This isn’t gonna be some analytical breakdown of why the NY Knicks are better off without Lonzo Ball, at least for now.
I’m not going to present you with a bunch of advanced stats or On/Off numbers or anything like that.
This is just me, freely expressing why I think it’s genuinely a good thing that the Knicks didn’t trade for Lonzo or anyone else for that matter.
As we know, my Daily Knicks colleagues and I have been clamoring for months about how the Knicks should bring in Lonzo Ball at all costs.
Seeing the rumors all over the various media outlets online about how the Knicks were high on him and of course, LaVar Ball said his kid doesn’t want to be a Pelican anymore…
It just makes sense for the fanbase to get overly excited.
But how would that be any different from any other overly-aggressive Knicks’ front office move of the past?
Could you imagine what would have happened if the Knicks traded for Lonzo and another team swooped in and offered him more money than the Knicks were willing to pay him in the offseason?
Or if the Knicks had to egregiously overpay to keep him in orange and blue?
The media would obliterate the team yet again.
The talking heads would have had a field day on the Knicks’ behalf for months on end.
Do you think the NY Knicks should have traded for Lonzo Ball?
Now, had Lonzo Ball been traded elsewhere, like the Bulls, for example, would be a very different story.
The likelihood of the Knicks being able to sign him away after another team gave up assets for Ball would be incredibly low without having to back up the brinks truck.
I think Leon Rose saw that The Pelicans’ asking price was a bit too steep and realized that no one was going to be trading for Lonzo at the cost David Griffin was asking for him and stood pat.
The Knicks and Leon Rose were rewarded for their discipline with Ball staying put.
The major difference I’m noticing between Knicks’ front offices of the past vs the current regime is that before, it almost seemed like they operated on a “Plan A or bust” mentality, and if they had a Plan B, it was a bad one.
Now it seems like they have Plans A through F and they all are seeming to work out just fine.
I mentioned on my podcast this past weekend that the Knicks are far ahead of schedule toward their rebuild.
They weren’t supposed to be where they are, in fact, they’re several years ahead of schedule.
A bunch of players that were thought to be good enough for near the bottom of the barrel in the East are now competing for a middling playoff position.
The best part about the situation the Knicks are in is that they’re competitive AND they have all these first and second-round picks over the next few seasons.
Look at the bulk of the other teams around the league that are competing for the playoffs…almost none of them have any picks for the future.
The Knicks could realistically finish out the season in the 5th or 6th seed and no one would think it was odd for them to do so.
Four picks in a loaded draft, a few star players that are likely to be moved in the offseason, the most cap space in the league, and an incredibly young roster…
What more can we as fans really ask for?
In conclusion, imagine the day the Knicks sign Lonzo Ball without having to give up any of their assets, make a trade for a player with a bit of time left on his current contract, all while still having a pick or two in this year’s draft to play around with.
The future is bright!