One of my two favorite holidays is four days away. For the past four months I’ve lived with a new gastrointestinal reality, one that strictly restricts the variety and volume of foods I can enjoy in my middle
age. I don’t wanna think about that. I’d rather think about the many excellent questions raised by you lot in last week’s P&T mailbag invite. Ergo, here we go.
How are the vibes currently, on a scale of 1 (despicable) to 5 (immaculate)? What is the vibes projection for mid-year (January) and end-year (June)?
— FooBarChu
I’d rate the vibes an unstinting 3.
The Knicks are 9-6, tied with Philadelphia for the 12th-best record in the league. Nothing to write home about. Know what, though? Last year after 15 games they were 9-6 too. 2024? Same: 9-6. So, things could be better, but things could be worse, and lately things have been pretty much what they are now.
If homecourt advantage seemed essential for this team, or there were some Eastern behemoth off to a scalding start, a la the Celtics and Cavaliers last season, I’d care more about the Knicks’ early-season form. But in the Jalen Brunson era, this team has closed out three playoff series on the road and won late-and-close postseason games in Boston. They’re only a game and a half behind the first-place Raptors in their division — hey, divisions! Remember those? Long as the Knicks win the Atlantic, their seeding will be fine. I’d rather be them right now than the Cavs, already four back of the Pistons in the loss column.
So though the Knicks def aren’t setting the world on fire, neither are they getting punked. They’re just trying to make it happen, man, one day at a time, same as most of us. That’s as 3 as 3s get. I suspect by mid-January, health-permitting, the vibes will be a little better — 3.5ish. By June it’ll be 1 or 5, agony or ecstasy, no room for in-between.
Say we’re first in the East, fully healthy approaching the trade deadline, and you had to make one roster move. What move would you make to put us on par with Oklahoma City?
— Jslashnoel
If a credible big man were available then, someone improbably inexpensive whom the Knicks could land for Pacôme Dadiet and a second-rounder or two, that’s my move. Mind you, I don’t always ride the trade-Dadiet bus. But in Jslashnoel’s hypothetical, the Knicks are rolling along and only thinking title-or-bust. If that’s the goal, Dadiet’s $2.8 million slot might be better occupied by someone who fits a needier position of need, though the Knicks are so claustrophobically close to the second apron they’re limited to players who make Dadiet money.
With Derik Queen’s ascent in New Orleans, would the Pelicans consider moving on from 2025 All-Rookie Second Team center Yves Missi? Does that sound crazy? Have you met the Pelicans? Is Drew Eubanks a difference-maker over seven games with the Thunder? The Kings have completely melted down into madness again, now inexplicably playing Keon Ellis 25% fewer minutes a game; could the Knicks take advantage of this latest self-induced Viveksection and add another quality wing, a position where the Thunder enjoy an embarrassment of riches?
If bigs are your thing, Marvin Bagley III has shown some bounce back after last season, and puts up big-time rebounding numbers. Especially on the offensive glass. Tony Bradley? Mason Plumlee? Those doing anything for you?
I don’t think the Knicks have a championship-caliber set of bigs, particularly given one of their 7-footers’ injury history and how specialized both their 7-footers are. If Mitch goes down, there goes their rim protection; if Towns does, the offense levels down considerably. Maybe the Ellis route is the better way to add meaningful depth, keeping OKC in mind. Lotta trade rumors the last few years about Isaiah Stewart coming this way. That would’ve hit the spot niiiiiicely, as the Knicks appear one big short. Relatedly:
How worried are you about Guerschon Yabusele’s poor play?
— Bargzzz
I wouldn’t say “worried,” though he’s struggling. That’s to be expected: dude’s gone from 27 a minutes a night for Philadelphia to 10 minutes per with a new team. The only other Knick dealing with that much of a minutes shift is Josh Hart, who at least enjoys the benefit of roster continuity. Yabusele’s life is nothing but adjustments these days. So I’m not “worried” as much as “yet to be impressed.”
I have wondered if/how Yabusele’s transition may have been impacted by him gaining 25 pounds last offseason, weighing in as the league’s fifth-heaviest player behind only Zach Edey, Jusuf Nurkić, Nikola Jokić and Zion Williamson. That massification must align with the Knicks’ vision for Yabusele, else they wouldn’t have signed him, right?
Keep in mind: Isaiah Hartenstein struggled a TON his first few months here after his time as a Clipper, where they had him shooting 3s. He had to make some big adjustments, too. Give Yabusele some time. Also worth keeping in mind: Yabusele’s replacing Precious Achiuwa. To be a success, he really just needs to be better than Achiuwa. Plenty of time to get there — or get someone else who is.
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Also, this team as of now seems to be not ready for prime time. Do you think that’ll change when the playoffs come around?
— Unmitigated Gall
I’m struck by UG’s first verb being “could” and not “would.” It eliminates the alliterative play of “wood would a woodchuck,” and it’s redundant, as there’s another “could” seven words later. But I can’t make too much of it, since UG didn’t get much runway to elaborate. Maybe they would have shown me something I’m not seeing, never would have imagined. Same with these Knickerbockers.
It’s not a sexy hot-take answer, but I am not as of yet concerned, nor do I consider them not ready for primetime. Their early road form is uneven, at times uninspiring, but I know trust they can win there when the chips are down. True, the only really good team they’ve beaten was Cleveland on opening night; then again, they haven’t played any other really good teams. Unless you consider Minnesota a contender, the Cavs are the only contender the Knicks have played; they won’t face another until they host those same Cavs on Christmas. After that, you gotta wait till February for Denver and Houston. The two Knick/Thunder games come early and late in March.
The 2025-26 Knicks have yet to paint a masterpiece. They’re also mostly yet to work on any kind of canvas.
17% of the season in, what do you make of Mike Brown?
— JorgiePorgie
I’m very nearly 17% of the way to forming an opinion.
I don’t mean that flippantly; I’m really, consciously trying to let more of the season unfold before forming an opinion. Once when I was still professoring, a month into a semester, I took over a research writing course after the original professor had to deal with a family emergency. I’ve designed and taught a dozen courses over the years, but I’d never had the experience of stepping in for someone else, someone who’d established a much more detailed and different approach than my own. I struggled with it. All my usual measures and metrics were meaningless; I was working as much just to grasp what I’d inherited as I was trying to teach it.
Mike Brown is probably the first Knick coach since Mike Woodson whose job description is more editor than writer. That’s a credit to Thibs, who created enough of something worthwhile for editing to be possible. More than any Knick coach I can think of since Jeff Van Gundy, any evaluation of Brown cannot commence, much less conclude, before their first season ends.
Why aren’t you worried about Detroit? Knick fan here, saw both ‘chips and watch all their games. Detroit gave New York all it could handle in [the] playoffs last year, are better this year and very physical. [The Orlando] Magic showed how to take Knicks out of Brown’s style and New York reverted to iso-ball at a slower pace.
— rf5
Not worried about the Pistons? That is foolish. They are a year more experienced, and Jalen Duren is terrific, more focused and his temper seems under control. They could win it all, they are not going away for years.
— hockeybeaverton
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2002, Yao Ming’s rookie year, he went on a hot streak that saw him drill 31 of 35 shot attempts. Imagine telling someone back then not only would the Rockets never win a championship with Yao, they’d only win one playoff series with him, period. I like Jalen Duren’s game. I’m not picking Detroit to buck history because he’s had a nice month.
I can only think of two teams this century to win a title without winning a single playoff series the year before. Ironically, they’re the league’s bluebloods, proving the notion of prestige really is a classist shell game meant to keep the masses down: in 2020 the Lakers won the Bubble ‘chip after missing the previous six straight postseasons and not winning a round for seven; the 2008 Celtics won it all after missing the prior two postseasons and going five years without a series victory. Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Daniss Jenkins have all been positive additions to the Pistons, but LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen they ain’t.
Franchises just don’t go 17 years without a single series win and then suddenly rip off four straight. Even the 2007 Cavaliers, a team that had no business in the Finals that LeBron carried there, had the experience of besting the Wizards in the opening round the year prior. Maybe in retrospect topping a Gilbert Arenas-led outfit isn’t that big of a deal, but LeBron let it marinate.
Going back further, the 2004 Pistons were pretty new in a lotta ways — that was Larry Brown and Rasheed Wallace’s first year there — but they’d made the ECF the year before under Rick Carlisle, and won a combined three series the previous two years. Before that, the last surprise champ is a team well-known in these parts, the 1994 Rockets. Houston had only won one series the six years prior to winning the first of their consecutive championships, when they defeated . . . well, now how about that. I can’t place it. I plum forgot. Allergies? El Niño? Who can say?
P.S. That Yao field-goal percentage stat has been seared into my brain for 23 years. I’ve been waiting literally DECADES for a reason to bust it out! You got any weird sports stats like that? Let ‘em out in the comments.
Why does it feel like there have been 5 games over 2 months this season? Feels like too many non-game days to possibly cram 82 in by season’s end.
— JalenBrunsavior.
I’m writing about the Knicks less than I have since I first started in 2014. My sense of time is completely untethered now that I’m not recapping 60-70 games a year. They feel like an NFL team to me; every game is an event unto itself. Given the Association continues to try and pass off the heresy that a greater workload doesn’t result in bodies breaking down more, I’m very cool with this timeless, protoplasmic early-season state of being.
A well-respected Knicks writer published this line recently:
“Mike Brown is, 10% into the season, consistently asking less of everybody now, ostensibly so there’s more in the tank should the Knicks be playing in Oklahoma City come June”
Tom Thibodeau famously believed that logging a large volume of regular-season minutes meant the starters were in superb shape by the end of the season and therefore less likely to get injured or fatigued in the postseason. Given that two of our playoff opponents last year saw their best player suffer a season-cancelling injury, and given that the Knicks have had more injuries to their starters than they did at this point last season, do the facts in any way vindicate Thibodeau’s approach?
— PolyphonicSpreewell
I say nay. For a few reasons.
Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton’s injuries don’t really fit the under-utilized profile. Tatum was seventh in regular-season minutes per game last year and fifth in the playoffs at 40+. If playing more meant greater protection from injury, Tatum would be a walking prophylactic. He’s not.
Haliburton’s injury requires an asterisk. There are any number of nights in any season —95-99% of nights — when neither Haliburton nor the Pacers would risk him trying to push through a calf injury knowing it could become an Achilles tear. Game 7 of the Finals is one of the few nights when the reward may seem worth the risk. More than any team, the Pacers are famous (infamous in New York) for playing their stars lighter minutes than most, a strategy that paid off handsomely the past two years against the Knicks. I can’t credit the cornerstone of that success for getting them to the finish line, then condemn it because they won silver instead of gold.
If Tom Thibodeau were still coaching the Knicks, they could/would be dealing with the same injury situation they are now. In that reality, I’ve already written multiple pieces about 2025’s heavy-workload “Thibs tax” reaching through time to exact its toll on the 2026 team. Brown’s new approach is specifically aimed at impacting the team’s play come springtime, so where they stand 20% of the way there means bupkis. If no starter had missed a game yet, that wouldn’t vindicate Brown; on the other hand, Brunson’s ankle injury was very much a this-is-the-business-we’ve-chosen thing, while OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson were never mistaken for ironmen, even before Brown’s arrival.
As there’s no way for me to know how my stomach will respond to the Thanksgiving feast until that day arrives, there’s no way to compare Brown’s methodology to Thibodeau’s when we’re still waiting on the bulk of the data. We won’t know till we get there. When we do, will the Knicks be seated truimphant upon the throne? Will their fans, sickened by some late-season shock, hunch metaphorically over the porcelain throne that is the offseason?
We’ll find out together. Merry week to you all.
