Knicks: GM trades or lose in free agency all their toughness (and assets) for a big who doesn't like to play like a big and a wing who celebrates every dumb shot in the first quarter but disappears in the fourth.
Knicks Fans: why did Thibs do this?
The lunacy is crazy. Knicks just simply aren't as good as they were last year, and sorry, Cade Cunningham is better than Jalen Brunson. He just probably doesn't realize it yet, and that's their saving grace.
Leon Rose gave up all of their assets for Mikal Bridges - who has not lived up to expectations and while he may be better than DiVincenzo is no where near as tough as DiVincenzo was - who was given up for KAT, who may be a bigger talent than anything that went out but is also lacking in toughness and assertiveness. Ant said so himself. We should have listened.
But the biggest loss of all was Hartenstein. Letting him walk for nothing was one thing. It would have been hard to match salary.
But let him walk and making zero attempt to replace his production was just mind numbingly stupid. You needed another big, especially with Robinson's health issues - and you never got him. Didn't need prime Shaq, just needed a serviceable guy who was tough and would crash the offensive glass. Everything else could have fallen into place with one more piece - a hustling, tough, backup center.
Knicks will lose to Detroit. Dolan will fire Thibs. And the Knicks still won't be as good as Boston or Cleveland unless they make some moves.