Karl-Anthony Towns Traded To The Knicks

[Roy H.]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

[Vermont Green]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Agree with all of this, including the comment on Brunson.  He was great last season, a real impact player.  Now the question is if he can sustain that and build on that.  I suspect that he is going to continue to be very good but can he glue this team of new players together, adjust his game where needed to make others better?  Can he defend at a championship level?

NYK have put together a very strong team.  It may take more than one season for them to fully integrate and reach their full potential, but they are going to be good.  I think rebounding could be an issue.  They are small at every position except C now with Towns.  He can be a 10-12 rebound guy, he will need to be that.  His rebounding and rim protection will be more important to this team than scoring.  They have plenty of others who can score.

[liam]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Towns to Porzingis are very similar on offense but Zinger is the far better defender.

[Roy H.]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Towns to Porzingis are very similar on offense but Zinger is the far better defender.

KP is a better shot blocker / rim defender.  I don't think either is all that special on the perimeter or defending in space.

[liam]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Towns to Porzingis are very similar on offense but Zinger is the far better defender.

KP is a better shot blocker / rim defender.  I don't think either is all that special on the perimeter or defending in space.

Zinger gets those chase down blocks often when his man gets by him.

[Vermont Green]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Towns to Porzingis are very similar on offense but Zinger is the far better defender.

I don't think anyone would have said this a year ago.  I would not be surprised if Towns, on the Knicks, is fairly equal to Porzingis on defense overall.  Maybe less blocks for Towns but a little better on the perimeter or going head to head with quicker bigs.  Both are lumbering bigs who have some defensive issues but both are long and athletic enough if they put the effort in.

[Neurotic Guy]

I think comparing Towns to Porzingis is the right comparison.  KAT is NY's #2 and KP is our #3, but they have similar roles as scoring big men that stretch the floor.  They can both take over games, but are unlikely to take over a series. 

With NY, they only scare me if Brunson is going supernova consistently, and they're dominant on the boards.  If we're healthy I like our chances.

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

Towns to Porzingis are very similar on offense but Zinger is the far better defender.

I don't think anyone would have said this a year ago.  I would not be surprised if Towns, on the Knicks, is fairly equal to Porzingis on defense overall.  Maybe less blocks for Towns but a little better on the perimeter or going head to head with quicker bigs.  Both are lumbering bigs who have some defensive issues but both are long and athletic enough if they put the effort in.

Effort.  Effort was not an issue when KP was on the floor last season.  Effort, at least as it seems, has sometimes been an issue for KAT.  I expect that the culture of the Knicks would be a very positive influence on the effort piece for KAT.  But, almost like Embiid, I've seen KAT fade later in games (small sample size) and rely more on his long-distance shooting than inside game, and may be an indicator of lethargy.  He just looks disengaged sometimes, but maybe that's not actually the case, IDK. 

[bdm860]

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

I really thought going hard after Brunson and making him their centerpiece was a big mistake. That was setting them up for nothing but mid-tier, low-end playoff team status for the foreseeable future, at best. Ben Gordon to the Pistons, Fred VanVleet to the Rockets, something like that. This is just the Knicks being incompetent as usual.

Not looking like one of my better takes (though to be fair they have been beaten in the 2nd round by a lower seed each year, that's the upper limits of mid-tier in my book!).

But ya they're looking like a contender, and from basically nothing. Leon Rose front runner for Exec of the Year?

[Vermont Green]

But, hat tip to their management.  Over the past two seasons they have built a contender out of nowhere.

I really thought going hard after Brunson and making him their centerpiece was a big mistake. That was setting them up for nothing but mid-tier, low-end playoff team status for the foreseeable future, at best. Ben Gordon to the Pistons, Fred VanVleet to the Rockets, something like that. This is just the Knicks being incompetent as usual.

Not looking like one of my better takes (though to be fair they have been beaten in the 2nd round by a lower seed each year, that's the upper limits of mid-tier in my book!).

But ya they're looking like a contender, and from basically nothing. Leon Rose front runner for Exec of the Year?

Brunson surprised me as well.  I never would have expected him to be THIS good.  Of all the moves by the Knicks, this one was the key, the most unexpected.  I don't think very many of the scouting pros and GMs realized Brunson could be this good.  Great get by the Knicks.

To me, he is now in that tier of players that includes the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and maybe some others.  It is kind of TBD to see how far a small but effective player, not named Steph Curry, can take a team.  Brunson is going to have a lot around him this year, we'll see what he can do with it.

[Surferdad]

Definitely some swiss cheese on the NYK roster now. Towns is a mediocre defender and Brunson is undersized on defense. Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges is worse wing pair than JT/JB by a big margin. Knicks bench is weaker with DD gone.

[PAOBoston]

Definitely some swiss cheese on the NYK roster now. Towns is a mediocre defender and Brunson is undersized on defense. Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges is worse wing pair than JT/JB by a big margin. Knicks bench is weaker with DD gone.

Don?t forget OG too. They definitely improved their wings with Bridges and OG.

[Vermont Green]

I don?t think any of the Knicks are as good defensively than the Celtics.  Holiday and White are better than Brunson and Hart.  Brown and Tatum are better than Bridges and Anunoby. Porzingis is maybe a hat better than Towns. That is the real edge the Celtics have. 

[Phantom255x]

Ultimately I think the Knicks realize that they'll have to contend against the likes of Giannis, Embiid, Turner, J. Allen, Bam and Porzingis (as well as tall forwards like Banchero, Paul George, etc.) and they felt they needed to make the move. Randle just isn't a traditional center and he's certainly not locking down guys like Embiid, plus Robinson is hurt to start the year. They were thin at center and were likely going to get picked apart in the interior (both rebounding and inside scoring)

[Roy H.]

I don?t think any of the Knicks are as good defensively than the Celtics.  Holiday and White are better than Brunson and Hart.  Brown and Tatum are better than Bridges and Anunoby. Porzingis is maybe a hat better than Towns. That is the real edge the Celtics have.

Regarding the bolded, we obviously haven't seen the Knicks pair together yet, but I think they have the potential to be as good as, or even better than the Jays defensively.  They're just nowhere as good on the other end.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Hartenstein and Divincenzo were KEY players they lost.