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Dbn123's avatar

I think there are several reasons why many people really loved last year’s team vs this year’s team. Last year’s team was all spit and sweat, hustle and fight, and what all NY sports fans love and that’s a tough defensive-minded team. But also, that team felt like it had a big future. They were very close to making the ECF despite so many injuries PLUS they had all their assets to still improve the team. So it felt like a beginning.

This year’s team was an offensive juggernaut (at times) but also soft defensively. That is not the nature of a NY team. But also, this team feels more like it’s already baked since they traded almost all of their assets so instead of feeling like there is all this upside, this team is what it is. It won’t be easy to make many changes. So it doesn’t feel like a beginning.

Another reason for last year’s love and this year’s frustration is iHart and Towns. iHart was the MVP of last year’s team right after Jalen. Losing him was a monumental loss. It didn’t need to be if the Knicks went out and picked up a Mark Williams (with health) type player. But instead, they went out and acquired the exact opposite of iHart.

I remember all the newsletters last Summer where Jonathan wrote about the prospect of acquiring Towns. Some of us loved the idea. Others hated it with passion. Towns, unlike iHart could not have played for the sainted Red Holtzman Knicks or Pat Riley Knicks. (It’s still actually a shock that Thibs wanted him, if he did).

What happens next is anyone’s guess. Do they fire Thibs? I doubt it since Brunson seems to be 100% behind him coming back. Do they trade Towns for Durant (salaries match) and go out and get that Mark Williams-type? I doubt it because Phoenix can probably get a decent haul of draft picks for Durant.

My guess is they build the bench; hope Huk can be the center to Towns PF (Robinson will always be limited in minutes due to injuries) and hope Bridges plays like the guy the Knicks thought they were acquiring.

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Lee's avatar
Jun 2Edited

You’re so good at this, Jon. lol

The way we feel is entirely tied to the Bridges trade. We felt comfortable the past 4 years because we had the security of our draft picks.

We were continuously building our house, and had a plot of land to do it. We are no longer building at this point, because we’ve used up all of our land. Instead, we’re in need of renovation (less than a year after we thought we finished the house). It’s an unnerving feeling. We’re now forced to operate within the confines of the physical structure we’ve built, and we have fewer options as a result. It doesn’t mean it cant be done, though.

One more analogy - the Knicks had a runner on second base with nobody out. That’s the dream, because you can score a run without getting a hit. The Knicks failed to get the runner over to third base, but we still have a runner in scoring position. It just will take another hit to do so, and we need Leon to drive in the runner from second.

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