He wasn’t comfortable with what Utah was asking for… I don’t think any Knick outside of Jalen Brunson would be untouchable in any trade scenario for a star player. Ultimately Leon Rose didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for Mitchell. To me, that tells you some people in the organization were comfortable with moving Barrett in a Mitchell deal.

There were deals that were discussed between the Jazz and the Knicks that included RJ Barrett. Looking ahead, I expect his name to pop up again in trade talks if the Knicks are linked to any star player that hits the market.īegley: As far as the trade stuff goes, Michael, you know this as well as I do, Barrett last offseason, Utah wanted him. During the summer, Barrett was discussed in the Donovan Mitchell trade talks. Scotto: One of the things that have been noticeable with Thibodeau since the Josh Hart trade is the Knicks have gone with, more often than not, a closing lineup of Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, and Hart down the stretch of games with Quentin Grimes occasionally seeing minutes.

The way Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes have impacted the starting lineup has been significant. I don’t think many people saw that coming and Jalen Brunson reaching the level he has. That’s how it works… Julius Randle has had a bounce-back season. When you coach in New York, you’re going to be under the microscope. You look at that, and the context from early December to now, and you have to give Tom Thibodeau a lot of credit for where the Knicks are. They’ve been a very good team since then. Then, Thibodeau changed the rotation and won eight in a row. I could say confidently they were a few bad losses away from some kind of change happening, whether it was Thibodeau or something else. They were getting destroyed… Earlier this year, the Knicks were 10-13. Before the All-Star break, the Knicks had a bad run.

The funniest quote Clifford had was Thibs told him, “Don’t make it up.” (laughs)īegley: There were a couple of times when I thought a change might be coming. Steve Clifford was talking the other night about Thibs and saying he’s been more than a friend. I think, somewhere in there, Thibs could be top-five if they continue this run. When you look at finalists or people that are in the mix for Coach of the Year, I’m not saying Thibs is going to win, but there’s Sacramento’s Mike Brown, Denver’s Michael Malone, Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer. I think they’ve overperformed a little bit. Scotto: I think you can say the Knicks have performed well relative to expectations nationally. There aren’t a lot of those guys.” Josh Hart Knicks jersey He’s a great teammate and plays with purpose and energy every night. I think he’d be viewed across the league as a guy who does the little things. He can guard those guys and make it hard on them, which not a lot of guys can. I think he has the ability to defend primary scorers, which right now if you want to talk about playoffs, that’s a big deal because teams play five out or four out and one in. He plays both ends, and he’s shot the ball well there. Scotto: Before the game the other night against the Hornets, I was talking with coach Steve Clifford in the pregame presser, and I asked him what he thought of Hart as an opposing coach. He spoke a lot about his connections to the team, Leon Rose, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle, and I believe he and his wife are starting a young family, so he talked about wanting to have some stability there. His first press conference that was on my mind, so I asked him, after being traded a few times, are you looking for more of a full-time home and if he saw this as a long-term potential spot. I don’t think they’re making that trade, attaching a future first that’s protected and Cam Reddish to bring him here without a degree of confidence that he’ll re-sign. I see him getting either a three or four-year deal at some point once he becomes eligible.īegley: I totally agree. But fear not Knicks fans, Hart loves the fit in New York, and the Knicks want to re-sign him in free agency… I don’t see him leaving. Hart has almost a $13 million player option this summer, which he’s expected to decline and become a free agent. Scotto: If Tom Thibodeau was on Hinge and Bumble and he was filling out his love language section, he’d put Josh Hart… Any NBA executive or scout I’ve spoken to says the same thing about the pairing of Thibodeau and Hart on the Knicks, “It’s a perfect fit.” He’s been a Swiss army knife for the Knicks as a versatile role player.

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