Speaker 1: What is up, fellow sikos. I am joined by Andrew
Jay Claudio from Knick's Film School. Once again. It has
been many minutes since we last talked. I guess you
can guess what we're gonna talk about, though, it'll be
the New York Knicks. Follow Andrew on Twitter as on Twitter,
excuse me as always at Andrew J. Claudio underscore. If
you can't see the underscore on the screen on YouTube,
it is there, so when you go to follow him
on Twitter or if you actually call it x Y,
but also just go follow him there. G Mac, how
are you doing?
Speaker 2: What's cracking? Mister Fravalley. It's been a long time since
I've been with you in podform? You thermonuclear AFR?
Speaker 1: What does af stand for? Are you able to tell me?
Is it?
Speaker 2: Uh? Andrew Friedman, the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yeah, Andrew,
Andrew's a fool. It's like a shortened A at the end.
That's probably what people say when they hear my takes.
Speaker 1: I've you know, I've never asked this because I've always
assumed I wasn't on I wasn't listening to the episode
or episodes plural that this was the genesis of and
I've always just assumed I know what GMAC actually stands for.
Speaker 2: But so I go give you the backstory. So to
be clear, it's gmac, like it's the actual four letters.
A lot of people have made it g mac.
Speaker 1: I'm going to continue to call it gmac.
Speaker 2: G mac. That's fine, that's fine. It's J Mack and
G mac over at Knicks Film School. Uh So, two
years ago during the off season, when it was very
clear that a lot of the things happening at Nick's
Film School were under my supervision, under my direction, we
have a we do our super chats, and a longtime
patron and contributor to Nick's Film School and supporter, uh
named Robert. Of course it's Robert Cross just started referring
to me as general manager Andrew Claudio.
Speaker 1: Okay, so I got by guessing what it stood for.
I just don't pronounce it the correct.
Speaker 2: Right, right, So he just started calling me gmac and
like in super chats, and who would ask for like
the most ridiculous gmac? Can we get a party bust
for the playoff run this year? Gmac? Can we uh
send the in? Can we do a Knicks Film School
road trip out to Oregon to visit me gmac this
and that, and I was like, you're ridiculous, but this
name is gonna stick and lo and behold two years later,
I remain a version of gmac or gmac.
Speaker 1: Now, how do you know did he separate it differently
when he was typing? How do you know it's gmac
and didn't mean to be gmac?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: Did he space it out like GM space ac? Like
how do we know you? Like a blink one eighty
two situation where some people have actually mostly internationally, will
pronounce it blink one eight to two.
Speaker 2: Really, Oh yeah, I didn't know that. That's amazing. And
he's called me gmac on our town halls before. We
do a town hall every month for our patrons. So
I just I went with his propost.
Speaker 1: Subscribe to the NIXT Film School Patreon think that will
be in the podcast and YouTube description much appreciated.
Speaker 2: Uh on on Patreon he uh pronounced it that way,
and yeah, just gmac it became and it has stuck since. Uh,
mister Favalley, I'm.
Speaker 1: Glad I at least knew what it stood for. Without
knowing what it stood for, is I don't remember Jenny's.
I am very familiar with Robert Cross, who I assume
has to be based off the number of super chats
he sends you guys whenever I'm chopping in for a
postgame or an emergency pod has to spend the most
money of anyone of any Patreon member or just Nick's
film school listener.
Speaker 2: Low key and investor in Knicks films. Yeah, it's much appreciated.
Speaker 1: Robert. If you're listening, you should probably be asking for
equity stakes at.
Speaker 2: This point, Valley, what are you doing?
Speaker 1: I did not bring you on to just ask you
about your title abbreviations. I wanted to bring you on
to talk about the Knicks off season in general. This
is not their look ahead, even though they're probably mostly
done with their business. The precious Totua resigning felt like, okay,
like this is the they'll settle into here and this
is the roster. Let's see what it looks like. But
before we get into each individual move, would you like
to apologize to me for informing myself and my listeners
on multiple occasions that the Nets would not trade with
CaAl Bridges to the Knicks, or do you want to
wait to warn persons you could properly do it.
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know what I'd have to do in person.
I you could spell that out.
Speaker 1: I'm a hugger, like I'll lug it out.
Speaker 2: I'll hug it out. As an apology, I I'll say this,
I apologize. And it's been the consistent thing since that
Vulge notification occurred is I've had to apologize to everybody
because I told not just you, but just about anybody
that suggested, Michael Bridges, it's just not happening. And it
was never a basketball thing. It was always like these
teams don't make trades, The Mets and Yankees don't really
make trades. The Rangers and Islanders like never made trades.
And I wasn't the only one saying it. All of
us were saying it. Like Fred Katz had a mailbag
on his podcasts and shoot last month or two months ago,
and someone asked like, why would the Knickson Neetts never
make a trade? Like can you can you spell it
out why this doesn't happen? And he said it was
an ego thing that if you're trading with your crosstown rival,
there's a risk to it because if that succeeds and
you don't. It hits your fan base even harder because
you have to live with every day what the other
side of the trade is. And so I just thought
it was never gonna happen. These teams hadn't made a
trade since Michael Jordan was in high school, and for
them to make this version of a trade, this level
of a trade, and I don't know if you said this,
I will give you the kudos. But like Julius, Randall
also doesn't leave the team, So they were able to
get McHale without trading Randall. It's it's mind blowing to me.
So I apologize I was wrong. I've had to eat
a lot of crow over the last three weeks in
this new world of the Nixon Nets making trades and
lo and behold, it's led to, in my opinion, and
improved Nick's roster and what I'm excited to talk about
and cover this season.
Speaker 1: What anonymous scout in the Eastern Conference apparently disagrees. But
honest now I almost feel bad. I wasn't expecting an
actual apology, but now you're making me feel bad over
here for a little bit. I'm trying to do. I
always just framed it as the Nixon Nets were never
actual rivals, and the closest they came to was when
Kevin Durant signed with them instead of the Knicks. And
I just I understand what you're saying about the ego
or what Fred Katz is saying about the ego element
of it, but I just couldn't buy into And I
guess that's more of a criticis of the Nets, where
it's even when they were good, it was just still
a Knick town. I do find it easier though, if
you are crosstown rivals to make a trade like this,
where you're on such polar opposite ends of the spectrum,
where the Nets intend to be deliberately bad for the
next three to five years and the Knicks are trying
to contend for a title in the next three to
five years. It's almost like and have a justifiable reason
to think that they will even if things go wrong
for one of the sides. It's just like, oh yeah,
there'll be trolls. But it almost feels like the two
different extremes kind of contribute to making it possible in
a situation like this.
Speaker 2: Well, the thing that's interesting also is the player you're
trading out like Kevin Durant was the last time I
think I had this conversation with people like Knicks fans
were seeing what was going on in Brooklyn when he
first asked for a trade and said, like, what about
the Knicks, Like we've been waiting for the blockbuster trade
to happen. Why not Kevin Durant And I thought he
meant too much to that franchise to then suddenly give
the Knicks a championship window that I didn't think that
that front office would want to let that happen. To
your point, not only is it that the Nets are
gonna be very hard in the in the Cooper Flag
sweet Steaks next season, the white Flag for Cooper flag.
Speaker 1: I've tried to get in the Pooper for Cooper going.
Speaker 2: Cooper, That's a good one. I like the white Flag
sweep Steaks, I think is the better one for me.
But the fact that Michel Bridges just has no good
feeling with a Nets fan. There's like no good relationship
from the few Nets all fourteen Nets fans that exist,
all of them hate mckel Bridges. So I thought the
fact that they're able to get a male content in
a way out and kick off a rebuild earlyly kickstar
I rebel, I should say the fact that they're able
to accomplish both. You're able to take out like, oh fine,
let him do good with the Knicks, like we're trying
to Our franchise is going a different way, and our
fan base didn't really like Michel Bridges, so it worked
out both ways.
Speaker 1: So looking at I won't even say just their off
season and some but because we talked very briefly before
we got on about just how it went from the Knicks. No,
I wouldn't say pearl clutching their youth, but to valuing
their youth or or holding onto them, and then they
just trade all of them within the same like six
month period or whatever. It ends up going factory in
that to where you are now after the they are
now with the off season whirlwind, getting Mchael Bridges, losing Isaiah,
losing Isaiah Hartenstein, the jail in brunts an extension, what like,
what are you how are you feeling about this team
just coming out of this. I mean we're still in
the off season, but coming out of this whirlwind transaction
period for them.
Speaker 2: I'm the highest I've ever been on them since the nineties,
and that includes like the one mellow year where I
was pretty high on them. It's higher than last year
after the Og trade. Obviously, it becomes a perfect offseason,
regardless of what an anonymous scout that's irrelevant to me says.
That's not even on the record, he says, not pat.
Speaker 1: Riley identified as a scout.
Speaker 2: I know, right, yeah, so, but anonymously is the point.
So we're allowed to swear on this pod, right, yeah,
of course yea. So no matter what a chicken shit
scout is going to say off the record, I don't
necessarily need to care what she said because the Knicks
have arguably the best wing tandem in the NBA. They
have the best, I think, set of personnel to guard
the defending champs. There was a version of this team
in January that I wanted to see what it looked
like against the current NBA champs, and look, if deployed correctly,
I think they can bring a style of basketball that
the Warriors brought into effect. With Ognobi potentially playing some
like guarding the five with Randall being your hub on
the offensive end. I just think they have a chance
to be really good. They they're the Deuce McBride, de Vincenzo,
Josh Hart We're all like high minutes starter in the
playoffs and the end of the regular season last year,
and they're your bench at the moment. So I'm the
highest I've been in a long time. And the Hartenstein,
like God bless him, the Nick signed him to too
good a deal that he ended up becoming a thirty
million dollars player two years later, So like, this is
just a rare thing that happens. But even with losing him,
it went from being a perfect offseason too, in my opinion,
a great offseason.
Speaker 1: I think the answer to even that question just lies
in what we're debating about the Knicks, and it's are
they just the second best team in the East behind Boston?
Where like that's it's almost surreal that even three years
ago that wasn't something that was on anyone's radar, And
now we're splitting hairs over We'll like, well, is it
the Sixers? Could it be you know, the magic gonna
like wedge their way in there? Is it Cleveland? If
everything hits right? So it's like the Knicks, I feel like,
are probably still I think Philly is the team that
I would think I've heard mentioned the most like other
than the Knicks, of the second best team in the East.
But it's it's surreal for me knowing my roots as
a Knicks fan, but just based off covering the NBA
for the past fifteen years, the Knicks have not been
in that discussion since I've started covering the league. There
was that year with mellow at twenty twelve, twenty thirteen,
but like it was a year, it wasn't. This is
just like they've now incrementally built something to where they're
really good. And I would say the prevailing assumption is
that they are the second best, no worse than the
third best team in the East, and that there's Philly, Milwaukee,
there's Cleveland, but that the Knicks based off what they
did last year with a less talented set of personnel.
Even when you're factoring in Isaiah Hartenstein's departure, it feels
like they have a unique claim to that number two spot.
Speaker 2: You add in that last year they went into the
season with a lot of questions, what is Julius Randall
post injury? Can they make year four of RJ Barry
sustainable off his playoff success and obviously we got the
answer there this what's up with Emanuel Quickly's extension. There
was like so many questions about that version of the team,
and then January happened and they went twelve and two
with Anonobi and brunts In and Randall. Then Randal gets
hurt and then Anonobi goes down the following day with
a mystery elbow injury that turned out to be a surgery,
and we never got to see that team whole. They're
now going into next season with a ton of depth
and a ton of talent, and this maybe from day
one the version of the team that we wanted to be.
So I'm with you that having them in the pole
position for second or third or I'll respect Milwaukee because
I think we all kind of forgot that Milwaukee has
like really good basketball players on it. But like they're
in the top four conversation, I don't know if their
floor has been that high outside of that one mellow season.
And like to your point, like there's a Kamelo Anthony
shoulder overm excuse me, Kamal Anthony shoulder behind me. It's
like very injured. I tore it because shout out to
his torn labor that ruined the twenty thirteen playoffs. But
there's a Carmelo Anthony Jersey over my right shoulder at
the moment, so obviously I have an affection and appreciation
for that season. Jason Kidd was a starting two guard
on that team. Kenyan Martin was the big mid season pickup.
Both of them were out of the league within the
next two years. That did not.
Speaker 1: Lend it.
Speaker 2: That's the that's the bone spurs the Kurt Thomas here,
not Joe him, No, Rashid Wallace was on the bench
of that team that was a much older team where
the run did not seem like it was gonna be sustainable.
And this team, the oldest player on the on the
roster is Julius Randall. So they've now created something that
seems like we're gonna get a couple of cracks at
this that. I don't think Knicks fans have been able
to have that feeling since the nineties.
Speaker 1: What do you make And I'm not going to get
into I did justify it. I think the pick cost
it was a lot for Michal Bridges. But the two
things that stood out to me is one, you were
always going to have to give up a lot to
get mckel bridges out of Brooklyn. And two, even if
you knew that they were going to get their own
picks back from Houston. When you're not sending back actual
players that the other team wants, the pick equity is
going to be inflated. However, when I was coming up
with mcal bridges trades, I too did not send Julius
Random the nets. I was told by irate Knicks fans
that I was having the Knicks give up too much
for mcale Bridges, only to then see the Knicks give
up more to get McHale Bridges, and everyone was on
board with it. That's not toa troll. That's the way
fake trades are working. I'm actually not bitter about that.
What do you make of the opportunity cost in terms
of assets for mcal bridges.
Speaker 2: It's it's an overpay. Like I'm very okay saying that
they overpaid in picks for mckel Bridges, but they underpaid
and picks for og and Andobi in my opinion, so
I don't I know, I shouldn't like in a vacuum,
it's an overpay to give five picks for and Protected
and this Milwaukee pick that's gonna convert next year for
mckel bridges. Like I concede that I combine the two
and if you say, okay, they traded RJ. Barrett and
Emmanuel quickly and four first and the Milwaukee pick for
Ananobi and mckel Bridges, I think that is the perspective
I've had in justifying an overpay for mckel Bridges, because
now your team's complete. Now you have the fully realized
version of this roster that you can now take into
hopefully round three and I'll just say it, round four
of the playoffs and make deep playoff runs and look
the none x's and oh's salary cap part of this
that just plat out matters to the culture that the
Knicks are building. The man went to Villanova with three
important Knicks players, and they now have the final Infinity
stone from that team on the roster. So it just
it now completes the puzzle that it's not even necessarily
the opportunity cost of how good the team can be.
It's how much fun they're gonna have and how much
fun they're gonna be to root for. That I think
justifies the I mean just all in move that the
team made.
Speaker 1: I almost wondered too how much Jalen Brunson's soon to
be extension at the time factored into I'm not saying
he wouldn't have signed that deal if they don't go
out and get Mchaal Bridges, but if that was something
that pushed him over the edge, it makes it to
me more worth it because of how it's set up
your team to be sustained financially moving forward beyond just
the next one or two.
Speaker 2: Years, right right, And I think the thing I'd like
to know that the Knicks will never never tell me, obviously,
but they should, but they should listen. Next time I
run into Dolan, I'll make sure I ask him that
you know the Jim's.
Speaker 1: Aren't you like? Best buzz with Rick Brunson now at
this point, after.
Speaker 2: Something stin that one fist bump, that's all it mattered,
is like gave for those who don't know. When the
Jalen brought to the extension was announced, I was sitting
in the Lobby Cafe Lobby bar of the Encore Hotel
in Las Vegas, where the nixt Summer League team was staying.
So Rick Brunson was walking around on a phone on
his cell phone when the extension was announced, and I
just like being the who I was, I was getting
ready for us to have an emergency live stream from
said laptop that I was on. I just went over
to Rick and said, your son is our hero. And
I gave him a fist bump and I said congratulations,
and he said thanks and then went back to his
fake phone call. All that to say, I would actually
be curious if the Knicks did that, like went all
in and we're like, all right, Jalen, like you see
how all in we are? How all in are you?
Or if Jalen went to them and said, I'll sign
this extension if you go all in for macal Like,
I wonder what came first, and if it matters what
came first, you know.
Speaker 1: I mean, I would have to think. Maybe it wasn't
make or break in that regard, but it definitely would be.
You would have to think it's a factor. And the
other thing that could be a factor here is does
it make McHale bridges next summer more likely to extend
off of his current number rather than waiting to hit
free agency where I don't know at that point if
he would get the max. But my guess is he
would get more than what one hundred and forty percent
of his salary is going to be off that extension.
So and if that's part of it too, it makes
the cost even more justifiable. But I think even in
the vacuum, just because you weren't giving up, like forget
about the net situation, they ended up getting their own
picks back. So maybe if they make that move independent
of mcale bridges. They opened the bidding anyway, you weren't
sending any blue chip prospects out, and the way you
framed it, I've not framed it that way at all.
If you want to look at it all in a
vacuum of what they gave up, you know, you could
factor in what they also have to give up to
get boil and mcdonovitch, because then he gets sent down
the deal. It's still you know, Quentin Grins just folded
into there, and that second round pick still pretty I
would think of justifiable costs for where the Knicks are
in the competitive landscape right now.
Speaker 2: I don't know if it was you or if it
was somebody else that I was talking to you about
this the day of the trade deadline when the Knicks
got Alec Burks and Boyon for just grimes and fourty
years contract and like a late second right and I
forget who it was that pointed out. So the Knicks
just made two in season trades without giving up a
first round pick. Like they were able to improve the
roster in both senses without trading any future first round assets.
So they still have their cupboard completely stocked if they
want to make some type of all in move now.
I think the curious thing for a lot of us,
which is why the Michael Bridges trade was so shocking,
is that, you know, you build up an expectation that, like,
the Knicks are eventually going to go go all in
for one of the big guys, like it's gonna be honest,
it's gonna be Kevin Durant, it's gonna be h Embiid.
Obviously it was like the big name, and then you
spend six games slandering his name in a playoff series.
I don't think the fan base would have been happy
to root for Joel Embiid anymore. But the point is,
like mckel Bridges is the name I think we all
had in mind, and yet we sit here on the
other side of the trade, and we're like, so the
move that they the all in move that they eventually
made was for Anonobi and Michel Bridges, and I think
their championship equity he got significantly higher. Like like, I can't,
I can't complain that the fact that they didn't get
an MVP candidate, And so where this relates to Jalen Brunson,
him becoming an MVP candidate also helped in the calculation.
And the fact he's gonna be making less than twenty
percent of the salary cap for the next three years
is it is pretty incredible.
Speaker 1: I would feel more uncomfortable about the cost they paid
to not get someone who's like mkel Bridge is not
going to make an All NBA team. That would be
it's not outside the realm of possibility, but it's most
likely not going to happen. I think it's fair to
say they gave up all this for someone who's not
going to do that. You have to point to the alternative.
And just like even if you wanted Joelle Embiid, I
still think that would have been a disaster. Joean Bee's
not an option, Giannis isn't an option. Luka Doncics isn't
an option. And they'd been sitting on some of these
assets for so long that some of the assets they
already kind of started, like R. J. Barrett was on
his next contract and Manuel quickly was extension eligible. You
can't sit on these theoretical trade pieces for too long
because you either get locked into contracts that become less
movable and less valuable, or you trade them. In this scenario,
for okay, maybe Knicks fans and NBA fans in general
thought they had bigger fish in their sites. What was
who did they pass on the aside from Donovan Mitchell,
who this Jalen Brunson assent never happens if they make
the Donovan Mitchell trade. So like, I didn't see anyone
who's criticized the trade or anyone who thinks that they
somehow got worse. Are you related, Tyza Hartenstein, or point
me to like point me to who they passed on
throughout all this. And I'm not saying they had to
make the move. I think by getting out of NOBE,
they could have justified we're gonna sit on the picks
for another year. They could have done that, like they
they moved over all their young players already, So this
wasn't an issue of worrying about extensions or next deals now,
but you were thinking about Brunson's next deal, Randall's next deal,
like it would have gotten financially harder maybe to have
matched salary without sending out one of the Villanova guys too,
like you Boyan was expiring. So that's the thing that
I haven't seen a ton of criticism of the Mchal
Bridges trade, but everyone's like, man, the Knicks gave up
so much for this player, and it's who who is
the alternative? Like, who is the guy that was like
shake Gilliers down? Zander not gonna be like you can
go through the list of the all NBA players, like, no,
the breaking up Jahn Bradham, Jason Tatum was never a
thing and it's certainly not a thing now. So that's
the I can't wrap my head around that slant of
the trade where yes, they gave up a lot, but
would you would you have criticized them for them not
making a move and just staying where they are because
there there was no If it wasn't Mikail Bridges, it
was nobody.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I'd look the other name that has been
mentioned was Devin Booker, and I think that's like two
off seasons away, and I wasn't I agree with the
Knicks in this window that they have. I think that's
I think the best thing about at least from my
perspective as a fan and whatever we do cover in
the team, right, like they assessed this season and realize
their windows now. And if the all in move this
offseason was to go get Michel Bridges about to enter
his prime, put him in arguably the best situation possible
to succeed where he isn't the primary guy like he
was in Brooklyn, can go back to being the second
or third guy like he was in Phoenix. Like you're
putting him next to another stud wing defender to create
something pretty elite with Danonobe. And look the reality of
the Ananobe situation when he plays the Knicks, don't lose that.
That's a should you say if he listen if may
be a unimportant part of the conversation too, But like
when he plays the next one twenty six and five
last year, so I understand that's only thirty one games,
but you're hoping that that peak now exists and now
he doesn't have as much of a defensive toll because
he's next to Michel Bridges and vice versa, Michel Bridges
gets the playoff of the other best wing defender in
the NBA. So you know, they've now created this thing
that could potentially be pretty pretty special this year. And look,
I can't believe I'm I'm saying this, especially uh with
with yourself and we've we've moved on from from articles
calling for people's jobs, But the fact that Tibbs is
also extended and you've built like the team he would
want to, like the defensive team you'd probably want him
to coach outside of like an actual rim protector that
stays healthy on the roster, Like I think they could
be pretty spell number one defense of the NBA, like
top three offense next year. Like they have a chance
to be really special next year.
Speaker 1: Devin Booker is a good name to mention, but the
Rockets have cornered the market on Phoenix Sun's picks specifically
for that reason. That's another name that almost came off
the board if they weren't gonna make this move. So
what should Knicks fans and also just NBA fans in general, Like,
what is the most impactful aspect of McHale Bridges is
fit with like what is the thing that you're most
excited to see about how he impacts this team.
Speaker 2: He could play the three, he could play the two,
he could play the four, he can run your second unit.
That's one thing they really lost when they traded RJ
and quickly is those were two important guys in your
second unit, and the non bruns in minutes just became
a disaster. Even the January that we all speak to
as like magical Tims was still figuring out, like, oh,
I can trust Precious to Chua with like seven backup minutes,
and like the week that Randall got hurt Anonobe, that's
when he finally stopped playing him forty five minutes. And
he added like this second sub where Ananobe would come
out for Josh Hart midway through the fourth and the
fourth and then come back in for either de Vincenzo
or Hart down the stretch. And now like it's MIKEL Bridges,
like you heard me be frustrated with the Pistons minutes
that I had to watch last season, like the Alec
Burks and Boy and Bogdanovi's experience during the regular season
was for the large part awful, and now all of
those minutes will be played by MIKEL Bridges. So just
the talent upgrade in being able to put a guy
that never misses games and play him for Tom Thibodeau.
I it's it's just I can't find the downside, you know.
And you can play him in multiple lineups. You could
play with Brunson, you can play with Randall, you can
play him at the four in certain lineups if you
want to go de Vincenzo, Deuce McBride and Brunson. He's
Ananobe insurance if Antobe plays fifty games next year, Like I,
how many more things should I say? That are the
positives about the cal Bridges on the team.
Speaker 1: I think what I almost fascinated to see because even
dating back to Phoenix, maybe earlier on, but there was
never a point in his career where he hasn't needed
to be the top defender and one of the two
top offensive options on his team. It's like in Brooklyn
he immediately shoots up that offensive pecking order and then
remains super important on defense. But Adaobi is your best
defender on and even if you want to limit it
to the scope of wing defender that's still Anonobi and
then you have two better shot creators on the team
in Julius Randalin runs and he's familiar with the latter
role for sure, but defensively like he's always been, he's
still missing critical, but he's always basically been the top
guy on the good teams or if the Nets thought
they were gonna be good. Now he doesn't have to
do either of those things.
Speaker 2: Yep, he's back in Phoenix. But like obviously like Chris
Paul's better Pete, Chris Paul's better than Jalen Brunson, and
I the Knicks don't really have a Devin Booker, but
like he now can just be the third guy and
it be fine and in certain lineups be the second guy. Yeah,
I everything you said, I co sign or do.
Speaker 1: You have any concerns about it? Like if there isn't
just the you're scaling phone and it's out go we
paid the Knicks paid a lot for him, and does
this prohibit them from making upgrade? Like what is there
a concern about Michal Bridges is fit on this team?
Speaker 2: I gotta be honest with you, not one of my
concerns for the Knicks right now have anything to do
with Michael Bridges. It's all like rest of the roster related,
you know, Like.
Speaker 1: When you look at his durability and you combine that
with the scalability of his skill set, he's one of
the you could probably count them on one hand, not
one hand, but there are just few players where he
could talk about no concerns putting them on a new team,
and he's just one of them. Like even right now,
if I had a name off the cuff, it's Devin
Booker would actually be another one for me, because he's
like he might be the most scalable superstar in the NBA,
where's it doesn't really matter who he's playing alongside, like
co find we're seeing it with Team USA now and
so it's just like the only concern you could have
and I'm struggling here to reach is he's been so durable.
And this is me being an alarmist. It's like it
feels like he's due to not be super durable.
Speaker 2: Well, if there's any coach that's gonna test his durability,
oh man, guys that missed the game since high school
and top Tibodau is sitting there like Birdman on the
other challenge. Except yeah, exactly, oh Man built in a
lab to play for Tom Thibodeaux too, guy that doesn't
miss games and is a defensive mastermind.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about og five years, two hundred and twelve million.
What did you make of that contract? I was surprised
at how many people were surprised that he cost that
much when I think, I mean, this wasn't it common
knowledge that there were multiple teams that would have just
given him four years in one hundred and eighty one
plus million dollar max. And so I'm just I was
just I was a little call, even in the sticker
shock era, Like, I was just surprised that how many
people were surprised by the number he ended up with.
Speaker 2: I'm just being one hundred percent honest here. I was
surprised that wasn't more. I thought he was gonna get
the full max. I thought he was gonna more right like,
but I thought he was gonna get the five two
twenty like. I thought he was gonna get more than
the five to twelve that he got. And yes, it's
like eight millions to who cares. But I actually went
into like the day after the interneview, era, like the
day after the trade was made, as like so unrestricted
free agent. If this works, he has all of the leverage.
He just needs one other team to drive up the price.
And like you heard like Philly wanting to Like this
is before we knew Paul George was going to Philly.
But like the pivot they might do is him going
to Philly and they'd throw the full max at him.
And the Knicks were not gonna be the Clippers in
this situation. They recognized they gave up a ton for
to get him in the first place. They probably have
to just meet his his number, which is why I
gotta be ask. I never got to a place and
mister Macri did, some other Knicks fans did that. It
was like, I'm a little worried about Anonobe leaving. I
just I had enough people behind the scenes telling me
like this is, this is how it's done. I'd be
shocked if Ananobe left and lumb Behold, the day of
the draft we find out that he's he's resigning. And
I think that also was part of the mchel calculation
was listen, we're probably gonna lose Hartenstein. Let's make this
all in move lock up Anonobe and then go to
war with these two wings, and I think it's look,
I understand if there's some sticker shock, I would be
prepared for even more sticker shock as the CBA continues
and then the TV deals that exist continue to dictate
how much these guys get on as we talk about
to deal. Indeed, indeed, I would tell anybody that has
sticker shock for Ananobe that it's only gonna get crazier
the sticker shock for certain NBA players.
Speaker 1: And there's you did mention people, well, Paul George went
to Philly and it's Ogi Ananobi would have just Detroit
would have offered him that Utah would figure out another
way to have the cap space to renegotiate extend market
in That's a player that fits everywhere, and what he
does defensively you can count on when he's when he's healthy,
you can count on one hand the same players that
are able to do it. So I guess there's risk
obviously because of his injury history. But that's again, that's
also part of the cacus of why you probably didn't
have to give up picks to get him first round
picks anyway, because yes, the raptors were clearly prioritizing players,
but he was in a contract year. He was going
to cost a boatload to retain. That's gonna drive down.
It's why Pascal Siakam went for like three whatever first
round picks I would call them. So I was just
I wanted your thoughts on it, because I was surprised
at how many people were surprised by it, and I think,
you know, I saw some people floating around numbers like, oh,
if he takes like thirty two million a year, and
I'm wondering if that's what did it? Where the expectation
was set that he might sign for an average annual
value of thirty two or thirty five, and I just
don't think that was ever the case. But because it
was floated so many times that it felt like people
adopted that as reality.
Speaker 2: I am not one of those people, and I ran
into some of those people. I never, I never once
thought that this thing wasn't starting with a two. And
when the number came out, I was like, yeah, that
he had them, but he had all the leverage. He
had them by the you know what's like the moment
that the Nicks traded for him and were successful with him,
they they were gonna have to pony up. And one
thing that's that's been good about this front office with
Leon Rosenco is it they really haven't screwed around with
guys like the RJ. Barrett negotiation that seemed to be
like listen, we're gonna trade you for Donovan Mitchell or
we're gonna extend you. Like they were transparent from the beginning,
and the An Andob conversation, it seemed like from the
beginning like they were interested in giving him like it
was a negotiation. But from what I've been told, it
was like very clear that they made him a priority and
they didn't even they didn't let it get to the
official start a free agency. And I I'm very okay
with the process. And I'm not one of those people
that were shocked when it hit the number came out.
Speaker 1: You know, I was shocked in the sense of KFS
was all over this and there was reporting that said
he was gonna sign it. But I kept saying until
Jalen Brunston puts pen to paper on the four year,
one fifty six million dollars extension, I'm just not gonna
believe it because he's reached a point even if it's
in New York specific, anything could happen next season, catastrophic injury,
the Nick suck, whatever he is going like he could
have he would have gotten five if he wanted it.
The Knicks would have had to give him five and
two sixty nine to two seventy, whatever it ends up being.
That is, even if I did it catch you off
guard at all someone who covered it, but I know
you guys talked about him accepting it, and so it
was it was in me the offing, So I understand
why you wouldn't be surprised, but I was still just
I think my ration was, oh, holy shit, he really
did it. It was just that's that's how I felt
when I saw the news come down.
Speaker 2: Like you said, because we were indeed all over it.
I wasn't shocked to the point where I thought it
was going to happen the night before, like I was
ready for it to happen at midnight, and then he
waited until around noon the next day, and part of it.
Speaker 1: Away another display of him being considerate as to not
ruined all of our late nights.
Speaker 2: I got an extended version of that, so that that
happened on a Friday afternoon, right the thursday my wife
and I were on our anniversary trip to we were
in Vegas for that week before Summer League, and we
were at the Stratosphere, the restaurant that spins and like
it's a whole view of Las Vegas. But our reservation
was for eight thirty Pacific, So at nine o'clock, potentially
Jalen Brunton's about to sign this very generous extension, which
would have meant emergency content mode. But I would have
been at the top of the Stratosphere, not able to
jump right in. And I like I had the artwork ready,
I had like to give people high the scenes, like
I had everything the plan ready to go, Like Okay,
I guess we'll go live if this happens. And like
you said, Jalen Brunson proved that he is God's gift
to New York basketball in being considerate to me there
and then in a serious way, Look, I'm a Mets fan.
And for those outside of New York that don't understand this,
like the Mets don't win a lot, we don't get
to root for the greats. We get to root for
like the B list athletes, like the David Rights of
the world, the Jose Reyes of the world. Francisco Lidoor
is a future Hall of Famer, but he's a met
you know, I never got to root for a Derek Jeter.
I never got to root for like a great Yankee
that the country appreciates and understands. His greatness is not
just in his ability, but what he does for the team.
And the name that has been associated with Jalen Brunson
this last three weeks since signing the extension has been
Derek Jeter, and I think the comp is adequate. Look
the things that he continues to do for the culture
of this franchise that hasn't experienced a lot of confidence.
They just continue to the resume continues to get bigger
and better and longer, and I just I'm really happy,
just as a fan to get the root for him,
and the Knicks are just really lucky that they invested
in this guy two years ago, and especially with what
he's become on the court and what he has done
for this city.
Speaker 1: As a result, to have him in to just mention
him in the same breath as Derek Jeter. And he's
been with the Knicks for two seasons two.
Speaker 2: Years, two years. Yeah, and like he's got to win.
Don't get me wrong, They gotta go and win some things.
But this also is the state of what New York
was like again over my shoulder, Carmelo, Anthony Jersey and
mellow like he obviously he said the public comments about
like I wouldn't have taken that deal. Listen, you can
know that. I could just remind everybody, Oh, Jinnobi didn't
take that deal. He could have opted in and extended
off of that number. I say Hertenstein didn't take that deal.
He took a bag to go live in the middle
of nowhere, Like you don't fuck guys are doing that.
It should be unprecedented. I may be a little bitter.
I just watched Twisters, right, Isaiah, enjoy your new neighborhood
all right. Anyway, I think it should be commended what
Jalen Brunson did without well or not even without having
to criticize anybody else. It should just be understood this
is not a normal thing. Like in any labor negotiation,
you're like, you know, I'll take less for the company,
Like no one does that, and Jalen Brunson did. I
think they're gonna take care of him. Down the other end,
I also recognize because godfather is the president of basketball
of well yeah, president of basketball operations. His dad's on
the team as an assistant coach. His agent is Leon
Rose's son. Like I understand the family part of it too,
But from a union perspective, they're all gonna look at
him be like, what are you doing? And he did
it anyway, so I.
Speaker 1: Would have see. The one point I would disagree on
is that people were wondering is this bad for the
players' union or more star is gonna be expected to
do this? And we might reach that point, but that's
not because of Jalen Brunson. This is someone who's a
sent to like real stardom has been two years. He
might have looked at it and said, I want to
lock up this money now. I'm a smaller guard. They're
offering it me now if there's an injury, yes, I
might be able to get money down like next summer. Still,
but not that he wouldn't have been guaranteed to get this.
But it's not. This wasn't like a top like an
entrenched top ten NBA player accepting all this money money
less and the other thing too, that I think we
all need to be prepared for. The contracts are getting
so huge that these players might just look at it
and decide it doesn't matter. Like this the next deal,
everyone's framed it. And I was gonna ask you about
this because I find the framing disingenuous, because I don't
know who needs to hear this. Jalen Brunson is not
getting the four hundred and seventeen million dollar contract in
twenty eight and that's not because he's gonna accept another discount.
It's just he's not getting that deal. To think that
he's gonna get the five year the boat, it's just
it's not I will be shocked if that happens, more
shocked than I am by the extension. If he gets
the five year, four seventeen number. I don't think that
that's something that's They might have said like, oh, you're
gonna be here for life, like you'll be doing. It's
just he's not getting that number. And so when the
people are saying like, oh this is this is tampering,
so to speak, I just he's not getting the number.
So I can't bring myself to think that way. But
think about that number four hundred and seventeen million over
five year. Jalen bruns In taking a discount at that
stage is him except like, y'all take three hundred and
fifty million, Like the money is so ridiculous in raw
terms of forget about percentage of the salary cap. I'm
not gonna fault the player if they get max offers
for taking it, because they should take it. It's on
the team to figure out how to spend around that
then if that's their market worth. But I think we're
getting to a point where the contracts are so massive
that taking a steep discount still gets you not rich,
it gets you generational wealth, and we just need to
be that more stars might look at it. Oh, if
I can win and still make a quarter of a
million dollars over my four or five year contract, I
think that's coming.
Speaker 2: So I agree with you that the number is getting
so ridiculous that there's incentive to take a more team
friendly extension like what Brunson did. I agree with that
point in a vacuum. So you're saying you don't think
in three years like the length of this extension, right,
you don't think the Knicks would offer him the full max.
Speaker 1: No, I would be like, it's I mean, if it's
truly a family affair, and that's what Okay, Leon Rose
is still there, Rick Brunson is still there, and it's
you're looking at it through that lens. But that if
you're trying to actually build a winning basketball team at
that point, investing that much money in Jalen Brunson at
the age of that's gonna be him entering his age
thirty two season. That's going to be a recipe for disaster.
And it's just I think we're even gonna I think
this isn't Jalen Brunson specific. I think we've seen it
with James Harden. I think we saw it with the
Clippers and Paul George. I'll be it disingenuinely disingenuously on
the Clippers part. Teams are gonna be thinking twice, three times,
four times about maxing out these players entering the middle
of their thirties. And am I saying Jalen Brunson's not
gonna get maybe more money than another team would give
him in a vacuum per year. No, But I will
be flabbergasted if the Knicks in three years give Jalen brow.
I mean, I guess if he's coming off in MVP
a couple first team All NBA appearances, but he's I
look at it, he's not gonna First of all, given
what he just showed, would he even take that number?
If he might have decaid, well, I don't, I take
a little less and this will allow us to keep
the band together. I don't think they're gonna offer him
that number. I think that's the number that's gonna be
reserved for your top ten player, which Jalen Brudson could
be at that point. I'm not saying he won't be
your top ten player. This deal is not gonna take
you through your age thirty six season, though, and so
if you're saying they're gonna max him out for two
years three years, he's not. He is not getting the fight.
I will be floored. I'm not even trying to be
if I'm coming off condescending to people.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, I just think we should should, we
should bookmark this and maybe you'll be apologized. Someone will
be apologizing to somebody at the beginning of a pod.
Speaker 1: You actively think he's going to get that deal. Yes,
that's interesting. I never would have thought that that would
have been your stance on it.
Speaker 2: His godfather is the president of basketball operations. His agent
is the son of said president of basketball operations. His
dad is on the assist one of the assistant coaches
for the team. The coach is someone he's known since
he was six years old. The team traded for every
one of his friends in college. He runs a team.
He's there, Lebron like whether he's qualified to be that
or not. As an interesting conversation, I think Jaylen Brunson
is going to be a consistent top twelve player over
the next four years, and I thought this year was
just the beginning of that. I also think they're gonna
win a ton over the next couple of years. But
Jalen Brunson as the engine, which is why you're gonna
pinch pennies with him now, after all you've accomplished over
the next couple of years. Now, some injuries may change that,
and him being a small guard may change that. But
if he's got any hint of production that warrants like
max contract extension in a couple of years now, he
may just take the extension, like you said. But if
he's like I'm gonna take this one to the market.
And I just compared them to Derek Jeter. You want
to become public enemy number one, Let Derek Jeter go
to free agency and test the market.
Speaker 1: I don't. I mean, it's tough to have this conversation
when we haven't seen the next three years play out.
But if these next three years play out and they
haven't made the NBA Finals, I don't think anyone's gonna
look at the Knicks's public enemy number one if they
decide not to lock themselves into a half decade of
Jalen Brunson. I guess this is more a compliment. I
mean it more of a complex to Jalen Brunson that
I believe there's real risk in the sense of, like,
he's not gonna get the four hundred and seventeen million
dollar contracts, So you, to me, you can't just pencil
him in for that and diminish the concession that he's
making right now. And I think even so, the worst
way to frame the concession is for the next three years.
I've said he's saving them a Dante DiVincenzo per season
with the pay cut he took. That's substantial when you're
looking at the percentage of his salary and as someone
who did not make rookie like real rookie scale top
pick money during his first contract, and then it ends
up somehow on a second contract, Okay, it's nine figures,
and it still ends up being one of like the
two to five best deals in the NBA over that span.
So he took a real risk here, and I think
people have been diluting it by justice I'm not saying you,
but by just assuming, well, he's gonna get the four
hundred plus million dollar deal in twenty twenty eight. And
I just and I'm not this is me independently saying
that maybe he'll take the extension or he'll just sign
for less if they're making availablem too.
Speaker 2: Ma.
Speaker 1: Anyway, I just can't see organizations for a player in
his situation. I think there will be four to seven
players that teams are going to get to a point
where they'll do that for like those full blown thirty
five percent max is at that age. Uh. And I
just don't think Jalen Brunson is gonna be the fourth
best player in the NBA in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2: Look, twenty twenty eight is along ways away, which is
why you're right in that the unknown of the next
three years is the risk, which is why him choosing
to extend now rather than wait until he could potentially
get a bigger bag a year from now. There's no
guarantee that four years from now, not even that he's like,
maybe he is like really good in four years. Maybe
the Knicks are also like the who knows what they accomplished,
Maybe everybody gets fired, like we know who the owner is, Like,
that's the risk he's taken the unknown of of the
next three years. So I agree with you that that
needs to be factored into the decision. I'm also very
confident that if there's one player they're never gonna pinch
pennies with, it's Jalen Brunchon. That's that's my take on
my observations and my understanding of how the organization is run.
Speaker 1: That will be something to bookmark. Then I am curious
Julius Randall extension eligible. How do you think that? I
think it always would have been a difficult negotiation. And
as we were recording this, the Athletic Reporter that the
Knicks aren't looking to trade Julius Randall for anywhere or
not cares about that. How do you think Jalen Brunson.
I don't. Oh, g Anobi did not take a pay cut.
But when you have the best player in the organization
making the concession that he did, does that impact how
the Knicks like go about the Julius Randall extension? And
then if you're Julius Randall sitting there, it's well, what's
the case for you to argue that you should be
paid substantially more than Jalen Brunson moving forwarded? It doesn't.
Does the Jallen Brunson extension complicate the Julius Randall negotiations
in any way?
Speaker 2: I actually think it clarifies it a little bit because
I think you could reasonably extend Randall this offseason, which
the mortar I am the ability to extend him is
on Saturday. I don't know when this is coming out,
but August third, my birthday, is the day that they
can extend Julius Randall. They like, it becomes very simple,
like we either extend you and you're on the team
all of next year, or we don't extend you and
you're a candidate for us to potentially trade you because
we're not gonna let you walk for nothing at the
end of next year. So I know what Fred's reporting
has been, and I, like, I have no reason to
doubt what the athletic is saying about not looking to
trade Julius Roland. I don't think the Knicks are looking
to trade Julius Randall, but post moratorium, if he's like,
I'd rather see what my value is on the market
next summer. That changes things, especially for a team that
just went all in and look, I tend to defend
Julius more often than others. I'm part of that subset
of the Knicks world that wants to remind people how
good Julius Randall is and can be. I also saw
this team look really good in the playoffs with Evencenzo
at the two and like Josh Hart at the three,
and now it's kel Bridges, like that's not afraid to
shoot three pointers. So you know I I I think
the Knicks can be really good with Julius next year.
But just from a financial standpoint, if he's not extending,
then we you become a little bit more expendable if
he extends, like, let's try to win something with you. Also,
this new world of second apron and first apron trade
hindrances where if you have more money going out, your
capped at the first apron, but if you have more
money going in coming in, then now if you have less.
Speaker 1: Money you know what I'm saying, have more money coming in,
your capped at the first apron if you have more
money going out than your capped at the second.
Speaker 2: So you almost kind of need Randall to extend because
if you need to put him in a trade that
doesn't cap you at the first apron, you need that
number to be higher. If it's like Carl Anthony Towns
has been the name that's been thrown out there as
a potential number, and him and Mitch if if he extends,
is the is the way you get to not be
capped at the first aprin. So I, from my understanding,
I actually think he's going to sign an extension with
the Knicks. I don't think necessarily what Brunson did changes it.
I also also wonder Randall might be wondering what his
market is like, who's looking to sign to more than
what the Knicks might offer him. A guy like that
has all the playoff questions that he has, and it's
now coming off of a shoulder injury that ended his season,
you know, as he's entering into his thirties.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's maybe this offseason ends up being a one
year blip because teams are trying to figure out the
realities of these new financial limitations. But I kind of
just feel like Jared Allen just signed a panic extension
to me, because I think people look at oh, thirty
million dollars a year basically for it's like I thought
he was gonna get more and take this to free agency,
to be honest with you, but I think you're fine.
I think maybe players are finding out that unless you
are Paul George and you have that cachet of not
just an all NBA player, but an all NBA player
who fits anywhere with anyone, you might have a tougher market.
And we're seeing it. Randall's always Randall. He's an All
NBA player twice over. That doesn't happen by a mistake.
But I also think he's kind of in the same
boat of Brandon Ingram, where we're talking about talented players
that the Knicks do shop him or if he does
take this to free agency, I don't think his market's
just gonna be all. They'll be teams just lining up
to give Randall the max or more than the Knicks
would offer. That would benefit the Knicks, I would think.
But I'm also looking at it from the perspective of
does Randall have some zemblance of leverage here because the
Knicks decided to go all in on McHale Bridges, Where Okay, yes,
he will never need to be your top option, but
even him as like your second best offensive option, or
if you want to frame it as your second best
shot creator, shot generator, that is still if the territory.
To me, just after watching him in Brooklyn, I think,
is it possible? Sure, I was open to the idea
that he might be a number one guy, but after
watching him last season, I was just like, and through
the playoffs that first year, it just I can't get there.
And so if you're Julius Randold, you're still, to me
very clearly the second best self starter on this team.
Doesn't that kind of give him a form of leverage
that Okay, the Knicks decided to go all in on
this guy in Michal Bridges, who doesn't usurp me in
that department, And so when they don't necessarily have the
assets to go out there and get someone who's going
to be an upgrade over Michale Bridges, let alone Julius
Randall in that department. Does that give him some lever
or let's not call it leverage? Is he more important
to the Knicks than you would have expected following a
trade in which they just gave up five first round.
Speaker 2: Picks from a financial standpoint? So let me start here.
Let me start here. Do playoff offensive and defensive ratings
matter to you? Like? I know they're small sample sizes
and you're only playing like two teams, but do they
matter to you? They?
Speaker 1: I cannot read into individual offensive and defensive ratings. So
if it's like a Julius Randall offensive defensive rating, it's
it's a team.
Speaker 2: It's a team past year in the playoffs had the
second best offensive rating without Julius Randall. The year before
they had the second worst with Julius Randall.
Speaker 1: I think it's fair to read into Julius Randall's struggles.
But if you would put that team that the Knicks
had this past playoff run around Julius Randall that year,
does Julius Randall get better just because the floor is
going to be a little bit more open with Dante DiVincenzo, and.
Speaker 2: It's it's why I'm highly interested in Julius Randall being
on the team this year. I think they can have
a top I think they can. I just got and
say it. I think the Knicks can win sixty games
this year. Like, that's how good I think they could
potentially be fifty.
Speaker 1: I would normally say there's no way, but Tom Thibodau
will coach to win sixty games if.
Speaker 2: It's exactly yeah. So with the fact that there's no
games off, there's no load management days, I think that
the Knicks are really good as is. I also saw
that they can have a pretty good team without Julius
Randall last year, which is why as far as leverage
is concerned, I almost wonder if they're like Julius, we
have options at the four if we need to. You've
been hesitant to play the five. You can't play the three.
You can't really guard anybody. Like the benefit to having
you on our team is creating space and letting you
bullyball with your gravity and potentially losing Hartenstein sucks, but
you can be the new hub that we run the
offense through because we're putting three high volume three point
shooters around you, so catch and shoot opportunities are a plenty.
And then if Tips decides to play an Anobi or
Julius with four shooter lineups and like ob Anob's guarding
your five and then is spacing the floor on the
other end, then you have a chance to have a
really special offense where he's averaging like seven assists a game.
So I almost wonder if he looks at it more
from from the Knicks perspective, or maybe he doesn't look
at it from the Knicks perspective, but like the leverage
actually lies with the Knicks because they're like, we're the
best position for you to succeed right now. So you
may want to go into the following off season a
free agent after that really good position to succeed. But
who's gonna be able to offer you the same environment
that helped you succeed like we did here and is
willing to give you the contract that we're willing to
give you. So that's whe where I look at it.
Speaker 1: I have probably always been lower on Julius Randall than you,
but I am even interested to see him with this team,
because I thought before he got injured, there could still
be maddening Julius Randall moments. I think that's part of
the Julius Randold experience. I thought he got a lot
better the accessory work on offense, and maybe not even better,
but a lot more willing to do it. And so
now in the context of this team that can open
the floor even more around him and make life even
easier on him. It feels like this could be the
most optimal version of Julius Randall we see in part
because there's a question. You've already alluded to it and
I'm going to ask you it in a little bit,
but I want to ask you this question. First, you're
running the Knicks, which you basically I mean, what's your
familiar tree relation to Leon Rose.
Speaker 2: At this point? That's Cia that just called me way,
I'm part of that family.
Speaker 1: You know, what is the number that you're comfortable extending
Julius Randall at If you want to frame it as
per year or total over this many years, like what
is the walkaway number? Where it's no, then you can
well you can take this to free agency or your
player optionever you want to consider it.
Speaker 2: I gotta be honest, Like I've been thinking about this
this question you were talking about sticker shock. I've never
really had a good sense of the value of what
like is a good number in that sense.
Speaker 1: If it makes you feel any better. I'm normally pretty
good at this, but we did an over under podcast
on per year contract values before free agency. I went
back and just briefly looked and stopped because of how
many we just completely whipped on. Like I got to
Simifontecio and I had him getting more than the non
tax Payammell and he gets eight million bucks. So I
have like no feel for this either. If that makes
you feel.
Speaker 2: Better, it does. Listen, there's like one person I've ever
met that has had a perfect feel for it, and
it's Jeremy Cohen of Knicks Film School or Kapologist. Man
went on Fred Katz's pod last week and said, I
think Precious is going to resign with the Knicks for
six million dollars. What happens twenty four hours later? Like, well, okay,
that happened two days ago, so it actually what happened
like seventy two hours later, But guess what happened pressures
you a resigned with the Knicks for six million dollars,
so he's been able to assess that that market the
better than I have. I would say that there's as
long as he extends off the current number. There's no
real number that way to make me walk away, like
I don't want him hitting free agency next next offseason.
But if they went with like the version one eighty
one was the number that I had seen as far
as a full contract extension, that I'd probably be fine
with if he goes four to one one off of
this current deal.
Speaker 1: You know, and you said if you had to make
a prediction, you would expect him he's extension eligible. I
think it's. Oh, you mentioned it August third, you would
expect maybe not on the day, but you would expect
him to sign an extension before the season.
Speaker 2: Yes, I think so. I've been wrong before, but I
think this is headed towards Julius extension.
Speaker 1: I think I would agree with you, at least from
the perspective of I think extending is probably what's best
for his career, because I do agree with you that
I don't know that he's going to have the level
of agency or opportunity anywhere else other than New York.
But it's is they're not building around him anymore, but
they're still tailoring a chunk of their offense to what
he can do. Isaiah Hartenstein is gone. The center rotation
is Mitchell Robinson, Jericho Simms. Precious that you is there.
How concerned are you about the actual center rotation.
Speaker 2: It's the only concern I have about this team. It's
really I know that there's a head coach that loves
her in protection. The centers on this team have been
an alternating You have to be a true center, like
He's never he never experimented with Obi Toppin at the
five like we saw in Indiana. He never experienced with
Randall at the five and maybe going with our j
remember or.
Speaker 1: Like two seasons ago at this point wherever it was,
they did it against Philly. Top and Randall were playing
together because it happened intermittently, but it was like it
was minutes.
Speaker 2: I think, yeah, Twitter, whether oh my god, what's happening, happening,
Oh my gosh, it's happening. It was like game five
of the season and he played them in crunch time.
I was like, oh my gosh, it's actually happening. The
we did this bit at Dick's film school called Claudio Casino,
where I create these fake betting lines for everyone to
for John and Jeremy to say over under before the season,
and it's basically our season preview. And I gave Macriy
the over under of one hundred minutes for Randall and
Obie to play together that season that you're talking about,
and he took the over and I was like, I'm
taking the way under and it got to like fifty
five minutes total. So like I'm I'm a little concerned that,
especially with the health of Mitchell Robinson, that if he
goes down, which I believe at a certain point, mister
Robinson will miss time. You know, he's got Pressures to
Chua and Jericho Simms on the team, and he's gonna
be like, well, I have to have a true rim
protector and won't experiment a bit and see what Randall
at the five or Annobe at the five, however you
want to, however you want to classify it, which I
think could be a pretty lethal lineup. Last year he
played pressures to Chew a lot at the four, but
then there were also a lot of lineups for pressious
at Chua, a six to eight forward, like he could
say he's the backup center. Pressus che Is, a six
to eight forward, played a lot of five last year
next to Ananobi. There was a playoff game where he
closed with Isaiah Hartenstein available, he closed Presses Chua and
og Nanobi taking turns of Joel Embiid And it's the
best defensive game the Knicks played in the playoffs. So
I'm hoping that he leans into more of the experiment
of I've called it the Knicks Golden States, the version
of the Golden State lineup that we all loved before
they got Kevin Durant. I've added the caveat every time
the Knicks don't have Steph Curry but Steve Kurry.
Speaker 1: What if Steph Curry could win Defensive Player of the
Year in Duce McBride, do they not?
Speaker 2: Obviously yes, yes, But like the Knicks version of that
is Brunson at the one, Devincenzo Michel Bridges, Anonobi and
Julius Randall. And as much as we look at that
Golden State team and we're like, oh, he probably Steve
Kerr went to that death lineup all the time, right
it played two hundred and twenty two possessions. The first
year that Steve Kerr was there played three forty seven.
The second year that he was there, it was the
fifth most used lineup the first year, the third most
used lineup the second year, and he only were pivoted
to it as a starting five in the playoffs. In
game four of that first finals, when they were down
two to one against the Calves, when Delladova was getting
ivy fluid shot up in him and he was like,
all right, I'm gonna go to my death lineup as
a starting five and just send Andrew Boge to the
adul drums. Right. And then the second year that the
year they won seventy three and nine and then lost
in the finals, that lineup get out scored. Like I
say all of these that I don't need tips to
do this full time. I just need it to be
an option. I need to see that he realizes that
rim protection isn't the most important thing, and that he'll
experiment a bit, like he doesn't need Jericho, Like I
don't need closing lineups with Jericho Simms. Ever, because Mitchell
Robinson is hurt or precious at you a situational fine,
you need to play a true center because the other
team has two bigs out there that are killing you
on the boards. I think they can get really flexible
with some positionless lineups and just putting like five really
good basketball players out there, and I think that's how
you get around the legitimate loss of Hartenstein and potential
potential uh depth, a lack of depth at the center position.
Speaker 1: I know a lot of it was by necessity, but
I actually do think that we will be pleasantly surprised
with how much, if not in the regular season, with
how much Tips busts out that look in the postseason,
because it seems like, again part of it was by necessity.
But even look at how small his fours have been,
look At how small his one, two, three rotations have
been at points where there's basically three guards on the court.
It feels like the past two years, season and a
half whatever, he's a way more flexible coach when it
comes to lineup structure, and they've almost forced him to
a point where it's okay, you like, even if it's
precious to Chua instead like that still counts as like
him being sort of flexible there. So unless we do
see Jericho Simms all of a sudden, playing every single
minute that Mitchell Robinson is not. It almost makes you
feel like it feels like the Nicks had put him
in a situation where you if he didn't want to,
it's not like he has much of another option other
than to lean into this.
Speaker 2: You have the exact same takeaway that I have that
the roster they've given him demands that we see Randall
Anonobi at the four and five lineups, you know, and
like to your point about the flexibility, I mean, I
spent how many years talking to you about I hope
Timms plays quickly like starts quickly eventually and we get
like he was just afraid to play Brunson and quickly together.
And then we get to the end of last season,
we get to Game five of the playoffs last year,
and he's putting a lineup out there of Brunson, Deuce McBride,
the Vincenzo, Josh Hart. It's four guards like Joshart can
say like.
Speaker 1: He's at best a wing man, but he's six '
five like Josh Hart is not not a forward.
Speaker 2: And he played a lot of four last year, and
he threw those four out there in playoff games with
Miles Turner and Pascal Siakam on the other side of
the floor. Now, I'd argue that as many Knicks fans
that were like, this is the lineup you have to
go to, he was spooked that Siakam would dominate and
in Game six and seven, guess what Pascal Siakam did.
But man, I am also open to the flexibility that
TIBs will have this season, especially since I think the
roster dictates.
Speaker 1: It is there kind of moving on here are do
you have any early impressions of Pacomb Dottier or Tyler
Kohlik after summer week?
Speaker 2: So seeing him in person really informs my opinion here,
Tyler Kolak's passing just like jumps off off the screen
and then like seeing it in person. The joke I
made during the on Twitter about Tyler Kohlik is that, like,
the guy could probably find Bigfoot with a no look
pass like the ways he was breaking down the defense
and then you just you see him disappear into a
crowd and the ball just comes flying out and you
just see, oh wow, that guy's wide open. And I
couldn't wait to see what those passes looked like to
NBA players, So I'm already there with Tyler Kohlik. I
believe the reporting that he's already factored into not the
opening day rotation, but in the pecking order. He's already
ahead a campaign. So I'm very bought in on the
Tyler Kollick experience. Pecomdaddie is a bit of a raw prospect,
and I think the Knicks knew that, which is why
they were able to get him on the deal that
they got him. Guy's gonna be nineteen in a couple months,
so I look at him as like we'll see in
a couple of years. Duce McBride didn't crack the rotation
until year two. I could see Percomb cracking the rotation
in three years. The thing overall from both Summer League
and how they've done the roster this year. For those
who don't know, the Knicks suffered a plethora of injuries
last year during the regular season, to the point where
Tibbs was like, I got seven guys tonight, that's what
we're gonna go with. Because Evan Fournier, who he refused
to play and probably justifiably if he wanted to win.
Uh and like Jared Jared Jefferies, de Kwon Jeffries and
Dwayne Washington and Obi Toppins's little brother were just filling
roster spots on the team and they weren't expected to play.
And now you have NBA players on the team that
if you need to break glass in case of emergency,
you have the option to do so. So, Yeah, my
impressions of both of them or that I think they
the one will absolutely factor into the NBA product this year,
and one is a product or project that they can
because the team's so good that they can, you know,
wait and see what he turns into.
Speaker 1: I forgot to ask you this about the centers, and
I'm sure they're gonna want to see the games and
the rotation unfold. What do you view as the level
of likelihood that New York winds up chasing another big
for this roster in the middle of the season. I'm
not saying to make if Julie s Channel doesn't sign
an extension, we could talk about trying to make a
bigger move, but just in a vacuum where it's okay,
Todge Gibson isn't in Charlotte anymore, like reunion with him,
they would.
Speaker 2: Kick the tires on a TAJ reunion one more time
before they actually went and got an NBA center. Right now,
I think if there's a move for them to be made,
it's that the Deuce McBride of it all. His contract
is outstanding.
Speaker 1: And you can't trade any of the Villanova wild because
at least for a year, I'm assuming like they have
to be considered off limits.
Speaker 2: You want to talk about job security if you went
to Villanova, like you have more job security playing for
the New York Knicks than anybody in the NBA has.
Like you want to talk about trade value rankings, like
like least likely to be traded. It starts with the
four Villanova Wildcats on the Knicks, and then it's like
Luca or Wemby.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: I think if there's a move the Knicks make this year,
it's for a backup center. That's just the full stop.
I don't think they'd go after a point guard. I
don't think they'd go after I've when I don't think
they go after a wing barring some pretty significant injuries happen.
I think it's a the Walker Kesler of it all
has made sense to me. I would need Danny ainge
to come back to reality. But if he's willing for
a center, that would be was just playing G league.
Excuse me, Summer league basketball about to be extension eligible.
If you're willing to get Duce McBride and a couple
of picks out of it the Knicks still have left,
then maybe that's the deal that can be made.
Speaker 1: You would give up Deuce and those two first round
picks for not both.
Speaker 2: But I recognize who you're talking to, and if the
Knicks are desperate and Deuce is playing seven minutes a
game for a team that's already got all these wings
available and you don't have a center, like, look, there's
a world that prefer Kessler over Mitch because of his
ability to play games. You know, it's not even trying
to be like me and to Mitch Robinson. We're in
here seven of the sample though you haven't played a
full season yet.
Speaker 1: I would be against them doing that in the aussee
in just because then you just know we're never going
to see the O. G. Julius Randall line up there.
Speaker 2: I'm not saying you asked in season like I think
they're going as is the into the season.
Speaker 1: In season, Yeah, the cost honestly doesn't FaZe me because
there's a chance that at least one of those Detroit
slash Washington pictures doesn't convey.
Speaker 2: Right it becomes two seconds, So as far as I'm concerned,
it's it's McBride and two seconds for Walker Kessler, who
I assumed they'd extend. And you know you have your center.
Speaker 1: Interesting, Uh, you mentioned your only concerned about this team
was the center position, so you don't have any other
concerns about this roster?
Speaker 2: What is what? A do you? What do you have?
I don't have another concern.
Speaker 1: Uh, well, you seem like this is going to be combative.
I worry about the playmaking on this team. I think
they have that the guy in Jalen Brunson, of course,
no questions eleven to ten, no notes on Jalen Brunson.
I think they have a lot of good secondary guys
or ball mover guys. When you're looking at Josh Hart,
when you're looking at even mchal Bridges, Julius random kind
of feels sometimes like a he reminds me of like
a like an eleventh hour path, like he'll he'll pass
by necessity. It's not like someone who's always looking to
make plays for his teammates, and then it's I don't
know what to make in deduce McBride of at all.
Tyler Kollock, of course, is a great passer. You already
pointed that out, but I assume that they're not going
to lean on him that heavily. And so when you
get into the half court, specifically with the minutes, maybe
when Jalen Brunton is not on the floor, you can
roll out your best lineup that's come up with your
best five man lineup without Jalen Brunton, it could still
be a really good lineup. I would still think there's
like a playmaking the potential for there to be a
playmaking deficit there when the offense needs to slow down.
I think a lot of the times when you watch
the Knicks last year, including when they were shorthanded, they
tried to offset that deficit by just playing at these
ridiculous speeds or trying to make quicker decisions once they
got to the half court. Again, that's a way to
kind of combat it. But it's something that I look
at this team, it's it feels like they lack that. Okay,
they have some slowed down creation thanks to Julius Randall,
but that's not the necessarily the passing element me personally,
I would be looking for.
Speaker 2: So you don't think they could do a lot of
the things they were doing with Hartenstein as a hub,
like moving brunts in off ball and running these warriors sets,
these these blind pig actions, the Chicago gut actions that
they were doing with Josh hart like the different things
they were doing to create offense, not like naturally like
you're talking about with just here's a guy, offense runs
through him. You don't think they could do a lot
of that with Julius Randall next year in the second unit.
Speaker 1: I think I would need to see more of it.
And you did point out how Tibbs has definitely gotten
more innovative on the offensive end, because I think a
lot of people's complaints is that the offense was too
stagnant at points in previous years.
Speaker 2: Which it was, but he also had like a thought
of I'm just gonna kill everybody with offensive rebounding and
it worked. It just it disappeared in the playoffs, That's all.
Speaker 1: I would be worried about how that ends up flying
against some of the better defenses in the league or
a fuller strength, like when you're even looking at the
playoffs specifically, you went up against a version of Philly
that was it was hobbled and you just barely beat them.
And then Indy, we lost too because you simply just
ran out of players like it just but it wasn't
this like they weren't an elite defense, like they were
quite the opposite in fact, like throughout the regular season.
And so I would be Curtsey, how that approach holds
up over the course of an entire season. Yeah, sure,
we know what the Knicks' second units have done in
the past as well. If Julius Rand's gonna be but
one teaccount and Julius Rand will be healthy and then two.
The other bigger thing for me is how does that
fly in the playoffs against insert top ten deep Boston.
I mean, it's team was built to beat Boston, So
what does that look like against Boston's defense if they're
at full strength.
Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I gotta be honest, The Knicks offense isn't
my concern. If it was to be one or the other,
they had the word the I know they had a
one twenty defensive rating in the playoffs last year. But
a lot of that was because Anonobi was off the
floor for the last four game five games of the playoffs.
Speaker 1: I don't know how to read anything we saw from
the Knicks in the playoffs last year because they were
just like people shell of themselves. So it's like it's
a positive when you're looking at what they did, but
there's also still even questions with the positive or the negatives.
And I see it's funny because I find myself not
their offensive ceiling is through the roof. In general, I
think largely because of Jalen Brunson and the versatility alone,
I'm probably more I guess there's I'm still just more
uneasy about what their secondary offense. When you're looking at
their top lineups, I don't think they're gonna have a
problem getting to elite defense or elite offense. It's the
second when I start looking at the secondary lineups. To me,
and I could be wrong. I recognize that I could
be looking at this maybe from two surface level of
a perspective. It feels like they might have a harder
time getting to elite secondary offense than oh the defense
is holding up in some of those tertiary units.
Speaker 2: See I look at Michel now with like defenses have
to honor Jalen bruntson defenses have to honor Julie Randall,
and like the shooting abilities of a de Vincenzo aducebrig
Bride a an og Anobi, and it just it opens
things up so much more.
Speaker 1: Of not during the brunts in lineups. Just to be clear,
like I don't their offensive ceiling is through the roof
of Brunson is going to be on the floor.
Speaker 2: And so I wonder if the fact that I'll just
I'll say it again, the fact that the Burks and
Bogie minutes are now mckel Bridges minutes, and if if now,
if I'm talking about Mickael Bridges against backups, you know,
like that's not something I'm that afraid of. Fair Now,
maybe I should be more afraid of, like if they
stagger correctly, like against the Celtics backup unit. But I
also I think they're going to be able to stagger
really well, fully healthy, fully healthy, I should say, but
I think they'll be able to stagger really well when
coming off the bench. For the Knicks, it's three starters
from last year's playoff rotation.
Speaker 1: What I think to undermine. My own point would also
be if I'm looking at it through the postseason spectrum,
there's gonna be very few minutes where you have to
worry about your secondary lineups because it's the playoffs and
tims as your coach.
Speaker 2: So true, but there's also like three guys that he
trusts a lot that are now on the bench, like
you don't you know weird it's gonna be when Josh
Hart plays eighteen minutes in a game at any point
next year, when I'm used to him playing forty eight.
Speaker 1: And I still think he's checked out of there.
Speaker 2: Still he's still on the MSG court right now with
a microphone in hands, doing the roommates by, and just like, yeah,
coach told me I need to play ten more minutes.
Speaker 1: Do you think that's gonna be an adjustment? Like? Is that?
I guess? Could that be? Your concern is how is
he gonna juggle the minutes because you have three players
now in mcal Bridges, Julius Randol and Jalen Brunson that
you have to that you're just going to play heavy minutes.
And I think you could look at it, well, maybe
they'll play og in and it will be a little
bit less because of his injuries, but like, those three
are gonna soak up so much of the rotation minutes
and because so many one because of how good they
were with Oja already, but because of how important he
is to their defensive infrastructure, with or without McHale. It's
almost like, oh, these are four dudes, They're gonna play
a ton of minutes. And so is that the concern
that maybe we've overlooked of well, how are they gonna
figure out like how much Dante and Josh Hart are
going to play in these games?
Speaker 2: It is a concern. I'll say that the deployment of
this roster will will matter. From everything you hear. Tips
is big into lineup data, and I'm confident in the
lineup that we talked about. And I think the I
think the way you you make up for the fact
that these guys are now backups is you don't need
a true center at all times. So that I think
is a way. Yeah, that is the way, because there's
twenty four available minutes. There. If mitter Robinson is a
twenty four minute player, right impresses it, you plays twenty
four normally twenty four minutes as a backup center. If
that's not one hundred percent working, and you've got eight
minutes a night where Anonobe's your center or guarding center
and Julius is playing one on is the matched up
against the center on the other side of the floor, Like,
I think that could be extremely successful. And that's how
you get an extra eight minutes or so where for
Anonobi or for Devincenzo, or for Hard or for whomever
you know. And that's how you work around it.
Speaker 1: The other thing, too, might just be beneficial to Josh Hard
to not have to play as many minutes as he
did last year.
Speaker 2: Maybe maybe. Now what's funny is like we got to
Game six of the playoffs when he was playing forty
minutes a night for three months before it actually wore
on him apparently, and it I mean he got elbowed
in the stomach and that's what caused it. Now, who
knows if he was like ready to pop what. Look,
the Knicks are now at a place where they have
extreme depth and they have again the best collection of
talent that I've seen since the nineties, and I'm very
optimistic about them, especially if deployed correctly, which I'm confident
they will be.
Speaker 1: Anything else else I didn't ask you about that you
think needs to be discussed before I let you skidada.
Speaker 2: Well, I'll ask you how many wins would you say
the next win next season.
Speaker 1: I haven't even gotten into my record projections yet. I'd
probably say off rip. I would think like fifty four
feels like the number to settle into. I think it
there won't be the East. The bottom of the East
is still the bottom of the East. But when you
look at having it, assuming some teams relatively healthy, like Indy,
if Tyres Haliburton's healthier this year, they've gone through a
training camp with Siakam Orlando just getting organically better and
they ad KCP. If Miami's a little bit healthier. I
don't view them as a real threat, but they're a
team that can put like if Jimmy Butler and Tyler
Herro were playing in more games than they did last year.
So like fifty four fifty five feels like that. I
haven't even looked at their I try not to look
at over unders until we actually do them. But that
feels like to me fair and it does. Just knowing
some weird stuff with Randall last year, with his availability,
but just knowing that Og is going to miss time,
Mitchell Robinson is going to miss time, and I'm kind
of just caking in, Like you have these billboards of
durability elsewhere, like one of them is probably going to
miss sometime. I would guess that's why, Like I guess
sixty fifty seven, fifty eight, fifteen ice on out of
the question, because of who this team is. It's not
just tims By the way, Like that whole availability thing
play as much as I can is ingrained into the
fabric of the players. I think like fifty four is
probably the number. Okay, what do you actually have them at?
Is it sixty?
Speaker 2: Is that I have sixty to twenty two as the
record for next season. I think there's there's just so
many teams in the East that are not going to
try to win basketball games next year, especially compared to
the West, and they won fifty games last year with
no Like the health of Van Andob's gonna matter obviously,
and like I could look really silly if he if
he like suddenly misses four months of the season, which
for his injury history, I'm not going to completely rule
it out, but they just don't lose when he plays
and now they add added Michel Bridges. So I'm I'm
very bullish on this team, and like I just we'll
wrap up here. You know. The five times they lost
with Ananobi, like what had to happen. Like the first
time was a loss to the Mavericks on the road
where Luca didn't play, and Josh Hart spoke to it
during the finals because he was on the telecast, and
he said, like, we showed up Luca's not playing. Oh,
we got this, and they sleep walked through the first
two quarters and they got back into it in the
fourth and they were rebound away from time to game.
The next lost was MLKY Mattina that Jalen Brunson didn't
play in. The next loss was Ogi's first game back,
which is the second night of a back to back.
They had to go New York to Chicago and the
Bulls went to a oh and Josh Hart got ejected
in the first quarter for kicking somebody in the head.
Those are the only three regular season losses the Knicks
had again with Og Andnobi in the lineup. Then the
two playoff losses and Bead had to have fifty points
in a game he should have been ejected than the
first quarter and MAXI when thermonuclear at the end of
Game five and the Knicks were up six with thirty
seconds left, and blew it Like I could argue all
five or games the Knicks could have won, and I'm
not going to because you obviously have to lose games
when you have a player. But that's just my confidence.
They don't lose when they have an Andobi and now
they also have mikel Bridges. I think it's a justified
arrogance probably, but a confidence and the ability of this team.
Speaker 1: No, it's it's not an arrogance. I guess like I
was so much higher on Isaiah Hartenstein five minutes than
Mitchell Robinson five man minutes that I think there's also
the chance that I know I just said Mitchell Robinson
will miss time, which well, I do think would hurt
their defense probably, but I'm like sometimes like that's not
maybe the worst outcome in the world, because then it
does for at that point if Mitchell Robinson's not available,
It's okay, Jericho Simms will play. We know Tim's will,
We'll pull that club out of his bag. But where
out you going? Tim's like it's random and over. You're
gonna have to like.
Speaker 2: It's staring right at you. This Draymond the five like
they've lost David Lee and created the death lineup as
we now know it.
Speaker 1: This is disingenuous because of how injured Og and Randall
were and basically played no time together. But do you
know how much time in terms of possessions they spent
on the court without a big last year?
Speaker 2: Is it zero minutes?
Speaker 1: Two possessions?
Speaker 2: Two possessions and I don't remember them.
Speaker 1: They are like over for Dex season. If anyone we
want to do optimism, I'll take the over on them.
Speaker 2: I'll take over two possessions next year too.
Speaker 1: If anyone's aggrieved by me not going to fifty five
to sixty wins for the Knicks, just think about, like
this is the discussion we're having. Are the Knicks gonna
win sixty games? Are they gonna be just the second
best team in the East. There's invariably gonna be someone
that thinks that I'm too It's I always get accuse.
Speaker 2: The internet works that way. I agree with you, but like, you're.
Speaker 1: Probably too low at sixty. If someone told you, like sixty,
what was the there?
Speaker 2: Do you not think sixty seven is what was.
Speaker 1: The hashtag wins A KFC last year was three three?
So what's the number this year? Is it sixty three?
Speaker 2: Is it? Roberts switched it to hashtag the chip Like
now it's not about wins and losses. We're just we're
gonna win the championship.
Speaker 1: I want someone to start hashtag seventy four just they're
gonna one up the twenty sixteen Warriors.
Speaker 2: Listen, if I come back here and they're like forty
and five, then you better believe I'm gonna be talking
hashtag seventy four wins, okay, which I don't think they
will be. I don't think they will be. That's always
way they're gonna lose find games.
Speaker 1: Just knowing and it's not just Tims, but just knowing
who's on this roster, and if they ever got I
would almost be concerned if they were that good, because
then I know that they're gonna kill themselves trying to
get to seventy four wins. I'm like, dude, just open
this season like nine and nine and then take off
or something so that we can we can ensure that's
not gonna happen. I want to make sure everyone's healthy
and has energy by the end of the season.
Speaker 2: There you go, There you go.
Speaker 1: Uh, Claudio, this was great as a GMAC who is
now gonna call you because now that I know it's
the wrong pronunciation, it makes me want to say it
even more. Gmac, thank you so much for your time.
As always, everyone should already know with the number of
times you've been on this podcast and with just how
fucking ubiquitous Knicks Film School is in the NBA lexicon,
Can you just tell everyone where they can find you
and all the fan fantastic work that you guys do.
Speaker 2: Thank you for Vali as always for having me on.
I always love talking ball with you. I always love
talking NIX with you, So thank you for having me on.
You can find me My Twitter is down there, but
if you're listening Andrew J. Claudio underscore on all of
my social media, both Instagram and Twitter, you could find
Nick's Film School wherever. Podcasts are available on our YouTube
channel obviously our Patreon, which was mentioned. We have a
newsletter on substack Jumpatan Macuri writes very well, and I
think that's it, and I guess on social we're at
Nick Film School skool because we're cool like that and
as always a film school with the k So you
know what happened the original Knicks Film School account back
in twenty nineteen because Nix Film School should started. It
was just an aggregation Twitter account.
Speaker 1: No, I don't remember that, dude.
Speaker 2: It got suspended the day, the day that Katie and
Kyrie went to Brooklyn. It was an omen so that morning,
the Knicks Film School Twitter account gets suspended, and I
guess back then it was Ramsey decided. Nope, Knicks Film
School's suspended. It was because of like some not non
royalty free music from a breakdown two years earlier. That
does like like four people liked or noticed, and that
account got suspended, and so when it got restarted, it
was as this with s k O L because the
other one, Knick's Film School, was not available.
Speaker 1: I always love hearing about the KFS roots.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the origin story exactly.
Speaker 1: Happy belated anniversary, happy daylight the early birthday, but almost
smack dab on your birthday since that's coming up. Enjoy it.
Always appreciate your time, love your work, and you do
over there and I will talk to you soon. Mister
Claudio is there.
Speaker 2: Thank you. This smell long A
Speaker 1: Col