Would you trade Willy for 1st rounder?

[Don Che]

I think both scenerios can work. Most ppl think it has to be one or the other...i think you make it work either way.

KP is what 240 rn? I say once he hits 250 he'll be fine to handle centers...actually i see him handle those guys easier than small stronger players actually. Plus we have goons..you can have 2 legit bigs as back ups just to keep KP at the 5 in spurts..i'd like to see him be 50% at either position.

KP is gonna get his regardless he had Rose/Melo here and dropped 18 still I'm more concerned about the defensive side of the ball and an offense in which the ball never stops moving....Obviously getting a 4 that can pass is easier than a 5 but if you can find a 5 that fits that fine by me.


with generational talent...i dont think thats the ONLY way to do it. but that can also be a loose term. to me that means as rookies they were a force to be wreckoned with from HS/College and dominated grown men from day 1 so that leaves these guys on my generational talent list Lebron/Duncan/Shaq/Iverson/Ben Simmons(yeh i said it) since 1990....think about how rare those guys are and how far they were drafted from one another.

would those guys speed the process? 100%

but is anyone in this draft in their category? no
even if there was are we bad enough to get them? no

so I'd go for the Spurs(old Duncan)/04 Pistons/11 Mavericks as our blue print. Have great defenders/move the ball w/o agenda and play team ball for 48 minutes...and just PRAY that the team of 5 can knock down the generational talent.

so priority is defense and passing at as many positions as possible. Obv we will need great players as all great teams do but lets just say it ALL GOES PERFECT meaning KP stays like this or better...Frank develops into an all defensive player dishin 8-11 assists a night and giving you 13-16 points. Tim is a 18/5/5 guy...like i said all goes perfect and it is possible it goes better but thats another topic.

throwing a Draymond Green and Paul George type of players on this squad...i can see a championship caliber team. Or a Adams/Prime Bogut/PRIME Noah type center would also put us in that category.

My hope is that we get either type of player next to KP preferably the draft. We have our 1st rounder and 2 second rounders..we could hit a home run and land those guys like that but if Willy gets me a 1st rounder this year or next...and its in the range of 20 and below...I'd risk it because our scouting department has done a good job finding talent in the spots that were given. Frank is the only mistake but lets keep it 100...no one was takign Donovan Mitchell under 10...im the kids biggest fan and wanted him and still felt he was a huge reach at 8.

[Don Che]

sorry to stretch the topic but to keep it regarding Willy

I know he can score and rebound and can prolly do it better than Kanter or as good given time....no issues with that.

Hes also a better passer than Kanter

but defense is my issue with him. Can he grow and be average? yes but we dont need average. We need ELITE. Same thing I feel with Kanter.

And the ONLY reason im ok with Frank...he can be a flat out beast on defense.

For a moment before ppl mention the Marc Gasol comparison and how he evolved.

Marc is a legit 7'1 and a huge wingspan. Willy just isnt that animal physicaly but skill wise yes they are similar but thats where it ends.

[thewatcher]

Nope Don, this isn't fantasy basketball where guys don't get hurt; sure in an all-star game KP can play the 5, or in the 7th game of a championshio series if the Center goes down (like magic); so yeah in your fantasy line-up, the ball would swing nicely, but what's best for this organization is perserving KP's carrer. ABSOLUTELY not by playing the 5 more than 5 minutes a game. the dude is Kevin Durant..come on. Do you want KD to be a 4?? NO

[taowave]

I think you meant KD at the 5 which is a resounding NO.

I'm suprised I am the only Kanter bandwagon jumper..Guy is tough as nails...

We are making the playoffs this year... against better judgement,but yo play the game to win..

Nope Don, this isn't fantasy basketball where guys don't get hurt; sure in an all-star game KP can play the 5, or in the 7th game of a championshio series if the Center goes down (like magic); so yeah in your fantasy line-up, the ball would swing nicely, but what's best for this organization is perserving KP's carrer. ABSOLUTELY not by playing the 5 more than 5 minutes a game. the dude is Kevin Durant..come on. Do you want KD to be a 4?? NO

[Don Che]

KP is not Durant watcher cmon now.

KP can play the 5 for large spurts depending on the line up. You guys see him hit the floor a couple times(even though he flops) and get all crazy.

putting an elite defender next to KP is the best thing you can do...a post one or a perimeter forward one.

People are trying to put the most unique player ive seen in a box....i want to see him do it all like his talent warrants.

oh and players get hurt all the time no matter the position. In todays NBA 4's guard 1's and 3's guard 5's. An injury can happen an any time.

I'd rather see spurts where KP is protecting the rim and defends 3's on switches......rather than guarding 1's.

better yet how are you neglecting the main point of defense and passing and harping on one segment lol....you want him playing the 5 for "5 minutes" id rather him be there 15...regardless you need to put KP next to an elite defender and Willy doesnt project to be that guy.

[Don Che]

oh and I see KD guarding 4's all the time..not sure what your point is.

[thewatcher]

Don, "guys get hurt all the time" doesn't apply to your franchiese player who is 7'3" and weighs 240. Kanter is the perfect center next to KP, because he's a great rebounder, which KP isn't, but KP is a great help defender which compliments kanter like a glove.

Not to mention Kanter shoots over 60 % from the field, his power post-ups demanding double teams, and he live at the ft line hitting high %. come-on Don the Kanter hate has to stop.

I know Kanter's growing on you, but his leadership is also indispensable. Bottim line we should ask KP where he wants to play; my guess would be PF.

[nazrmohamed]

sorry to stretch the topic but to keep it regarding Willy

I know he can score and rebound and can prolly do it better than Kanter or as good given time....no issues with that.

Hes also a better passer than Kanter

but defense is my issue with him. Can he grow and be average? yes but we dont need average. We need ELITE. Same thing I feel with Kanter.

And the ONLY reason im ok with Frank...he can be a flat out beast on defense.

For a moment before ppl mention the Marc Gasol comparison and how he evolved.

Marc is a legit 7'1 and a huge wingspan. Willy just isnt that animal physicaly but skill wise yes they are similar but thats where it ends.

Well then it goed back to my line of thinking. If both players aren't whoop you imagine a starting C to be when we move from rebuilding mode to contention, if we even get there with these two the resolution is as follows.

You determine which one has the highest value and trade him for a pick that might just put you in position to grab that C (may be indirectly, like a 2 pick for one trade up) and the loser stays as our super backup.

Honestly I like both of these guys. I think Kanter is the better player today, but then I remember Willy is like 20yrs old. It's not a hard decision to me. Kanter IS better so he'll have the better value. Just keep in mind though and ask yourself how much better. Enough to make us contenders? No right? And that's not necessarily his fault but again we were supposed to be rebuilding and people forgot that. I won't

[taowave]

KP likes the 4

Kristaps Porzingis is, in stretch big prototype Kevin Durant’s own words, “a unicorn in this league.” The 7-foot-3 Latvian stretches the floor offensively and shrinks it defensively like few others, which makes him the ideal center in an NBA that is increasingly “going small” and employing players up a position.


NBA heads have been pleading for the Knicks to play Porzingis at the 5 position for some time now, and there isn’t a New Yorker alive who doesn’t want to see that happen. Except, it seems, Porzingis, who pled his case for playing the power forward position to reporters, via the New York Daily News:

“I think it’s better for us,” Porzingis said Wednesday. “Me at the 4, especially if I’m playing against a non-shooting 4, I can do a lot. When I’m playing against the 5, I’m fighting with the big a lot of times and I’m wasting a lot of energy. Obviously, offensively I have an advantage at center, but I’m just more comfortable playing at the 4.”

A few gripes with Zinger’s position here, if I may.

The Knicks played Porzingis at center roughly 20 percent of the time last season, per nbawowy.com, and the results were a mixed bag of not-so-great nuts. Offensively, they were tremendous, scoring 111.9 points per 100 possessions with him at the 5 — the equivalent of Houston’s top-10 all-time output a year ago. Defensively, though, they were atrocious, allowing 114.6 points per possessions in such situations, which would easily rank as the worst defense in NBA history over a full season.

Still, that’s no argument for playing Porzingis at the 4, because the Knicks were outscored by a wider margin (3.1 points per possession) regardless of what position he was playing. Why not unlock the possibility of an elite offense and hope more seasoning for Porzingis as a rim protector, improved defensive schemes and a roster full of still-developing defenders can solve those issues over time?

The biggest argument against Porzingis’ logic is his stance on the “non-shooting 4,” a position that is being phased out of the league. Almost every team now employees a regular stretch forward. Take the Cleveland Cavaliers, for example, who recently announced Tristan Thompson’s move to the bench in favor of bumping Kevin Love up to center and inserting Jae Crowder into the power forward position.

If Porzingis still prefers defending the 4 against those players, they will pull him away from the basket, where he ranked among the league’s best rim protectors last season. Opponents shot just 44.2 percent against Porzingis at the rim in 2016-17, per Synergy Sports, which ranked just below perennial Defensive Player of the Year contenders Rudy Gobert (43.8 percent) and Draymond Green (43.9).

Yes, Porzingis is a post mismatch for smaller defenders, but he creates equal matchup problems for opposing centers, who he can lure away from the basket and either shoot over or take off the dribble. Injury concerns over Porzingis playing a more physical brand of basketball are real, but by avoiding the 5, he is removing from consideration the very thing that makes him so special — his versatility.

Plus, less Porzingis at the 5 probably means more center minutes for the likes of Joakim Noah and Enes Kanter, which … good luck with that. Listen, nobody’s asking the Knicks to play Porzingis solely at center. They will and should utilize Porzingis alongside fellow budding young big Willy Hernangomez. The Knicks don’t project to be a playoff contender anyway, so why not experiment with Porzingis in the middle, surrounded by Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., Doug McDermott and Michael Beasley?

Otherwise, they’re just robbing Ball Don’t Lie’s resident New Yorker Dan Devine of his plea to owner James Dolan and coach Jeff Hornacek: Make the Knicks fun again. It does seem as though Hornacek isn’t as averse to playing Porzingis at the 5 as the Zinger himself is. As the Daily News noted, the Knicks did slide Porzingis to center for a four-minute stretch with McDermott and Beasley taking turns at power forward — hardly a large enough sample size to make any determinations about its success.

“I hadn’t planned on it, but the way the game was going I said, ‘Let’s just give KP a couple minutes at the five and go small,’ ” Hornacek told reporters. “We hadn’t practiced that.”

Wait, what? You hadn’t practiced that?!?! What are we even doing here?

Knicks fans have seen this rodeo before. The call for Carmelo Anthony being bumped up to power forward echoed in New York ever since a 2012-13 campaign that forced him into that position due to roster constraints and an injury to Amar’e Stoudemire. Anthony led the league in scoring that season, the Knicks overwhelmed opponents with him at the 4, and they won 50 games for the first time since their late-1990s heydays. Their 111.1 offensive rating that season was the highest in franchise history.

Anthony, of course, will now start at power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

[thewatcher]

0% we trade Kanter, but it's fun talking about anyway. Trading him for a draft pick (it won't be the DUke Center LOL) might just open the door for KP bolting. There goes your rebuild. I think before we as individual fans decide whether we are "rebuilding", we should aagin ask KP. IK KP is down with trading Kanter and rebuilding I will acquiesce.

[Red]

If someone is dumb enough to trade a 1st round pick for Willy... absolutely.

[thewatcher]

If someone is dumb enough to trade a 1st round pick for Willy... absolutely.

[taowave]

Lol...my sentiments exactly..

If someone is dumb enough to trade a 1st round pick for Willy... absolutely.

[taowave]

Not sure how/why you trade a guy putting up 14 and 10 while shooting 65 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the stripe..

Without him,we are back to pussy ball

0% we trade Kanter, but it's fun talking about anyway. Trading him for a draft pick (it won't be the DUke Center LOL) might just open the door for KP bolting. There goes your rebuild. I think before we as individual fans decide whether we are "rebuilding", we should aagin ask KP. IK KP is down with trading Kanter and rebuilding I will acquiesce.

[Don Che]

I explained pretty clearly how I view Kanter...and its not negative. And i went pretty extensive on how KP can be utilized in both scenerios and to win it all...KP needs to be used in both spots.

to keep it simple.

Kanter and KP are not good enough defensively to win it all. Yeh they can rebound and score but can they defend at a championship level? That we will have to wait and see later in the year.

and if trading Willy helps me get a player that can defend at a championship level down the line next to KP at either big position then so be it.

I wouldnt trade Kanter yet, I want to see him go to war in a playoff series.

[gradyandrew]

pussy ball!

LOL

[cragganmor]

JMO, but koq is a more likely trade candidate. If Noah doesn't start showing a pulse, then he becomes a likely stretch candidate.

[Rusty La Rue]

Honestly I like both of these guys. I think Kanter is the better player today, but then I remember Willy is like 20yrs old. It's not a hard decision to me. Kanter IS better so he'll have the better value. Just keep in mind though and ask yourself how much better. Enough to make us contenders? No right? And that's not necessarily his fault but again we were supposed to be rebuilding and people forgot that. I won't

Willy is 23 and Kanter is 25... And two years ago at 23 Kanter could already do a lot of the stuff he is doing today... so trading Kanter and just expecting Willy to pick up his production is bound to go wrong.

Kanter is a keeper... He is in my book our C for the future... What we need is a athletic defensive beast at the SF spot who can hit the three (Otto Porter Jr. ) and a solid PG to lead the team while Ntilikina develops... Jack is doing a solid job at the moment but he will not last forever...

[Championship 16/17]

Willy is 23 and Kanter is 25... And two years ago at 23 Kanter could already do a lot of the stuff he is doing today... so trading Kanter and just expecting Willy to pick up his production is bound to go wrong.

Kanter is a keeper... He is in my book our C for the future... What we need is a athletic defensive beast at the SF spot who can hit the three (Otto Porter Jr. ) and a solid PG to lead the team while Ntilikina develops... Jack is doing a solid job at the moment but he will not last forever...

I expect Willy to pick up his production after some quality playing time and another year under his belt. How do you proposed getting a defensive small Forward like an Otto Porter Jr? By trading Kanter and pieces and rolling the dice on Willy, who he can possibly match kanter's stat sheet in time. It's a risk, it's a gamble, and we would have to get lucky. If we could just tank and get a Michael Porter in the draft, I would keep Kanter. But him being our most valuable asset, you have to figure out whats best for the organization.

[Rusty La Rue]

I expect Willy to pick up his production after some quality playing time and another year under his belt. How do you proposed getting a defensive small Forward like an Otto Porter Jr? By trading Kanter and pieces and rolling the dice on Willy, who he can possibly match kanter's stat sheet in time. It's a risk, it's a gamble, and we would have to get lucky. If we could just tank and get a Michael Porter in the draft, I would keep Kanter. But him being our most valuable asset, you have to figure out whats best for the organization.

I agree that Willy could probably deliver 14 ppg and 10 rpg with more playing time... but he wouldn't do it as efficiently as Kanter and also without the leadership and the leadership might be Kanter most important asset.

Getting Otto Porter Jr. is just my little pipe dream... but it is that kind of player we need... Someone on here mentioned this kid Isaac Bonga from Germany as an interesting prospect at the SF position. If we do not get a top 10 pick in next years draft... we should probably take a chance on someone like Bonga... we might be able to get him in the early 2nd round... draftnet have him going as the 32nd pick at the moment.

If anyone on here have have a realistic trade proposal to get us Otto Porter without giving up KP, Kanter or Ntilikina I am all ears... I really think he would be a perfect fit...