The Knicks are now bearing the weight of anticipation and adding a player who might not be appropriate for Tom Thibodeau's interests.
The New York Knicks decided that one big-name move in the season was insufficient, and they may have had to wait too long for one Villanova player before training camp begins.
What would the NBA be like if a team attempted to break the law just before team ' official reconvened for the following year?
The Knicks are going all-in on June, acquiring All-Star great man Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves, options confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Outgoing, at least at the moment, appears to be Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round find.
In late January, Randle recovered from a harsh fall, and Jalen Brunson took off in his presence, bringing the Knicks one match closer to the Eastern Conference championship game. He joins a team that went a step further in the Timberwolves, who made it to the Western Conference finals — making this a major move but not necessarily a needle-mover for either side, at first glance.
With Cities beginning a$ 220 million extension he signed a few years ago, the Timberwolves, who have long been in dispute over ownership and the presumptive group that includes baseball excellent Alex Rodriguez, appear to be lowering costs.
That's not the greatest indicator for the future, considering the amazing work this company made in capturing interest across the basketball world as they pulled off a spectacular upset of the Denver Nuggets in the second round, headlined by Anthony Edwards.
Towns appeared to have a good fit in a supporting role after decades of being cast as the franchise's hero, but he'll return to his former center status with the Knicks. The Knicks were searching for help when it was revealed Mitchell Robinson did lose period following left legs surgery, and they were already dealing with the departure of middle Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.
Towns can surely get shot-for-shot with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, and the two have record, tussling in a wrestling match in Philadelphia some years back. And Towns has story with Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks coach who is strongly entrenched with the company, and general decision-maker Leon Rose.
Thibodeau demands protective transparency and has the flap pieces to make the Knicks yet more powerful than last year, assuming OG Anunoby can be good with Mikal Bridges joining from the crosstown Brooklyn Nets. When one factors in Josh Hart, the diversity is obvious and perhaps the idea is that personnel may make up for Towns ' shortcomings on the defense end, noting his improvement with the Timberwolves as they elevated to wealthy status in the West over the last year.
But the big improvement, of course, is Towns ' gifts on the offensive end. Randle was rugged as a main ball handler, unafraid to engage in contact on offense and largely durable as a Knick until last season's setback.
Randle is a capable scorer and can give the Timberwolves some playmaking alongside Edwards, but he's not as efficient or dangerous as Towns is on that end. With his shooting, Towns probably makes more room for the wings, which is a better fit for Brunson. He was at nearly 42 % from 3 last year — a huge safety valve for Edwards and point guard Mike Conley.
The Knicks were at their best last year with Hartenstein, Randle and Anunoby during their very short time together, until Randle's season-ending injury Jan. 27. They were dominant on the glass, outperforming smaller opponents, and all three had the ability to score plays from the basket.
That element of the Knicks identity is gone, and DiVincenzo was a big part of that as well, making for the fun" Nova Knicks" storyline, with so many Villanova players on the roster.
But that has been turned into something else, as the Knicks are n't just playing to be playoff party-crashers anymore. There are real expectations now, and the Celtics showed they were far and away the best team in the conference, and real personnel moves are going to be necessary in order to compete with them, let alone catch the champions.
Getting Bridges, who can defend three positions — if not four — while being an efficient scorer, is one. Towns may be the other, but it requires a lot of squinting to see the Knicks dominating a crowded and competitive conference.
When Randle is taken into account, it seems a little strange. Perhaps he might not have been the best fit alongside this roster, as it needed a natural center and he would've been playing out of position and facing the prospect of taking a lesser role with the roster changes.
But two days ago, he was present at Earl Monroe Renaissance Basketball School, a court dedication dedicated to his name in the Bronx, along with many Knicks dignitaries. Standing alongside Randle at this dedication was Thibodeau, and even if this trade came together quickly as training camp will begin for all teams next week, there could be some hurt feelings as Randle helped turn the Knicks around with his signing in 2019.
Randle and DiVincenzo appear to be victims of the Knicks ' big dreams, and this is big business in the NBA-- big bold business. Even if it does n't feel like they have truly improved their situation in this constantly-changing NBA life, the franchise has come out of the shadows after years of being irrelevant.
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