DLeethal wrote:Hart is over 30 now and I wouldn’t be shocked if his impact tails off pretty quick with his inability to shoot. I’m fine moving on from Hart. He’s a good contract for trades.

Watching him pass on wide open shots all season was infuriating.

DLeethal wrote:Hart is over 30 now and I wouldn’t be shocked if his impact tails off pretty quick with his inability to shoot. I’m fine moving on from Hart. He’s a good contract for trades.

KAT, Hart and Precious for Giannis.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://www.twitter.com/shwinnypooh/status/1929021919535288468

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6395011/2025/05/31/knicks-loss-pacers-nba-playoffs-brunson-towns/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twhq&source=twitterhq

VDesai wrote:Must read the full article

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6395011/2025/05/31/knicks-loss-pacers-nba-playoffs-brunson-towns/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twhq&source=twitterhq

Good read. My takeaway is that the locker room was missing a veteran presence and despite the solid performance it’s still learning how to click.

DLeethal wrote:Knicks are in a tough spot with everything they’ve done to appease Brunson. Brunson is publicly putting pressure on team to keep the core (his friends) and the coach (and his dad). What happens if Leon doesn’t do what Brunson wants?

Leon traded Donte. His best man (or something close to that). Hart is next or he goes to the bench and learns to shoot again.

PassTheBall wrote:

DLeethal wrote:Knicks are in a tough spot with everything they’ve done to appease Brunson. Brunson is publicly putting pressure on team to keep the core (his friends) and the coach (and his dad). What happens if Leon doesn’t do what Brunson wants?

Leon traded Donte. His best man (or something close to that). Hart is next or he goes to the bench and learns to shoot again.

Traded Donte and traded for another buddy and promoted his dad to associate HC.

Would have to think Rick will be absorbed by any incoming coach or given a different active role with team regardless.

DLeethal wrote:

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://www.twitter.com/ianbegley/status/1929015098468872681

I know these are trap questions and it’s obvious what he will answer, but that is also why I respect Jokic’s answer to basically the same question. He said that if they could win a championship with that same group, they would’ve. Duh.

So being honest: no, this isn’t the group. Main pieces are here, yes, but this is still a mess.

It is what it is with the Core Four: Brunson, Mikal (like it or not), O.G. and Towns. They are an imperfect group with lots of questions about fit, durability, character and reliability. But Brunson at 1, Mikal at 2, O.G. at 3 and Towns at 4 has to be the main goal.

Mitch is good on defense. Free throws and durability are always an issue, so he can’t be your starting Center for the season if you really want a chance at a championship. So a trade has to be made and assets aren’t abound (Mikal move hurts but nothing we can do at this point). A Huk jump for next year would be awesome and he has the talent, but Thibs didn’t maximize his bench and his youngsters this season so no hope there.

We need a backup PG. Is aging Chris Paul the answer? Is he even possible? Don’t know, but ideally you see a jump on Kolek, but refer to Huk for the expectation.

The jump we expected from Deuce didn’t really happen? Was it injury? Was it Thibs? Was it both? Don’t know, but he either is the solution or we need another acquisition.

Hart needs to make the bench his realm of dominance. He also needs to go back to his solid defense because this year it was really bad. His liability on offense made you wonder why was he even there for so many minutes? In an indirect way, having Thibs gone would kinda assure me of a good use of Hart. Thibs love affair with Hart hurt us more than anything else.

Thibs? Of course Brunson will have his back with the media, but there were many things wrong here. After a full season with this team, Thibs still hasn’t got a clue about what to do consistently with this team, and they reflect that with how inconsistent and unfocused they are. I can take this team being dominated by a better team when they still give a strong effort and play with a strategy. But this playoffs they were the total opposite, which screams bad coaching.

This team was fine but far from where they should be. For their talent, they didn’t overachieve at all, but rather the opposite. They har a whole season to find their identity, define their offense, establish their defense and the right lineups, setting up a healthy rotation while nurturing the youth knowing they could be useful at some point. A whole season and three playoff rounds after, most questions remain unanswered. To me, Thibs isn’t the answer and it would be crazy to roll again with him and expect better results.

Most will focus on “year 1” as if in the NBA teams progress that way. A few do, but most make a mistake and never recover. Ours would be to expect better results next year with the same crew. A starting center and a backup PG are necessary. A change of voice might be the most important.