Knicks' Season Outlook: Conference Finals and Future Plans

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00:00For the Knicks, it feels like, if I would have told you before the year,

00:05you made the conference finals or you beat Boston,

00:07you'd be like, man, this is fantastic.

00:11What a year.

00:12This group works.

00:13We're trending in the right direction.

00:16Now, you probably would have been confused.

00:18How did you beat Boston, make the conference finals,

00:20and not make the finals?

00:22But here we are.

00:25Now, the thing is, if I would have told you before,

00:27for the playoffs, you beat Boston, made the conference finals.

00:30Pretty simple.

00:31We lost to Cleveland.

00:31It is what it is.

00:32They won a gazillion games.

00:33Good for Donovan Mitchell.

00:34Good for Evan Mobley.

00:35No way we lost to Indiana again.

00:37You can't be doing this to me.

00:38Please no, please no, please no.

00:39I can't stand Tyrese Halliburton.

00:40That's, again, what a Knicks fan is probably thinking.

00:45But the way that this has gone,

00:48the way this series specifically has played out,

00:51a Knicks loss tonight is nowhere near as devastating

00:57if had they lost game five.

01:00But it doesn't mean we aren't going to have some questions

01:03around this team.

01:05And it feels like the questions are all around the main pieces.

01:11A McCall Bridges trade is not really going to happen

01:14unless he's a second part of a deal.

01:16OG Ananobi probably going nowhere.

01:19I don't think anyone believes you can trade Josh Hart

01:21and fix this roster.

01:24You're going to move Carl Anthony Towns.

01:27Brunson is untouchable.

01:29If somebody wanted to give you that,

01:30I'd trade Brunson first.

01:32Here's the thing.

01:33Even if you have that opinion, it's never going to happen.

01:37The other move, maybe the likelier move,

01:40is Tom Thibodeau's fired.

01:43Likely opening the path for Michael Malone to be hired.

01:46The thing is, it's also on the board.

01:50None of it happens.

01:51Even if they lose here tonight.

01:53Maybe the Knicks say it was year one of a new team

01:57and the East is open next year.

01:59And we're going to be right back.

02:01Right.

02:02So, if the Knicks do lose tonight, JY,

02:07what does it mean for their offseason and future?

02:09It all comes down to how they lose.

02:13I think if they get rolled and the last thing

02:17every comes to the Knicks' minds is, you know,

02:20a 125-107 loss, then you're going to be like,

02:25going to blow it up.

02:27Not going to work.

02:28If the Knicks lose 110-106 in the game last couple of minutes,

02:34Halliburton makes a play, maybe Brunton does not,

02:38then you're more like, okay, we're going to sit back and say,

02:42we didn't have our full team,

02:45including a healthy Mitchell Robinson,

02:48until the end of the year.

02:49And even when we got Mitchell Robinson back,

02:52Tom said it best earlier,

02:54he's still in the first quarter,

02:56looks winded after about seven or eight minutes.

02:58So, we need a full offseason.

03:01The problem with that mindset, Kevin,

03:03is Mitchell Robinson has always been hurt.

03:07He's always been a guy that gets banged up.

03:10So, you can't hang your hat on it.

03:13There is the whole thing, obviously, with Cat,

03:17and then, obviously, moving,

03:19if they try to get someone like Giannis on the way back,

03:21something like that,

03:22because they think it works better with Brunton.

03:23Yes, there is the running it back.

03:26But I think if you run it back,

03:29I think, and this may sound crazy,

03:32you have to go get an offensive-minded assistant

03:36to be with tips.

03:38Someone that can kind of take a little bit control

03:40of the offense and find a way to get,

03:44some people would consider, what,

03:46two of the top 20 best players in the world,

03:49I would say, probably Cat and Brunton,

03:53and get them to play together.

03:54You know, I know there's been talk locally,

03:57some people mentioned someone like a David Blatt,

03:59who is a phenomenal offensive mind,

04:02not a strong defensive mind,

04:03maybe put him with tips.

04:04He had track record with some of the old administration.

04:07Make him an assistant, have him run the offense,

04:09tip, run the defense, go from there.

04:12Regardless of what happens,

04:15if the Knicks don't win,

04:17or if they lose bad,

04:19there's going to be changes,

04:21whether it's add someone to the staff,

04:24get rid of the coach,

04:27or get rid of Cat,

04:28because as long as Leon Rose,

04:30World Wide Rest,

04:31and Rick Brunton are on the bench,

04:34Hart, Brunton, Bridges,

04:38they're not going anywhere.

04:40There's too much of a South Jersey,

04:42Philadelphia,

04:43Camden connection

04:44with World Wide West

04:46and Leon Rose

04:48and Rick Brunton

04:49that the three Villanova guys,

04:51Tom,

04:52aren't going anywhere.

04:53They wouldn't,

04:53and the changes come down to,

04:56you know,

04:57again,

04:57it comes down to how do they lose?

04:58Do they lose close tonight?

04:59Do they force a game seven?

05:00Do they lose at home?

05:01How does this all play out?

05:03I don't think there are wrong answers

05:06when it comes to making changes.

05:08Like,

05:08if you told me,

05:09you know,

05:09six months from now,

05:10you know,

05:10or whatever is going into,

05:11you know,

05:11start of next season,

05:12like,

05:12hey,

05:13the Knicks changed head coach,

05:15they traded Cat,

05:16they got whoever,

05:17and they completely overhauled their bench.

05:19I'd be like,

05:19okay,

05:19that makes sense.

05:20And if they changed a little bit

05:22about their bench,

05:23they kept on Cat

05:24because you said it was their first year

05:25with the new team,

05:25but they just changed Thibodeau.

05:27I'd be like,

05:27okay,

05:28that kind of,

05:28that makes sense.

05:29You just need a refinement of things.

05:31That's really what it comes down to.

05:32So for the Knicks off season,

05:34it starts with how they lose,

05:35if they lose,

05:36because even if they do win,

05:38win tonight,

05:38or they win game seven,

05:39they will still end up losing to OKC.

05:40I think we'd all agree with that.

05:41And then it comes down to,

05:43again,

05:43minor refinements

05:44in multiple areas.

05:46It can't just be one.

05:47Like,

05:48they have to reinforce the bench,

05:49they have to,

05:50obviously,

05:50get Mitchell Robinson back

05:52for the entire season,

05:53and then maybe make it a coaching change,

05:55whether it be an assistant or a head coach.

05:56It has to be multiple things.

05:57It can't just be like,

05:58we're going to change one thing,

05:59and then boom,

05:59the recipe's perfect.

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