Cavaliers). This is a problem if you’re, say, the Phoenix Suns, who spent like drunken sailors a few years ago even though they had a mediocre roster. The Knicks are in a drastically different situation, having just proven that they have a roster capable of winning the whole damn thing. For them, stasis is a positive, not a negative.

Now, the thing about the second apron is that like the blob, eventually, the penalties get so onerous that you can’t outrun them. Staying over the second apron for multiple seasons carries far more drastic penalties, which is why it effectively functions as a hard cap at some point in your team-builidng process.

That point just hasn’t come yet for the Knicks.

All that being said, let’s take the owner of the team at his word and assume that Leon Rose will not cross the second apron threshold next season. What would that mean for the roster?

To understand that, let’s get some basics out of the way:

• The second apron in the 2026-27 season is $222 million.

• I’m assuming that nobody from the starting five is going anywhere.

• The starting five makes a combined $192 million.

• Teams must carry a minimum of 14 players on their roster for almost all of the regular season.

• The NBA veteran minimum salary for a player with at least two years of experience is $2.5 million.

• In other words, if the Knicks paid only their starting five and attempted to fill the other nine roster spots with 2+ year players making the least possible amount of money, they would be only $8 million away from the second apron threshold.

• Currently, the Knicks have four additional players under contract next year who make a combined $4 million more than what four veteran minimum players would make in those roster spots: Jose Alvarado ($4.5 million player option), Deuce McBride ($3.96 million), Pacome Dadiet ($2.93 million) and Tyler Kolek ($2.3 million).

That last bullet point is where we can start to get into the nitty gritty. Given the production he offers, I’m betting the Knicks would love for Jose Alvarado to opt into his player option and sign an extension off that number even though he’d be eating $2 million into precious apron space. I’d also assume that they’d be very happy paying Deuce just under $4 million, although if there were another team willing to give them a more cost-controlled asset for McBride, perhaps they consider a move. Personally, I don’t see that as being very likely, and I’d just as soon pencil McBride back in.

But just for the hell of it, let’s say Jose opts out and signs elsewhere and they swap Deuce for a player making a dirt cheap rookie contract. Those defections would functionally only net them ~$3.5 million in second apron space. Even if they dump Dadiet and sign a vet minimum to his roster spot as well, that only gets you up to $4 million. Congrats…you’re back at $8 million in extra maneuverability below the apron.

Which leads us to the elephant in the room: how much money is Mitchell Robinson going to command on the free agent market?

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Top Plays of the Title Run

A question for all of you:

Over the years, when you’ve thought about Houston’s game-winner, or LJ’s 4-point play, or Jeremy’s Lin’s Toronto triple, or Melo’s Easter miracle, or even more recent shots like the Donte double bang or Brunson’s Detroit knockout, were you filled with only joy? Or was there a little voice that popped up in the back of your mind reminding you that none of those legendary events paved the way for a title?

The fact that I’m asking the question probably gives away what my answer is, but that’s just another reason why this championship means so much.

After all those years, that little voice in the back of my head has been silenced. Now, none of those memories are even the slightest bit tainted because I know they didn’t prevent me from seeing a title before I die. They were just parts of a journey that ended in glory, albeit one that took longer than we probably expected.

Now that the journey is finally over, we get the pleasure of considering all of those past moments in an entirely new context. Where does the Donte shot rank in comparison to, say, Brunson’s floater off the glass to tie Game 1 against Cleveland with 19.3 seconds remaining in regulation? DiVincenzo’s moment feels bigger, but it didn’t lead to a championship, so how do we account for that?

This is just one of the many conversations I’m looking forward to having over the weeks, months and years to come, but for today, I want to pay homage to our heroes by going through the single most defining play for each rotation player over the course of the postseason, roughly in order of how important each player (and not each PLAY) was to the title. We begin with the most recent inclusion on our list…

Ariel Hukporti: Kornet block, 3Q, G5 NBA Finals

Not only were the Spurs up 14 when this play happened, but they were on a 14-5 run and had all the momentum. From this point forward, the Knicks outscored San Antonio 39-21. Coincidence? I think not.

What a progression for Hukporti, who was taken with the 58th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft three years after Jericho Sims was taken in that same spot. Sims showed early growth but quickly stagnated, whereas Huk continued to progress as someone who could make high level plays on the defensive end.

According to Cleaning the Glass, 28 of Hukporti’s 75 postseason minutes were of the non-garbage time variety. He represented himself more than respectably in that time.

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In any case, happy Tuesday everyone.

21 Play Salute

I’m getting there.

Two days removed from the greatest day of our sporting lives, I feel like the reality has set in about a third of the way. My guess that I’ll keep making incremental progress over the next 48 hours until Thursday, when I’ll join approximately 11 billion Knicks fans in downtown Manhattan for what promises to be a celebration for the ages.

If it doesn’t sink in by then, maybe ring night will do the trick.

Honestly, I’m in no rush.

In the meantime, yesterday I finally got a chance to rewatch the second half of Game 5. I must say, it was much more enjoyable knowing the result, although with every Spurs basket in the fourth quarter, my stomach still dropped ever so slightly.

My biggest takeaway from that rewatch: considering the stage, this was as impressive a half of basketball as this group has ever had, and that includes the 29-point comeback three days earlier.

My justification is simple. Karl-Anthony Towns came into Game 5 with a +262 plus/minus for the playoffs, on pace to break Steph Curry’s all time record for a single postseason. He was also +48 in the Finals, including a +28 in 18 second half minutes in Game 4. Going into Saturday night, no Knick had a bigger on/off discrepancy in offensive rating for the postseason, and here was New York starting the second half of Game 5 with 37 points on their ledger. They needed KAT more than ever.

So when Towns committed his fourth foul a mere 15 seconds into the third quarter, we had every right to go to bed. With the offensive issues New York was already having, no KAT meant an even tougher time scoring on a San Antonio defense showing little weakness.

In that sense, given the Knicks scored 57 second half points, including 39 points in the final 14 minutes after putting up just 55 in the first 34, the offense was arguably the more impressive of the two units.

At the same time, Game 5 was just the latest masterpiece from a defense that showed zero signs of weakness throughout the entirety of this postseason run.

Need proof? How about this: the Knicks finished the playoffs with a 104.5 defensive rating, which is the lowest by any team that made it past teh second round since 2019, when the NBA champion Raptors had a defensive rating of 104.2.

Better yet, New York’s defense aged like a fine wine, both as the game and the playoffs went on. The Knicks finished the postseason with a 98.0 fourth quarter defensive rating, which is the lowest by an NBA champion since the 2017 Warriors. In the Finals, their fourth quarter defensive rating got even stingier, holding San Antonio to 90.5 points per 100 possessions. That’s the lowest of any champ since the 2006 Miami Heat, with the 1998 Bulls being the only other team in the last 30 years to post a better number.

For all these reasons, I found this play to be the most fitting of the title-clinching victory:

Brunson closes hard, OG digs and dislodges, KAT swipes it away, Mikal falls on it, Brunson dives on it, and Josh Hart comes away with it.

This one play gave us contributions from all five members of a starting unit that we once thought could never approach championship level defense. Recall that a little more than a year ago, they had a 118.2 defensive rating in the conference finals against Indiana. Imagine telling someone then that this is how things would wind up.

Well, we no longer have to imagine, thanks to a second half in which every player who touched the court fully embraced James Dolan’s challenge and gave it everything they had.

On that note, here are 20 more plays that may get lost to time but were vital in securing the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 53 years:

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