I love Toppin and can see his upside, there were many paths this Knicks FO could have taken. As all these players from the 2021 FA class sign, I get a little worried we were too cautious with out free agent dollars. Balance that with actually seeing them build a system and develop young players. Doubt we win a championship this year, but I like the growth regardless through 3 preseason games against bad teams.

EwingsGlass wrote:

Nalod wrote:We drafted OBI and Randle is still under contract.
Is Wood really that much better than Randle?

Wood is better built for this NBA. That said, I saw Randle hit a 3, so it’s possible Randle has been working on his outside game.

But let’s be real and not reactionary to every Briggs “Regret” threads. woods talent was rarely in question, it was his head. Lock him up. For 4 years your kind of married to him. Rockets signed him before recent turmoil. Rockets are not bad. They lack picks and have to sign guys like this but they do bringing him to talent. Randle is not a head case. He is a solid teammate and while limited is on par with Wood or close to.
Bringing Wood to a young roster team and asking him to perhaps demonstrate some leadership might not what he is all about. Bringing him on rockets is not the same. Playing with Wall and Harden is not the same as playing with RJ and Mitch. Have to think of the intangibles and not just the box score.

At this moment we have Obi who likley will take Randles spot at some point. We are also managing cap space. Not just for media induced savior starphuch players, but for trade flex if an opportunity arises. Miami is a great bench mark. Did a great job bringing Butler on who was a bit tarnished after his tirade but all the pieces that make them a good team were obtained via draft, light Free agents, and trade.
They position themselves very nicely.

jrodmc wrote:A headcase playing with a disgruntled Harden. Should be interesting to watch that locker room. Maybe they balance each other out.

I admire BRIGGS for sticking to his guns.

i'm waiting for the Bryn Forbes, Alan Crabbe, Frank Kaminsky highlight reel.

he also wanted Trae Young at 1

and i forget where he would pick Ky Bowman, but it was high

BRIGGS wrote:Would’ve been a great player here for relatively cheap. Made up for losing kp

But that doesn’t prevent me from looking at guys that “got away” and following their successes. You won’t see me posting about my Buddy Hield obsession any time soon as his performances haven’t been that good. I tend to overlook the guys that don’t do well.

It’s clear there is more to the story than just “we want Wood”. But we are huge Knick fans and spend a ton of time about the draft and free agency. It’s normal to look for reasons to validate the positions we took earlier in the offseason, if if those players don’t end up as Knicks.