Knicks trade Randle and DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns

Is the knock on KAT softness? I thought the main gripe with him is how he performs in the playoffs. Seems to be the speed and physicality differences come post season really knock him off his basketball axis, he looks real lost out there most times. The good news is yes he is a very talented player and the Knicks now have a lot of weapons, that nonsensical frenetic play by KAT could be somewhat swept under the rug by having a strong starting lineup plus Brunson who is great at controlling the pace - I hope this works out for NYC, not really a fan but I'm tired of this team stinking it up.

[QUOTE=FilmyCogTurner;14946284]Is the knock on KAT softness? I thought the main gripe with him is how he performs in the playoffs. Seems to be the speed and physicality differences come post season really knock him off his basketball axis, he looks real lost out there most times. The good news is yes he is a very talented player and the Knicks now have a lot of weapons, that nonsensical frenetic play by KAT could be somewhat swept under the rug by having a strong starting lineup plus Brunson who is great at controlling the pace - I hope this works out for NYC, not really a fan but I'm tired of this team stinking it up.[/QUOTE]

I like him but without butler or ant he never showed he could carry a team to wins

KAT isn't as bad in the playoffs as yall are making him out to be. He averaged 19/9 on a WCF team last year. Shot 53/53/90 and 51/40/79 in the 1st two rounds. And even in the Mavs series was having jumpers rattle in and out, I remember because I was rooting for Dallas and he was getting dangerously close to hitting.

I know he's kind of soft and nerdy, but dude is big and skilled. Knicks have way more offensive talent as well than Minnesota. All minny had was edwards. Knicks have Brunson and Bridges. He's gonna be wide open.

I'm not a fan of KAT at ALL... but word is that Divo wasn't too thrilled about losing playing time, even if it was to his buddy Bridges.

Ah well, this is a win now move. Can't be wasting Brunson's prime. And addition by subtraction moving Randle. I'll only miss Divo.

[QUOTE=Proctor;14946235]Honestly he's probably at his best when he is playing bully ball downhill and shooting semi-intelligent midrange shots. It's when he thinks he's a consistent volume 3 point shooter that trouble happens. Just all around terrible shot selection.

I can actually see Minny drastically improving from this trade. Wolves survived many years of KAT going ghost and worst case Randle is the same. DiVincenzio is a huge get for them and changes the team dramatically. Their team will be even tougher and they should lean into Randle's bully ball and just go out there and be brutes. Edwards/Randle/Gobert and all of their pesky defenders is one hell of a physical team. I like it more by the day.[/QUOTE]

I guess it makes sense if you see Ant as being the star in Minny for the next decade. Dante can relieve some defensive pressure, which sapped Ant of energy last playoff.

[QUOTE=Real Men Wear Green;14946271]Minny may have done the trade to get out of Towns Mav deal. Doubt they want to give a large contract to Randle. A lot depends on who owns the team next year which has to be decided by courts or arbitration. Something like that. The current owner had an agreement to sell to A-Rod and some billionaires but then pulled out when either the new group missed payments or he realized he should have made more on the sale, depending on who you believe. Their current executive has the right to quit whenever he wants to of he doesn't like the situation. A lot of unknowns.[/QUOTE]


That is my take. It's Ant's team and they decided to build around him. Kats contract was a big problem for them. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up letting Randle walk

With the Knicks Kat will be more off ball which is probably better for him. He is not the best decision maker with the ball.

I can see this trade working out for both teams

wolves long term is fine but they punted in short term. Got worse talent and fit wise. Kat was the first guy to make it work with gobert. Decent chance they fall out of top 4 to like suns or kings. Knicks depth is a bit iffy now(but they might trade mitchell) but idc. They built the perfect lineup around brunson playing a heliocentric style. 5 out spacing, 3 elite wing defenders, and enough offensive firepower where brunson has enough help but not too much where guys are getting marginalized. Kat will his 15 shots and run the offense around him when brunson sits and and bridges og hart will only need like 30 shots.

[QUOTE=NBAGOAT;14946560]wolves long term is fine but they punted in short term. Got worse talent and fit wise. Kat was the first guy to make it work with gobert. Decent chance they fall out of top 4 to like suns or kings. Knicks depth is a bit iffy now(but they might trade mitchell) but idc. They built the perfect lineup around brunson playing a heliocentric style. 5 out spacing, 3 elite wing defenders, and enough offensive firepower where brunson has enough help but not too much where guys are getting marginalized. Kat will his 15 shots and run the offense around him when brunson sits and and bridges og hart will only need like 30 shots.[/QUOTE]

The 1st to make it work with gobert? :facepalm

[QUOTE=imdaman99;14946371]I'm not a fan of KAT at ALL... but word is that [B]Divo wasn't too thrilled[/B] about losing playing time, even if it was to his buddy Bridges.

Ah well, this is a win now move. Can't be wasting Brunson's prime. And addition by subtraction moving Randle. I'll only miss Divo.[/QUOTE]
This is the only way it would make sense to lose Divo. Both he and Hart were the diff makers last season despite Brunson having the media spotlight from a good series.

I actually think KAT and Brunson will be a good pairing as long as KAT makes a bigger effort to play in the paint.

[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;14946581]The 1st to make it work with gobert? :facepalm[/QUOTE]

Yes in Minnesota initially only kat played well with gobert until he got injured. Dlo and edwards had no chemistry with him. Dlo got traded edwards figured it out

[QUOTE=Real Men Wear Green;14946283]No other team in the league would get love like this for making the second round. Celtics won a championship but get disregarded because they had injured opponents. Knicks beat one injured opponent and the sky's the limit. Expect Towns to be called a top 3 center and Brunson the best player in the East.[/QUOTE]

I see no lies being told here. Guess my preseason training needs to be preparing for annoyances lol

[QUOTE=tpols;14946298]KAT isn't as bad in the playoffs as yall are making him out to be. He averaged 19/9 on a WCF team last year. Shot 53/53/90 and 51/40/79 in the 1st two rounds. And even in the Mavs series was having jumpers rattle in and out, I remember because I was rooting for Dallas and he was getting dangerously close to hitting.

I know he's kind of soft and nerdy, but dude is big and skilled. Knicks have way more offensive talent as well than Minnesota. All minny had was edwards. Knicks have Brunson and Bridges. He's gonna be wide open.[/QUOTE]

This is like me arguing on Harden behalf when he became a Sixer when the narrative is he doesn’t perform well in the playoffs. When you look at playoff “stats”. That’s one thing. He balls. When you look at his “stats” in big games, big moments, big series? You can understand why the narrative exists. Same with Kat. Last playoffs if you ignore his series vs Dallas? On paper he balled. Against Dallas he laid an egg every game of that series for the most part. Post season prior vs Denver? Same deal. Guys like Kat are Uber talented perimeter bigs with a skillset. So the expectations are high. Bad games happen. But it’s when and how. Context involved.

Harden hopped for the sixers in playoffs. In a game without Embiid in playoffs he showed out. The last 3 games of that series my guy went MIA. Game 7? You wouldn’t have noticed he played. Therein lies the issue. When you are needed the most? Will you show. They’ll hang with KAT until he actually shows up when it matters. So we shall see. But we know one thing is he’s not physical and if you get physical with him? He tends to fold. Doing that in cities like Philly, NYC? Hopefully he has thick skin and can block out the noise. And change the narrative around him. Tons of pressure moreso than he has in Minny going to NYC. You’d think the Knicks won a title with all the fan reaction and hype surrounding them.

[QUOTE=RRR3;14946205]Great for Knicks, [B]horrible for Wolves.[/B][/QUOTE]


:kobe:

This thread :oldlol::oldlol::oldlol::oldlol:

[QUOTE=FireDavidKahn;14997731]This thread :oldlol::oldlol::oldlol::oldlol:[/QUOTE]

KAT sucks but this is a first round matchup. Congrats? The Wolves have 0 shot of making it out of the West.

If GSW gets healthy they can't even get past the second round.