Briefing: May 10
Kawhi Leonard a top target. LeBron betting odds. Best free agent pairings.
Good Morning,
Happy Birthday, Jonathan Macri!
And 46 years ago today, the Knicks were champions!
Kawhi Leonard a top target. Not that we should be surprised, but it was interesting to hear Ian Begley explicitly state that Kevin Durant is the Knicks’ top target this summer, “along with Kawhi Leonard.”
What does this mean? Putting the statement in context with the rest of the video, I don’t think Begley was suggesting the Knicks are trying to pair them together, as much as saying they are the two top free agents, and they would take either player however they can get them.
Kemba over Kyrie? Begley also noted that he thinks Kyrie Irving is a priority “if Kevin Durant says he’s a priority.” But noted that some in the Knicks organization are fans of Kemba Walker.
LeBron betting odds. With all of the turmoil in LA, the betting odds are starting to pop over the possibility LeBron is traded. The Knicks are currently listed with the second best odds to land LeBron (+700) versus the Lakers keeping him at (-600), according to Odds Shark.
And phew…
Why Fizdale has full support of Knicks front office
Steve Mills and Scott Perry joined MSG 150 to discuss the important role David Fizdale played this past season.
Commitment: “For him to stay true to our plan in developing our players and helping them get better day by day, even when the losses were piling up, that’s a testament to him.”
Open-minded: “Those guys [Fizdale and the coaching staff] are open to suggestions. Those guys are constantly wanting to learn.”
Macri’s Top Ten Free Agent Pairings
Hey there Knicks fam, and happy early Mother's Day to all those out there who have the toughest job in the world (and it's not particularly close).
With no big news yesterday aside from some more interesting betting odds (LeBron to the Pacers at +1800? Sign me up for hilarity alone), Knicks Twitter continues to be dominated by talk about which superstar pairings people would prefer, accept, deal with, and detest.
On one hand, it all makes me a little queazy. It reminds me of when I was a junior in college about to leave for Spring Break to Cancun. I broke up with my girlfriend on the phone in the airport as I was about to board the plane because I was convinced that the moment I stepped off of it, I'd be flocked by hoards of coeds who couldn't wait to get a piece of that sweet, sweet Macri pie.
I left a week later with a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge and a homemade leather belt I bought from some guy on the side of the road (we'll call it "Boogie"). I think I kissed one girl, but can't be positive because it was pretty dark and it was a room filled with bubbles.
Point is, counting your chicken(s) before they hatch is never a good idea.
All that said, it's fun to dream, and other than some karmic retribution, there's little at stake by me doing so here. Plus I had fun doing a top ten list yesterday and want to do another one.
My preferred pairings:
10. KD and Harris
9. KD and Middleton
8. KD & AD
Obviously, if you didn't need to give up any assets to acquire Davis, the pairing of him and Durant would be number one on this list, but that's not the case. For that reason, I struggled with these three, and could easily be convinced to swap out 9 or 10 for 8. My assumption is that to acquire Davis, you're either giving up the first pick in the draft straight up and moving AD into your cap space, or the 2nd or 3rd pick plus multiple future picks and young players. The latter would also leave some more leeway under the cap, which is nice. There's a part of me that would prefer keeping all the kids & picks and just signing Harris or Middleton, but I know my NBA history, and when you put two top-20-ish all time players together (I think Davis gets there), good things usually happen. (As an aside, if I could land Zion AND get one of the 7 pairings I've listed below, I'd much prefer that to this)
7. Kawhi and Jimmy
6. KD and Jimmy
There's a part of me that inexplicably thinks that No. 6 is the most likely outcome of any on this list. I think Irving will give a real look at both the Lakers and Brooklyn, and I think KD genuinely wants to be a Knick, but will only do so if he gets a running mate. I'm not sure I buy Philly retaining both Butler and Harris (nor am I sure Jimmy even wants to stay) and if he jets, there's no reason New York wouldn't be his first choice.
5. Kawhi and Kyrie
4. KD and Kyrie
3. Kawhi and Kemba
2. KD and Kemba
This is a flip flop from what I said on my podcast literally two days ago. Here's why: Zach Lowe made a great point on his podcast last week, saying that if you have someone important in your locker room that you need to walk on eggshells around, he doesn't think you can ever win at the highest level. Kyrie is pretty clearly an eggshells guy, or at least he was this year. Obviously Irving already won a chip, but for as dysfunctional as that Cleveland team was at times, they were a family, and everything seemed out in the open. Could that happen in New York? Maybe, and if it did wind up being KD and Kyrie, I'd be dancing in the streets. But if you don't have to take the risk? Might as well not.
I gave some thought to flip flopping 4 and 5, but crazy loves company, and in a weird way I think KD and Kyrie would balance each other out, as opposed to if Kawhi was the other star in the locker room. I'm pretty sure he'd just let Kyrie run amok while keeping his headphones on slinking off out the back door.
1. Kawhi and KD: Duh
Remember when…
May 10, 1973: Knicks win second championship, defeating the Lakers in Los Angeles 102-93 in the fifth game of the NBA Finals. Earl Monroe leads the way with 23 points and Bill Bradley posts 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. [Vivek Dadhania with more]
May 10, 1988: Mark Jackson named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, receiving 77 of a possible 80 votes. He averaged 13.6 points and 10.6 assists over 39.7 minutes in 82 games (80 starts) during the 1987-88 season.
May 10, 1993: Dick McGuire enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
Thanks for reading, talk to you on Monday!