Defending Knicks’ front office decisions in 2022 NBA Draft

Let me start by examining your point of view as you begin to read this article: You are irate with the New York Knicks and Leon Rose for their moves on draft night and the very principle of this article being about defending that night makes you that much more agitated.

You have been scrolling through your social media to dramatic videos of Knicks’ famous fair weather fans, like Stephen A. Smith and Spike Lee, collapsing on the floor and begging for a “savior.”

Your friends have been at you nonstop and clowning you for another New York blunder, something sure to set the desolate franchise back another decade.

You are reasonably upset because while every other team is celebrating their new draft pick, you were left confused, upset, and the butt of every joke in the NBA world right now. Your team was forced to post a public explanation, defending their actions.

You are tired of feeling like a hopeless mockery.

Well, get ready to raise those pitchforks in unison, because I am here to tell you that the Knicks did great on draft night and this front office knows exactly what they are doing. Before you hastily react and race to my Twitter mentions, please, let me elaborate further!

The Knicks have enough young talent

How many nights did we sit back last season as Alec Burks ran point and Julius Randle ascended further downhill, while Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin shared a spot at the end of the bench? Sometimes we would get lucky, and Quentin Grimes, or even Cam Reddish, would grace the court for more than an end of the quarter cameo.

The reality of last season was New York had an absolute arsenal of young talent that was not seeing minutes on the floor, much to the dismay of the fanbase as the losses continued to rack up.

On paper, (assuming Mitchell Robinson returns) the Knicks have a starting five, plus a sixth man and then some, in players 24 years and younger. This doesn’t account for the handful of veterans who will also be looking for their share of playing time in the coming season.

Whoever New York drafted at 11 would (most likely) not have been some day one, sure starter. They would have been another player to join this youth brigade (or charade) that continues to be underdeveloped and left with table scraps for minutes.

I think, at the very end of last season, the Knicks were pleasantly surprised with the play of Quickley and Toppin. On top of RJ Barrett’s zealous season and Robinson reaffirming his Andre Drummond-like abilities, New York’s front office decided these were the guys they wanted to build around.

What could the Knicks have done with the No. 11 pick?

When they landed 11, there were several rumors the team was going to make a huge trade up for Jaden Ivey or pursue a veteran like Malcolm Brogdon (who they very well still could pursue). Despite their efforts, though, their packages did not move the needle for Detroit, Indiana, or Sacramento.

Many were upset with the fact that Leon Rose and company did not make some monumental acquisition with the 11th overall pick. That seems a little unfair because this is not MyGM mode in NBA2K. There are no force-trade options.

These teams obviously coveted the players they drafted with their picks, as they should because they were immensely valuable. If teams are calling your phone and offering significant assets for the pick, you may be inclined to believe the player you drafted is the star you believe they are.

One superstar is worth a lot more than a couple of future first-round picks.

It was obvious the Knicks wanted Jaden Ivey. When they could not get him, this left them in a situation where they were not sold and did not feel comfortable selecting another player.

So, if you are not sold on a player (who you will have to pay between $3-4 million over the next three seasons), why draft them? To add them to your carousel of young players, who are already never playing?

Play the players you have! We really have yet to see what any of them are capable of, and drafting at any position immediately creates competition with an existing young player.

It would not have made any sense for New York to draft a player unless the front office were sure he would be an upgrade from one of the seven options they will have to test this next season, and obviously, they did not feel that way.

The Knicks have significant options

Let me just start by saying I am well aware you are tired of hearing that the Knicks have cap space. I know it’s repetitive, but they would not talk about it so much if it was not so valuable.

Teams are essentially run around who makes the most money, and if you’re a team like the Lakers, you find that if that person is a crutch, you are out of playing cards when it comes to building a successful roster.

Let’s be real: Even at the deluded buyout contract of $9.2 million, no one wanted Kemba Walker. We always knew it would cost us something to move him, as that went without saying.

Instead of trying to attach him as the final piece of a bigger trade or flat out pay him $8 million in another buyout, New York offloaded his deal to Detroit.

In one move, the Knicks opened up over $12 million in potential cap space, a significant amount of money as free agency approaches. They also added some additional first-round picks, which can be used as needle movers in future trades.

What should the Knicks do with their assets?

New York has been attached to Jalen Brunson for the majority of the past year, and now, it will be time to see if the interest was real and mutual.

So many fans are so opposed to signing him, and truthfully, I have no idea why. The year we went to the playoffs, there was a major difference in our rotation; We had a starting point guard.

I will by absolutely no means say that I loved Elfrid Payton. All I will say is that he played and was consistent.

This past season, they relied on Walker being an answer, with supported play from Derrick Rose. When both players ended up being sidelined, they were forced to institute Alec Burks (the wing) as their starting point guard.

This led to scenarios with Burks, Randle, and Barrett sharing duties as the primary ball handler, something that was inconsistent and did not play to the team’s strength at all.

Brunson is an absolute upgrade from this, from Walker, and from Payton. He is a really solid player and would factually make the Knicks a much better team that would win more games. And is that not the point of all of this, to win more basketball games?

With the moves the team made on draft night, they now have the tools to get him.

If they do not sign Brunson, though, they still hold a lot of draft capital and open room to make moves, as well as some add-in veteran deals. They could go make a play for Dejounte Murray, Malcolm Brogdon, or even Kyrie Irving. Not having to force this team to take on the Walker money is just going to make negotiations for these players easier in the long run.

To summarize the defense stance

New York didn’t love anyone at the 11 pick. The roster is absolutely flooded with young talent that already doesn’t play enough, so why flood it more if 11 is not your guy? Plus, you have to pay him a rookie deal, so it is a waste of cap space.

They wanted to get rid of Walker, but not pay the buyout price ($9.2 mil). So, why not dump him with the pick you don’t want? Plus, they retained one of those “multiple firsts” too, so it was not all for nothing.

The team is now fully prepared to play the players you want to see, without another player to congest things further. They have the flexibility to make a trade, or a signing, for a massive upgrade at point guard.

They have significant draft assets for the future, which will be used as trade pieces or flat-out continued additions for new young talent.

Stop being so agitated by the Twitter memes and the nonsense. Accept that the Knicks, for once, are making savvy moves for the betterment of the franchise, and are actually developing and working towards success with their own players.

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