A RARE MISTAKE
The New York Knicks spiraled for two decades under the leadership of Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas, Donnie Walsh, Glen Grunwald, Steve Mills, Phil Jackson, and Scott Perry. Therefore, in my mind, it’s almost sacrilegious to point out any mistake made by the organization’s current President Leon Rose. But for the purposes of trying to publish an interesting blog post, here I go.
Trading Quentin Grimes last season to Detroit for playoff depth in the form of Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks was short-sighted. Grimes didn’t impress Detroit last spring, or Dallas this past season, but he did show flashes of stardom with Philadelphia averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 28 games down the stretch. He was a “3 and D” specialist that seemingly fit Tom Thibodeau’s system. Having said that, no one, self-included, ranted against that trade when it happened. Grimes appeared to be blocked log-term by Donte DiVincenzo, and the Knicks were battling injuries and needed immediate reinforcements.
On the other hand, Rose did err big-time when he made his first ever draft choice. Most draft pundits agreed heading into the November 18, 2020 NBA Draft that the Knicks needed a point guard, and a strong three-point shooter. Tyrese Haliburton was both of those things in college, along with defensive skills and an outgoing, positive personality. Many of those same pundits thought he was the 4th best player in the draft behind Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball.
One person, self-included, felt that due to his high-ceiling and high-floor he was the safest pick in the draft. The Knicks instead drafted Obi Toppin, while Haliburton fell to Sacramento at #11.
Ironically, 55 months later both players will be on the court tonight, wearing Indiana Pacer uniforms in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden.
Every now and then, some of the bloom comes off Rose when I dream of a Jalen Brunson/Haliburton backcourt. However, reality sets in when I realize that if Haliburton was a Knick, Rose probably wouldn’t have been motivated to go through all the various machinations needed to bring Brunson on-board.
Based on how well Brunson has accepted and thrived in the role of “Captain Clutch” for the Knicks, and how much Knicks fans enjoy treating Haliburton as the Pacers’ next generation “Reggie Miller”, I think we can forgive Rose for his one major mistake.
WHEN VISION EQUALS REALITY
Get ready for an obvious statement, “if the Knicks continue to play the way they did in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics, they have a legitimate chance to win 8 more games and secure the franchise’s first championship in 52 years”.
The way they shared the ball, played unselfishly and worked together as a team on defense, is what Rose envisioned when he made his two controversial off-season trades to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Their effort echoed the 90’s teams, and their unselfishness recalled the championship teams in the 70’s.
We have no idea what the summer will bring. There will be Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant rumors because suddenly players want to be on the home team when they play at MSG.
Personally, I remain steadfast that this team, as presently constituted, with a couple of additions to the bench, will be significantly better in 2025-26. Better than Game 6 against the Celtics? No, that’s about as good as it gets. But they will be more consistent due to increased chemistry that comes with playing together.
Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t win this year. Every team remaining has holes in their games and the Knicks are seemingly peaking at the right time. It just means that this is the start of something, not their only chance.
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KNICKS EVERYWHERE
As the Knicks struggled down the stretch this season, there were many fans ruing the off-season losses of popular players.
- Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to the CBA quirk that limited how much the Knicks could offer to retain his services.
- Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the controversial trade for Towns.
As fate would have it, all 3 of these fan favorites, are still playing. Last night in the Thunder’s 114-88 win over the Timberwolves, they all contributed:
- DiVincenzo (9 points, 2 steals)
- Hartenstein (12 points, 5 rebounds)
- Randle (28 points, 8 rebounds)
If the Knicks get past the Pacers, there will be a reunion with at least one of these players in the NBA Finals.
FROM TORONTO WITH LOVE
I’m not sure if it’s possible for an NBA player averaging 18.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists over the course of his 9-year career to fly more under the radar than Pascal Siakam. OG Anunoby’s former teammate was traded by the Toronto Raptors to the Pacers on January 17, 2024, just 18 days after Anunoby was traded by the Raptors to the Knicks. Siakam, like Anunoby, is a force at both ends of the court.
Also, like Anunoby, he is not the face of his team. That’s reserved for Haliburton and career Pacer Myles Turner. Yet he led the Pacers in scoring this season (20.2 ppg) and is leading again in the playoffs (18.8 ppg).
Both ex-Raptors have won rings. One will play in the NBA Finals in a couple of weeks.
PREDICTION
I will say it again for those in the back who haven’t heard me say it before. The Knicks Starting 5, as presently constituted, can win a championship. Until Game 6 against the Celtics, I thought that due to the inconsistency and lack of depth, the window for that championship would open in 2026.
That’s no longer the case. The window is open now for the Knicks. Unfortunately, it is also open for the Pacers. These are two good teams. Only one can move on. One way or the other, we’ve waited 25 years for this, enjoy.
Knicks in 7
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