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The Mitch Conundrum.....
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Nalod
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10/18/2025  11:56 AM
Play 70 games with starter minutes and be the rim protector/league offensive board leader and we make finals his value shoots up (But do we know what he is asking for?)
IM assuming he asking like 20-25mil per for 3-4 years. A healthy Mitch is worth that. This is Jarrett Allen Money, and he hits 72% of his FT's. This is Claxton money.
Not Liek rest of the league does nto know this making his trade value not very high. Also teams won't want to sign him for big money either.
Does one healthy season wipe out his past and his value skyrocket? Does not seem logical. He is is a unique talent and lord knows NBA teams does stupid things. We are load managing him to extend his durabilty but that itself is telling. You don't pay guys $100 mil and manage the load and they not allstars/all NBA do you?

He is playing great early and perhaps there is a trade or we are solid with Huk and others?
Im fine with him walking this year. Let him play for his next contract as we are in win now mode. Next year Indy and Boston could be reconsistuted with others like Orlando a year stronger. Not like we don't have room to improve either, but im just looking at things one year at a time.
Mitch's foul shooting and injury history makes him expendible beyond this year. We will get the best Mitch given his motivations and he is healthy all summer heading in to the season in very good shape and head space.
I love the guy but to knicks have to make some tough decisions and only later do we get to second guess it. We get to finals with him no doubt we'll be hating to lose him but there is no path of certainty to keeping him either.

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LivingLegend
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10/18/2025  12:20 PM
I’ve always been on the trade Mitch train DEPENDING on the return.

Lack of availability is 1 thing and complete lack of offensive skill (passing/shooting) is another and he should rebound like a demon if he’s adding nothing else offensively.

Biggest issue is he really impacts offensive players around the basket —- hard to replace that —- hard to trade away only true rim protector.

Think we are stuck with Mitch unless Knicks have balls to package him maybe with Deuce for something but what is that something?

ToddTT
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10/18/2025  12:22 PM
Don't play Mitch until we get to the finals.

15 minutes per game, for load management.

Oh good lord... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XkmGrX7O0lQ
Nalod
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10/18/2025  12:54 PM    LAST EDITED: 10/18/2025  12:58 PM
LivingLegend wrote:I’ve always been on the trade Mitch train DEPENDING on the return.

Lack of availability is 1 thing and complete lack of offensive skill (passing/shooting) is another and he should rebound like a demon if he’s adding nothing else offensively.

Biggest issue is he really impacts offensive players around the basket —- hard to replace that —- hard to trade away only true rim protector.

Think we are stuck with Mitch unless Knicks have balls to package him maybe with Deuce for something but what is that something?


Yes, hence the conundrum! We can talk about "What Ainge wants" all day long but Kessler will need to be paid and we can't trade that which makes us contenders without a good logical return. Given its all conceptual its easy to type yet really not to execute.

The key is to get undervalued assets whom blossom in the right chemistry. Leon got us here in a way few saw coming. Turning RJ and quick into OG was brilliant. Randle and DDV to KAT? Brunson? All great moves and not the starpuch thats predictable.

ramtour420
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10/18/2025  1:40 PM    LAST EDITED: 10/18/2025  1:41 PM
Mitch gives us an insane presence inside with his defense. That much was obvious against the Celtics. They even tried to hack-a-Mitch with him. His impact on d is outstanding , it gives us another look, a chance to play with defense. And that's key to a deep playoffs run/Championship.

As for his offense, for years I have called for basic PnR with him, and with Randle, and now with Towns. Hukporti can do it too, we just saw it in the last preseason against the Hornets and off of a pass from Brunson. This season I hope to see more of that.

Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear- George Adair
LivingLegend
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10/20/2025  12:46 PM
Assume Kessler / Mitch deals will be in range to what Poeltl got from Raptors (~$19.5M) range.

But either way we’d have to pay Mitch or new center something viable.

Wish Robert Williams could be healthy —- excellent passer and switchable but never healthy.

Rookie
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10/20/2025  2:02 PM
Centers don't really get more durable as they get older. I would wait on Mitch because at this point we are negotiating with our selves. No one is going to offer Mitch iHart money. Heck, iHart might be a FA next offseason. Plenty of reasons not to extend Mitch now.

I have no answers on this one because I'm fairly ignorant on how the apron works. Is getting a return on trading Mitch more valuable than letting him expire and getting some room under the apron. I dunno, those are question for people who get paid to do this ****

VDesai
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10/20/2025  2:19 PM
Ideally he he'd extend on the same contract he just finished or something very similar. Think that's a good deal for both sides considering all the unknowns involved.
SergioNYK
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10/20/2025  2:28 PM
ToddTT wrote:Don't play Mitch until we get to the finals.

15 minutes per game, for load management.

I'm honestly down with this. Only play Mitch against teams with bigs like Denver with Jokic and rest him as much as possible during the season. We need him in April and May and hopefully June. Let Hukporti get some experience.

martin
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10/20/2025  2:37 PM
This is not good

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ToddTT
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10/20/2025  4:30 PM
SergioNYK wrote:
ToddTT wrote:Don't play Mitch until we get to the finals.

15 minutes per game, for load management.

I'm honestly down with this. Only play Mitch against teams with bigs like Denver with Jokic and rest him as much as possible during the season. We need him in April and May and hopefully June. Let Hukporti get some experience.

You misunderstood me.

Don’t play Mitch during the regular season.

Don’t play him until the finals.

Play him a max of 15 minutes for games 1 through 6. Play him 48 minutes or until he spontaneously combusts in game 7.

Oh good lord... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XkmGrX7O0lQ
ToddTT
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10/20/2025  4:33 PM
martin wrote:This is not good

So Brown is completely full of ****, and a terrible liar.

Okay.

Thibs was more fun at these. More fun than fun.

Oh good lord... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XkmGrX7O0lQ
KEEPCAMBYNY
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10/21/2025  4:42 AM
It would be really cool if we use the Mitch workload management as a Jedi mind trick all year. Keep the other team guessing on who will be available so that they're never truly prepared to play us.
I bleed orange and blue for life.
LivingLegend
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10/21/2025  9:24 AM
martin wrote:This is not good

What the hell is this all about?

LivingLegend
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10/21/2025  9:25 AM
ToddTT wrote:
martin wrote:This is not good

So Brown is completely full of ****, and a terrible liar.

Okay.

Thibs was more fun at these. More fun than fun.

I think Brown's mouth is going to get him into trouble in relatively short order.

Hope I'm wrong - hope he's great but the more he talks the more he comes across as either a phony or someone the locker room with tune out.

LivingLegend
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10/21/2025  9:27 AM
Read on another board - someone compared Brown to Don Nelson and have to say that same thought crossed my mind.

Hope he knows what he is doing with this roster.

Rookie
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10/21/2025  10:34 AM
Who knows, they could be quietly shopping Mitch and this is smoke screen
Nalod
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10/21/2025  2:01 PM
Don Nelson, who was for years had the most wins by an NBA coach, and who Pop has just 55 more wins than?
3x COY?
The guy that wanted to run and Let Ewing walk or have him traded at the time he was to decline?
The guy we fired cuz Dolan was a puss?
Let Brown figure **** out and see how it goes. No guarantee this succeeds. Thibs did a great job and I was not calling for his head but I understand Thibs had a ceiling with this core and maybe a deeper bench would have helped but likely could not help the situation enough.
I'd have been fine with Jason Kidd and some others. But Im also good with Mike Brown.
LivingLegend
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10/21/2025  4:30 PM
Rookie wrote:Who knows, they could be quietly shopping Mitch and this is smoke screen

I tend to think this way normally myself and yes been wondering with both Mitch/Josh situations and also Kat comments the other night -- if something bigger might be cooking on trade market.

LivingLegend
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10/21/2025  4:37 PM
Nalod wrote:Don Nelson, who was for years had the most wins by an NBA coach, and who Pop has just 55 more wins than?
3x COY?
The guy that wanted to run and Let Ewing walk or have him traded at the time he was to decline?
The guy we fired cuz Dolan was a puss?
Let Brown figure **** out and see how it goes. No guarantee this succeeds. Thibs did a great job and I was not calling for his head but I understand Thibs had a ceiling with this core and maybe a deeper bench would have helped but likely could not help the situation enough.
I'd have been fine with Jason Kidd and some others. But Im also good with Mike Brown.

agree - getting rid of Nelson so quickly may have been wrong move but at same time team was sucking with him but also yes Ewing was clearly in decline.

I was a fan of Brown hiring but think he's just been a bit over the top here in early pre-season and hoping in background there is more talk (emphasis) on D than we are hearing about in press or player/coach interviews.

NY is a place where if you're going to speak it needs to be what you believe. Mike comes across maybe as someone that says what he thinks person in front of him wants to hear.

Also having watched Brown coached Kings teams -- I liked the offensive flow but NEVER got the impression defense was a priority.

Hope he has right game plan -- I don't think the Giannis rumors will do him any favors as players may be wondering if he is pushing for that move rather than 100% in on current roster.

The Mitch Conundrum.....

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