00:00The Knicks have dropped nine of their last 11.
00:02The fan base is in full panic mode
00:04and the February 6th trade deadline
00:06is right around the corner.
00:08Will Leon Rose and the franchise be buyers
00:10or are they gonna be sellers and for who?
00:12Let's check the temperature
00:13on some potential trade candidates
00:15ahead of the deadline
00:16and what's going on with this team
00:18with our Knicks beat writer for the post,
00:20Steph and Bondi.
00:21Steph, what's going on, man?
00:23Long time.
00:24Let's start straight into word is Bondi.
00:26I need to know, nine of 11,
00:28the city is going up in fire right now.
00:32What do you think the Knicks need to do
00:34to get back on track?
00:37I need to start playing defense.
00:38I mean, that's been a big problem
00:39for almost all season
00:41and it's certainly rearing its head
00:43during this stretch where they're,
00:45you know, like you said, nine of 11.
00:47They do not look like a title contender right now.
00:50They have not had the defense
00:52of the title contender all season,
00:54but it's been a lot worse lately.
00:55So I think that's where it starts
00:57is a defensive end.
00:58Bad defense.
01:00This team just looks like
01:01they can't get out of their own way.
01:02A lot of people on Twitter
01:04or social media
01:05are going after Mike Brown.
01:07Do you think he deserves
01:09all this hate for supposedly
01:11calling Cat out all the time?
01:13And then there's a video
01:14of him showing Draymond some love
01:16the other night in Oakland.
01:18Do you think right now
01:20that his leadership
01:21needs to be in question?
01:24Leadership?
01:25I mean, I think that his relationship
01:27with Karl-Anthony Towns
01:28has been a problem
01:29basically since the season started.
01:31You know, I don't want to go crazy
01:32about the relationship aspect,
01:34but, you know,
01:35the system from the very beginning,
01:38Karl-Anthony Towns
01:38said he's having trouble
01:39adapting to it.
01:41He hasn't jived
01:43with what Mike Brown
01:44has wanted to do.
01:46And that probably manifests itself
01:48in the locker room
01:50and, you know,
01:50during practices
01:51and stuff like that.
01:52And, you know,
01:54Karl-Anthony Towns
01:54dealt with the Draymond Green
01:56situation last season
01:57when Draymond Green
01:58was taunting him.
01:59He said that he skipped a game
02:01because he wanted to avoid
02:03playing Jimmy Butler
02:03when, in fact,
02:04Karl-Anthony Towns
02:05was attending a funeral.
02:07And then he had to watch
02:09all of his Knicks teammates
02:10hugging Draymond Green
02:11after the game.
02:13So Draymond is not stupid.
02:14He knows what he's doing.
02:16He's playing games.
02:17He's showing Karl-Anthony Towns
02:18that he could do it
02:19right over again.
02:20And he can hug everybody
02:21he wants to
02:22and he did that again.
02:23So I understand
02:24why Karl-Anthony Towns
02:26would be pissed off
02:26about that.
02:28And I also understand
02:29why Mike Brown,
02:30who coached Draymond Green
02:32through two championships,
02:35three championships,
02:36would want to hug
02:37his former player.
02:38So, yeah,
02:39it's a dicey situation
02:41right now
02:41and I understand
02:42both sides of it.
02:43because it's so dicey
02:45and Cat having to see
02:46his teammates,
02:47you know,
02:47hug up on Draymond last year
02:49and then you go this year
02:50and your coach
02:50is all hugged up with him
02:52and then there's that,
02:53you know,
02:54there could be a potential
02:54rift in the locker room.
02:56The trade deadline
02:57coming up,
02:58do you see that,
03:00do you see a chance
03:01where Karl-Anthony Towns
03:03is offered
03:04in some sort of trade?
03:05I could see it happen.
03:10I could see him being traded.
03:11I, you know,
03:12I don't think it's going to happen.
03:13I could,
03:13I wouldn't be totally shocked.
03:15I think the Knicks
03:16are in a situation right now
03:17where they have to get it together.
03:19They cannot look
03:20the way they've looked
03:21since New Year's Eve
03:23for the next two weeks
03:24before the trade deadline
03:25and Leon not make a big move.
03:27James Dolan came out
03:28in that interview
03:29and said,
03:30we're going to win the champ.
03:31We should win the championship.
03:32We're going to get
03:33to the NBA Finals
03:34and we should win
03:36the championship.
03:37So when you have
03:38that kind of mandate
03:39and you're playing
03:40the way that you're playing,
03:42yeah,
03:42a shakeup feels like
03:43it's necessary.
03:45Now,
03:46I don't think the Knicks
03:47are shopping
03:47Karl-Anthony Towns
03:48right now.
03:49I think that,
03:50you know,
03:51they're not going to try
03:52to, you know,
03:53take back pennies
03:54on the dollar with him.
03:56They're in a win-now mode,
03:57so it would have to be
03:58the perfect situation.
04:00Is there a chance
04:01where that shakeup
04:02could be going
04:03after Giannis?
04:05And if they were,
04:06hypothetically,
04:07if they were to go
04:08after Giannis,
04:09what do you think
04:10they'd have to give up?
04:11Yeah,
04:11I mean,
04:12they've always wanted Giannis,
04:13obviously.
04:14Everybody wants Giannis.
04:15The problem is
04:16they don't have,
04:17they don't have the draft picks.
04:19And I think that
04:21what's going on
04:22with Giannis,
04:22I believe,
04:23you know,
04:23things can change
04:25and the Bucs
04:25have not looked
04:26very good this year,
04:27but if I were betting on it,
04:29I would say that
04:30Giannis is not going
04:31to get traded
04:31until after the season
04:33and it's not going
04:33to happen before
04:34the trade deadline.
04:35That could change,
04:35obviously,
04:36but that's where
04:37I would put my money
04:38in.
04:38If it came down
04:39to a bidding war
04:40where multiple teams
04:41are getting involved
04:42and trying to get Giannis,
04:44the Knicks are going
04:44to have a hard time
04:45trading for him
04:46because,
04:47you know,
04:47if I'm Milwaukee,
04:49what am I going to do
04:50with Carl Anthony Towns
04:51if I'm trading you,
04:52Giannis Antetokounmpo?
04:53If I'm trading Giannis,
04:55I'm starting a rebuild.
04:57And so that means draft picks
04:58and that means young prospects
04:59and that means,
05:00you know,
05:00players with a lot
05:01of potential
05:02who are young
05:03and the Knicks
05:04don't have that
05:04on their roster right now.
05:05What they are doing,
05:06you know,
05:08and league sources tell me
05:09they are talking
05:10to multiple teams
05:11about trying to trade
05:11Gershon Yabuselli.
05:14That's not exactly,
05:15you know,
05:15a secret or anything.
05:16He's really struggled
05:18this,
05:19you know,
05:20he's really struggled
05:21since he's signed
05:21with the team
05:22and they're trying
05:24to find him a new home.
05:25Let's look ahead
05:26to tonight
05:27because dropping
05:28nine out of 11
05:29is one thing,
05:30but if they lose tonight
05:31to the Nets
05:31at the Garden,
05:32I feel like the city
05:33is going to be burnt down.
05:35If they lose tonight
05:37to the Brooklyn Nets,
05:39will you call that
05:40rock bottom
05:41for the season?
05:42And do you think
05:42that makes some sort
05:43of case for Mike Brown
05:44to be fired halfway
05:46into his tenure?
05:49I mean,
05:50rock bottom is,
05:52it's rock bottom for now.
05:53It could always get worse.
05:54Like, you know,
05:55rock bottom was
05:55the last game in Dallas.
05:56So if they lose to Brooklyn,
05:58then that's the new rock bottom.
05:59And then if they lose,
06:00you know,
06:01later on,
06:02then that's a different
06:02rock bottom.
06:03So yeah,
06:03it would be the rock bottom
06:05so far.
06:08I just don't,
06:09unless the Knicks
06:10have somebody in mind
06:11that they want
06:12to coach this team,
06:13then it makes no sense
06:15for Mike Brown
06:16to be fired.
06:17Like,
06:18is John Calipari saying,
06:20I know they got
06:20a lot of relationship
06:21with John Calipari.
06:22Is he saying,
06:22I want to coach the Knicks
06:23right now?
06:24Then maybe.
06:24But,
06:25you know,
06:25is Jay Wright saying,
06:26I want to get out
06:27of retirement?
06:27Then maybe.
06:28But I don't see the person
06:29that would take over.
06:31Hey,
06:32maybe Tibbs comes back.
06:33But no,
06:34it doesn't make sense
06:35unless you have somebody
06:36lined up
06:36to coach the team.
06:39And it would be reactionary
06:41and ill-advised
06:42to fire a coach
06:43who you just hired
06:44in the first few months
06:45of a four-year contract.
06:46And that wasn't my question
06:48either.
06:49You know,
06:49it's getting loud
06:50on social media.
06:51The fan base is,
06:52I know they go
06:53a little bit crazy
06:53right now.
06:54They've hit the panic button.
06:55So,
06:55thanks for clearing
06:56things up for us,
06:57Steph.
06:58Appreciate you.
06:59All right,
06:59bro.
07:00We'll see you next time.
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