new york knicks

2024/25 New York Knicks Player Power Rankings – Week 6

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The Knicks have won 5 out fo the last 6 (we won’t talk about that Jazz game), and Precious is very close to coming back. The Knicks look like they’re starting to gel. This is why you don’t call a trade a bust after a dozen games.
Rank Player Comments Last Weeks Rank
1 Anonoby, OG OG playing great on both ends, with a career high 40 points last night. He’s playing like prime Kahwi 3
2 Brunson, Jalen Career high 17 assists last night, that’s what we need to see more of. The Knicks look incredible when the ball is moving. 1
3 Towns, Karl-Anthony Towns has been really good. No buyers remorse here.The east doesn’t have a lot of elite bigs, he’s going to be a problem for opposing teams all season. 2
4 Hart, Josh Hart does it all. So for this season he’s averaging a career high in FG%, FT%, rebounds, and assists. 5
5 Bridges, Mikal An up and down start to the season, if Mikal gets it together this is arguably the best starting lineup in the league. 4
6 McBride, Miles Good to see McBride back so soon, was worried he had a long term injury. 6
7 Payne, Cameron Payne brings nice energy off the bench. He had a steal on 3 straight plays against the Jazz. 7
8 Sims, Jericho Sims held his own against Jokic, am I dreaming? 8
9 Kolek, Tyler Kolek had 8 mins in the 1st half against the Jazz. I thought he had broken into the rotation, but it looks like he’s going to have to wait a little longer to become a regular. 10
10 Dadiet, Pacome I’ve been impressed with Dadiet’s defense. He looks really good in the short minutes we’ve seen him. Might have something here. 11
11 Hukporti, Ariel Since Sims play has improved it looks like Hukporti is the 3rd big man in a 2 big man rotation. 9
12 Achiuwa, Precious Word has it Precious is very close to coming back. More depth is always a good thing. 12
13 Robinson, Mitchell Mitch posted his goals on instagram and one of them was to be playing by Xmas. Fingers crossed! 13

2024/25 New York Knicks Player Power Rankings – Week 3

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This team keeps making me go back and forth between they’re going all the way and man this team has a long way to go. That’s just the way it is early in a season when the team adds 8 new players.
Rank Player Comments Last Weeks Rank
1 Brunson, Jalen Brunson has been the best and most consistent player on the roster. I don’t think this is a hot take. 1
2 Towns, Karl-Anthony The Invisible Man era lasted one game. A 44 point showing this early in the season was nice to see. Defense could be better but we already knew that. 6
3 Anonoby, OG When OG gets rolling on offense you see why the Knicks paid him so much. Hopefully he can do what he did in Houston more consistently 2
4 Bridges, Mikal Bridges looks like he’s getting more comfortable on this team every game. 3
5 Hart, Josh What number is higher, Hart’s rebounds or injury scares per game? 4
6 McBride, Miles Let’s pretend the Houston game never happened. 5
7 Payne, Cameron Payne shows flashes of being a nice backup, but he also chucks like he thinks he’s the best player on the court. 7
8 Sims, Jericho Sims is back getting a lot of minutes. When is Precious coming back? 9
9 Hukporti, Ariel Not sure why he fell out of the rotation after looking better than the guy above him. 8
10 Kolek, Tyler We got a very short Kolek sighting. He looked decent. How about not play the starters 40mpg in the beginning of the season and give Tyler some run. 10
11 Dadiet, Pacome Apparently all the guards will have to be injured before we see Pacome again. 11
12 Achiuwa, Precious Please come back soon! 12
13 Robinson, Mitchell Mitch hasn’t played yet, but neither has the guy who injured him, so karma is doing it’s job. 13

2024/25 New York Knicks Player Power Rankings – Week 2

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Tough opening schedule for a team that is trying to incorporate a lot of new parts. 1-2 since the initial rankings, a blow out loss, a blow out win, and a close loss. The team looks pretty decent despite the two losses, no reason to panic…yet.
Rank Player Comments Last Weeks Rank
1 Brunson, Jalen Considering the way Towns has been playing I have a feeling Brunson is going to be a mainstay at the top spot 1
2 Anonoby, OG OG is playing great defense as expected. He’s looked a bit more aggressive on offense which is good, Brunson can’t carry the load on offense every game. 3
3 Bridges, Mikal Looks like his hitch was a minor hicckup, shot has looked fine in games 2 and 3. 4
4 Hart, Josh Hart is already back in postseason form, rebounding like crazy. 5
5 McBride, Miles The improvement McBride has made over the last 3 years is amazing. Kudos to the frong office for sticking with him while he developed into a legit important piece to this team. 6
6 Towns, Karl-Anthony I’m going to call him “The Invisible Man” until he stops going 5 minute stretches without me even realizing he’s on the court. A disappointing start so far. 2
7 Payne, Cameron He’s done what he was brought in to do. Give solid backup PG minutes, and keep the offense flowing. He’s definitely not shy about shooting, taking almost as many shots as Towns over this 3 game stretch. 7
8 Hukporti, Ariel Hukporti wans’t even on this list last week. It looks like he’s already passed Sims in the rotation, giving solid backup big man minutes. –
9 Sims, Jericho Didn’t take long for Kukporti to pass Sims in the rotation. To be fair he’s looked kind of lost and he’s been outplayed by Hukporti. When Precious gets back we probably won’t see Sims at all. 8
10 Kolek, Tyler We didn’t get to see Kolek in game 3, but he looked decent in the short time we saw him in games 1 and 2. 9
11 Dadiet, Pacome I’d like to see more of Dadiet, but the opening stretch of games has been really tough, and the main rotation players need time to gel. 10
12 Achiuwa, Precious The quicker Precious comes back the quicker we won’t have to endure those Sims minutes. 11
13 Robinson, Mitchell Should be interesting when Mitch comes back. Maybe he starts and Towns moves to the 4. Will Towns be more effective at that spot? 12

2024/25 New York Knicks Player Power Rankings – Week 1

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Since this is our last dance I decided to bring back the Knicks roster power rankings. Last time I did this is was 2021-22. Only 3 years ago but only Mitch, Deuce, and Sims remain from that roster. I think this years roster will be a lot more fun to do. I’ve included the 12 players on a full contract, I will add the two way players if/when they get a full contract.
Rank Player Comments Last Weeks Rank
1 Brunson, Jalen This was an easy one. The best player on the Knicks, coming off a historical playoff run. Having even more spacing this year should make him even more deadly. –
2 Towns, Karl-Anthony Towns is a huge talent, and having a floor spacing center will be a great change from having a non threat on offense at the C position. The pick and roll with Brunson is going to be fun. Health is a concern. –
3 Anonoby, OG The Knicks looked almost unbeatable when OG joined the team last season. Health is also a concern for OG, but if he is the Mikal/OG combo is going to be hell for other teams. –
4 Bridges, Mikal We know Bridges can play. Let’s hope whatever was going on in the preseason is out of his sytem. –
5 Hart, Josh Hart said he’s lost right now with all the new pieces. I’m sure he’ll figure it out and continue to be a fan favorite. –
6 McBride, Miles Last time I did this McBride couldn’t shoot and hardly played. Now he’s a potential 6th man of the year candidate and shot 41% from 3 last season. –
7 Payne, Cameron Payne isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he’s a solid backup guard. A good addition. –
8 Sims, Jericho Since Precious is injured for a few weeks and Mitch is out for a few months it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of Sims, unless two way player Huckporti can break into the rotation. –
9 Kolek, Tyler Looked awesome in preseason, I hope we get to see some more of that in the regular season. –
10 Dadiet, Pacome Missed half the preseason with a sprained finger, but shot lights out in game 3 of preseason. Wasn’t as impressive after that, but intriguing. –
11 Achiuwa, Precious Knicks had a pretty questionable front court bench and then Precious went down. Not great. Let’s hope the injuries are getting out of the way at the beginning of the season. –
12 Robinson, Mitchell Out until at least January, will Mitch come back healthy and make this team a defensive nightmare for other teams? Will he get traded at the deadline? Will he come back for a few weeks and then get injured again? Stay tuned. –

For comparison here was week 1 just 3 years ago:

Let’s take a look at what the Knicks roster looks like going into the first game of the season. This one was hard for the opposite of past years; the Knicks actually have a lot of good players. I usually have trouble after number 3 because the rest of the roster stinks, but now I have trouble because I think so many players are going to contribute.
Rank Player Comments Last Weeks Rank
1 Randle, Julius Randle was the best player on this team last season and I don’t see that changing this season. After his poor playoff performance I see him getting motivated and playing even better. –
2 Barrett, RJ Nice year two jump for Barrett, I’m expecting a year three jump as well, the question is how big will it be. –
3 Walker, Kemba The ceiling of this season rests on Kemba’s questionable knees. Let’s hope he has a couple more season left in them. –
4 Fournier, Evan Going to lose a bit on defense, but Fournier can spread the floor and even handle the ball a bit. –
5 Rose, Derrick Really nice having someone like Rose as insurance if Kemba goes down. Also great to have someone this talented to run the second unit. Also an injury concern but looked pretty sturdy last season. –
6  Immanuel, Quickley If IQ takes a leap in year two the Knicks are all of a sudden pretty deep in the backcourt. –
7 Burks, Alec This is a guy who can drop 20 on any given night and I have him ranked 7th. Wow things have changed. –
8 Robinson, Mitchell What a pleasant surprise having Robinson ready to go for the season opener. Everyone in NY is hoping for a healthy season from the big man. –
9 Toppin, Obi Obi looked pretty good in the preseason, and rumor is he’s been putting in a lot of work in the offseason. Hopefully his flashes in pre-season carries into the regular season. –
10  Gibson, Taj Taj showed in preseason that there’s still gas left in the tank. Great to have a 3rd option at center that can hold his own when needed. –
11  Noel, Nerlens Noel has been injured all preseason and will miss game 1, I’m not too worried but if he’s not playing by next week that’ll change. –
12  Grimes, Quentin At first I thought McBride would get playing time over Grimes but Grimes played in crunch time in the last preseason game against the Wizards and looked pretty good. –
13 McBride, Miles Probably won’t see much of McBride unless there are a few injuries, might be a good idea to give him some G-League run. –
14 Knox, Kevin Knox looks like he puts in effort, unfortunately for him he’s at best the 3rd option in every position he can play. –
15 Selden Jr. Wayne Looks like Wayne got the last roster spot. He’ll probably get even less run than Knox. –

New York Knicks: A New Era Begins with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns (Blame Isaiah)

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By John Aurelus @nyknicksfinest

The 2024-2025 NBA season is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in recent memory, especially if you’re a New York Knicks fan. It all started on July 6th, 2024, when our phones collectively buzzed with the now formerly infamous “Woj Bomb” that confirmed what we had been hoping for: Leon Rose, the Knicks’ mastermind, had pulled off a blockbuster deal with our crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets. The deal? None other than the league’s most coveted player, Mikal Bridges, was heading to Madison Square Garden.

Bridges’ arrival marked the completion of a Villanova Wildcats reunion on the Knicks roster, as he joined former college teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart. This “Nova 4” was immediately heralded as the core that could lead the Knicks to their first NBA title in over five decades. With Bridges on board, the Knicks now had one of the most potent, well-rounded lineups in the league. All we had to do was survive the long summer months, waiting for the season to begin.

But Knicks fans were in for another shock.

Just as we were winding down on September 27th, at 10:27 PM, another notification shook Knicks Nation. This time, it was the inaugural  “Shams Bomb,” with Shams Charania reporting: “The Knicks have acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick via Detroit.”

Knicks fans are known for their loyalty and appreciation, but this news hit hard. The dream of seeing the “Nova 4” dominate together on the court vanished, replaced by the reality that we were saying goodbye to two key players—Randle, the heart of our rebuild, and DiVincenzo, a key part of the Villanova brotherhood. Yet, on the flip side, we were bringing in a two-time All-NBA selection, a four-time All-Star, and undoubtedly one of the top centers in the league in Towns. On paper, the move made sense, especially as Towns seemed like the perfect complement to our star point guard, Jalen Brunson.

But as any Knicks fan knows, it’s never just about what’s on paper.

The Isaiah Factor

What does this trade have to do with Isaiah Hartenstein? Well, in an amusing twist, Knicks beat writer Steve Popper reported that Josh Hart jokingly said, “Blame Isaiah” after realizing the GQ photo shoot featuring DiVincenzo made it clear he was gone. While the comment was made in jest, it did make me reflect on how different this Knicks roster could have looked had Hartenstein re-signed.

So, I started to compare what I had hoped our rotation would be going into the season versus what it actually is now. Here’s a breakdown:

Hoped-for Rotation:

  • PG: Jalen Brunson
  • SG: Mikal Bridges
  • SF: OG Anunoby
  • PF: Julius Randle
  • C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Bench Depth:

  • Mitchell Robinson
  • Josh Hart
  • Donte DiVincenzo
  • Deuce McBride
  • Precious Achiuwa

Actual Rotation:

  • PG: Jalen Brunson
  • SG: Josh Hart
  • SF: Mikal Bridges
  • PF: OG Anunoby
  • C: Karl-Anthony Towns

Bench Depth:

  • Mitchell Robinson
  • Deuce McBride
  • Precious Achiuwa
  • Cameron Payne
  • Jericho Sims

On one hand, the vision of Hartenstein as a gritty, defensive anchor and Randle’s bruising presence alongside OG Anunoby was tantalizing. But my rational side knows that Towns is an undeniable upgrade. He’s a versatile big man who can stretch the floor, score inside, and fit into a modern offense in ways Hartenstein simply can’t.

A Good Problem to Have

I don’t know about you, but I’m torn. My heart favors the scrappy underdogs, while my head acknowledges the brilliance of a roster headlined by Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns. After 35 years as a Knicks fan, though, this is finally a good problem to have.

Ultimately, whether or not the Knicks made the right decision will come down to Towns’ performance on the court. Much like Bridges, the Knicks gave up a lot to acquire him, but unlike Bridges, this deal came at the cost of two players we consider family. Randle and DiVincenzo are made men in New York City, and we wish them nothing but the best in Minnesota.

But for now, it’s all about “Bodega Kat”—our new man in the middle. The stage is set for Towns to prove he can live up to the expectations of Knicks Nation and lead this team to glory. If he does, the trade will be remembered as the moment the Knicks landed their best center since Patrick Ewing.

Now, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. What a time to be a Knicks fan.

2017/18 New York Knicks Player Power Rankings – Week 9

/ Jay / 2 Comments
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Porzingis, Kristaps Please don’t be injured, please don’t be injured, please don’t be injured, please don’t be injured. 3
2 Kanter, Enes The fact that Kanter is a double-double machine and McDermott is a solid bench player while Melo is averaging career lows in just about every category makes me feel so much better about this trade than I did a few months ago. 2
3 Lee, Courtney Lee has had some monster games lately. Definitely picking up scoring void Hardaway left when he went down. 1
4 McDermott, Doug McDermott was a big reason that all of the starters had a negative +/- while all the bench players had a positive +/- against the Hawks. 7
5 Beasley, Michael If Beasley keeps playing like this it’s definitely going to effect the odds on Knicks making the playoffs. 5
6 Ntilikina, Frank Up and down season, which is normal for a 19 year old PG. This week was a very up week. 11
7 Jack, Jarrett Jack had a similar week to last week. He’s only moving down because so many Knicks had an even better week. 4
8 Thomas, Lance Thomas has moved into the starting lineup and hasn’t looked too bad. No apology coming. 8
9 O’Quinn, Kyle O’Quinn hasn’t been getting many minutes lately but he’s definitely been making the most of them. 9
10 Hardaway Jr., Tim The Knicks have been winning, but they are going to need Timmy to get healthy soon. A ton of away games in January and against much better competition. 6
11 Baker, Ron Baker came back and has looked like a 4M a year player. Take that however you want. 13
12 Dotson, Damyean Looks like Baker took Dotsons minutes. Not sure how I feel about that. I don’t think I feel great about it. 10
13 Hernangomez, Willy Willy better figure out defense and fast or he’s going to be out of the NBA in a year or two. 12
14 Sessions, Ramon Since Jack is the Knicks veteran PG presense what value does Sessions bring? 14
15 Noah, Joakim Parsons is averaging over 12 PPG this month, making Noah the official worst contract in the NBA. 15

2017/18 Knicks Roster Power Rankings – Week 7

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The holidays got in the way so this raking will cover two weeks and 6 games. Unfortunately 4 of those games are losses and injuries are finally playing a factor.
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Hardaway Jr., Tim Well I didn’t see this coming. Hardaway has kicked it up a couple notches since last rankings. He’s still inconsistent but in addition to scoring he’s been rebounding and assisting at an impressive rate. 3
2 Porzingis, Kristaps Porzingis shot has still been way off since it came out that his elbow has been injured. Still he’s been averaging over 20ppg and is still the prohibitive favorite among the most improved players 1/4 through the season. 1
3 Lee, Courtney Other than the first Raptors game Lee has played well. On a team of inconsistent players the consistency has been appreciated. 2
4 Jack, Jarrett Jack had a 14 assist game this week. It was in a loss to the Hawks, but still. 6
5 O’Quinn, Kyle O’Quinn isn’t the best player but man is he fun to watch. Gotta love his energy. 8
6 Kanter, Enes The Knicks have a lot of big guys but not a lot of good ones. This was really apparent when Kanter went down. Bonus points for trolling LeBron. 5
7 McDermott, Doug Can’t put all the blame on McDermott but his +/- this week raises all the eyebrows. 7
8 Beasley, Michael Beasley had 24 points at the half against the Rockets. In the 2nd half he showed why so many teams gave up on him. He didn’t even cross half court on a couple defensive stints. 11
9 Ntilikina, Frank Frank had a rough couple weeks. He’s looked out of his element lately. Coach seems to notice too, his minutes are way down. 4
10 Thomas, Lance Meh 9
11 Dotson, Damyean Didn’t get to see much of Damyean lately. 10
12 Noah, Joakim 3 minutes in the last 2 weeks. Noah is going to get run in Westchester this week, that’s the way to slowly bring him back. I like it. 12
13 Baker, Ron Baker is also playing in Westchester this week. If you’re doing the math that’s over $20 million in salary playing in Westchester instead of MSG. 14
14 Hernangomez, Willy Willy has been so bad I went from ‘the Knicks have too many big men’ to ‘I wonder what Luke Kornet is up to?’ 13
15 Sessions, Ramon Nothing to see here. 15

 

Recap: New York Knicks at Orlando Magic

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New York Knicks at Orlando Magic

March 6, 2017

Knicks 115, Magic 105

by Eric Weinstein

 

Yo, didn’t they just play the Magic?

 

After another home loss on Sunday, the Knicks immediately hit the road and went back down to Central Florida to take on the Orlando Magic once again. On March 1st, the Knicks defeated the Magic 101-90, and this game had the same end result, a Knicks victory. This game went a little differently, as New York had to play the catch up game for the first three quarters, without Carmelo Anthony, only to pull away in the fourth. Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, and Lance Thomas, all stepped up in Carmelo’s absence to get the Knicks a win, 112-105. Lee led the Knicks with 20 points, and Porzingis and Thomas combined for 31 points. Maybe the biggest story of this game was undrafted rookie Chasson Randle, who was playing his first extended minutes as a New York Knick. Randle filled the stat sheet with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and was an astonishing +27. To compare, Derrick Rose was a -23, for all those who think the Knicks should resign Rose in the off-season. Evan Fournier led the Magic with 25 points, and Elfrid Payton ended his night with a triple double. 16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 awful haircut for the Magic point guard.

Continue reading →

Recap: New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors

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New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors

March 5, 2017

Warriors 112, Knicks 105

 by Eric Weinstein

We almost saw the impossible.

A sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden welcomed in the Golden State Warriors on a cold Sunday afternoon in the City. Most Knick fans, including myself, figured this game would be over quickly, but that wasn’t the case at all. The Knicks rose to the challenge and played some of their best basketball in a long time, albeit in a losing effort. I’m not one for the, “moral victory” but the Knicks should be proud of their effort on both ends of the floor. Granted, they gave up 112 points, but this is the most explosive offensive team in the NBA, so that could’ve been a lot worse. Kristaps Porzingis snapped out of his seemingly endless slump in a big way, going for 24 points and 15 rebounds, along with a couple of blocked shots. Derrick Rose was in vintage form as well, scoring 28 points and getting whatever he wanted on the offensive end. I’m ignoring his defense of course, but Rose was a blur offensively. Those two weren’t enough to stop the two time defending Western Conference Champs, however, as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson proved to be too much. The Splash Brothers (hate that name) combined for 60 points and continued to be the best backcourt in the NBA. Continue reading →

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

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New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

February 23, 2017

Cavaliers 119, Knicks 104

“We’re back, and we’re the same as ever!” – The Knicks

So after a very New York Knicks trade deadline, where the Knicks made no moves to better the team right now, or better the team for the future, Carmelo Anthony led his team into the Quicken Loans Arena to battle LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It went exactly as you would think.

The Knicks got squashed tonight, and the score doesn’t do this beat down justice. Continue reading →