“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant said. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”
Few things- Haynes deserves some criticism. He was the one predicting Durant to the Knicks days before free agency.
And if this is actually true- a big if- the Knicks deserve serious criticism for not knowing they were never in it. You can't make that KP trade with the salary dumps based on hope. Needs to be strong info they are getting 2 maxes and it sounds like they were never considered. That is an enormous miscalculation.
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Honestly I'm not sure what to believe. What I definitely don't believe is that he never thought about his decision until the morning of June 30th. That's an outrageous lie.
But I do think him and Irving were locked into Brooklyn for awhile.
Both injury prone and a pain in the ass.
The Knicks are better off with the future wide open (as it still is) rather than hitching their dreams to Porzingis. I think the long term results will reflect that.
And maybe just give Brooklyn credit? In my opinion, they've gotten a little too much hype for one mediocre season but obviously people tuned into the league see a lot of positive things going on behind the scenes.
I would caution though, their prize is an aging Durant with blown up achilles heel and the mercurial Kyrie Irving. Nothing there is guaranteed.
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but you dont really believe this do you?
Honestly I'm not sure what to believe. What I definitely don't believe is that he never thought about his decision until the morning of June 30th. That's an outrageous lie.
But I do think him and Irving were locked into Brooklyn for awhile.
He just doesnt want it to look like he followed kyrie
Both injury prone and a pain in the ass.
The Knicks are better off with the future wide open (as it still is) rather than hitching their dreams to Porzingis. I think the long term results will reflect that.
And maybe just give Brooklyn credit? In my opinion, they've gotten a little too much hype for one mediocre season but obviously people tuned into the league see a lot of positive things going on behind the scenes.
I would caution though, their prize is an aging Durant with blown up achilles heel and the mercurial Kyrie Irving. Nothing there is guaranteed.
I'll leave out the debate on whether it was a good idea to trade KP. But doing the deal they did with a major focus on clearing salary is a terrible move unless you feel very confident you need that cap space for a top star.
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He was Matt Harvey/OBJ of the Knicks.
Both injury prone and a pain in the ass.
The Knicks are better off with the future wide open (as it still is) rather than hitching their dreams to Porzingis. I think the long term results will reflect that.
And maybe just give Brooklyn credit? In my opinion, they've gotten a little too much hype for one mediocre season but obviously people tuned into the league see a lot of positive things going on behind the scenes.
I would caution though, their prize is an aging Durant with blown up achilles heel and the mercurial Kyrie Irving. Nothing there is guaranteed.
I'll leave out the debate on whether it was a good idea to trade KP. But doing the deal they did with a major focus on clearing salary is a terrible move unless you feel very confident you need that cap space for a top star.
So you didn't want the Knicks to clear the decks for this FA run without a promise?
Yea, rather than trade him while you have the opportunity to do so, they should have kept an oft injured malcontent who thinks hes way better than he is, around.
He just doesnt want it to look like he followed kyrie
This.
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He was Matt Harvey/OBJ of the Knicks.
Both injury prone and a pain in the ass.
The Knicks are better off with the future wide open (as it still is) rather than hitching their dreams to Porzingis. I think the long term results will reflect that.
And maybe just give Brooklyn credit? In my opinion, they've gotten a little too much hype for one mediocre season but obviously people tuned into the league see a lot of positive things going on behind the scenes.
I would caution though, their prize is an aging Durant with blown up achilles heel and the mercurial Kyrie Irving. Nothing there is guaranteed.
I'll leave out the debate on whether it was a good idea to trade KP. But doing the deal they did with a major focus on clearing salary is a terrible move unless you feel very confident you need that cap space for a top star.
How do you know they didn't have a wink & handshake agreement with Kyrie/KD before the offseason began and then they went back on the their word? Obviously they could never come out to the media and say so since it's against the rules.
I know the Knicks fans are having issues accepting it, it's like the Jets being a much more sought-after destination than the Giants all of a sudden after it being the opposite since the beginning of time.
But Brooklyn is a far better organization and far more desirable for the modern player w/r/t culture and playing style. Facilities, player development, and medical and training staff are among the best in the NBA. Did Kyrie maybe wake up Durant to those things, possibly. But once Durant had any serious thoughts of leaving Golden State it was the Nets all the way.
Most likely scenario is Kyrie convinced him that Brooklyn was the way to go. And when Kyrie said he was going to BK no matter what, KD preferred that to playing in MSG by himself where the media pressure could have been ridiculous if he/the team under-performed. And he's not very good when it comes to being criticized.
Also to add, I don't think Durant had any serious thoughts about leaving Golden State prior to the Porzingis trade or even for a while after the deal, so no way for the Knicks to know when they made the deal that they weren't going to be considered in the end.
Welcome to the internet, I guess.
You have to look at the whole picture and how it plays out. But I have no idea how any rational fan can think they nailed that trade. The "awful contracts" were-
Lee- 1 year 12 million
Hardaway- 2 years ( PO for 2021) 36 million.
So they cleared out 30 million in cap space to be able to sign Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Ellington and Portis....
We'll see about the picks but the 2023 cannot be in the top 10 and could very well turn into a 2nd round pick.
They better hope Dennis Smith turns out to be good because they didn't receive much for Porzingis.
And while free agency is a crapshoot, teams 100% rely on promises and information from upcoming free agents. Well atleast smart teams do.
0% chance KP was taking the qualifying offer and waiting a year to UFA. The Knicks held all the cards and leverage. No shot they were losing him for nothing. He wasn't turning down 150 million guaranteed.
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So, while I'm not thrilled with how all that went down, I can't say I blame them in this particular case.
0% chance KP was taking the qualifying offer and waiting a year to UFA. The Knicks held all the cards and leverage. No shot they were losing him for nothing. He wasn't turning down 150 million guaranteed.
and you would be willing to call his bluff? the second the trade deadline passed the knicks had zero leverage
his trade value becomes nothing because he would have a no trade clause
-high maintenance guy who was not committed to the program
-expressed a demand to be traded
-is highly injury prone
was traded for salary dumps opening up 2 MAX spots + DSJ + 2 first rounders
The MAX $ was ticketed for KD and KI, but the injury to KD threw a massive wrench into this. Fearing another Amare situation, the Knicks paused and then pivoted to Plan B which was to sign Julius Randle at a fraction of the price of Porzingis along with some high basketball character guys to change the culture of a team that had been led :) by the likes of Melo and Porzingis in recent years. Many of the 1 year deals will be trade chips in February. Good for them in not signing a guy who will be 32 the next time we see him (coming off the worst hoops injury). Good for them in not doing a Plan B that consisted of sub Max players signed to the Max.
I don't know if I believe the bit about it only being the Nets he was interested in, but I can definitely imagine that he always had doubts/concerns about the Knicks.
If you go back to last year's draft, they have pretty much executed a plan exactly as any organization with a solid plan in place would.
The Knox pick, while the jury is still out, was probably the no brainer pick to make.
Robinson in the 2nd is a major check in the plus side for Perry.
As outlined above the KP deal was a no brainer.
This offseason, while not the desired outcome, was all due to factors outside of the current regime's control. Not that there was much debate as to who they should select at 3, they didn't get cute.
Once they missed out on the top guys, they got the right guy at the right price in Randle. They also built up the roster with lots of youth, solid characters, tough minded players who are either, young, cheap or short term commitments.
If nothing else, the 2019 Knicks look like an intriguing and fun team to root for with some potential to grow and a future that is completely wide open financially.
The notion that the Nets were the only team he'd ever leave the Warriors for is laughable, though.
If you go back to last year's draft, they have pretty much executed a plan exactly as any organization with a solid plan in place would.
The Knox pick, while the jury is still out, was probably the no brainer pick to make.
Robinson in the 2nd is a major check in the plus side for Perry.
As outlined above the KP deal was a no brainer.
This offseason, while not the desired outcome, was all due to factors outside of the current regime's control. Not that there was much debate as to who they should select at 3, they didn't get cute.
Once they missed out on the top guys, they got the right guy at the right price in Randle. They also built up the roster with lots of youth, solid characters, tough minded players who are either, young, cheap or short term commitments.
If nothing else, the 2019 Knicks look like an intriguing and fun team to root for with some potential to grow and a future that is completely wide open financially.
Smart post. I'd also add to that Trier and potentially Brazdeikas were nice/cheap finds. Then you have RJB.
-high maintenance guy who was not committed to the program
-expressed a demand to be traded
-is highly injury prone
was traded for salary dumps opening up 2 MAX spots + DSJ + 2 first rounders
The MAX $ was ticketed for KD and KI, but the injury to KD threw a massive wrench into this. Fearing another Amare situation, the Knicks paused and then pivoted to Plan B which was to sign Julius Randle at a fraction of the price of Porzingis along with some high basketball character guys to change the culture of a team that had been led :) by the likes of Melo and Porzingis in recent years. Many of the 1 year deals will be trade chips in February. Good for them in not signing a guy who will be 32 the next time we see him (coming off the worst hoops injury). Good for them in not doing a Plan B that consisted of sub Max players signed to the Max.
So you think the Knicks turned down Kevin Durant because of the injury? Then why did Steve Mills issue that absurd apology to the fans?
If you guys want to dump all over Porzingis then have at it. I disagree but we'll leave that for another day. My point is they could have received more for him if they didn't dump those contracts. Even if it was Dallas, they could have gotten another 1st and probably made the 2023 pick unprotected.
And either they were blindfully ignorant, received bad information or had Durant/ Iriving change their minds or got flat beat out by the Nets for them. None of them are good scenarios or reflect well on this front office. Or worse their plan was dump those contracts to sign the players they did...
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Porzingis:
-high maintenance guy who was not committed to the program
-expressed a demand to be traded
-is highly injury prone
was traded for salary dumps opening up 2 MAX spots + DSJ + 2 first rounders
The MAX $ was ticketed for KD and KI, but the injury to KD threw a massive wrench into this. Fearing another Amare situation, the Knicks paused and then pivoted to Plan B which was to sign Julius Randle at a fraction of the price of Porzingis along with some high basketball character guys to change the culture of a team that had been led :) by the likes of Melo and Porzingis in recent years. Many of the 1 year deals will be trade chips in February. Good for them in not signing a guy who will be 32 the next time we see him (coming off the worst hoops injury). Good for them in not doing a Plan B that consisted of sub Max players signed to the Max.
So you think the Knicks turned down Kevin Durant because of the injury? Then why did Steve Mills issue that absurd apology to the fans?
If you guys want to dump all over Porzingis then have at it. I disagree but we'll leave that for another day. My point is they could have received more for him if they didn't dump those contracts. Even if it was Dallas, they could have gotten another 1st and probably made the 2023 pick unprotected.
And either they were blindfully ignorant, received bad information or had Durant/ Iriving change their minds or got flat beat out by the Nets for them. None of them are good scenarios or reflect well on this front office. Or worse their plan was dump those contracts to sign the players they did...
Why fuss over Durant now though?
Do you realize how likely it is that the Knicks actually dodged a bullet? Odds are that Durant is not the same player ever again.
You know what pisses me off the most about this offseason? That the Lakers lucked into the 4th pick and were able to get Anthony Davis.
Welcome to the internet, I guess.
+1
He wanted to play with Kyrie. Nothing more, nothing less. And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them.
He wanted to play with Kyrie. Nothing more, nothing less. And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them.
So you think if Kyrie and Durant went to the Knicks and said we both want to play here, they would have said no? You've got to be kidding.
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there isnt a better run organization right now than GS. All the pieces were there too.
He wanted to play with Kyrie. Nothing more, nothing less. And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them.
So you think if Kyrie and Durant went to the Knicks and said we both want to play here, they would have said no? You've got to be kidding.
I don't think the Knicks wanted KD at MAX $$ with an early OPT OUT after the injury. And once that was the case, they didn't want Kyrie. As I said, the injury threw a wrench into PLan A, so they targeted Plan B.
Color me shocked.
All of the marketing predictive data and quantifiable data post analysis showed the untapped growth in product endorsement, product development, media revenue, etc. in Brooklyn was off the charts.
A Brooklyn based branded, young, black owned venture (media, apparel, even just personality) is a gold mine.
right he has no choice to say that, he cant say oh knocks were my number 1 choice or amother team was...
He said what he had to say..
Yeah right.
For as much as is legal in 2019, Gibson, Morris, Portis, Randle fit that mold. Porzingis is in for a long night on 11/14.
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Heart, played D, and if you drive the lane you were sent on your ass. KP wouldn’t last 1 game coming back to the Garden. They would break him in half.
For as much as is legal in 2019, Gibson, Morris, Portis, Randle fit that mold. Porzingis is in for a long night on 11/14.
i expect to see a lot of marcus morris on kp that night
He also told the knicks he didnt want anyone tonknow he already decided he was sitting out, that is why knicks came out with updates say oh he is going to be evaluated at certain times...
So basically he wanted the knicks to do all the talking for him when all that needed to be said was he was taking the year off...
He also told the knicks he didnt want anyone tonknow he already decided he was sitting out, that is why knicks came out with updates say oh he is going to be evaluated at certain times...
So basically he wanted the knicks to do all the talking for him when all that needed to be said was he was taking the year off...
Good point.
Plus, they got two first round picks, one totally unprotected which very rare these days.
And finally, they got Dennis Smith JR, and while it is unclear what his ceiling his, he is just 21 and was a top 10 pick a couple of years ago.
And on KP, besides being a very difficult person from nearly day one, he currently under investigation for rape, and was almost arrested for a fight outside a Latvian bar.
KP also played an average of 62 games for his first three years in the NBA and each year his play declined as the year wore on. He always seems to be beat up one way or another and it might be his body type can't take the pounding from the very heavy NBA schedule (compared to Europe).
Plus, they got two first round picks, one totally unprotected which very rare these days.
And finally, they got Dennis Smith JR, and while it is unclear what his ceiling his, he is just 21 and was a top 10 pick a couple of years ago.
And on KP, besides being a very difficult person from nearly day one, he currently under investigation for rape, and was almost arrested for a fight outside a Latvian bar.
KP also played an average of 62 games for his first three years in the NBA and each year his play declined as the year wore on. He always seems to be beat up one way or another and it might be his body type can't take the pounding from the very heavy NBA schedule (compared to Europe).
It cannot be stated any better than what you have here. Well done.
If Kyrie and Durant came to the Knicks and said we want to play here, a literal 0% chance they turn it down. No possibility on earth. No chance in hell, either.
You saying "And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them." is complete nonsense.
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...
If Kyrie and Durant came to the Knicks and said we want to play here, a literal 0% chance they turn it down. No possibility on earth. No chance in hell, either.
You saying "And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them." is complete nonsense.
actually it isnt, it was pretty well known knicks were not comfortablr offering kd the max...
Nets were the only team besides the knicks who could offer both max slota, clippers were not signing them both
Plus, they got two first round picks, one totally unprotected which very rare these days.
And finally, they got Dennis Smith JR, and while it is unclear what his ceiling his, he is just 21 and was a top 10 pick a couple of years ago.
And on KP, besides being a very difficult person from nearly day one, he currently under investigation for rape, and was almost arrested for a fight outside a Latvian bar.
KP also played an average of 62 games for his first three years in the NBA and each year his play declined as the year wore on. He always seems to be beat up one way or another and it might be his body type can't take the pounding from the very heavy NBA schedule (compared to Europe).
If they did nothing they would have cap space in 2020 and 2021. After this offseason you actually thinks it’s a positive they made clearing cap space focus in that trade?
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In comment 14522321 dep026 said:
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If Kyrie and Durant came to the Knicks and said we want to play here, a literal 0% chance they turn it down. No possibility on earth. No chance in hell, either.
You saying "And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them." is complete nonsense.
actually it isnt, it was pretty well known knicks were not comfortablr offering kd the max...
Nets were the only team besides the knicks who could offer both max slota, clippers were not signing them both
Durant says it was either GS or Brooklyn. Knicks fans call BS.
Knicks put out damage control after KD announces his decision, saying they could have signed KD, but they were uncomfortable doing so after the injury. Knicks fans believe it as gospel.
I personally believe that Durant is embellishing the truth, but the Knicks statement was 100 percent a PR move. Ask yourselves, of the two statements, who would gain more to lie?
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...
If Kyrie and Durant came to the Knicks and said we want to play here, a literal 0% chance they turn it down. No possibility on earth. No chance in hell, either.
You saying "And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them." is complete nonsense.
But Kyrie didnt want to play for the Knicks and the Knicks didnt want him either, thats kind of the point. Everyone knew in the middle of the year in the NBA he was signing with Brooklyn.
And there were only 2 teams who could financially afford both of them. The Knicks and the Nets. And once Kyrie made it clear he wasnt going to the Knicks - yes, the Nets were the only team that could sign both.
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In comment 14522321 dep026 said:
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...
If Kyrie and Durant came to the Knicks and said we want to play here, a literal 0% chance they turn it down. No possibility on earth. No chance in hell, either.
You saying "And the Nets were the only team that could sign both and wanted them." is complete nonsense.
actually it isnt, it was pretty well known knicks were not comfortablr offering kd the max...
Nets were the only team besides the knicks who could offer both max slota, clippers were not signing them both
Golden State was offering him 220 million over 5. The Knicks would have given Durant a max deal if he wanted to go there, without hesitation.
No one mentioned that the Knicks weren't comfortable giving Durant the max until after he signed in Brooklyn in an obvious attempt to save face. And he didn't sign a max deal with Brooklyn anyway.