Johnny’s View

@ryantristanb @BaileyCarlin

@BaileyCarlin If Wemby had a fistful of the guy's jersey and was blatantly fouling him when it happened, maybe not.

So what you’re telling me is someone could walk up behind Wemby tomorrow and do the same exact thing he did to Brunson to him and it would be a common foul?

After seeing the league’s decision not to upgrade Wemby’s foul, I honestly felt pretty angry, and also kind of helpless. Of course, officiating is always subjective. Everyone sees these plays differently. But what bothers me the most is that the league almost acts like fans didn’t watch the game. This is the social media era. Video clips spread everywhere within minutes. A lot of fans were not asking for Wemby to be suspended. They just wanted the league to show an attitude. You don’t have to give him a Flagrant 2. You don’t have to suspend him. But when a player puts his hand around another player’s head and neck area and pushes him down, the league should at least make it clear: This kind of play should not be allowed. Instead, we got this: No call during the game. The league admitted a foul was missed. And then no flagrant upgrade. So at this point, I can only say this to the Knicks: Don’t wait for the league to give you justice in Game 4. Mike Brown has to make sure his team plays with more aggression, more physicality, more energy, and more fight at home. If the Spurs want to play with more contact and more physicality, then don’t lose that battle. Don’t be afraid of contact. Show your attitude. This is basketball. If your opponent is trying to be more physical than you, and you just wait for the officials to protect you, you might be the one who ends up paying the price. The 90s style of basketball is the best example: If I am tougher than you, and you don’t fight back, then I win. If the Knicks only complain after the game about free throws, but lose the physical and emotional battle on the court, then it means nothing. The Spurs have already made it clear. They want to play with more body contact and more physical pressure. Fine. Then don’t lose to them. Don’t be scared. If that is how they want to play, then match it. Because once you lose the momentum and the morale battle, the game is already slipping away. -

My view is simple: That Wemby foul on Brunson was at least a Flagrant 1. If the league does not upgrade it, then I have to say this to Mike Brown: Game 4 is at MSG. The Knicks have to be more aggressive than the Spurs, and they have to be more willing to match their physicality. I cannot accept seeing my All-Star player get bullied like that on my own home court. I believe a lot of Knicks fans feel the same way. Mike Brown also has to be careful here. Wemby and the Spurs have already had several controversial plays in this year’s playoffs. I don’t need to list all of them. But in the Thunder series, Carter Bryant hit SGA, and Wemby also had that collision with Caruso. The Spurs are trying to raise the physical level and basically tell you: we are going to be more aggressive than you. If this young team gets that kind of momentum, and you don’t fight back, I don’t know if the Knicks can still win the Finals. But I know this is exactly the kind of result the Spurs want. In war, if you lose the morale battle, how are you supposed to win the fight?

“I think we can all agree a foul was missed on that play… Every game is reviewed by the league office… And we’re in the process of doing that today.” Monty McCutchen on Wemby’s interaction with Jalen Brunson early in Game 3 of the Finals 👀 (via @espn)

My view is simple: That Wemby foul on Brunson was at least a Flagrant 1. If the league does not upgrade it, then I have to say this to Mike Brown: Game 4 is at MSG. The Knicks have to be more aggressive than the Spurs, and they have to be more willing to match their physicality. I cannot accept seeing my All-Star player get bullied like that on my own home court. I believe a lot of Knicks fans feel the same way. Mike Brown also has to be careful here. Wemby and the Spurs have already had several controversial plays in this year’s playoffs. I don’t need to list all of them. But in the Thunder series, Carter Bryant hit SGA, and Wemby also had that collision with Caruso. The Spurs are trying to raise the physical level and basically tell you: we are going to be more aggressive than you. If this young team gets that kind of momentum, and you don’t fight back, I don’t know if the Knicks can still win the Finals. But I know this is exactly the kind of result the Spurs want. In war, if you lose the morale battle, how are you supposed to win the fight?

Should Victor Wembanyama’s interaction with Jalen Brunson in the first quarter of Game 3 be upgraded to a flagrant foul? NBA Senior VP, Head of Development and Training Referee Operations Monty McCutchen spoke on the play on NBA Today:

My view is simple: That Wemby foul on Brunson was at least a Flagrant 1. If the league does not upgrade it, then I have to say this to Mike Brown: Game 4 is at MSG. The Knicks have to be more aggressive than the Spurs, and they have to be more willing to match their physicality. I cannot accept seeing my All-Star player get bullied like that on my own home court. I believe a lot of Knicks fans feel the same way. Mike Brown also has to be careful here. Wemby and the Spurs have already had several controversial plays in this year’s playoffs. I don’t need to list all of them. But in the Thunder series, Carter Bryant hit SGA, and Wemby also had that collision with Caruso. The Spurs are trying to raise the physical level and basically tell you: we are going to be more aggressive than you. If this young team gets that kind of momentum, and you don’t fight back, I don’t know if the Knicks can still win the Finals. But I know this is exactly the kind of result the Spurs want. In war, if you lose the morale battle, how are you supposed to win the fight?

NBA admits Victor Wembanyama fouled Jalen Brunson with Game 3 shove, flagrant review still ongoing cbssports.com/nba/news/victo…

My view is simple: That Wemby foul on Brunson was at least a Flagrant 1. If the league does not upgrade it, then I have to say this to Mike Brown: Game 4 is at MSG. The Knicks have to be more aggressive than the Spurs, and they have to be more willing to match their physicality. I cannot accept seeing my All-Star player get bullied like that on my own home court. I believe a lot of Knicks fans feel the same way. Mike Brown also has to be careful here. Wemby and the Spurs have already had several controversial plays in this year’s playoffs. I don’t need to list all of them. But in the Thunder series, Carter Bryant hit SGA, and Wemby also had that collision with Caruso. The Spurs are trying to raise the physical level and basically tell you: we are going to be more aggressive than you. If this young team gets that kind of momentum, and you don’t fight back, I don’t know if the Knicks can still win the Finals. But I know this is exactly the kind of result the Spurs want. In war, if you lose the morale battle, how are you supposed to win the fight?

NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen, appearing now on ESPN, acknowledges that a foul was missed on Victor Wembanyama's first-quarter shove of Jalen Brunson and says the league's review is still ongoing regarding whether the play will be deemed a retroactive flagrant foul.

My personal view is simple: In Game 3, that foul by Wemby on Jalen Brunson was at least a flagrant foul. When you put your hand around Jalen Brunson’s head and neck area and push him down, I don’t see that as just a common foul. Another thing I want to say is this: Wemby is definitely different from the Spurs stars we used to know, including David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and even Kawhi Leonard. Compared to them, Wemby is clearly more aggressive. The problem is, he has already had several controversial plays in this year’s playoffs. The play against Naz Reid was already called a Flagrant 2. In the Thunder series, there were also hard fouls by Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo on Jared McCain. Plumlee’s foul was later upgraded by the league to a Flagrant 1. Then there was the collision with Alex Caruso, and also the play where Carter Bryant hit SGA, which became a major turning point in that Thunder series. Of course, every play can be interpreted differently. But when you add everything up in this year’s playoffs, the Spurs — or Wemby — have had quite a few controversial moments. My feeling is that the league has mostly let these things go. But now we are on the NBA Finals stage. If the league still allows this to continue, then eventually the players will have to handle it themselves. I don’t want to see the NBA Finals get out of control. And I don’t think that is good for the NBA. But if the league is still going to sit back and do nothing, then I want to say this to Knicks head coach Mike Brown: Game 4 is at home. The Knicks need to make Wemby feel a higher level of physicality. In simple terms, the Knicks need to be more aggressive. When the opponent keeps increasing the physical contact, and things are starting to get close to the edge, the Knicks cannot lose the energy battle at home. I also cannot accept seeing an All-Star player on my team get bullied like that. That is something Mike Brown, and really the entire Knicks team, have to face. Because the Spurs already used this kind of approach in the Thunder series. -

@clipfullyloaded Keaton Wagler Brayden Burries Darius Acuff Jr. Mikel Brown Jr. Kingston Flemings

How would you rank these 5 players?

I don’t really think Zuby Ejiofor fits the Nuggets. Or to say it more accurately, I don’t really understand what the Nuggets are trying to do if they draft him. A lot of mock drafts are probably just looking at the best player available at that spot. I get that. But that’s not really how I’m looking at this. Denver is not a rebuilding team. This is still a team built around Nikola Jokić, and if you’re using a first-round pick, even at No. 26, I think the question has to be simple: What problem does this player actually solve? And with Zuby, I’m not sure he solves the problem Denver really has. The bigger issue to me is that I still don’t really know what kind of basketball the Nuggets want to play. Last offseason, when they got Jonas Valančiūnas, David Adelman talked about using him with Jokić at certain points. He talked about the idea of playing two bigs. He talked about high-low actions. He even mentioned wanting to see how smaller defenders would deal with Valančiūnas, because if you put a smaller guy on him, he can punish that guy on the offensive glass and around the basket. And honestly, that made sense to me.Jokić can space the floor. He can pass. Valančiūnas can screen, rebound, post up, and put pressure on smaller lineups. On paper, there was at least an idea there. But then the playoffs came, and Denver didn’t really use it. The Nuggets were missing Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon, their frontcourt was getting hit hard, the paint was a problem, the rebounding was a problem — and even then, they still didn’t really go to the Jokić-Valančiūnas pairing. Valančiūnas is making around $10 million, and in the playoffs he basically came off the bench, played a few minutes, and mostly just backed up Jokić. So that’s where I’m confused. If you don’t even trust Valančiūnas, a veteran center, to play real minutes next to Jokić, then why would you draft another frontcourt player like Zuby? Some people will say, “Well, Jokić and Valančiūnas together would have defensive problems.” Sure. I get that. Two-big lineups can have issues. Lateral quickness, pick-and-roll defense, rotations, all of that matters. But defense is not just one or two players. Defense is a team structure. And my question is: when Denver didn’t play Valančiūnas, did the defense suddenly get fixed? Did the paint suddenly get protected? Did the rebounding suddenly become fine? No. Not really. So to me, this isn’t just about Valančiūnas. It’s about the whole frontcourt logic. Denver already has Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, DaRon Holmes, and Jonas Valančiūnas. Nnaji is making over $7 million and barely played in the playoffs. Holmes is also a young frontcourt player the team already invested in. If Gordon is still here, and Watson is still here, then how many frontcourt players does this team need? That’s what I don’t understand. Unless the Nuggets are clearly planning to play more double-big lineups, more high-low offense, more size, more offensive rebounding, more frontcourt pressure — then drafting another 4/5 type just feels redundant. Zuby is not a bad player. He plays hard. He has energy. He has size. He has defensive tools. But for Denver specifically, I just don’t see the fit right now. Unless Denver makes another move, or unless they are seriously changing the way they want to play, I don’t see why he should be the pick at No. 26. -

ALLCITY Draft Expert @Will_Gottlieb has the Nuggets taking Zuby Ejiofor in his new mock. "Ejiofor is exactly the type of player Denver needs to improve their size, athleticism, effort & defense issues." - 6-9 PF/C - Switchable defender - High motor 🔗 thednvr.com/nba-mock-draft…

NBA Finals Game 3 pregame notes. Let’s start from the Knicks’ side. First thing: Mike Brown’s biggest job is to protect KAT. The Knicks cannot let Karl-Anthony Towns get into foul trouble. In Game 2, the numbers already told the story. When KAT was on the floor and when he wasn’t, the difference was very clear. His on-court net rating was +15.5. And honestly, he is the most important player if the Knicks want to play five-out. Because he can shoot, he can pass, and he can attack off the dribble. Especially when he is matched up with Wembanyama, KAT’s drives can also create the kind of problem the Spurs really don’t want to deal with: getting Wemby into foul trouble. So if the Knicks want to take care of business at home and move one win away from the title, KAT absolutely cannot get into foul trouble. Second thing: reduce Jalen Brunson’s workload. The Knicks can’t keep asking Brunson to bring the ball up from the backcourt by himself every possession. The Spurs’ backcourt guys, whether it’s Castle, Harper, or the others, have a lot of speed, explosiveness, and defensive pressure. We already saw that in the Western Conference Finals when they guarded SGA. To put it simply, Brunson’s legs need to be saved for the second half and especially the fourth quarter. Because when it comes to crunch time, Brunson has never really disappointed Knicks fans. Third thing: the Knicks need to let KAT run more of the offense, whether he is at the high post or the low post. That gives Brunson a chance to attack on the second side, instead of having to go one-on-one every time against the Spurs’ first line of defense, which is one of their strengths. That should help Brunson be more efficient offensively. If KAT is at the high post, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges will have more chances to cut. KAT has passing vision, and he is also a shooting threat. So when he is making plays from the high post, the Knicks’ offense becomes more layered. If KAT is in the low post, whether he is facing Wemby or another Spurs player, he should have an advantage in size, strength, or positioning. And that is when the Spurs have to make a decision: do they send a double team or not? Personally, I think in that situation, the other Knicks players will be able to score more efficiently. Also, besides keeping their five-out spacing, the Knicks should use Landry Shamet more if possible. His off-ball gravity puts a lot of pressure on the Spurs. When the Spurs played the Thunder, they were very comfortable guarding face-up offense. So against San Antonio, the Knicks should keep using strong-side and weak-side actions, keep moving without the ball, and make the spacing and positioning on the floor work in their favor. Landry Shamet and Miles McBride are both guys who are not afraid to shoot from the outside. Especially Shamet. As long as he can keep shooting the way he has been shooting, the Knicks need to use him more on offense. The last thing for the Knicks is something we have talked about again and again, even before this series started. We talked about it when the Thunder played the Spurs, when the Wolves played the Spurs, When San Antonio runs pick-and-roll, or double screens, as long as Wemby is involved as a screener, the Knicks’ number one rule defensively has to be this: Do not let Wemby roll freely into the paint. Someone has to stay attached to him. Even if that means giving up some three-point looks to the Spurs, you still have to do it. Because he is Wemby. He is an alien. That is the price you have to pay. To put it even more simply: make the Spurs prove they can beat you with threes. Do not let Wemby beat you in the paint. Honestly, the Knicks did a great job with this in the first two games. They need to keep doing it. Now let’s talk about the Spurs. The simplest point is this: the outside shooting has to get back to a normal level. Through the first two games, the Spurs are only shooting 30.6% from three as a team. With that kind of three-point shooting, it is very hard for Wemby to roll cleanly into the paint after a screen. The second point is probably the harshest one. The Spurs’ offense has been too simple. From the regular season all the way to the Finals, their main starting point on offense has been pick-and-roll. But honestly, starting from the Thunder series, Oklahoma City already defended San Antonio’s pick-and-roll very well. Whether it was OKC or now the Knicks, both teams have basically chosen to sit back in drop coverage against the Spurs’ pick-and-roll. The Knicks are even willing to leave one Spurs player on the weak side open, just to step in and take away Wemby’s rolling lane. The problem is, San Antonio’s main ball handlers and core players have not shot the ball well enough in this series. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper, and even Wemby — their three-point shooting in this series has not been ideal. So in this situation, if the Spurs’ offense still starts with nothing but pick-and-roll, then unless they shoot over 40% from three, or even better than that, I personally think it is going to be very hard for them — not just in Game 3, but in every game after that. At the end of the day, if they don’t change this, it is hard to see them going much further in this series. Also, when the spacing is not there, that means even if Wemby catches the ball around the elbow, he still does not have enough room to operate. Because once he puts the ball on the floor, it becomes much easier for the defense to force a turnover. That is why Mitch Johnson needs to create more strong-side and weak-side actions. Why is that so important? Because you have to make the Knicks’ defense move. This team has Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell. Those two guys can move without the ball, and they can attack after the catch. There are definitely actions you can draw up for them. Otherwise, if every possession is just another pick-and-roll, the offense becomes too predictable. And from the opponent’s point of view, that is much easier to defend. Third thing: secure the defensive rebounds. The Spurs are at their best when they can get out and run in transition. But in both of the first two games, they lost the second-chance points battle to the Knicks. In Game 2, the Spurs gave up 10 offensive rebounds to New York. That was one of the reasons they lost the game. So Mitch Johnson has to think about one question: Should the Spurs keep using the one-big, four-small lineup? The Spurs did use two-big lineups during the regular season. So with the rebounding becoming a problem right now, I think it is at least worth considering. And with two bigs on the floor, the Spurs also don’t have to worry as much about Wemby getting pulled away from the paint and leaving the team without a final line of defense at the rim. Now, I have to be honest. From the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder to this Finals series against the Knicks, Luke Kornet has not been especially impressive. Because when the Knicks defend Wemby, a player who actually has range, they are already choosing to sit back in drop coverage. So if they are willing to do that against Wemby, they are definitely going to do it against Kornet. That is why I really want to see Mitch Johnson try something different. I want to see Kelly Olynyk get a chance. He has size, he can shoot, and most importantly, he can stand at the high post and pass. That means he can run hand-off actions with Vassell, Champagnie, and other players. And he can also give the Spurs some high-low looks with Wemby. This is not just about the Finals. It also matters for the Spurs’ draft plans and free agency decisions. What I’m trying to say is this:Everything starts with trying something different. That is the only way you find out if there is another solution. Otherwise, the only thing that changes is the shooting percentage. Let me use KAT as an example. In Game 4 of the first-round series against the Hawks, the Knicks adjusted the way they used him. He started making plays more from the high post, instead of just popping out for threes after a pick-and-roll. That small-looking adjustment helped the Knicks reach the Finals. And what’s interesting is, after the first three games of that Knicks-Hawks series, Atlanta was up 2-1. But in the end, the Knicks were the team that advanced. The final point, and maybe the most important one: If the Spurs want to win, their mentality has to be strong. They lost the last game because of turnovers and because the final shot did not go in. And they lost that game at home. For a young team, that kind of loss has to hurt. The Spurs are a relatively young team. Just getting to the NBA Finals is already not easy. But once you are on this stage, no player and no team wants to lose. So what I really want to see is them playing freely, and even enjoying the game. Don’t forget, Game 3 is at Madison Square Garden. It is the Knicks’ home court, and the U.S. President is expected to be in the building. In other words, at this point, skill and talent are not the only things that matter anymore. For the young Spurs players, every game from here is also about heart. It is about handling pressure. -

The biggest difference now is KAT’s playmaking from the high post. That makes his shooting even more dangerous. Sabonis and Sengun are great examples of bigs who can run offense from the high post, but they don’t have KAT’s shooting range. So when you guard KAT, you have a real problem. If you play too far back, he can shoot the three. If you press up too much, he can attack off the dribble. And once the Knicks have enough size and cutting ability around him, KAT at the high post becomes even more dangerous. That’s why this version of New York is so hard to guard. It reminds me a bit of Denver’s title team with Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, KCP, and Jamal Murray. Different players, of course, but the idea is similar: five-out spacing, size, passing, cutting, and no easy defensive answer.

This is the version of KAT we all envisioned when he was the GM survey pick for “player you’d build a franchise around” in back to back years. Just a totally unsolvable offensive weapon.

Halftime: KAT already has 17 points, 3 threes, and 3 assists. He also dunked right in front of Wemby. KAT has been great tonight. This is exactly what I was talking about before: the Knicks might be the first team on the Spurs’ title path that can really put pressure on their defense with a 5-out offense. The KAT vs Wemby matchup is a perfect example. If Wemby comes all the way out to guard KAT, players like Bridges and Anunoby can cut behind him. If Wemby stays near the paint, KAT can punish him from three. No matter who wins this game or this series, I think the Knicks’ offense can give Western Conference teams a real example to study. If you want to beat the Spurs, the best answer might be 5-out offense.

@espn KAT looked like a real modern unicorn there — he can shoot, pass, play inside, and still put you on a poster.

Karl-Anthony Towns going right at Wemby 😳

If I were OKC’s GM, I would pass on this. The Thunder already have two problems: adding the right frontcourt piece, and managing a very real salary crunch. In this deal, OKC would send out around $20.5M and take back around $19.8 M. That barely helps the money side, and PJ Washington still has three years left on his deal. PJ is a good player on paper. 14 and 7 is not bad at all. But for OKC, the question is not just “can he play?” The question is: can he help against Wemby, and can he be trusted as a shooter? This season he shot around 32% from three. Career-wise, he is around 35%. His assist-to-turnover ratio has also been close to 1-to-1 the last two years, and he is only a career 70% free throw shooter. To me, that is not exactly the kind of clean, reliable offensive fit OKC should be targeting. And giving up 12, 17, 37, plus a 2026 second just to move up three spots while not really cutting salary? I don’t really get the point. Honestly, if Dallas wants Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins that badly, I would rather ask them to use No. 9 to move down to No. 12. I don’t even really want PJ back. OKC can pick its own guy, lower the salary a bit, and still has Thomas Sorber, a 6’9 big who missed last season after his injury in September. So yeah, I would say no.

Mavs get: Isaiah Joe Aaron Wiggins 12 17 37 26 2nd Thunder gets: PJ Washington 9 Who says no?

Spurs vs Knicks Game 2 — what I’m watching before tip-off From the Knicks side, the first thing is KAT staying out of foul trouble. If he can avoid the same issue in Game 2 like he did in Game 1, the Knicks can keep their most dangerous 5-out lineup on the floor. Mike Brown also needs to take some pressure off Jalen Brunson. Especially when it comes to bringing the ball up every possession. The Spurs’ guards are fast, physical, and they can wear him down over time. Landry Shamet’s shooting is another key. If he keeps hitting shots, his off-ball movement forces the Spurs to keep someone attached to him. That opens up a lot more space for the Knicks. When the Knicks defend the Spurs’ pick-and-roll, the main rule should be simple: don’t let Wemby roll freely to the rim. The Knicks also have to get back faster in transition, because the Spurs are really good when they can turn defense into early offense. Rebounding is still a big deal. The Knicks have been one of the better rebounding teams in both the regular season and the playoffs, and they need to keep that edge. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges should get more work on offense too. It can’t just be Brunson going one-on-one every trip. If KAT gets the same matchup against Wemby that he had in the first half of Game 1, he has to stay aggressive. Don’t overthink it. And honestly, the Knicks should keep making the Spurs prove they can beat them from the outside. In the playoffs, when the Spurs attempted 41+ threes, they went 2-3. In the regular season, when they attempted 43+ threes, they went 11-8. This is a 62-win team, but high three-point volume has not always been their cleanest path. From the Spurs side, if the Knicks sit back in drop coverage against the pick-and-roll, Wemby will be farther away from the rim. At that point, it’s not just about individual shot-making. The Spurs’ coaching staff has to find more ways to help the players on the floor. Too often, once the pick-and-roll gets stopped, the possession turns into someone trying to create by himself. Another big question is: when KAT is in the dunker spot or on the low block, who guards him? If it’s Wemby, the Spurs lose their best help defender. If it’s a smaller guard, KAT gets a size mismatch. That’s a real problem. The Spurs’ shooting has to bounce back. The big issue is spacing. From the Thunder series to Game 1 against the Knicks, the Spurs’ top two assist guys on the floor, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, are shooting just 22.9% and 19.2% from three. That makes spacing very hard. The Knicks beating the Spurs in second-chance points in Game 1 shouldn’t be a huge surprise. So far in the playoffs, the Knicks are No. 1 in second-chance points. They are also No. 1 in points in the paint. So for the Spurs, defensive rebounding is going to be huge. When Wemby sits, should the Spurs think about another big? Maybe someone like Kelly Olynyk. He can pass from the high post and he can shoot. That alone makes him very different from Luke Kornet. If the offense needs someone to create or finish plays, should Dylan Harper get more time? He has been in better rhythm lately. And over the last 8 games, the Spurs are shooting only 32.9% from three. Wemby’s workload also needs attention. Over the last 8 games, he has played more than 37 minutes per game. His field goal percentage is only 45.3%. His three-point attempts are also going up, at 6.1 per game over that stretch. He is also averaging 3.1 turnovers, slightly more than his 3.0 assists. Bottom line: if the Spurs want to make this series 1-1, the shooting has to come back. And offensively, they need more than just pick-and-rolls and double screens. They need more off-ball actions, more screens, and more clean looks for guys like Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell. Protect the glass, take care of the ball, and then they can actually use their speed advantage.

If I were Brad Stevens, I would definitely want Trey Murphy III. I also wouldn’t completely rule out trading Jaylen Brown. But personally, this package is still not attractive enough. The biggest reason is Dejounte Murray. He has had injury concerns in recent seasons, and his contract situation is not ideal either, with a player option in 2027-28. Even if Boston gets future first-round picks back, they are still trading away Jaylen Brown, one of the best two-way wings in the league. Those picks are valuable, but the Pelicans don’t have a 2026 first-round pick in this draft, and they don’t have multiple 2026 second-rounders either. That matters. So if I were Brad Stevens, I wouldn’t do this deal straight up. Maybe it could work through a multi-team trade that better fits Boston’s needs. But more directly: with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh already on the roster, Dejounte Murray’s value to Boston is just not that high.

For me, Denver has to keep Cam Johnson at least. He helps them keep that high-post handoff game alive. That’s not something Christian Braun or Peyton Watson can really replace. Aaron Gordon also has the hamstring issue, and that type of injury can linger. Jamal Murray is probably the only guard who can consistently run those high-post handoff actions, but he also needs rest during the season. Tim Hardaway Jr. can help with some of that too, but we don’t even know if Denver can keep him. So with Gordon hurt and Murray needing his minutes managed, I don’t think Cam Johnson is someone Denver can move. If they lose him, they basically lose an entire offensive package.

Should the Denver Nuggets go into the 2nd Apron to retain Peyton Watson with keeping Cam Johnson and Christian Braun?

My view is simple: I think the Knicks can win the 2026 NBA championship. Not because I think anyone can truly stop Victor Wembanyama. There are only a few players in the entire league who can even come close to limiting him. The reason I believe New York has a real chance is because the Knicks may be the first team San Antonio has faced in this playoff run that can put serious five-out pressure on them. This Knicks five-out look is different from what the Spurs saw against Portland, Minnesota, or even Oklahoma City. Gobert and Randle are mostly midrange or paint players. Robert Williams is a lob threat. Hartenstein has a short floater, but no real three-point threat. Chet had a terrible series. The Knicks are different. Their starting five can all shoot. And since Game 4 of the Hawks series, KAT’s role has clearly changed. He is not just a scoring big anymore. He can operate from the high post, pass, organize the offense, and allow Brunson to move between on-ball and off-ball actions. That gives New York much more flexibility. The Knicks were already one of the better three-point shooting teams in the regular season, and before the Finals, they are shooting 40.0% from three in the playoffs. To beat San Antonio, I think the simplest way is to start from the outside. Make Wemby come out. Force him to defend in space. Do not let him just sit as the last line of defense and wait to block shots. When KAT is passing and organizing from the high post, players like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart will get more chances to cut. Yes, that also gives Wemby more chances to block shots. But it also forces him to make more decisions and increases the chance of foul trouble. And for San Antonio, Wemby on the floor and Wemby off the floor are basically two different teams. To be fair, the Knicks have the same concern with Brunson and KAT. They cannot afford foul trouble either. But if New York can steal one of the first two games in San Antonio, I believe the series changes. The Knicks can slowly expand their advantages: shooting, rebounding, second-chance points, depth, and offensive versatility. San Antonio still has home court, speed, length, and Wemby. But they also have some concerns: not enough big wings, Fox’s ankle, and the pressure of protecting Wemby from foul trouble. So If the Knicks win one of the first two games on the road, I believe they can beat the Spurs and win the 2026 NBA championship.

@HawkEmDownChris jason richardson baron davis Chris Mullin

Steph Curry isn’t available, who’s your favorite Golden State Warrior of all time?