Assessing the '24-25 Knicks, Part IV

We conclude our look back at the year that was

Good morning! Before we get to today’s newsletter, we do have an update on the Knicks’ coaching search…

According to Stefan Bondy, the Mavs are expected to decline any request from the Knicks to speak with Jason Kidd about their coaching vacancy. This naturally raises a few questions - Does Kidd want the job? Why would Dallas hold him back if he did? Is this really just about draft compensation? etc, etc… - but the current reality is that Kidd is far from a sure thing to be the next head coach of the franchise.

Maybe that’s fine. We’ve heard from a few places that the Knicks are casting a wide net in this search, and perhaps they are. But that net wasn’t wide enough to grab either Ime Udoka or Chris Finch either. Given the pressure the front office is under, it’s no surprise that the primary candidates we’ve heard of are high pedigree coaches that currently have jobs.

If this is all a ruse and Johnnie Bryant or some lesser college coach has been their guy all along, kudos to Leon Rose for throwing everyone off the scent. My guess, however, is that rather than casting a wide net, the Knicks are simply moving down the line, starting with the biggest fish and continuing on until they can actually get one in their grasp.

Hopefully they end up with something larger than a guppy.

Assessing the '24-25 Knicks, Part IV

Another day, another dearth of coaching news, so let’s round out our assessment of the ‘24-25 Knicks with a look at the bench.

Deuce McBride

As offseason conversation has swirled around everyone from the old head coach to the new head coach to KAT to Mikal to Giannis & KD, there’s one player who hasn’t gotten much attention, although at this point, he’s probably used to it.

Proudly taking the mantle from Immanuel Quickley since IQ was dealt to Toronto a year and a half ago, no player has garnered the support of Knicks Nation more than Deuce McBride. After he went from “situational” afterthought to a rotation mainstay to a key postseason performer, big things were expected from McBride this season.

To some extent, he delivered, posting career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in just under 25 minutes a night. He also retained his standing as one of the most ridiculous values in the NBA. Among players on playoff teams who averaged at least as many minutes as Deuce did, only a select few earned less than his $4.7 million, and almost all of them were on rookie contracts.

In theory, that should make McBride one of the most sought after trade targets in the NBA. With so many teams facing apron issues, getting a high-end backup / potential starter who is due just $8 million over the next two seasons should be high on every team’s wish list.

And yet, I’m as confident in Deuce being back on this team next season as I am any player not named Jalen Brunson.