We can discuss what Knicks is anxious for at this point in their existence all day and all night, and it will be a lively and long discussion. A team that wins only 37 out of 82 games in the NBA’s 10-team Eastern Conference Tournament and finishes 6 games will not be removed from glory.
But as usual, the components of this discussion settle in the same place.
Knicks need a point guard.
Knicks has actually needed a point guard since 2003, Charlie Ward’s last effective season. That was 19 years ago.
Knicks had some fleeting hopes — Stephon Marbury went home, but it didn’t really work. Raymond Felton was great, then traded and great after being reacquired and ate himself from New York. Jason Kidd and Derrick Rose provided hints of what they once were, but they arrived at the teeth a little longer. And, of course, this season we had a disastrous partnership with Kemba Walker.
For a franchise that once boasted Dick McGuire, Clyde Frazier, Sugar Ray Richardson, Mark Jackson, Dock Rivers and Derek Harper, it took a very long time to drink reliable water. rice field.
“What Knicks needs most is an undisputed leader on the floor and a classic point guard,” Jeff Van Gundy meditated a while back. “It should be prioritized.”
A perfect world, a world centered on Knicks. So a world that hasn’t existed for decades — the perfect answer: Jalen Brunson. Branson celebrated his breakout year in Dallas this year. He made the stars bloom, Leads the Mavericks to the finals of the Western Conference. He will be a free agent.
“He’s all you want from a player,” said Jay Wright, his college coach at Villanova last year. “He’s not selfish. He cares about both ends of the floor. And he’s crazy about victory. Why don’t you want Jalen Brunson for your team?”
It’s easy not to have him. As he has become an integral part of the Mavericks’ success, it will be increasingly difficult to separate him from Mark Cuban, even if Sam Lowes of CAA, the son of the President of Knicks, is Branson’s agent. ..
A few years ago, before the 2020-21 season, when Fred VanVleet of Toronto joined the free agent, Knicks made a similar choice, but chose not to beat or challenge the Raptors. .. Last summer it was “flexible” with Walker and Evan Fournier playing a big role. That decision speaks for itself.
And Sam’s pop, Leon, needs to speak loudly and clearly about what he needs to do. After all, Rose was hired with the idea that his series of basketball relationships and innovative minds could pave the way for Knicks’ relevance. His relationship with the Branson family dates back to Leon’s first client, his old man, Rick. That part is safe.
Now he understands how to clear the deck and at least make Jalen Brunson’s decision a bit more difficult and do what Knicks needs to do to enable him to make Brunson’s attention-grabbing competitive offer. is needed. If that involves including draft capital to seduce someone and get Frunier and Nerlens Noel out of their hands. End.
Knicks has already lost the best opportunity to find a basic point guard in the draft. In 2020, they won Obi Toppin on their eighth pick in that summer’s draft. Toppin is certainly an intriguing player, and the surge in the second half of the season opened his eyes, but it was Tyrese Haliburton (chosen by Kings before being traded to Indiana last year) and Cole Anthony ( Magic took him at 15) meant to bypass both.
in the case of Knicks remains 11, It could spawn Tyty Washington Jr., who made a promise as a freshman in Kentucky last year, and Knicks wasn’t shy about collecting Wildcats on their roster. And look: sometimes you will be lucky. Knicks found Jackson at the age of 18 in 1987 and won the Rookie of the Year.
However, Leon Rose was not adopted because he owns a lucky horseshoe. He was hired for who he knew and what he knew. And this is what he needs to know: if Knicks is serious about moving forward, they need to keep chasing the best point guards available until he is told they are no longer available. I have. This is Jalen Brunson.
