If that is the case, what are your thoughts on Caruso as a PG off the bench next to Deuce? Bench would be Deuce, Grimes, Caruso, Hart, Precious, Drummond.

I am almost there for trading Fournier, 2 first round picks (and top level seconds) for Caruso, Drummond and just going for it. Would the Knicks FO do that type of move?

Thibs will play Caruso. We know this. Caruso will give you an insurance player for Josh Hart and just add the same type of guy into the mix.

I have no idea if Caruso can play PG.

Drummond gives you a 7th backup center. More insurance for iHart.

Thoughts?

Nalod wrote:Insurance?
All teams are flawed if they lose players to injury. More so in the age of parity.
I don’t see where Caruso gets minutes other than Deuces and thats not enough for Caruso.
Nice player BTW.
Does Chicago not want Drummond anymore or this just filler? Nalod not seeing Drummond as a Thib kind of player.
If we have to go into playoffs with Simms and Drummond if iHart is hurt we have a problem. Drummond won’t fix what Precious can’t bring.

Caruso would take all of Grimes minutes, although I bet grimes would be moved in a Caruso deal. In the playoffs he would take Deuces minutes most likely too. Thibs would play him 25-30 mpg. He’s essentially putting Deuce and Grimes into one player with the size, ability to play 2 positions, shooting and defense.

Drummond IMO is too slow for our D, and we need Cs to anchor the D and handle a switch

I’ve never been a Caruso fan. And if we’re thinking Caruso we should really be thinking Brogdon

And instead of Drummond we should be looking for someone bouncy and fast, not sure who, but someone like Claxton if not Claxton.

Chandler wrote:Martin i often like your suggestions but not this one

Drummond IMO is too slow for our D, and we need Cs to anchor the D and handle a switch

I’ve never been a Caruso fan. And if we’re thinking Caruso we should really be thinking Brogdon

And instead of Drummond we should be looking for someone bouncy and fast, not sure who, but someone like Claxton if not Claxton.

Drummond is just salary filler.

I just don't know enough about Caruso as a PG type, so maybe you right

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:I’ve been a huge advocate of Caruso for awhile. I like him a lot and yes he can play PG. But since adding OG our needs are different. Not sure if Caruso brings anything new to the table. Yes he would add more of what is already working, and maybe that’s the point. But for his cost I’d rather add something new I think , although I’m not completely opposed.

What happens if Brunson misses 5 games?

What is your PG rotation?

That is Caruso's value. And you can sit Josh Hart for like 2-3 weeks if he needs it to ramp up for playoffs.

For Brunson missing games we need to add someone. I’ve been saying Brogdon or at worst Bruce brown. I’m not against Caruso. We are just going to have the same problems off the bench scoring if we trade for him. And while Caruso can play PG, he’s not a playmaker. Brunson missing time and Caruso filling in still presents the same problem that guys like Brogdon, Clarkson etc could help with. Caruso is a better player than all of them but just better at different things.

If the main bench guys are Deuce, Caruso, Hart... is that enough ball movers and PG-lite types to be OK for second unit?

Brunson is going to eventually play 34 minutes a game during playoffs. So mostly, we need a backup PG for the regular season games. Would Caruso be good enough with those expectations?

Yes it’s enough for ball movers and PG-play, but my concern (and only concern) is how do we score without Brunson on the floor outside of shooting lights out from 3? That problem still remains. Thibs still gets nervous about the offense and won’t give Brunson much rest. But Caruso playing in any lineup is a difference maker no doubt. Brunson on the floor with OG and Caruso on the wings is all-time defensive impact level.

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:I’ve been a huge advocate of Caruso for awhile. I like him a lot and yes he can play PG. But since adding OG our needs are different. Not sure if Caruso brings anything new to the table. Yes he would add more of what is already working, and maybe that’s the point. But for his cost I’d rather add something new I think , although I’m not completely opposed.

What happens if Brunson misses 5 games?

What is your PG rotation?

That is Caruso's value. And you can sit Josh Hart for like 2-3 weeks if he needs it to ramp up for playoffs.

For Brunson missing games we need to add someone. I’ve been saying Brogdon or at worst Bruce brown. I’m not against Caruso. We are just going to have the same problems off the bench scoring if we trade for him. And while Caruso can play PG, he’s not a playmaker. Brunson missing time and Caruso filling in still presents the same problem that guys like Brogdon, Clarkson etc could help with. Caruso is a better player than all of them but just better at different things.

If the main bench guys are Deuce, Caruso, Hart... is that enough ball movers and PG-lite types to be OK for second unit?

Brunson is going to eventually play 34 minutes a game during playoffs. So mostly, we need a backup PG for the regular season games. Would Caruso be good enough with those expectations?

Yes it’s enough for ball movers and PG-play, but my concern (and only concern) is how do we score without Brunson on the floor outside of shooting lights out from 3? That problem still remains. Thibs still gets nervous about the offense and won’t give Brunson much rest. But Caruso playing in any lineup is a difference maker no doubt. Brunson on the floor with OG and Caruso on the wings is all-time defensive impact level.

Wait, does Caruso have enough PG play in him or not enough without Brunson?

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:For me, if if if if Caruso is a good enough back up PG type, he is instant playoff gold.

He is the guy just like Josh Hart or OG that gets you that one steal or rebound or defensive play that wins you an incredibly tough Boston playoff game.

He can match the intensity of Derick White, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler for a full playoffs series, just not a game or 2. He has got the greatest of big balls just like Josh Hart.

There is a very very good possibility that Deuce and Grimes go into a hole and hide just like the playoffs last year, see IQ, Grimes, etc. They are nowhere near ready to play a 7 game ECF playoff series against Boston as Caruso is.

And to be sure, we are aiming to get to finals. That's the lens we are looking through.

I didn’t realize Caruso is shooting so well from 3.

So the way I see it, you ideally want Brunson, Randle and OG all playing around 34 mpg. DDV plays about 24 mpg or so. That’s 66 non-center bench minutes. Hart should be about 24 mpg as well, although he’s typically getting more. Caruso comes in and will play the same. So that leaves about 18 mpg. Ideally you add a scorer for those minutes. Hayward would be perfect via buyout but he will want to play more minutes. But if you can find someone who can score off the bench then Caruso is a perfect add. If not, you bump DDV, hart and Caruso all up to their 26 mpg or so and just play deuce the leftover 12 mins and live with the lack of scoring. The defense would be elite of course so the trade off is there. Just sort of what to consider.

Candidly, I don't know Caruso very well but I thought he was Josh Hart with a much much better 3point shot.

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:For me, if if if if Caruso is a good enough back up PG type, he is instant playoff gold.

He is the guy just like Josh Hart or OG that gets you that one steal or rebound or defensive play that wins you an incredibly tough Boston playoff game.

He can match the intensity of Derick White, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler for a full playoffs series, just not a game or 2. He has got the greatest of big balls just like Josh Hart.

There is a very very good possibility that Deuce and Grimes go into a hole and hide just like the playoffs last year, see IQ, Grimes, etc. They are nowhere near ready to play a 7 game ECF playoff series against Boston as Caruso is.

And to be sure, we are aiming to get to finals. That's the lens we are looking through.

I didn’t realize Caruso is shooting so well from 3.

So the way I see it, you ideally want Brunson, Randle and OG all playing around 34 mpg. DDV plays about 24 mpg or so. That’s 66 non-center bench minutes. Hart should be about 24 mpg as well, although he’s typically getting more. Caruso comes in and will play the same. So that leaves about 18 mpg. Ideally you add a scorer for those minutes. Hayward would be perfect via buyout but he will want to play more minutes. But if you can find someone who can score off the bench then Caruso is a perfect add. If not, you bump DDV, hart and Caruso all up to their 26 mpg or so and just play deuce the leftover 12 mins and live with the lack of scoring. The defense would be elite of course so the trade off is there. Just sort of what to consider.

Candidly, I don't know Caruso very well but I thought he was Josh Hart with a much much better 3point shot.

That’s mostly true. He’s not really a wing though, more of a combo guard. He is a connector offensively. He will handle the ball, keep it moving, he’s ok running a pick and roll, and he’s a knock down shooter. He’s an ideal PG next to a wing that is generating most of the offense. He’s a bigger prime pat Beverley.

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

martin wrote:For me, if if if if Caruso is a good enough back up PG type, he is instant playoff gold.

He is the guy just like Josh Hart or OG that gets you that one steal or rebound or defensive play that wins you an incredibly tough Boston playoff game.

He can match the intensity of Derick White, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler for a full playoffs series, just not a game or 2. He has got the greatest of big balls just like Josh Hart.

There is a very very good possibility that Deuce and Grimes go into a hole and hide just like the playoffs last year, see IQ, Grimes, etc. They are nowhere near ready to play a 7 game ECF playoff series against Boston as Caruso is.

And to be sure, we are aiming to get to finals. That's the lens we are looking through.

I didn’t realize Caruso is shooting so well from 3.

So the way I see it, you ideally want Brunson, Randle and OG all playing around 34 mpg. DDV plays about 24 mpg or so. That’s 66 non-center bench minutes. Hart should be about 24 mpg as well, although he’s typically getting more. Caruso comes in and will play the same. So that leaves about 18 mpg. Ideally you add a scorer for those minutes. Hayward would be perfect via buyout but he will want to play more minutes. But if you can find someone who can score off the bench then Caruso is a perfect add. If not, you bump DDV, hart and Caruso all up to their 26 mpg or so and just play deuce the leftover 12 mins and live with the lack of scoring. The defense would be elite of course so the trade off is there. Just sort of what to consider.

Candidly, I don't know Caruso very well but I thought he was Josh Hart with a much much better 3point shot.

That’s mostly true. He’s not really a wing though, more of a combo guard. He is a connector offensively. He will handle the ball, keep it moving, he’s ok running a pick and roll, and he’s a knock down shooter. He’s an ideal PG next to a wing that is generating most of the offense. He’s a bigger prime pat Beverley.

Here is my thought process:

Caruso is not a PG but he can be off the bench. He is a guy that Thibs would trust 100%. Caruso will be a playoff dog in the way Deuce, Grimes, Precious may not be ready for. I mean, Randle is not even proven yet either.

During the regular season, if Brunson goes down for 2-5 games, Caruso would be good enough for that stretch. If Josh Hart needs a couple weeks off to get that knee fully back and primed for playoffs, you gladly sit him. OG goes down for a couple of games.... Caruso or Hart start and you still have the other guy off the bench with the young kids. If Hart is having a shooting funk, sit him and Caruso has his minutes. Randle goes down for a few games? OG slides to PF and your start Hart or Caruso.

Realistically, during playoffs, Brunson is playing 38 minutes. Or 48 depending on Thib's mood. You don't need a different type of back up PG than Caruso for 10 or less minutes.