Knicks Film School's Jonathan Macri reviews the Knicks' active offseason

New York Post

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00:00Mikael Bridges could have taxed the Knicks like New York City's congestion tax taxes its drivers,

00:05but instead my man signed a team-friendly extension to remain with the franchise.

00:10Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School is on to talk all things bridges and tunnels

00:14or bridges in the Knicks offseason.

00:17A little dad joke there. I knew you'd laugh.

00:19Return of the Macri. What's up, baby? You good?

00:23I'm good, man. I hope to be in a position one day in my life

00:27where I get to take a discount that looks like the discount that Mikael Bridges took.

00:32But yeah, I guess let's get into that right now.

00:34All right. He's getting $1.50 million across the four years of the extension.

00:39And like you said, he left some bread on the table.

00:41Safe to say, looks like my man's all in.

00:43I know you're not Mikael Bridges, but why?

00:45Why do you think he chose to take a team-friendly deal

00:48instead of betting on himself like a lot of other players and testing the market?

00:53I mean, the easy answer is security, right?

00:55You know, there are some players in the league that, I mean, we saw with Kevin Durant

01:00who could literally do something with their leg and miss an entire season,

01:04and you're still going to get the entire league lining up to pay you a max contract.

01:09But I don't know that Mikael Bridges quite falls in that category.

01:12Now, granted, he is the NBA's Ironman.

01:14He has quite literally never missed a game in his NBA career.

01:16So maybe you would think, okay, not quite the same consideration for him

01:21as other guys who are more injury-prone.

01:23But this is still someone who, over the course of his NBA career thus far,

01:27has only made, again, I say only in air quotes, like a low 80s in terms of millions of dollars.

01:34This contract more than or almost doubles that amount.

01:38You know, his career earnings, he took a pretty team-friendly deal to remain in Phoenix on his last contract.

01:46So I think he looked at the bigger picture and said, you know what, could I potentially get more if I waited until next summer?

01:55But, you know, it's a little bit of a haircut, but it's going to help the Knicks in terms of trying to avoid that taken apron.

02:00And $6 million, he gave a little bit, and then also the Knicks gave a little bit, player option on the last year, and a trade kicker.

02:08So those are two valuable things I'm sure that Mikael Bridges valued in this negotiation.

02:12They also gave up a lot to get him in terms of draft capital to bring him here.

02:17So we know what the expectations and hype was like around him going into his first year as the Knick,

02:22where he averaged around 17 to 18 points per game on 50% shooting from the field.

02:28And, of course, he showed elite defense.

02:30But at times, J-Mac, as you know, that wasn't enough for the fan base.

02:34So what are the expectations now on Mikael Bridges going into year two?

02:40I'm going to go in two different directions, one solely focused on Bridges,

02:44and one maybe a little bit outside of Bridges' control.

02:47Where Bridges is concerned, I mean, again, it's kind of a boring answer.

02:51I think fans would like a little bit more efficiency.

02:54He has never been known as an elite above-the-break three-point shooter.

03:00But I think when you went from Dante DiVincenzo to Bridges,

03:05not only was there a decrease in volume from, again, above the break,

03:08but also he only shot 31% on non-corner threes last year.

03:13I think fans would just like that to be a little bit closer to 35%, 36%,

03:17maybe get a little bit more volume.

03:18And the other thing, actually, while I'm talking about this,

03:20I just thought of it, maybe draw contact every once in a while

03:23and don't avoid other players and physicality like it is the plague.

03:28Again, never been a guy who's gotten a ton of free throws,

03:31but something a little bit more in that department.

03:34And then the other thing that I was thinking of,

03:36and again, this is kind of not fully in his control,

03:38just the pick-and-roll defense, I think, left a lot to be desired last year.

03:42Now, obviously, that was with Carl Anthony Towns as the five.

03:44I think this is a problem that will kind of self-correct if maybe they go more to a look

03:50where it's Mitchell Robinson or another center, not Towns, at the five.

03:54And I think Bridges will look a lot better if they go more to that look at times this year.

04:01It's funny.

04:02When you said you wanted him to draw a little bit more contact,

04:04the first thing that popped up in my head was like,

04:06this dude could never run over – he could never ride the New York subway, like, ever.

04:11All that contact.

04:12But with the $150 million extension, we call an Uber helicopter to get around.

04:17Let's kind of break down the Knicks offseason a little bit.

04:20They still haven't signed an associate head coach.

04:23What do you think about the new D coordinator hire, Brendan O'Connor from the Clippers?

04:27I mean, he comes with a great resume, great reputation.

04:30Obviously, he started his career as an assistant coach with the Knicks two decades ago.

04:34So, to me, I'm a big fan of just, like, what coaching –

04:37either what coaching tree do you come from or where was your last stop

04:41and how did you do at that last stop?

04:43I think Ty Lue is as good a coach as there is in the league.

04:47Obviously, he was joined by Jeff Van Gundy this year.

04:50So, the Clippers, they always seem to outperform expectations,

04:53at least during the regular season.

04:55And so, the fact that they're bringing someone who has been with the Clippers,

04:59I think that's a big plus.

05:00And I also just think to get someone who is, and I'm sure that he is,

05:07willing to engage in this more collaborative approach to the coaching staff

05:12and maybe get a little bit away from the Tom Thibodeau kind of my way

05:16or the highway approach.

05:17I think that's why they hired Mike Brown in the first place.

05:19And I think anyone that they're bringing in now is inherently going to be on board

05:24with, again, that sort of more, you know, everybody helps stir the pot type of approach.

05:31We're about, what, a couple months, a month and a half away from Knicks

05:36starting training camp.

05:37I can't see them really signing any more big pieces.

05:40So, grade the Knicks' entire offseason up to this point.

05:44Was Leon Rose in his bag?

05:46Yeah, I mean, I think it depends on what ultimately you think of the Thibs,

05:51the decision to move on from Thibs.

05:53If you're someone who thought for whatever reason, whether you blamed him or not,

05:56that they needed to move in a different direction at the head coaching spot,

06:00I think they did about as well as you could have expected.

06:03Mike Brown's a good, solid coach, and he seems to be everything that they're looking for.

06:08And then, as you're seeing Gershon Yabaselli and Jordan Clarkson on the screen,

06:11like, given what they had to work with, which was the taxpayer mid-level exception

06:15and then just veteran minimums, I think they did about as well as you could have expected.

06:20The Yabaselli signing in particular, like, he's a guy who's going to be able to not only help them,

06:25but give them a lot of different looks as someone who could play alongside Carl Anthony Towns,

06:29could play alongside Mitchell Robinson, can potentially be the only big on the floor

06:34if they go a little bit smaller and they go to something that's really a lot more versatile.

06:38So, and then Clarkson, for him to fall on their laps after getting waved by the Jazz,

06:42I just, like, that was a no-brainer.

06:45Not done yet.

06:45Like you said, they can't afford to sign anyone to more than the minimum,

06:48but I'd be curious to see who they get, you know, for, I guess,

06:52what is shaping up to be the 10th spot in the rotation.

06:56Is it going to be Ben Simmons?

06:57Is it going to be Landry Shammett?

06:58So, a little bit more work to be done, but so far, so good in my book.

07:01I'm so glad you mentioned Ben Simmons.

07:04Thumbs up or thumbs down emoji.

07:05Would you be okay if the Knicks signed Mr. Simmons?

07:11Give me the emoji.

07:12Give me the emoji.

07:15Can I do this?

07:18Side?

07:18There we go.

07:19There we go.

07:20It's wavering, though.

07:21Why?

07:22Give us your quick why.

07:23Look, Ben Simmons has become a meme, but he's still, obviously,

07:28a talented basketball player.

07:29There are some things that he doesn't like to do, like shoot.

07:32Talk about Mikael Bridges avoiding contact.

07:34I mean, he's Jim Brown compared to Ben Simmons.

07:39But, look, Ben Simmons, I think, in a role where he's playing 8, 10 minutes a night,

07:43could still help a basketball team.

07:45So, if it's him, that's fine.

07:46Personally, I'd probably go back to Shammett, but that's just me.

07:50My man.

07:51Appreciate you, J-Mac.

07:53Always appreciate you, Brandon.

07:55Take it easy.

07:56Take it easy.

07:57Take it easy.

07:58Take it easy.

07:59Take it easy.

08:00Take it easy.

08:01Take it easy.

08:02Take it easy.

08:03Take it easy.

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