00:00Is it too early to talk about repeat for the Knicks?
00:02Well, no, that's literally what I get paid for.
00:05And if you missed it yesterday,
00:06here's what I have to say about the Spurs' chances
00:09of getting back to the finals in 2027.
00:12Dylan Harper's unbelievable.
00:14Castle's fantastic.
00:15Wemby has a lot of growing up to do.
00:17And yeah, he won a Game 6 and he won a Game 7 at OKC.
00:21In terms of trust, I trust Shane Gillis Alexander Moore.
00:26I trust the coaching staff and the general manager
00:30when it comes to the Thunder versus Mitch Johnson
00:35who couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag.
00:37It's as simple as that.
00:39Spurs are going to have a golden opportunity
00:40with their youth to run it back, obviously.
00:43But I'm telling you right now,
00:45I would take the Thunder over the Spurs
00:49over the next five years in the Western Conference.
00:52So, obviously, we're early here in talking about, you know,
00:57who's going to win a championship for the 2026-2027 season.
01:01Still have the draft next week.
01:03We have trades.
01:04We have free agency.
01:05We have the summer of Giannis.
01:06We have the summer of LeBron.
01:07We have maybe another summer of Durant.
01:11But hey, this is literally what we do.
01:13If you take a look at the odds for winning a championship
01:16as we speak on DraftKings,
01:18the San Antonio Spurs are the favorite,
01:22just ahead of Oklahoma City.
01:25Boston, plus 550.
01:27The Knicks, plus 650.
01:29Whenever Jalen Brunson and the Knicks
01:32get out of their amazing haze of celebration,
01:35sometime maybe in August,
01:37someone will show Jalen Brunson this board from DraftKings,
01:42and Jalen Brunson will use that as motivation and a chip
01:45that the Knicks are being disrespected.
01:47I don't think this is disrespectful for a few reasons,
01:51and stay with me on this.
01:53Number one, the last eight years in the NBA,
01:56eight different champs.
01:57So, on precedence,
02:00especially when you start considering salaries,
02:02salary caps, second apron, third apron,
02:05you see a different champion over the last eight years.
02:09So, chances are, the Knicks won't repeat.
02:15I think the Knicks have a great opportunity, though, to repeat.
02:19I think that when you look at it,
02:20they should, will, run it back.
02:23There's no reason to make massive changes.
02:27You don't have to think about,
02:28well, let's see if we can get Kevin Durant
02:30or Giannis Antetokounmpo to win a championship,
02:33because the Knicks just won a championship.
02:35You don't have to worry about it.
02:37But they did it!
02:38And they're going to have the ability to do it again.
02:42Look, things change when you're a champion,
02:45and then you have an ensuing season.
02:47There's knowledge.
02:48You're also the team that is going to be the hunted.
02:51You know, you're going to get the best shot from everyone.
02:54If you rest on your laurels on a random Tuesday in New Orleans,
02:58Pelicans bite you.
02:59That's just how it's going to go.
03:00But I think the Knicks, in theory,
03:02should be better, more confident than the regular season.
03:05And then, obviously, the know-how with Jalen Brunson and company.
03:09And I expect the Knicks to absolutely run it back.
03:12The only guy in the rotation who's, you know,
03:15a free agent is Mitchell Robinson.
03:17And unless someone pays him more,
03:20I would say Mitch is going to come back.
03:22I think he wants to come back.
03:23I think the team wants to have him back.
03:25As long as the dollars and cents make sense,
03:27I expect the Knicks to basically, for all intents and purposes,
03:31bring everybody back.
03:33Why wouldn't they at this stage?
03:35I don't think it's offensive to put the Boston Celtics ahead of the Knicks
03:40because of the omnipresent Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors.
03:44Look, if Giannis goes to Boston,
03:47and they're the favorites in Vegas,
03:50I'm okay with that.
03:52Now, Giannis going to Miami would not make the Heat the favorite, okay?
03:56It just wouldn't.
03:57They would have to give up Hero and company.
03:59If he goes to Boston, even if they trade Brown,
04:04you know, you want to say with Tatum,
04:06year-plus removed from the injury,
04:09and obviously that organization,
04:11everyone top to bottom for the most part,
04:13has championship, you know, fiber and mentality,
04:17and they've won a chip before.
04:18You put Giannis in a place like Boston,
04:20you want to make the Celtics the favorite?
04:22I don't think that's insulting to the Knicks.
04:25Miami would not.
04:26Look, I also think you have to follow and monitor other teams as well.
04:31Do, let's say, the Pistons make a trade for Kevin Durant.
04:36Pistons can't shoot.
04:37If they get someone like Durant or they get a score,
04:42let's say Austin Reeves,
04:43maybe they're the team that brings in De'Aaron Fox.
04:46They get someone who can be a second scorer, second option.
04:50Look, I have no issue with that.
04:53I also think watching a team like Orlando, which is close,
04:57the Atlanta Hawks, what if they're involved as rumors and reports indicate
05:02with regards to being the third team with Boston and Milwaukee,
05:06and what if they get Jalen Brown,
05:08and you point him on the Atlanta Hawks.
05:10Look, in theory, the team today,
05:13because there is no Giannis trade yet,
05:16that I think is the biggest threat in the East to the Knicks,
05:18the Indiana Pacers,
05:20because Halliburton's going to come back.
05:22They have Siakam.
05:23I love Rick Carlisle.
05:24He's won a championship before.
05:26And, you know, Zubats, who I love,
05:29he better be even better
05:31because they gave up that first-round pick.
05:33If it was top five,
05:34they would have had an opportunity to get an unbelievable player
05:36who could have been a difference maker.
05:38Look, if they would have held on to that top-five pick
05:41and this draft is going to be loaded,
05:44Indiana could have been that team.
05:46But I actually today
05:48think it's just erroneous
05:50to put anyone else in the East ahead of the Knicks.
05:54And I think the Knicks
05:56absolutely have a great opportunity
05:59to run it back
06:00with the talent, the coaching,
06:02the togetherness,
06:03and Jalen Brunson will make sure
06:06that everybody is focused and motivated
06:09and they don't spend the season coming up
06:13watching highlights of the comebacks
06:15against the San Antonio Spurs.
06:17Now, I think right now
06:19the best bet to win the title next year
06:22is Oklahoma City.
06:25I just don't believe in the Spurs.
06:27And I know, look, I believe in Harper.
06:30I love Castle.
06:31Wemby's got a lot he's got to figure out.
06:34That arc for Victor Wemby-Yama
06:36going from hero to villain,
06:39I don't think I've ever seen something like that
06:41and it happened so quickly in these playoffs
06:44or even regular season to postseason
06:46where everyone and their mother,
06:48including mine,
06:49loved Victor Wemby-Yama.
06:51But then he elbows Nas Reed.
06:53You know, and I told you on Shine Time
06:55that after he celebrated
06:57that Western Conference Finals,
06:58it felt like it was relief
07:01and they won a championship.
07:02But they didn't.
07:03And then you saw Wemby and the Spurs
07:06not only fell in the finals
07:09and they led against the Knicks
07:1172% of the minutes played in the NBA Finals,
07:13they embarrassed themselves
07:15and Wemby was a big problem
07:17playing his worst would have mattered the most.
07:19Awful on offense in Game 1.
07:21Awful on offense in the first half of Game 2.
07:24Terrible down the stretch of Game 2
07:26with the missed jumper,
07:27the turnover, the foul,
07:29then the missed jumper at the end.
07:30Great in Game 3.
07:32Terrible.
07:33Just awful in Game 4.
07:35Awful in Game 5.
07:36I mean, just atrocious
07:38in the fourth quarter stats.
07:40Terrible not to mention,
07:42you know, he was a thug.
07:43He was a chump.
07:45He was a losing ball player.
07:47He was a whiner.
07:48He was delusional in press conferences
07:50and he didn't shake hands.
07:52And people, you know,
07:53they love to throw shade
07:54during this run at the Knicks,
07:55which is a joke.
07:57You beat the teams you're supposed to beat
07:58if other teams fail
07:59and the Knicks kicked everyone's ass
08:01and went 15-1 down the stretch
08:03and busted out the brooms
08:04on a couple of different occasions.
08:05I never want to hear about
08:06the Eastern Conference
08:07because the Spurs,
08:09maybe as we look back at it,
08:11and we talked about it
08:12in real time on Shine Time,
08:13the fact that J-Dub
08:15and his backup, Mitchell,
08:17not healthy.
08:18So, if you're asking me today
08:22who I would pick for the NBA Finals,
08:25it would be OKC and the Knicks,
08:27just like I did last year.
08:29I think Giannis, where he goes,
08:32that's important to follow.
08:33I think what happens with the Pistons
08:36and a second shooter,
08:38that's important.
08:39I think Halliburton getting back
08:41to being Halliburton,
08:43that is gigantic.
08:44Following the Magic,
08:47following the Miami Heats,
08:48following the Atlanta Hawks
08:50if they get Jalen Brown.
08:52But let's also not lose sight
08:54of some other teams,
08:55like what do the Denver Nuggets do?
08:57What happens in Los Angeles
09:00with the Lakers,
09:01with LeBron,
09:01with Austin Reeves?
09:02What happens with the Andre Ayton?
09:05What happens with the Minnesota Timberwolves,
09:08who they were injured,
09:10if you remember,
09:11when you consider DiVincenzo and company
09:14for that second-round series.
09:16So, I'll tell you,
09:18I think the Knicks being fourth,
09:20I would have had them third,
09:22being fourth on the list
09:23behind Boston with the Giannis rumors.
09:25I'm fine with that.
09:27The Knicks will use that
09:28in some way, shape, or form
09:29as motivation.
09:30But in so many ways,
09:32the Knicks should have
09:34a better regular season.
09:35I really want to see Leon Rose
09:38run this thing back,
09:39bring back everyone.
09:40They're all in their contract,
09:41except for Mitch,
09:42bring everybody back.
09:44And that's not, you know,
09:45spur of the moment on my part,
09:46or, you know,
09:47hey, I'm still drinking
09:48the high and the Kool-Aid
09:49after winning a championship.
09:51I think it's logical
09:52for every different reason
09:54that we've laid out for you.
09:55So, I don't think
09:57this is necessarily
09:58a one-and-done situation
09:59for the Knicks.
10:00It's very difficult
10:01in the NBA as it is right now
10:03to go back-to-back.
10:05But the Knicks are going to have
10:06a real fighting shot
10:07because of the owner,
10:09because of Leon Rose,
10:11because of Mike Brown,
10:12because of Jalen Brunson.
10:14In theory,
10:15after Mike Brown
10:16unlocked something
10:17in Karl-Anthony Towns
10:19and how to use him,
10:20Kat should have
10:21the best regular season
10:22of his life.
10:24Mikkel Bridges
10:25winning a championship,
10:27he should be able
10:28to take a breath.
10:29He should have
10:30the best regular season,
10:322026, 2027,
10:33of his life.
10:35You know,
10:36maybe the magic,
10:36you know,
10:37will go away
10:38when it comes to someone
10:39like Landry Shaman.
10:40You'll find another
10:41Landry Shaman
10:42if that's the case.
10:43So, I'm excited
10:45about what's next year
10:46for the Knicks.
10:47We might have another parade
10:49in New York
10:50after Thursday.
10:51in the même
10:51the
10:51the
10:51the
10:51and
10:55the
10:55the
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