New York Knicks (2) vs Indiana Pacers (6) - 2024 EC Second Round

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,636
One of Crow, EE or Jon should make a 2024-25 Knicks thread. But the Knicks Contracts page speaks pretty loudly to me.

- They have only $145M in committed salaries for 24-25, only marginally above the projected $141M cap, and well below the $172M projected tax line.
- OG has a player option for next year at $20M - he's gone unless NY is willing to put up $35M+ for 4 years. However, they can very easily get the cap space to do so.
- Randle is the team's top salary at $30.3M, one guaranteed year remaining plus a player option. Very tradeable.
- Brunson is extension-eligible, I'm pretty sure. He's in line for a big one. He's signed for next year at the moment though.
- Robinson, Hart and DiVincenzo are signed long-term at quite reasonable dollars.
- The 35yo Bogdanovic is signed for next year at ~$20 if they want him, but only $2M is guaranteed, the rest is effectively a team option that expires June 29th.
- Hartenstein is a free agent. There will be plenty of interest for him.

Cutting Bogdanovic and/or trading Randle should let them keep OG if they want to. They could then use their cap space to bolster the roster and put up the 30%-max that Brunson is probably in line for now. He's not supermax eligible (even if he opts into his 25-26 player option and waits the extra year), because he changed teams after completing his 4th year. If they drop Bogdanovic (-$18), sign OG at ~$35M (+$15) and Brunson at ~$42M (+$17), they are still only at ~$159M, without even having to dispose of Randle if they don't want to. But it might end up being a choice between Randle and Hartenstein for them, or equivalent replacement.
They are in good shape. Have to think after watching this run that signing Hartenstein and trading Randle would be their first option. What does Randle plus picks get them? They will need more to truly compete, not only in the East but in any hypothetical Finals scenario.
 

Jace II

no rules
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
684
Tough result - the Knicks were clearly tired and too short on healthy rotation players, so probably going to lose that game 6 times out of 10 at least. The Knicks D wasn't great, but if Indiana doesn't make all their jumpers early and Brunson doesn't get a dumb injury, I think this game would have been close and ugly and come down to the end.

The biggest thing Thibs should have done differently this playoffs is found a way to work Burks in earlier to give Brunson, Divincenzo, and indirectly Hart a little bit more support and obviously rest. I think Burks clearly could have given 12 minutes/game adding energy and random shotmaking in the 2nd unit. Of course, I doubt Thibs will see that as a takeaway.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
SoSH Member
Sep 9, 2008
43,648
AZ
Again, they are going to lose a game or more. The board will burn.
Should we reconvene at one of those message boards where fans aren’t upset about their team losing?

This narrative that SOSH Celtics fans overreact to losses is right up there with overreacting to losses.

So, I am going to start the trend overreacting to the overreacting to the overreactors.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
71,676
The biggest thing Thibs should have done differently this playoffs is found a way to work Burks in earlier to give Brunson, Divincenzo, and indirectly Hart a little bit more support and obviously rest. I think Burks clearly could have given 12 minutes/game adding energy and random shotmaking in the 2nd unit. Of course, I doubt Thibs will see that as a takeaway.
Easy to say now (and some people said it before), but Burks looked dreadful every chance he got in the regular season, a turnstile on D and no help on O.

Personally I think it would have been nice to play Deuce McBride some the first two months of the season, but Thibs is gonna Thibs, for better and worse, mostly for better with this team.
 

Jace II

no rules
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
684
Easy to say now (and some people said it before), but Burks looked dreadful every chance he got in the regular season, a turnstile on D and no help on O.
He was bad, I remember it. But Burks was really good right before the trade, and clearly based on these last 2-3 games or whatever, still can play on occasion.

Investing in (and gambling with) him to a small degree I think would have been a better bet than having every single play run through Brunson for 45 high intensity minutes a night. Burks is mediocre so it's not some clear cut thing, I just think it would have been smarter. Thibs obviously isn't going to change much.
 

Jace II

no rules
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
684
Lasting takeaway from this series is just the memory of that Nembhard 3 in game 3.

Tied at 106, 17 seconds left, and a guy who was bricking open 3s hits a step back 31 footer after he'd kind of not been in control of the ball a second earlier. If he misses, I assume the Knicks are slight to moderate favorites to win given they likely get the rebound and 1 more chance to score points before OT. And given they won Game 5 by a lot, I think they'd have enough to finish a series up 3-0.

Obviously they were spent in a lot of ways, especially by the end, but that's probably the moment I'll remember most unfortunately.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,679
Santa Monica
Should we reconvene at one of those message boards where fans aren’t upset about their team losing?

This narrative that SOSH Celtics fans overreact to losses is right up there with overreacting to losses.

So, I am going to start the trend overreacting to the overreacting to the overreactors.
tread carefully, SoSH Internal Affairs is going to investigate any positive or negative emotions Posters have during or after a game

It will then be reflected in performance reviews :rolleyes:
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
32,015
He was bad, I remember it. But Burks was really good right before the trade, and clearly based on these last 2-3 games or whatever, still can play on occasion.

Investing in (and gambling with) him to a small degree I think would have been a better bet than having every single play run through Brunson for 45 high intensity minutes a night. Burks is mediocre so it's not some clear cut thing, I just think it would have been smarter. Thibs obviously isn't going to change much.
For better or worse (and probably in some ways each) this is a longtime Thibs tradition, back to his Chicago days: he doesn't trust easily, and he struggles to get as much out of the guys he doesn't fully trust as might be possible. He is one of the very best in the league at scheming, motivating, and executing within his structures, and so I get why he is focused on the guys he believes in, and the results overall are very good. But there are guys who can be useful who don't fully fit who get left out, and he's had issues with needing to develop younger players and/or extend rotations.
 

lars10

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
12,135
Should we reconvene at one of those message boards where fans aren’t upset about their team losing?

This narrative that SOSH Celtics fans overreact to losses is right up there with overreacting to losses.

So, I am going to start the trend overreacting to the overreacting to the overreactors.
Being upset is one thing.. but around here every loss brings out a few posters that use the loss to justify their feelings that this Celtics team is exactly like the others that came before, that they’ll never win with this core, etc etc. same posters don’t come out after a win. It’s one thing to be down after a loss.. it’s another to always be unrelentingly negative.. especially when we’re all watching a historically great team this season.