Stamford, CT: Back from a restful vacation on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and ready to roll. The most interesting team in New York right now is the Knicks. They made a huge addition Mikal Bridges, but they lost Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks had little chance to resign the big man, thanks to the strange NBA collective bargaining agreement. In spite of the big loss, the Knicks look pretty good on paper. Let’s see if we can sort out how they will look in 2024-25.
Man in the Middle
Even if they could find the cap room, the Knicks were only allowed to offer Hartenstein $72 million for four years, with not even all of it guaranteed. The market quickly passed that number and he signed with the Thunder for $87 million over three years. The big man might have taken a discount to stay with the Knicks, but not that big. $29 million per season vs $18 is a huge difference and with the three-year deal he’ll be in prime position to get another nice contract at 29.
Apparently, these confusing CBA rules were added to prevent “super teams” after Durant and Irving went to Brooklyn. Talk about an overreaction. That team was barely super enough to make the playoffs. The system allows you to give more money to players you drafted, in case you’re wondering why the Celtics have been giving out $300 million dollar contracts like crap teams give out bobbleheads. This make things difficult for the Knicks, since Mitchell Robinson is the only relevant player they drafted.
Going into the season with the oft-injured Robinson in the middle and Jericho Sims as the number two is not ideal. Hopefully they can find another diamond-in-the-rough like they did with Hartenstein a few years ago. In Leon we trust.
Bridges Deal Not Done?
The other really confusing part is the apron thing. With the pending Bridges trade, if the Knicks don’t send out equal money in contracts, they’re capped at the first apron. Which is very bad, apparently.
They’re still trying to figure a way to add $4+ more million to the deal. So far they’ve resisted including Deuce McBride, who is signed to a very friendly team contract and is a valuable player off the bench. They’re trying to figure something else out I guess, but the roster provides no other obvious candidate.
They really really don’t want to stuck at the first apron, because that limits what they can do in free agency and adding a center to replace Hartenstein. Maybe some kind of sign and trade?
There’s Only Only Rock
Let’s assume for now that the Bridges deal gets done without any big pieces added and the Knicks are able to bring in another center. How are they going to look?
First off, with Bridges on board and Randle back healthy, Brunson will not need to score as much and he should take fewer shots. Bridges averaged about 20 points for the Nets last season and Randle averaged about 24 for the Knicks before getting hurt. And don’t forget about OG, who just signed and mammoth deal and is going to want to be included in the offense.
Using the 23-24 Celtics as a model, Tatum averaged about 27 per game, Brown 23, Porzingis 20, White 15, and Holiday 12. In this scenario I guess it would be Brunson 27, Randle 23, Bridges 20, OG 15, and maybe DiVincenzo/Hart 12. That could work if the egos don’t get in the way. They need to be okay with sharing the rock and not being the man every night.
Shake it Out
One of the exciting things about Bridges is his stellar defense. Of the Knicks likely top 8 rotation players, all but two are three are plus defenders. Mikal should help against Boston. He’s more of a small forward than a shooting guard, but they say there are no positions in the NBA anymore. So I guess he’ll have to start at the two, bumping Dante to the bench.
Then they have a starting lineup of: Brunson, Bridges, OG, Randle, and Robinson. The bench will be Hart, DiVincenzo, McBride, and either Sims or a center they bring in. There is not a real point guard in that crew, but might Tyler Kolek, the second-round draft pick, can get some run at some point.
Final Thoughts
Speaking of things I still don’t understand, what the hell was the point of the in-season tournament? Are the Lakers stoked about their season because they won it? It seems more pointless than the battle for fourth place in the Mega Bowl in the movie Semi-Pro.
Let’s hope the moves work for the Knicks, and we’re not watching Jalen Brunson play through a plethora of injuries at 34 in 2031, while trying to remember why the Knicks don’t have a first-round draft pick.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for our own semi-pro, Angry Ward.
