“Think about it – this roster probably has the least amount of talent of any in the league.”
HoopsCritic’s Brian Geltzeiler joined Marc Malusis flying solo on WFAN’s Moose and Maggie Show Wednesday, and he wasn’t holding back when talking about the Knicks’ outlook.
Of course, Geltzeiler tried to quantify it by mentioning Detroit and Cleveland as also being talent-poor, but admitted that “Detroit has Blake Griffin and Cleveland has Kevin Love” – and then doubled down when asked about Tom Thibodeau’s candid take on how 2020-21 isn’t going to be a quick fix.
“Thibodeau is telling you the truth. They are in this to build a long-term winner and title contender,” Geltzeiler said. “But if you look at teams that have won championships, they’ve all had at least one mega-superstar. What Thibs is doing is giving you the realities of championship contention in the NBA.”
And the reality is that a team needs at least one star, if not two or a Big 3, to be a contender. MSG doesn’t seem to be a big draw in free agency, but there is one way the Knicks can reel in the big fish.
“They have a path to get that star, and it’s the trade market,” Geltzeiler said. “Right now they have the best financial situation in the league, and are in very good shape from a draft pick standpoint – they were able to sign Marcus Morris and flip him for a first-round pick – and they have some decent young players. They’re not overloaded with talent – and you’re going to have to prepare yourself for things to not be wonderful this year.”
That’s where Geltzeiler dropped the quote at the top and the Detroit/Cleveland mentions, and cautioned further about any expectations for 2020-21.
“Tom will get them defending, and find out who is a keeper and who isn’t, but it’s not going to manifest itself in a .500 record and a shot at a playoff berth this year,” Geltzeiler said. “We have to give this particular regime an opportunity to go to what they can do. This is going to be the lean year in all of it, where they find out about players.”
That goes for the “stars” on hand just as much as the fringe players.
“Is Barrett a true building block? They love Toppin, but is Toppin going to be a star? Only time will tell,” Geltzeiler said. “But you have to see if Dennis Smith can be an answer – right now it’s leaning towards no, which makes the Porzingis trade look even uglier. You have to see if Kevin Knox can be an answer, and I don’t think he can either. Even Mitchell Robinson…nothing’s been handed to him. They went out and signed Nerlens Noel and right now, he is a significantly better player than Mitchell Robinson.”
And it was that last point where Geltzeiler emphasized his point about how the Knicks are going about the rebuild the right way.
“That competition is going to help Robinson become a better player, and if it doesn’t, that tells you all you need to know,” Geltzeiler said. “What I like about what we’re seeing is there’s no BS, no nonsense – it is what it is. One of the biggest issues the Knicks have had is a lack of self-awareness; this particular regime is very self-aware, and understands the sparseness of talent on this roster.”
Listen to Geltzeiler’s full interview with Marc Malusis below!
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