Thank you for this extra newsletter ~ KFS and JMacri are truly the best. I quickly signed up for KFS subscription when your first announcement email came out! And watching GMAC with Jeremy and Fuddy discuss Summer League provided proof that my KFS education is effective as I immediately correctly answered GMAC’s question on how many average minutes Brunson played last season - lol I was laughing at myself for paying serious attention to all your great KFS podcasts. Appreciation! Gratitude to KFS! And Jonathan, please next time you see Leon Rose at the airport, on behalf of all your KFS fans, loudly and proudly shout out:
“ Hey there, Leon Rose ~ it’s your boy, Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School ! ”
As someone with property on Randle Island, that update from Ian is encouraging. I'd be more concerned if Randle was pushing for an extension now and wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with the FO, but it sounds like all parties are on the same page. I fully expect us to have a lot of success this season, so hopefully it all works out
Here’s my issue with what Ray Marcano wrote. Why should I care if MSG network goes bankrupt if all of the games are broadcast nationally or on seven different streaming apps isn’t that better for me? I understand that means I won’t get any more Clyde Fraser and that stinks, but every game is on ESPN or ESPN plus or TNT or Amazon prime or anywhere else that that every game is going to be on league pass they can’t black out all national broadcast on league pass if every game is nationally broadcast. so instead of needing 15 different apps all I really need is NBA league pass, which by the way, isn’t that exactly what the NBA wants all of us to have league pass?
I know that. My point is that *IF* the new media rights deal plays out the way Dolan is saying it will, that will kill local broadcast.
*IF* local broadcast is dead, all that is left is national broadcast.
*IF* all that is left is national broadcast, either there will no longer be league pass, OR league pass will no longer be blacked out from national broadcast.
I don't think local broadcasts will ever die. There's too much money at stake. If anything, when cable eventually dies, the local networks will just have their own streamers, but will be limited with the number of games they carry and people will just have to buy additional streaming services, which is what the issue seems to be.
While I don't think Ray cares about MSG I do believe that even if you have NBA League Pass the in market games as well as national games are blacked out. That has been my experience here in Ohio wherein I have to find a way to watch Knicks Cavs games outside of LP. LP including NBA tv was a nice addition but that still Blackout rules in the era of streaming are so beyond anti consumer it's ridiculous.
My point is that if all 82 games for all 30 teams are nationally broadcast, they can’t continue to black out nationally broadcast games on league pass, or else they would just have to cancel league pass. So that would necessarily have to change.
I read the article as a plea for the viability of regional sports networks. My opinion is: fuck regional sports networks. They’ve far outlived their usefulness.
Hi Daniel. It wasn’t meant as a plea for RSN’s. I can’t stand them because, here in Ohio, all Cavs/Knick games are blacked out by a teetering company. The point is that Knicks fans stand to lose out next season and I haven’t seen anyone to yet make that case.
I guess my question is what are Knicks fans losing? If the RSN’s disappear, and all games are broadcast nationally (like the NFL does), what do the fans actually lose? Walt Frazier? I mean, that stinks, but if we’re all being honest with ourselves, Clyde is not the reason we watch Knicks basketball.
I don’t know about the future. I do know that this year fans that don’t stream —- and judging from the data, that’s an increasing number —- will be left in the cold unless they sign up for the various services (at an additional cost). I don’t think the RSN’s can survive and how the NBA would handle that. The RSN business model is good for the NBA because it doesn’t have any of the broadcast/technical costs. What happens if/when that goes away.? Who knows
I appreciate your response, but I guess I just disagree with your premise.
I don’t think people will be left in the dust. The folks who want to consume more NBA media will be able to do so. The cost will remain the same: we will pay less since we don’t have to subscribe to MSG (average addition of approximately $30 per month to any cable or live TV streaming subscription) and pay more for Prime/Disney/Paramount/Warner/whatever.
Dolan’s issue is that he doesn’t get the commercial revenue from those things, he only gets the revenue from MSG because he owns the network. And the cable provider that carries the network.
League pass broadcasts regional sports networks. If regional sports networks can't survive... what are they going to broadcast? League pass will die.
It's another example of consolidating power into a few megacorps (Disney/ESPN/ABC, Apple, Amazon, NBC, WB/TNT). Imho that has been incredibly bad for most media in this country from newspapers to cable news and on and on.
Follow the NFL model - which by the way is exactly what Dolan is saying the NBA is doing in his letter - have 15 different broadcast teams and broadcast all the games on ESPN/ABC/TNT/Prime.
No need for local coverage if every game is national.
An NFL season has 272 regular season games. An NBA season has 1230 regular season games. I don't think they can broadcast 5x more national games than the NFL.
And Ray, also Knick fans do not want to watch significant Knick games on national TV coverage as we are then forced to listen to the subpar analysis and knowledge about the Knicks by the assigned TV game broadcasters (though thankfully, Breen and Monica are available at times). In the 2024-2025 NBA season as legitimate NBA championship contenders, will the New York Knicks get deserved and informed respect and not the negative and biased propaganda that Knick fans often endured in the past?!
I would be surprised if Precious did not already have, and is relying on, a promise that went something like this. “We will pay you $1 million above the $5.2 million mid level exception for waiting for us. But if we need to sign You for more to pull off a sign and trade we will do so and you will get an additional windfall”
I hear you Martin. And I have some fear that he will not be so willing to subordinate his offense in a contract year. But I am also not sure what is different between him and OG in his situation ( which was much higher risk having traded RJ and IQ for him). Also, I trust the front office to have read these particular tea leaves accurately. I also would not be surprised if they made Randle a promise when he took the below market contract that is now expiring. I don’t think all these players willingly take less than they could get on the open market if they don’t have lots of faith in Leon and his word. I guess we will see but I have no sense ( not that I would- I am no insider) that the Knicks are shopping Randle due to fear of losing him for nothing.
What will make this team special is not the obvious talent level, but the cohesiveness of the team. Smart people, smart basketball, all striving for the same goal. All oars pulling as one. Julius is our Forest Gump box of chocolates. In January, he played with total joy and clearly reveled in the team format. What happens when/ if/maybe the contract negotiations don’t get resolved as he hoped. What happens to the joy of a cohesive basketball team playing as one.
It’s not “ losing Randall for nothing” that concerns me. It’s the damage he could cause. The damage may not be permanent, but it’ll kill next year. What did the Yankees do when Bob Watson threw a monkey wrench at team harmony with his antics with Goose Gossage.
If he doesn't get his $$ from NY, he's playing for free agency $$. I'm not concerned about contract negotiations damaging this year. The problem is 100% that if they can't come to terms via extension, you risk being put between overpaying and causing second apron issues which affects re-signing Nova squad in future, and losing him for nothing. I'd MUCH prefer to have the second apron issues since those are down the line issues.
On Randle, if he reaches free agency, in a world where we can outbid any other team in years and money, and where so many other teams are either capped or trying desperately to maintain flexibility, I think the fear of him walking for nothing as a free agent are overblown. And the stakes are certainly not as high as they were with OG, which proves that this front office does not live in fear of a player reaching free agency (though I suppose it helps if the agent is Leon’s son). Would I still like him to extend? Yes. Will think it is a sign of an impending trade if he doesn’t? No.
On Rokas, yesterday was his first really good offensive game but i was cutting him some just arrived from a long flight to a very different time zone slack. His defense has been a pleasant surprise in all the games. And he looks like he can swing between Sg and Pg. I don’t know that we have a roster spot for him now, but we are all expecting another shoe to drop. At minimum signing Precious and more hopefully trading for real Mitch insurance. So the back of the final roster is far from set.
One other pleasant surprise is Baugh. He looks like the best defender . He is shooting the three pretty well.
I think until the other shoe drops, finding a roster spot for Baugh is going to be tough. I know you of all people don’t want to hear this but if the other shoe drops, Baugh is a logical replacement for another undersized 3 and D shooting guard.
He’s listed at 6’4” 194. I don’t think he will ever get into our rotation. But as a complementary player to Kolek, Dadiet, and Hukporti as they develop in Westchester. (DWJ is not that guy)
Thank you for this extra newsletter ~ KFS and JMacri are truly the best. I quickly signed up for KFS subscription when your first announcement email came out! And watching GMAC with Jeremy and Fuddy discuss Summer League provided proof that my KFS education is effective as I immediately correctly answered GMAC’s question on how many average minutes Brunson played last season - lol I was laughing at myself for paying serious attention to all your great KFS podcasts. Appreciation! Gratitude to KFS! And Jonathan, please next time you see Leon Rose at the airport, on behalf of all your KFS fans, loudly and proudly shout out:
“ Hey there, Leon Rose ~ it’s your boy, Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School ! ”
Hey MW, sorry, just catching up on old newsletter comments and wanted to say thank you for the kind words! Hope you've had a great summer.
I could be in lust w Kolek. Sorry, IQ.
As someone with property on Randle Island, that update from Ian is encouraging. I'd be more concerned if Randle was pushing for an extension now and wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with the FO, but it sounds like all parties are on the same page. I fully expect us to have a lot of success this season, so hopefully it all works out
Here’s my issue with what Ray Marcano wrote. Why should I care if MSG network goes bankrupt if all of the games are broadcast nationally or on seven different streaming apps isn’t that better for me? I understand that means I won’t get any more Clyde Fraser and that stinks, but every game is on ESPN or ESPN plus or TNT or Amazon prime or anywhere else that that every game is going to be on league pass they can’t black out all national broadcast on league pass if every game is nationally broadcast. so instead of needing 15 different apps all I really need is NBA league pass, which by the way, isn’t that exactly what the NBA wants all of us to have league pass?
I can tell you with certainty that the nationally broadcast games are not on league pass. You need cable or whatever the app is to get the game.
I know that. My point is that *IF* the new media rights deal plays out the way Dolan is saying it will, that will kill local broadcast.
*IF* local broadcast is dead, all that is left is national broadcast.
*IF* all that is left is national broadcast, either there will no longer be league pass, OR league pass will no longer be blacked out from national broadcast.
I don't think local broadcasts will ever die. There's too much money at stake. If anything, when cable eventually dies, the local networks will just have their own streamers, but will be limited with the number of games they carry and people will just have to buy additional streaming services, which is what the issue seems to be.
And either of those final outcomes are better for fans, in the aggregate, than continuing local broadcast.
While I don't think Ray cares about MSG I do believe that even if you have NBA League Pass the in market games as well as national games are blacked out. That has been my experience here in Ohio wherein I have to find a way to watch Knicks Cavs games outside of LP. LP including NBA tv was a nice addition but that still Blackout rules in the era of streaming are so beyond anti consumer it's ridiculous.
My point is that if all 82 games for all 30 teams are nationally broadcast, they can’t continue to black out nationally broadcast games on league pass, or else they would just have to cancel league pass. So that would necessarily have to change.
I read the article as a plea for the viability of regional sports networks. My opinion is: fuck regional sports networks. They’ve far outlived their usefulness.
Hi Daniel. It wasn’t meant as a plea for RSN’s. I can’t stand them because, here in Ohio, all Cavs/Knick games are blacked out by a teetering company. The point is that Knicks fans stand to lose out next season and I haven’t seen anyone to yet make that case.
I guess my question is what are Knicks fans losing? If the RSN’s disappear, and all games are broadcast nationally (like the NFL does), what do the fans actually lose? Walt Frazier? I mean, that stinks, but if we’re all being honest with ourselves, Clyde is not the reason we watch Knicks basketball.
I don’t know about the future. I do know that this year fans that don’t stream —- and judging from the data, that’s an increasing number —- will be left in the cold unless they sign up for the various services (at an additional cost). I don’t think the RSN’s can survive and how the NBA would handle that. The RSN business model is good for the NBA because it doesn’t have any of the broadcast/technical costs. What happens if/when that goes away.? Who knows
I appreciate your response, but I guess I just disagree with your premise.
I don’t think people will be left in the dust. The folks who want to consume more NBA media will be able to do so. The cost will remain the same: we will pay less since we don’t have to subscribe to MSG (average addition of approximately $30 per month to any cable or live TV streaming subscription) and pay more for Prime/Disney/Paramount/Warner/whatever.
Dolan’s issue is that he doesn’t get the commercial revenue from those things, he only gets the revenue from MSG because he owns the network. And the cable provider that carries the network.
League pass broadcasts regional sports networks. If regional sports networks can't survive... what are they going to broadcast? League pass will die.
It's another example of consolidating power into a few megacorps (Disney/ESPN/ABC, Apple, Amazon, NBC, WB/TNT). Imho that has been incredibly bad for most media in this country from newspapers to cable news and on and on.
Follow the NFL model - which by the way is exactly what Dolan is saying the NBA is doing in his letter - have 15 different broadcast teams and broadcast all the games on ESPN/ABC/TNT/Prime.
No need for local coverage if every game is national.
An NFL season has 272 regular season games. An NBA season has 1230 regular season games. I don't think they can broadcast 5x more national games than the NFL.
Why not? They literally just got paid $75 BILLION dollars. What would be stopping them from doing national broadcast of every single NBA game?
And Ray, also Knick fans do not want to watch significant Knick games on national TV coverage as we are then forced to listen to the subpar analysis and knowledge about the Knicks by the assigned TV game broadcasters (though thankfully, Breen and Monica are available at times). In the 2024-2025 NBA season as legitimate NBA championship contenders, will the New York Knicks get deserved and informed respect and not the negative and biased propaganda that Knick fans often endured in the past?!
I would be surprised if Precious did not already have, and is relying on, a promise that went something like this. “We will pay you $1 million above the $5.2 million mid level exception for waiting for us. But if we need to sign You for more to pull off a sign and trade we will do so and you will get an additional windfall”
Agreed, except is Precious even getting the MLE? Maybe his market is min contract. Either way i think this is correct.
I hear you Martin. And I have some fear that he will not be so willing to subordinate his offense in a contract year. But I am also not sure what is different between him and OG in his situation ( which was much higher risk having traded RJ and IQ for him). Also, I trust the front office to have read these particular tea leaves accurately. I also would not be surprised if they made Randle a promise when he took the below market contract that is now expiring. I don’t think all these players willingly take less than they could get on the open market if they don’t have lots of faith in Leon and his word. I guess we will see but I have no sense ( not that I would- I am no insider) that the Knicks are shopping Randle due to fear of losing him for nothing.
What will make this team special is not the obvious talent level, but the cohesiveness of the team. Smart people, smart basketball, all striving for the same goal. All oars pulling as one. Julius is our Forest Gump box of chocolates. In January, he played with total joy and clearly reveled in the team format. What happens when/ if/maybe the contract negotiations don’t get resolved as he hoped. What happens to the joy of a cohesive basketball team playing as one.
It’s not “ losing Randall for nothing” that concerns me. It’s the damage he could cause. The damage may not be permanent, but it’ll kill next year. What did the Yankees do when Bob Watson threw a monkey wrench at team harmony with his antics with Goose Gossage.
Do we move Randle now, or wait for the fight.
If he doesn't get his $$ from NY, he's playing for free agency $$. I'm not concerned about contract negotiations damaging this year. The problem is 100% that if they can't come to terms via extension, you risk being put between overpaying and causing second apron issues which affects re-signing Nova squad in future, and losing him for nothing. I'd MUCH prefer to have the second apron issues since those are down the line issues.
No problem taking randle to free agency. He won’t have a market
On Randle, if he reaches free agency, in a world where we can outbid any other team in years and money, and where so many other teams are either capped or trying desperately to maintain flexibility, I think the fear of him walking for nothing as a free agent are overblown. And the stakes are certainly not as high as they were with OG, which proves that this front office does not live in fear of a player reaching free agency (though I suppose it helps if the agent is Leon’s son). Would I still like him to extend? Yes. Will think it is a sign of an impending trade if he doesn’t? No.
On Rokas, yesterday was his first really good offensive game but i was cutting him some just arrived from a long flight to a very different time zone slack. His defense has been a pleasant surprise in all the games. And he looks like he can swing between Sg and Pg. I don’t know that we have a roster spot for him now, but we are all expecting another shoe to drop. At minimum signing Precious and more hopefully trading for real Mitch insurance. So the back of the final roster is far from set.
One other pleasant surprise is Baugh. He looks like the best defender . He is shooting the three pretty well.
I have liked Baugh as well. I think he deserves a 2 way
I think until the other shoe drops, finding a roster spot for Baugh is going to be tough. I know you of all people don’t want to hear this but if the other shoe drops, Baugh is a logical replacement for another undersized 3 and D shooting guard.
I also agree as to DWJ. I have lots of folks I would rather see get shots this summer. DWJ is taking far too many.
He’s listed at 6’4” 194. I don’t think he will ever get into our rotation. But as a complementary player to Kolek, Dadiet, and Hukporti as they develop in Westchester. (DWJ is not that guy)