Rose et al are clearly enacting a multi-step plan, so it's impossible to evaluate the efficacy of their draft night until the next steps play out.
Most importantly: Do they get Brunson? Clearly that's what they're aiming to do. And lemme tell you, if Leon Rose----former agent to Brunson, ---and who recently brought Brunson's dad on staff--- if THAT Leon Rose proves unable to have accurately guaged Brunson's interest in coming to NY, then he's an incompetant exec and should be fired. The CAA chief was brought here precisely with the thought that he could bring players here. In terms of bringing in players, Brunson should be a chip shot for Leon. If he whiffs on this one, you have to question the whole concept of handing the keys of your organization to an ex-agent with no front office experience. We've seen that play before and it works variably well. If Leon fans on Brunson with all the intel he theoretically possesses and after he places yesterday's sizable bet on it, he's a failure, plain and simple.
Thank you for the extra newsletter. Knicks Film School is the best value and the most entertaining newsletter on Substack! Dolan and Rose still stink though.
Jun 25, 2022·edited Jun 25, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri
Macri, you guys simply are the best. Thank you! As a diehard, every person in my life thinks I am crazy. With youbguys, I am normal...lol
"But getting Brunson is, I’d argue, an important step, even if not a perfect one or the one many figured we’d be at by this point in Rose’s presidency."
I think that THIS remains the main point. Brunson is an important step to the incremental growth that is necessary for turning around this GARBAGE franchise. Brunson, I believe, is better than people think. He may be undersized and lacks athleticism, but he is a winner and a baller. He unlocks this roster. So rather than No Handle Randle dribble the ball up and handle the ball the last 5 minutes of the game, it will be an efficient, smart PG with the ball in his hands. Does he have the cache (as a winner and apparently alpha) to check Randle in ways a coach can't?Same thing with RJ. A smart efficient PG and leader is EXACTLY what this team needs. So I believe the FIT for this roster in addition to the fact that he is a very good (yet not great) player makes this a very good move and "an important step." Even if there is a slight overpay and is not sexy.
Been following the podcast going back to last year, subscribing here was way overdue. I really enjoy the content!
Say the Knicks add Brunson, do you believe Randle's role would be reduced in terms of being "Option A" of the roster? I'm not certain that the front office would be satisfied with Randle being Option A and Brunson being Option B
Excellent coverage on the podcasts and newsletters. This past season drove me crazy and I would have loved to get Ivy or just taken anyone at 11.
On the other hand, the front office has done a good job drafting the last two years so I don't think getting 3 future first round picks and getting off Kemba's salary is a terrible return for the 11 pick and 4 seconds if there was no one they really had high conviction about. Everyone is focused on the fact that getting rid of Kemba created some cap space which is true. But it also was importantly addition by subtraction resolving a dysfunctional situation with Thibs. One of the keys to Boston's success this year was a much improved defense without weak link Kemba. It cannot be emphasized enough how terrible the team was when Kemba was on the floor.
I personally would prefer to pass on Brunson and let IQ run the show. I don't have concerns about the money but as previously discussed I think Brunson is a good (but not star) player who won't fit very well with RJ, Redacted and Mitch. The upside of not getting Brunson is we would get to see what IQ is. If IQ's good it's a win, if he's really a 6th man, then we have a lottery pick next year and potentially several other first rounders. On the other hand, if they do succeed in getting Brunson, presumably he will be an upgrade over Kemba / Burks at the point and we should be at least .500 and be a play in team.
So, emotions aside, I don't get the thought process that Leon should be fired if he doesn't get Brunson. The Knicks had the worst record in the league the year before Leon was hired. He was brought in after the Fizdale dumpster fire and wasted lottery picks on Frank and Knox. We have been two games over .500 for the last two years with one playoff appearance. We have a young core and we have more future first round draft picks than when we started. There is coaching continuity and player development. Taking a step back and reflecting on front office performances over the last 20 years, it's hard to argue that Leon hasn't significantly improved the team.
I feel cautiously optimistic if we get Brunson. The Knicks have been cursed at point guard for ages and this would be start to rectify that. And we get to keep Grimes. Brunson will elevate the play of the young core.
Jeesh what a night. Here's what I woke up thinking...A) None of this matters and every scenario in play last night or in play this morning has the Knick still pretty much stinking or slightly above mediocre at best B) No reason to get emotional about anything that happened (refer to A) C) If Leon Rose isn't 100000% sure he's getting Jalen Brunson (even if most of us are not THAT sure we want him at the price he's going to land at) then he's surely lost his mind. D) This team is still going to be unfun to watch b/c Redacted is likely still going to be there clogging up the machinery and decimating any hope we have for joy. Last... conspiracy theory is that the Knicks FO/Coach communication is so poor that some draft night decisions were made with the assumption they had already signed Brunson (Rick not Jalen).
Appreciate all the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears you and the Crew have sacrificed. With few notable exceptions the entry draft has been a hellish experience for this Knick fan. I wish that Dolan had turned to a Sam Presti or RC Buford when he hired CAA, I mean, Rose to clean up the Garden. Running a NBA franchise isn't for the uninitiated, no matter how connected and sharp an agent they are. Well, the only thing worse than making a mistake is compounding that mistake. Kemba gone. Burks, Fournier, Noel, and Randle---one of/some of/all of them going? We'll see. Begin again. They won't win any titles but this fan will be delighted if I see IQ, Obi, RJ, Mitch, and Grimes getting a lot of play. In a world of tumult, suffering, and war---let's remember this is a GAME. Have fun. Be well!
Hey Macri. I think one thing people aren't saying that you are strongly alluding to is that just because 11 is a 'lottery' pick does not mean that that pick is objectively the same as any 11 pick in any lottery, which, historically speaking, does not really return that much. It is actually amazing that we are sitting with player on our team drafted so low and appearing to have so much upside. Also, in terms of the Kemba move, a couple of clichés come to mind: 'You have to spend money to make money' and the old poker idea that sometimes the best way to make money is to not lose more of it by making a good fold. Assuming the Kemba signing was a tactical error, we cannot expect to benefit from passing on our mistake, so we have to toss in a few extra chips with our cards to wash our hands of it. If you look at every player, draft pick, cap dollar and match them up with possible plans and expectations to create a plan or plans, then a #11 pick on the team might actually be a net negative if that player has no place to play, especially of the scouting dept has deemed that more than say 50% likely. No one will likely ever want that player and if they do they might get a low second rounder in return. So the short of it is...if I can read the intentions of the Knicks, it is to have more chips to play with, go into the season counting on growing our current young players, make moves as they become available either as soon as free agency starts or later down the line. In other words...I approve of the FO moves so far. Sure it would be better if we somehow fleeced another team, but it takes two to tango.
Rose et al are clearly enacting a multi-step plan, so it's impossible to evaluate the efficacy of their draft night until the next steps play out.
Most importantly: Do they get Brunson? Clearly that's what they're aiming to do. And lemme tell you, if Leon Rose----former agent to Brunson, ---and who recently brought Brunson's dad on staff--- if THAT Leon Rose proves unable to have accurately guaged Brunson's interest in coming to NY, then he's an incompetant exec and should be fired. The CAA chief was brought here precisely with the thought that he could bring players here. In terms of bringing in players, Brunson should be a chip shot for Leon. If he whiffs on this one, you have to question the whole concept of handing the keys of your organization to an ex-agent with no front office experience. We've seen that play before and it works variably well. If Leon fans on Brunson with all the intel he theoretically possesses and after he places yesterday's sizable bet on it, he's a failure, plain and simple.
Thank you for the extra newsletter. Knicks Film School is the best value and the most entertaining newsletter on Substack! Dolan and Rose still stink though.
Macri, you guys simply are the best. Thank you! As a diehard, every person in my life thinks I am crazy. With youbguys, I am normal...lol
"But getting Brunson is, I’d argue, an important step, even if not a perfect one or the one many figured we’d be at by this point in Rose’s presidency."
I think that THIS remains the main point. Brunson is an important step to the incremental growth that is necessary for turning around this GARBAGE franchise. Brunson, I believe, is better than people think. He may be undersized and lacks athleticism, but he is a winner and a baller. He unlocks this roster. So rather than No Handle Randle dribble the ball up and handle the ball the last 5 minutes of the game, it will be an efficient, smart PG with the ball in his hands. Does he have the cache (as a winner and apparently alpha) to check Randle in ways a coach can't?Same thing with RJ. A smart efficient PG and leader is EXACTLY what this team needs. So I believe the FIT for this roster in addition to the fact that he is a very good (yet not great) player makes this a very good move and "an important step." Even if there is a slight overpay and is not sexy.
Been following the podcast going back to last year, subscribing here was way overdue. I really enjoy the content!
Say the Knicks add Brunson, do you believe Randle's role would be reduced in terms of being "Option A" of the roster? I'm not certain that the front office would be satisfied with Randle being Option A and Brunson being Option B
Excellent coverage on the podcasts and newsletters. This past season drove me crazy and I would have loved to get Ivy or just taken anyone at 11.
On the other hand, the front office has done a good job drafting the last two years so I don't think getting 3 future first round picks and getting off Kemba's salary is a terrible return for the 11 pick and 4 seconds if there was no one they really had high conviction about. Everyone is focused on the fact that getting rid of Kemba created some cap space which is true. But it also was importantly addition by subtraction resolving a dysfunctional situation with Thibs. One of the keys to Boston's success this year was a much improved defense without weak link Kemba. It cannot be emphasized enough how terrible the team was when Kemba was on the floor.
I personally would prefer to pass on Brunson and let IQ run the show. I don't have concerns about the money but as previously discussed I think Brunson is a good (but not star) player who won't fit very well with RJ, Redacted and Mitch. The upside of not getting Brunson is we would get to see what IQ is. If IQ's good it's a win, if he's really a 6th man, then we have a lottery pick next year and potentially several other first rounders. On the other hand, if they do succeed in getting Brunson, presumably he will be an upgrade over Kemba / Burks at the point and we should be at least .500 and be a play in team.
So, emotions aside, I don't get the thought process that Leon should be fired if he doesn't get Brunson. The Knicks had the worst record in the league the year before Leon was hired. He was brought in after the Fizdale dumpster fire and wasted lottery picks on Frank and Knox. We have been two games over .500 for the last two years with one playoff appearance. We have a young core and we have more future first round draft picks than when we started. There is coaching continuity and player development. Taking a step back and reflecting on front office performances over the last 20 years, it's hard to argue that Leon hasn't significantly improved the team.
I feel cautiously optimistic if we get Brunson. The Knicks have been cursed at point guard for ages and this would be start to rectify that. And we get to keep Grimes. Brunson will elevate the play of the young core.
Jeesh what a night. Here's what I woke up thinking...A) None of this matters and every scenario in play last night or in play this morning has the Knick still pretty much stinking or slightly above mediocre at best B) No reason to get emotional about anything that happened (refer to A) C) If Leon Rose isn't 100000% sure he's getting Jalen Brunson (even if most of us are not THAT sure we want him at the price he's going to land at) then he's surely lost his mind. D) This team is still going to be unfun to watch b/c Redacted is likely still going to be there clogging up the machinery and decimating any hope we have for joy. Last... conspiracy theory is that the Knicks FO/Coach communication is so poor that some draft night decisions were made with the assumption they had already signed Brunson (Rick not Jalen).
Thank you for a calm and rational take, and for not declaring last night the worst draft night in Knicks history (as Posting and Toasting did).
Appreciate all the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears you and the Crew have sacrificed. With few notable exceptions the entry draft has been a hellish experience for this Knick fan. I wish that Dolan had turned to a Sam Presti or RC Buford when he hired CAA, I mean, Rose to clean up the Garden. Running a NBA franchise isn't for the uninitiated, no matter how connected and sharp an agent they are. Well, the only thing worse than making a mistake is compounding that mistake. Kemba gone. Burks, Fournier, Noel, and Randle---one of/some of/all of them going? We'll see. Begin again. They won't win any titles but this fan will be delighted if I see IQ, Obi, RJ, Mitch, and Grimes getting a lot of play. In a world of tumult, suffering, and war---let's remember this is a GAME. Have fun. Be well!
Hey Macri. I think one thing people aren't saying that you are strongly alluding to is that just because 11 is a 'lottery' pick does not mean that that pick is objectively the same as any 11 pick in any lottery, which, historically speaking, does not really return that much. It is actually amazing that we are sitting with player on our team drafted so low and appearing to have so much upside. Also, in terms of the Kemba move, a couple of clichés come to mind: 'You have to spend money to make money' and the old poker idea that sometimes the best way to make money is to not lose more of it by making a good fold. Assuming the Kemba signing was a tactical error, we cannot expect to benefit from passing on our mistake, so we have to toss in a few extra chips with our cards to wash our hands of it. If you look at every player, draft pick, cap dollar and match them up with possible plans and expectations to create a plan or plans, then a #11 pick on the team might actually be a net negative if that player has no place to play, especially of the scouting dept has deemed that more than say 50% likely. No one will likely ever want that player and if they do they might get a low second rounder in return. So the short of it is...if I can read the intentions of the Knicks, it is to have more chips to play with, go into the season counting on growing our current young players, make moves as they become available either as soon as free agency starts or later down the line. In other words...I approve of the FO moves so far. Sure it would be better if we somehow fleeced another team, but it takes two to tango.