Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Here's our weekly Knicks mailbag with SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley...
@jrisk127: What would it take to get Donovan Mitchell in a trade to the Knicks?
You have to make a few big assumptions before you start to talk about hypothetical Mitchell trades: one is that the Mitchell-Rudy Gobert rift is significant enough for Utah to consider trading one of the players -- or for Mitchell to seek a trade from the Jazz.
For what it's worth, Gobert told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks on Sunday that he and Mitchell have spoken recently and are on the same page. Two days earlier, The Athletic reported that Gobert and Mitchell's relationship didn't appear salvageable.
If Mitchell were to seek a trade from the Jazz, one opposing executive, speculating, said that any Knicks package would probably have to include either RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson, and two first-round picks (one of them unprotected). So if you are putting together potential Knicks trade packages for Mitchell, it makes sense to start there. And, obviously, if Utah was trading Mitchell and keeping Gobert, the club wouldn't want to deal for Robinson.
@tburcato: Who do you think would be the best, and realistic, hire for Head Coach?
I try to stay away from giving this kind of opinion because advocating for a player/coach/executive isn't my lane. But I think it's important for the next Knicks coach to have a strong knowledge of the marketplace. Coaching in New York -- particularly for a franchise that's struggled as much recently as the Knicks have -- brings its own set of challenges.
The volume of media and fan scrutiny surrounding the Knicks and other legacy New York teams is immense. So that's why coaches like Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson and Mike Woodson make sense to me as good fits. They know exactly what they're getting into because they've coached in New York.
For what it's worth, several coaches and people with a vetted interest in Leon Rose's first coaching hire believe it will ultimately be Thibodeau -- if he doesn't retain Mike Miller. I know he has stated publicly that he won't be coaching, but I still wouldn't entirely rule out John Calipari as a Knicks candidate due to his close relationship with Rose.
@Kuzminskasfor3: Is Mitchell Robinson expendable?
That depends on who the Knicks would receive in a trade of Robinson. Steve Mills and Scott Perry were not open to moving Robinson last year in any package that would have returned Anthony Davis, per sources. But Mills and Perry also drafted Robinson. Generally speaking, executives who draft a player are more reluctant to trade the prospect.
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Would Rose would take the same stance with Robinson if a young, star big man like Karl-Anthony Towns were available? That's unclear, but it would surprise me if Robinson was kept off limits in a deal for a player like Towns.
@KobeBeanburner_ With Scott Perry staying with the Knicks despite (Steve) Mills being fired, are the Knicks still sticking to the status quo in regards to trading away all young guys for win now moves?
I think the Knicks will be more open to moving younger players/picks under Rose than they had been under Mills and Perry. Mills and Perry had the opportunity to pursue players like Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and Davis via trade, but seemed to prefer to hold on to assets like first-round picks. That approach has helped build a stockpile of picks for New York (seven first-rounders in the next four drafts), but no established stars. Rose represented some of the top stars in the NBA as a player agent at CAA. He'll certainly be aggressive in pursuing those same kinds of players as Knicks president.
(As an aside, Perry is still with the Knicks for the moment and has been working closely with Rose, so I wouldn't be surprised if Perry remained with the organization under the new team president. The Knicks didn't have much on-court success under Mills and Perry but the tandem helped New York accrue those picks and maintain cap flexibility. Perry deserves credit for that, I think).
QUICK HITTERS
@JADubin5: which has played more of a role in the Knicks being the worst team of the 2000s: bad management decisions or tweets?
This tweet from Jared was, I think, sent in jest in reference to a story we wrote about Knicks coaches suggesting to players that they steer clear of social media. Social media posts from media outlets and fans have veered toward the negative recently with the Knicks -- and it's easy to understand why.
The club has lost at least 50 games in each of the last six seasons. It's been a brutal stretch. So I can't blame fans -- or media outlets -- for reacting negatively to most recent Knicks news. So to answer Jared's question: bad management, by a landslide (though Phil Jackson's tweet criticism of Carmelo Anthony was a rare combination of both categories). Still, I can't fault coaches for telling players to ignore social media.
@akabuca96: Obi Toppin is the best draft prospect?
Seems like he will be a great player. I defer to scouts and other people who study draft-eligible players much more regularly than I do to offer informed opinions on Toppin and others. Check out what Spencer Pearlman (https://twitter.com/SKPearlman) or Rashad Phillips ( https://twitter.com/RP3natural) say about Toppin.
@GetMe28: How is Leon Rose pushing us forward analytically if at all?
Unclear. Rose hasn't made any hires, so it's too early to say much about this topic.