This is our draft reaction episode. Jay watched the draft, Marc didn’t and tries to guess what happened. The reaction is priceless.
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Offseason thoughts
I was going to call this the 2018 NBA draft thoughts but I wanted to say this first;
THE KNICKS ARE NOT GETTING KAWHI LEONARD OR LEBRON JAMES.
The Knicks don’t have enough cap space, and without trading Porzingis they have no assets to trade for them. Those guys wouldn’t have any reason to come here without Porzingis (and barely any reason to come even if he is here). So let’s stop all this talk right now.
OK, rant over. On to the draft. I’m not a draft expert, I hardly watch any college ball, but I did call for Porzingis months before the draft, so lets see if I can make another good prediction this year.
Trae Young – The guy can score. The Knicks need scoring. The Knicks also need literally everything, so taking a guy based on one need isn’t the way to go about this. From the little footage I’ve seen I have a feeling Young is going to get creamed on defense. I’m thinking Isaiah Thomas. Can put up a ton of points but is almost unplayable due to not being able to guard anyone. I’d take a pass on Young.
Michael Porter Jr. – There’s a chance that his injuries could scare people off. I know the Knicks have had terrible luck with injury prone players, but if Porter Jr. falls to #9 I’d grab him. His upside is too hard to pass up. He’s been all over the place in mock drafts, but he’s trending upward just days before the draft so I’d make a NetBet that he’s not available at 9.
Mikal Bridges – He’s a two way player. The Knicks have maybe two of those on the roster if you squint just right. Can’t get enough of guys like that. If he’s available the Knicks should thank the basketball gods and jump on that.
Collin Sexton – I’m torn on this one. Drafting a PG the year after drafting Ntilikina seems weird, but maybe they can play together. Sexton can play defense to that would be a nice young defensive backcourt. As I’m writing this I’m talking myself into it.
Wendell Carter Jr. – I wouldn’t be a fan of this pick. Doesn’t seem terribly athletic. Might have trouble scoring. Probably couldn’t keep up with quicker power forwards. The Knicks need a stud and I feel like Wendell’s ceiling is solid rotation player.
It’s such a crap shoot at #9 who knows. I’m sure a couple of these guys will be really good and a couple will be complete busts. I just hope the Knicks make the right pick.
Episode 426: A Lot Going On
Marc and Jay talk about assistant coaches, the upcoming draft, the NBA finals, legacies, the Colangelo twitter, and much more
Episode 425: The 9th Pick
Marc and Jay talk about the draft lottery, prospects the Knicks could get, the conference finals, and much more
Episode 424: Welcome to New York David Fizdale
Marc and Jay give their thoughts on the David Fizdale hiring, and talk about round 2 of the playoffs
Episode 423: Recapping the 1st Round and More Coaching Talk
Marc interviews Jay for the Knicks coaching job, debating the 2nd round of the playoffs, recapping the 1st round, Knicks coaching talk, much more
The Knicks Coaching Hunt
Even in the weaker Eastern Conference, the Knicks are already longshots to make the 2019 NBA playoffs. The team finished 14 games back of the postseason this year and are staring down the barrel of half a season without Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a devastating ACL tear in February. There is some indication that Kristaps could be ready as early as December, but the more likely scenario is that the Knicks’ brass takes the safe route with their franchise player and holds him out until the New Year, or even the entire season, treating 2018-19 as another rebuilding season.
No matter which coach is brought in to replace Jeff Hornacek, he will struggle mightily to form a playoff contender out of the remaining pieces on this roster. The average figure on most sportsbooks currently have the Knicks at 7/3 (30% chance) to make the 2019 playoffs. Luckily before you put down any hard earned cash My Top Sportsbooks reviews can help in choosing which gambling site should be trusted, and with such a large selection chances are some are offering better odds than the 7/3 average.
The question is which route will the Knicks take. Right now it looks like the Knicks are interviewing a huge variety of different coaches (pretty much everyone except Jeff Van Gundy for some reason). So the question is what direction will the Knicks take? Will they go after the big name coach and try to use the little cap space they have to sign the biggest name free agent they can get (the usual route), or will they go after a coach more focused on development, build through the draft, and take their time trying to build a solid team from the ground up (I wouldn’t bet on that approach if I were you)? What is guaranteed is there is going to be a lot of turnover in the next few weeks and the usual offseason drama. Hopefully when the dust settles we will be able to see a plan and the Knicks will actually be moving towards that plan.
Who do you think will end up being the Knicks next coach?
Episode 422: The Search Continues
Marc and Jay talk about the coaching search, who’s been interviewed, who should be, and first round playoff talk
Episode 421: Coaching Search and Playoff Preview
Marc and Jay talk about the Hornacek firing, the coaching search, playoff preview, 10 minutes with a die hard Knicks fan, revisiting our preseason predictions
The New York Knicks Podcast – Episode 420: An Uplifting Episode
Marc and Jay compare the futures of the Knicks vs the other teams in the lottery. 10 minutes with a die hard Knicks fan. Future coaches, and much more.
