They aren't taking it slow they are signing other FAs like Julius Randle and tried to go for other Max FAs like Irving Kawhi Butler etc They have a bunch of role players Kevin Knox, Mitchell robinson, Alonzo Trier even RJ Barrett, none of these guys scream superstar Barrett is the only one who can be an allstar someday the rest are gonna be role players. KD could the cherry on top of that team like Kawhi on the Raps. Every injury is a unique case that's why you need medical reports you know who has access to medical reports? GSW. You know who offered KD a 5 year max? GSW, Clippers, Nets. Who are the New York Knicks and what have they accomplished that makes them better than these other teams? LOL KD and Irving both took less than the max so Jordan can get 10M deal on the Nets. That's exactly the type of player you want, a superstar willing to take less to win more.
I mean...not so sure I'd be positively referring to GSWs medical reports, it's their fault Durant is in this mess in the first place. You named a bunch of players but SAS\ said they weren't going after guys like Butler and that they are content so save their max money for max players and they don't feel Durant is worth the risk anymore. This is a team that has had a few superstars come to them with injuries and it has never worked out for them, so now Durant has this serious injury that leaves players a shade of themselves and they just aren't going to bite on it. Also, Randle did not get a crazy deal and is a young player with upside on a short term deal. It's really not a bad deal at all.
GSW did it for the team's interest, that gives you more credence to the fact that KD will be healthy after next year otherwise they wouldn't try to keep him. The point here is other teams like GSW has a better handle on KD's long term health than a scrub team like the Knicks so it's ridiculous they suddenly feel like they know better. It's like somebody selling the stock Warren Buffet buys en masse like when does betting against the best pan out? Randle is a good player the point I'm making is they will never be horrible enough to get a top pick with their roster now because they are using their capspace to sign FAs. If they collect like 8+ place lotto pick next year that's not really gonna help them go anywhere. East is pretty loaded now if you're not gonna contend you better be among the bottom feeders not stuck in the middle.
Well, we know he's going to be back, the question is...how will he look? People really underestimate this injury, D.Rose ruptured his and went from being an MVP All NBAer to...a solid role player. It's easy to say Durant will be back because he's Durant but he's also human and it's not an easy injury to come back from, therefore it's a risk. A lot of teams were willing to take the risk because he is Durant, I agree with that, but I don't think the Knicks are crazy for not wanting to take this risk. There will be other big name FAs every year, they don't have to jump into this one. As for the Draft that is a good point but with the flattening of the lotto odds means who really knows what pick they may get.
LOL but I thought your point is they are taking it slow and picking their picks now you're telling me who knows what pick they can get. Look I agree if Knicks think KD is too risky then it's too risky but what's their plan exactly? If they think KD is too risky then they should try to tank even if they even it out the worst teams still get a larger chance than the better teams. But they aren't trying to tank as we can see they are using their capspace and getting FAs. If the plan is to use the capspace and contend then what better FA than freaking Kevin Durant? Knicks are gonna get capped out with mediocre talent at this rate. Big Name FA? Can they even sign a big name FA next year if they use their capspace this year? And more to the point will any big name FA choose to sign with the Knicks after they snub KD? KD is pretty popular among NBA players, it's like when the Bulls did Jordan dirty everbody turned their nose up at them. The Knicks have been a joke for more than a decade but suddenly they're too good for KD. Cmon man. Comparing DRose to KD is a joke DRose even when completely healthy got locked up and shut down by Lebron in the playoffs, and he still became a solid roleplayer. KD is a top 3 NBA player, even if he falls down he is still a max player and that's the worse case scenario. Like I said even GSW is extremely optimistic about him and they got first hand look at his health and his injury. You keep saying risk this risk that but at the end of the day if a first class org like GSW made a 5 year max offer that means the risk is negligible.
bahaha, this is pathetic if KD actually showed interest in going there. Sure the achilles is a concern, but the knicks are/have been crap for so long...you gotta take a chance with someone as great as Durant.
That's not inconsistent with what I've said though? The NBA made it harder to get rewarded for tanking. Their plan seems to be to collect assets and wait for the next superstar to fall loose. Randle is an asset at 24 years old and not a long term contract and he doesn't have a history of making teams better and carrying teams...and if he grows into that? Then suddenly his contract is an amazing contract. Giannis is a FA next year, that's a better FA than Durant, younger, no major injuries...who knows if he'll go there, but all they need is one agent talking about playing in NYC for his 'brand' and they have an in. If not him, there's always superstar players demanding trades and becoming FAs, Durant isn't the last big piece that's going to be out there. I'm not comparing KD to D.Rose, just illustrating how devastating that injury can be.
wow aren't you guys naive? Don't tell me you just believe it to be true because Dolan leaked to Ramona? Obviously it's a spin to protect Dolan's ego for having been humiliated. He didn't want us? Well we didn't want him either anyway. a 4 page thread and only @tinman got it.
Can’t blame Dolan if true. Heck I don’t know why Peole are high on the Nets. Lateral move Russell to Kyrie and adding DAJ when they already have Allen anyway? They REALLY REALLY need KD to come back at 95%. And man... that seems HARD to do. Will he still do little things like boards, defense great even if he can still get buckets?
Its inconsistent because if the NBA doesnt reward tanking why are they trying to pick their picks? Collecting assets who is a bigger asset KD or Portis and Randle? You mentioned Giannis ok who fits with Giannis Randle and Portis or KD? Again injury can be devastating but given how KD is a top3 NBA player a devastating injury still makes him a max player. There is 0 chance he is gonna come back and be a scrub because his height and shooting dont depend on his achilles. NYC turning down a max player is the height of stupidity and comparing Kd to past guys like Melo or Tyson Chandler is just ridiculous. And anyway we've been going back and forth on this clearly you think KD will be a scrub when he gets back. I'll just let KD school you when he comes back next year smh.
Hmm, I dunno, I think this is a chance the Knicks should have taken. The Knicks haven't been relevant since like '99... Even if Durant is 80%, in the East that gets you to at least the ecf's. Plus they could just tank next year and wait for Durant, haha, I'm sure they would but man... This was a window of at least 2 years (post Durant recovery) , because for years now, no one has even given them a serious meeting.
Pick their picks? Durant isn't an asset like Paul isn't an asset because he's going to be 32. That is their fear. Giving an aging player a long contract. Giannis just won the MVP award...he fits on every single NBA team and isn't going to be 32 coming off an injury that most players never look the same from. It's not just about Giannis though, just that every trade deadline and offseason new superstars shake loose. Also, people keep saying "He can shoot." but it's more than shooting. It's running up and down the court and playing defense and doing everything else too. I never said KD will be a scrub but let's not act like this same injury hasn't turned elite players into role players, it has. Durant is human and one that has already had an injury history before this one. There is 0 guarantee that he's going to go back to being anything. He's not only fighting father time but also a pretty serious injury.
Eh Durant had an achillis. Let’s see how it plays out before we laugh at other teams. Better to have the flexibility to make moves than be locked down to a contract with only downside risk. We should know better after all
I don't disagree there. I just don't think it is crazy for them to pass on this one, especially with what happened to Amare and Melo there. They must be traumatized of signing stars only to get them oft-injured and past their prime.
He learned his lesson from Tracy McGrath. Mcgrady was around same age when he tore his acl. Never came back the same. It’s a good move he did. Durant not gonna be back for a year and takes another year to conditioning. 34 too old to play in nba at high peak after a major injury.
Giving KD the max could easily turn out to be a mistake, but absolutely no Knicks fans/media would criticize Dolan for taking that risk. It was worth doing for that reason alone.
