Knicks' Biggest Unknowns Entering The Season | NY Got Game

What's good everybody? Welcome back to another edition of New York. I came Dexter Henry alongside my guy, Brian Fonseca. Nope, moving along. We are here late in August dog days of summer training camp. As I keep saying, it's getting closer. It's crazy crazy. We're getting closer to training camp as the time goes on, but we're going to do something on this episode. We are going to look at the three biggest unknowns for the Knicks heading into the 2026-2027 season. We went through the schedule. We've talked about that. Now we want to talk about the three biggest unknowns. So what Brian and I did is we came up with a consensus of our three biggest unknowns and it wasn't even much of a debate from us. We did this pretty quickly, like pretty pretty quickly. We're like, okay, there's this and we're going to talk about it. It really wasn't that deep, but I think they're all good things that fans will enjoy. They would probably expect us to talk about here. That's not that shocking. So with that being said, let's get into it. Unknown number one and we've been talking about this all off season long and the fans will also and I think the fans this they've been very fixated on this and for good reason. This is not we haven't ranked this in any way. I do think this is the biggest thing fans are going to want to talk about going to the season and that is the backup center position. Now the question for me to unknown for me with the back center position. Brian is can Andre Drummond defend well enough to be the answer at the back of center position because look if we're keeping it a buck here. And we always going from Mitchell Robinson to Andre Drummond. Okay, and I'm says a lot of people wanted Mitchell Robinson back one of the team to go in the second apron didn't doesn't happen. Whatever, right? But I think going from Mitchell Robinson to Andre Drummond has is a downgrade. I don't think I'm going on a stretch defensively for the most part is a downgrade. This is a deep Knicks roster backup center is now to me the clearest weakness on this roster clearest weakness on this roster. I don't I don't think that there's really much of a debate for that. Yeah, it could be that or the size that guard is really the other thing the thing is and maybe it's matchups and stuff. You saw them survive that yeah, not specific to Brunson, by the way, right more. So the back of the back of the jammed and deuce guys like that, right Alvarado, but I agree is the is backup center. Look, we're going to talk about Mitch is not here anymore. We're going to talk about it. He gave the Knicks room protection. He gave them switch ability on defense. Rebounding also rebounding even more so on the offensive glass. Yeah, you know, it's one thing Knicks had at the five, right? You had an elite offensive rebound in Mitchell Robinson and an elite defensive rebounder in Carlton Towns, right? And Miss Robinson's a good defensive rebounder too, but you had both those things at the stage of his career that Andre Drummond is my thing is he can't replicate any of that. Now, we've talked about this and I talked about this in one segment in New York. I can't forget which one is we did a Texas clipboard and I said, you're not asking him to actually be Mitchell Robinson. Like Andre Drummond can't do that. You ask him to do certain things that he can do to hold down 12 to 15 minutes at a minimum. Hopefully doesn't always work like that during the regular season, right? I think the most important question I have for you here to discuss this is does Andre Drummond have to replace Mitchell Robinson or does he just have to like what I really think and I've been saying this for a while keep that seat warm till they can upgrade what for his own sake. He has to do the former not the latter because if he does the latter, you don't know how much longer you're going to have a job if that's the case. So I think that for his career to continue to extend because we're 15 years in with Andre Drummond at this point or about to be 15 years in with Andre Drummond at this point in 2012 draft also came out very young. The offensive rebounding for his career is obviously very good comparable to Mitchell Robinson. Although in recent years, Mitchell Robinson's been better like even per 100 possessions as offensive rebounding was better than Mitchell Robinson last better than Andre Drummond last year was at 10.6 and led the league at that, you know per 100 possessions 10.6 offensive rebounds, which is a stupid number and then Andre Drummond was at 7.8 Mitchell Robinson was better the year before also and last year is more significant because he actually played more of the season than he did previously like Mitchell Robinson actually played 60 games Andre Drummond 63. So about the same and I think the main thing Andre Drummond needs to do is keep a job and keep a job on the floor not to stay on the roster. So whatever it is, whether it's just adding the rim protection because I think the rebounding is going to be there. It's always been there for him whether it's going to be adding the rim protection whether it's going to be adding a quality rim protection as mentioned. I think the offense, you know, if he's an effective roller if he's effective at finishing that's great. I think that's most important is finishing plays rolling passing out of double teams. If the double team comes I don't think he's going to see a lot of double teams though. And I know the corner three is fun. But again, it's just I don't think it's going to be super impactful unless he's hitting like a stupid amount of them because ultimately whenever he's on the floor, he's likely going to be option number five for the offense for at best and other teams no matter how many threes Andre Drummond is making they're going to be like, okay continue to make this three because that means the ball is not in the hands of Jalen Brunson or Mikael Bridges or OG Ananobi or Jose Alvarado or Deuce McBride or anybody like any of the guys who you really fear from three-point range and you really fear just from a ball creation perspective. You're not worried about that for Andre Drummond. So like if he wants to shoot 11 corner threes any other team is going to be like knock yourself out. Good luck to you. If you make four of them like that's really it. Yeah, and it's not you've been saying this all summer not something you want to bank on. I think you brought up the rim protection the thing for me defensively when you look at last season, I just pull this up and I don't individual defensive rating. I'm only throwing this out for context because sometimes this so much of it has to do with who you play with is very imperfect. So it's not a perfect stab individually at Drummond had a 113.6 defensive rating individually Mitch 109.9 Drummond hasn't posted a defensive rating below a hundred ten since 2019 2020 that is a long time ago. Okay. Now again, some of this depends on who you play with and his worst two years were the last two in that Metro. Right? So it's pretty much his defense has not his impact on defense what I'll say. Yeah individually has shown to go down. Here's my concern a little bit with Andre Drummond and why I think this is such an unknown. All we have to do is look to the last playoff series with the Knicks play the Sixers. Nick swept the Sixers. The Knicks kind of showed the league the blueprint on how to attack Andre Drummond, you know what I mean? It's a thing. It's like they showed and Joel Embiid too because he was also getting cooked the Knicks showed the blueprint on how to do it and other teams have now seen this and they're going to do it too. And now the Knicks are going to be like we have to deal with it. You had such a great Luxury and having Mitch Robinson come off the branch and know the teams couldn't attack you like that. It was to degree some Luxury that Carthy Towns defended as well as he did throughout the postseason. So you weren't really getting torn up for lack of a better term when it came to people trying to attack your centers. Yeah. So for me what a conversation gets interesting is like, all right, well when a playoff opponent and this is what we got to talk about because the regular season is one thing playoffs or another thing when a playoff opponent sees Andre Drummond, are they looking at him the same way the Knicks did last year where it's like that's food. That's how the Knicks were looking at him last year. You know who will Philly team that he just came from. They knew this Tyrese Max is going to be like come here. Let me get you in space VJS comb at like any any one of the guys who you really fear quote-unquote because I know Knicks fans will say like, oh they don't fear anybody which I get it. I wouldn't fear anybody either. You just want a championship, but there's going to be matchup problems all over the place and you felt better about Mitchell Robinson in space. Although, you know that that wasn't always perfect at times. It's never going to be with a big but like you felt better about him in space because you've seen what he can do in terms of his recovery in terms of being able to read defenses and process things and just get to get to spots before, you know, other players. Whereas Andre Drummond, it's a little more mechanical. We'll say yeah at the stage of his career. I think good teams are going to put him in action time and time again, which begs the question. How soon do you have to upgrade this? I think you're going to have to upgrade this. It's how soon I've said to sound so like it's a sound so like messed up, but it's the game is the game. This is what it here's it. Like am I but am I believing that Andre Drummond will somehow significantly get better guarding in space by the time we get to this point next year? No, I think this is why I keep saying I just think he's got to hold down the fort till the Knicks can look at upgrades. Now what you hope is in October and November and most of December that it just doesn't look so bad where you're like whoo. We got to we got to do something like immediately, right? Because I think he just needs to be playable, right? So and it's how long is the playability, right? Are we talking like I said, 12 to 15 minutes. Can Mike Brown protect him 12 to 15? You'll take you'll take that. You'll take as long as he's solid and he's not, you know, traffic cone out there and he's doing what he's supposed to finishing around the rim rebounding. He's effective as a pick and roll partner. He's effective, you know, just you actually getting offensive rebounds similar to Mitchell Robinson. Like can he keep that element of the team because that's an important element of the team to have coming off the bench. That's a good point because it's like does the rebound the rebounding ability which he still has and still is really good at does that compensate for what he might give up on the defensive end? Yeah, because Mitchell Robinson used that to compensate for the fact that you couldn't give him the ball on offense, right? Right. So if he can do that, then that's that's fine. I think it is what we're talking about is Andre Drummond a regular season answer for you, but the way the Knicks are coming off a championship. You are thinking about May June main June. This was you the April main June. This is what you're thinking about. And when I think about that, I'm like I have concerns. And I think the bigger concern for me is what happens when cats not if cats gets hurt what happens if cat gets hurt if cat is hurt who and you're asking which has happened before like he's right. He's he's had injuries in the past and you're asking him to play 25 or 30 minutes. Do you feel good about that? I mean if you're asking me no to be clear. I was really I mean, yeah, slightly rhetorical question. But yeah, and then I'm thinking about like yeah, and and and and the Knicks know this which is the key which we should end on right the Knicks know this because we saw them try like the even me see rumors and try to get Musashi say and you could see the type of players that they're looking for. We've talked about Nick Richards in the past. Although it appears that the heat I don't know if they're signing him, but he was working out with them practicing with their players and wearing would look to be team-issued gear. So he might be off the board by the time we finish this who knows but with with with the other Center spot if you're looking to fill it out, I do think the the mentality makes sense of like a Musashi say even me see where they're trying to look young. They're trying to look for upside which is how I think you should want to push this backup Center spot. Like you're trying to be like looking for upside in that way. You have the six second round picks, which I think I would I would bet that if the me see negotiations went anywhere. All of those picks were not on the table. I'm sure of that because it's just a ridiculous number of second round picks. But how many will it take to get to get that done? And I think that's ultimately what it's going to be. It's like you're going to cash in those second round picks probably on a backup Center spot unless Andre Drummond is good enough to where you feel like hey, maybe the third string guy could be a two-way but then again, you know what happens if somebody goes down. So I think whether it's before training camp or whether it's before the trade that line like I have no doubt. They're going to fortify that spot. I do think that there will be an urgency there. If Andre Drummond doesn't look great. Basically by Thanksgiving people will be pointing it out and people will be writing to us like yeah, this this needs to change because they're used to Mitchell Robinson who was maybe the best backup Center in the NBA. Yeah. I mean, yeah, look this is going to come down to the line. We'll wrap and move to the next one. I agree with you. The Knicks know this. Leon Rose knows this. Yeah, it's a matter of do they think that it's two things. One. Do they believe that he can play in a playoff game and give you 12 to 15 minutes and hold up defensively. They do not to change everything you're doing defensively around him. That's one. If they don't believe that then the other thing is okay. Is this somebody that can just get us to 50 games of the regular season before we really have to make right, right, and the two things kind of go together because if you feel like the person's just a regular season player to get you through. Then you will have to also answer what you need to do for the postseason. It's going to happen any either way. I think so too. There's regular season players and postseason players and I think where Andre Drummond is and what we saw the Knicks do to him last year. Yeah, regular season play. We'll see. Yeah, but yeah, I hope I'm wrong. I yeah, and that's the thing too. I think I think the the mind is willing the IQ is there. I do is the is the body still able. That's more the thing. This is not an effort thing. I think with Andre Drummond. I don't think so either. It's more of a mind to physical thing. And yes, I'm not, you know, saying Andre Drummond is but he's not also terrible. It's just to the level of what you're going to need in the postseason. That is a different thing of what I'm talking 33 entering year 15 967 games in the NBA in his career. And if you add in playoff games, then yeah, you're looking at about around a thousand actually around a thousand career performance. Listen, I do think there's value on him. I think he's motivated. Come back to New York, but I do think him in the back of five and how he can defend is absolutely huge. I know. All right, unknown. Number two surrounds a captain Jalen Brunson underwent surgery on his wrist when I spoke with Jalen Brunson in an interview that we had last week. He told me, you know, everything was going fine with his rehab. He did admit to it being frustrating, you know, not being able to do the things he generally wants to do in terms that which I can totally understand. This is on the shooting wrist. Now, if there is anybody that I'm not necessarily worried about in terms of coming back from something like this. It's Jalen Brunson just his mentality, but he's not doing basketball activities right now. He will be able to resume that later in the summer probably into next month. He's expected where recovery period was what two months by the day that he was expected. Yeah, so he's he should be ready for the season to be ready for the start of the season and really camp but but there is a difference between being medically cleared and then Brunson being Brunson. That is a difference and I think we should probably and I know some people lack it out there, but be patient with that. However, everybody's going to I think there's going to be a lot of say everybody but there's going to be a lot of focus Brian on. Okay. Is he going to be ready for opening night should be ready for October 20th and he'll be there for ring night batter night the whole thing. Yeah and training camp, but here's what I'm more interested in. Will the wrist you just had surgery on be able to withstand another 82 game season and what Knicks fans also will think likely a very long playoff run and a lot of these a lot of this over and over and over draws fouls. Yep. He's somebody does that that is the unknown to me, right? A lot. Look, I forgot who I was talking to about this recently around something with the injury in sports. Somebody I talked to and we were talking about how yeah, a lot of times people think like, oh, yeah, you're just going to come back. Sorry. It was with my co-host on Liberty Lady Manley Kenny. We were talking about coming back from injuries and people just think okay, the Liberty knows something about that this right? You're just going to come back and it's going to be smooth and it's like no, it takes time. It takes confidence, especially after a surgery, right? Like let's not overlook that right when you have surgery. You got to get confident stuff. I've just got confident back with my walking with my Achilles just confident when I'm moving and I'm feeling good and I'm not even trying to hoop anymore. We're tired. Yeah, but that's the thing for me, right? And I think the Knicks generally the way they've handled things with their medical staff. They understand they don't need Brunson to be Brunson in October. They need Brunson to be Brunson when it matters when the playoffs come around. April, May, and June. So how does he go through the season? Do they monitor with him? Do they take it easy with him? Do they, you know, rest him so he doesn't have so much of a load? I'm wondering how they handle Brunson and how ready he will be to hold up. How will his shooting wrist hold up? Which is still amazing. He dropped 45 for the injured wrist in game five, but how will that hold up? Just adds to this legend. How will that hold up for him as you go through the season? That's a big unknown for me. How you feel about that? I did pull some recent wrist injuries. I love this. I love recent injury comparison. Yeah, the not great one was Jalen Williams from last year. Now that lingered and then he ended up developing a hamstring issue, which really lingered and he kind of had a lost season last year. Yeah, you can say that. I mean and really is the main reason OKC probably didn't get back to the finals was Jalen Williams being just so up and down with the injuries. And then obviously throwing AJ Mitchell on top of that and it was just too hard to overcome San Antonio in that seven game series and they were still a really good team in spite of that, which is crazy. Jalen Brown had a wrist injury a serious one in 2021. He ended up coming back from that. He also said the wrist surgery was frustrating which or the rehab process rather was frustrating. Bradley Beal had a wrist injury in 2022. That's another one where and this is Bradley Beal still like at his peak toward the end of his peak, you know before he ends up getting traded to Phoenix before he ends up asking out or what have you. He was still a Washington at the time. So he was still like scoring Bradley Beal, but he actually I wouldn't say he was quite the same after that. Although that could have also been that not that I'm talking about somebody's death, but that could also be natural causes because of the stage of his career that he was entering. Which is not irrelevant here given that Jalen Brunson's turning 30 in less than two weeks from when we're talking about this as a smaller guard who you know, the herky-jerky movements the the torque the amount of pressure he puts on his muscles to make all of these different moves how creative he is how much he has to do offensively high usage. Like, you know, that's we've talked about that sort of aging and then you add in this wrist surgery on top of it not to mention all the times. We've seen him roll an ankle or sprain an ankle like during a game still finish. But like how many of these things are you going to continue to fight through right? So and Stephen Curry had one. I don't remember if it was his hand or his wrist in 2019. Remember where he barely played that season and this was yeah. Yeah, it was it was the hand. He was like in and out and then played like five games. Clay Thompson was also injured. Draymond Green didn't give a ----. The Warriors were just tanking at that point and then they ended up getting James Wiseman. So like there's a wide range of outcomes here. We just don't really know and with Brunson to me. It's not just the wrist. It's everything right? I'm watching everything because of everything it takes to be Jalen Brunson and it's like to continue to do that has to be exhausting on the body. So obviously, you know, he's going to take the rehab seriously, you know that he's going to take like everything seriously and preparation for you know, the season but also to your point. How do they sort of get through like is he going to sit some back-to-backs? Is he going to have less of a usage? Is he going to play fewer minutes like or they just going to you know, let him be himself and whatever like how they how they sort of attack this. He's going to want to play. Yes, 100%. He'll want to play every he'll play 82 if he can. Players always want to play and I always feel hate when there's this negative narrative. Excuse me, this negative narrative nagging narrative right around players that don't want to play with load management. But again, I will go back to the point that the Knicks understand that they need him to be optimal Jalen Brunson later in the season and to the playoffs and they need at the beginning of the season. So I do think there's going to be some give-and-take there. Now. I don't want to be all negative because I do think there's something that could kind of be positive here with the fact he had surgery supposed to get better assuming there are no setbacks. No issues. No, nothing. The Knicks could be getting themselves particularly what I'm a healthier Jalen Brunson than they had last year during the championship run. So maybe now you have you especially if you manage the load correctly. Yeah, and if you don't play with your food a lot, right? Right. That's another good point giving him all the rest of your game is supposed to blow people out. You blow them out. Blow them out. Now. I feel like there will be less of those this year because just the way the East is right, right? Yeah, sure. But because he played through discomfort in the playoffs. We just talked about the legendary game 5 that he produced with an injured wrist. You're like and this supposed he went back to game two of the conference finals when he so this includes and that includes remember the game for comeback also. Yes, which he was obviously a big part of so I think optimist if you look into the glass half full you can say, oh, well, he did that with an injured wrist. What can he do? If he's healthy? I don't think that's unfair to think that way if or if some of the load is taken off in this and you're glad he you're glad this is happening now, right? Oh, glad it's offseason surgery as opposed to you know, you remember how dicey a guy when he was injured not last season, but the year before had the mistime, you know, and it was not we were not too far removed from the playoffs at that point. So like if this happened midseason or if this purse back up again, that's where you'd be worried. So I'm not worried about it from that standpoint, you know, I'm not worried either. It's it's different than the drumming unknown though. Yeah, because the drumming unknown you could absolutely go and solve that externally. Yeah, you absolutely go and solve it externally. The Brunson factor like if Brunson's not right, well, then the Knicks are right, right? Like that, that's the thing. So in some ways is more consequential. You could say that but am I worried about it? No, because he strikes me somebody who's going to take his rehab seriously. Yes. I think it's frustrated but it is frustrating. We don't have the motion. You can't do he can't get in the lab and do things. He might want to want to have worked on this summer because he can't have basketball activities, but he's supposed to come back soon. I do think though for him and then we can move on to the third one. I do think getting to the mountaintop and understanding what it takes to get there is a reason. He will be okay with okay. If I need to take a game and he's a game here. He knows what a big goal is this team. I think is going to be hungry to go back to back. That's going to get into our next one and I think he's going to understand what it means long-term the Knicks understand that too. They're not going anywhere without Brunson. They're not going anywhere without the 2026 finals MVP. So the unknown is how's it going to hold up? We don't know. We'll see how it's all going to hold up. But time will tell when you start playing the games. Yeah. Okay. So our last unknown and and Brian, I give Brian a credit because Brian brought this to my attention. I thought it was a good one for me. And it's an obvious one. It's a good one. Will the Knicks have a championship hangover? Will they have a championship hangover? Nobody knows. You don't know how a team is going to respond to winning a championship and let's keep it a buck a historical championship, right? Brian's been harping on this all offseason long. The NBA hasn't had a repeat championship since the Warriors did it in 2017 and 2018. Yeah, right. It's hard to do. That's eight straight seasons without somebody defending the title with there's more parody in the league than ever before. But I do want to say that this Knicks championship if we're really talking about it. I don't want to don't want to well, let me let's do before I get this. I was going to say something else. What is a championship hangover? What does that look like? Like what defines a championship hangover? I feel like if you're just slow out the gate, so we just talked about Brunson's wrist injury. And if that really impacts the team to the point where we're at Christmas and they're not far above 500, then we'll be like, okay, some something's a little bit something's a little bit wonky here. And we actually painted this scenario last year in the event that you know, Mike Brown would be under the gun so to speak because a lot of people had it out for him at the very beginning and we were like, all right, let's wait. Let's give this till Christmas at least before we can talk about it. And you know, obviously things went how they went and he's a champion now, but I think that that's really what it is. It's like you're literally just looking at the wins lost column more than anything else and how they look. Yeah, I mean now I would say none of these teams had like a big hangover other than maybe the Lakers and looking at some of the recent champions because obviously I pulled injuries though. Lakers had injuries and Lakers to and to be fair. We always got to remember this about the bubble Final Four like those teams went two months and in the case of the heat and Lakers less than two months into the next season, like they had no offseason. Basically, you're playing all that basketball every other day basically in the bubble for months straight. He and Lakers were fried going into next year. Lakers lost in the first round. So like in going back to like all the champions from the Raptors Raptors the next year after they won the title and granted didn't have Kawhi anymore. Yes, that's huge. Yeah, they lose around to to the Celtics really good series by the way. Also like 7-7 game series. They lost to them in the bubble Lakers after they lose in the first round to I think that was Phoenix and then Phoenix ended up getting clap all time all time all time. Great Luka performance. Oh, yeah for people who don't think Luka can play in the playoffs, um, Milwaukee the next year. They had some injury stuff. Also honest Giannis and I'm not the best player healthy which goes back to number two. That'll change things and Chris Middleton. Also, that was a big one and they ended up losing to Boston who gets to the finals that year after they beat the heat in another seven game series and then they lose to the Warriors Warriors wouldn't titled Warriors win the title the next year. None of us thought that like that was like an elite championship level team. We just thought like that was a a very smart team who had an all-time great who figured it out one more time. It's like a different type of thing. So their next year their next year. They were like a succeed and you know, they did win in the first round. Yeah, mind you but they things right? Yeah. Yeah, that was that series that seven game series and then they lost to the Lakers. Denver wins the title. We remember what happened there. They obviously lose to Minnesota and then Minnesota lose to Dallas Boston wins the title. We know what happened after that. We were here for that and then OKC won a title. They're the only team actually to get to the conference finals after that's everyone else lost in the second round or early or first round. They all made the playoffs, but they were all out by round two until the Thunder last year who really almost got to the finals, but they ended up losing to the Spurs and to your point. Okay. See probably gets to the finals if they're healthier, but that or check home. And this and but this is a big part of it too. Like I don't I don't want Knicks fans who watch this to be like, oh, so all the Knicks have to do is be healthy. That's kind of the point. It's like right to put because a lot of these teams you're talking about not them just winning a title. Remember what it took to get there for a lot of them, you know, other than the Lakers really who just added LeBron and LeBron actually got hurt the year before they were good when he was there and then they fell off because he finally had like a long-term injury, but the Bucks had different runs like they had gotten to the conference finals. They've gotten to the semifinals. They finally get to the finals then they lose in round two like that's part of it. You know, the Raptors had an entire journey obviously before Kawhi Leonard with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. They kept getting closer and closer, but they couldn't quite get over the hump the Warriors. They had, you know, their championship runs. They crashed back down to Earth, but then they had like another little run and then they ended up winning the title. They regressed after that Boston. They kept coming up short. This was a theme over and over seven game series with the heat that they lost seven game series with the heat that they won. They got to the finals and lost before that. They had multiple runs including one other conference finals years before that were Tatum was a rookie against the Cavs. They lost and then with OKC, obviously they have that run where their top of the Western Conference, but they lose to Dallas and then they end up winning the title and then what happened last year was last year. So these teams are breaking down after these long runs. So that's and this could be part of like the Jalen Brunson wrist surgery. Like this is the thing to watch at that's for that's what so with hangover. It's not just play. It's also the injuries. That's why I like what you said because I think sometimes let's say the Knicks get off to a slow start. They get to December and it's they're barely above 500. Yeah, because you brought that up. Some people 15 and 10. Some people I think they're going to be wrong are going to look at that and say, oh, they're complacent and it's like no, that's to me a very lazy thing to do when you get there because as you just noted with all these different teams, there's so many different things that can go into factors as to why a team may have a championship hangover right or not. It could be yo playing a lot of basketball. This is the most basketball. A lot of these Knicks played the Knicks have had deep playoff runs the last three years. They're going to at least in the conference finals the last two years, right? And you're hoping that this team could do it again that does take his toll on on it. And then this is my other thing. This wasn't a normal championship for the Knicks. It's not normal. They ended a 53-year drought. Think about everything that's happened just since June since they won the title everything that's happened since they won the title, right? The parade was nuts, right? The appearances all the appearances that have been having the interviews guys have done are still happening. So hey catches got married the other day. OG was doing an appearance the other day with Ascensia. Yeah, Ascensia. Mikhail was at the Dominican Day parade, right? Yeah, Josh Hart was just on with our Jenna Limoncelli, right? Brunson Brunson sat down with me, right? You have all these different things everything that's gone around with them. Just being around New York the energy that's been around New York in that Wow, by the way, we have a new slew of contenders and they're working like they're like, they're now they're now you are now the hunted. Right, right, right. That's the thing. It's like it's hard now because you have all these other teams who are good and you could it's just it's there's a reason. Nobody is even getting back to the finals. Now. It's a very difficult thing to do especially in this era and a big part of it are the injuries. Yes, I understand. You have a team you have a guy in your team never gets hurt and Mikhail Bridges, but like aside from him you have guys who have had injuries in the past. You mentioned Jalen Williams with the Thunder you mentioned all this stuff and all those teams you mentioned there was something that happened the Celtics out Celtics might try to go and lean on Tatum, but that series was over before that though. Drew Holliday, Chris Asportingas, Al Horford like they all aged very quickly. This is what you got to the playoffs. This is what happens when you are doing that. I don't think I understand that fans will may want to say there's a standard and they want to chase last year standard of winning and sure that is what you should have and you should feel confident in that but I think how we evaluate what the change of hangover is will be very interesting like talking about that with nuance and context because again, what you just brought up is very possible. You get to Christmas in there a couple games over 500 now would I be panicking and hit the panic button? You know me. I don't hit the panic button. I don't do that especially given what you saw in the play. No, I've seen this. So now I would hope that some of the fans out there wouldn't hit the panic button or come from Mike Brown's job and all this other stuff, but I know some of you guys are going to do that no matter what it's not. It's not going to change. The difference is I think when you put so much of what you put here Brian, it's injuries. It's fatigue. It's the mental toll of doing it is everything that comes around with being New York deep. Let me tell you something and Stefan Bondi said this to me in a video. We did a couple weeks ago. These guys want to win. They're going to be hungry to defend the title. This is a very competitive bunch in that Knicks locker room and I would agree with him a hundred percent and they will be focused that doesn't mean it's why I said don't use the word complacency. That doesn't mean that there cannot be external factors that cause things to maybe make the season not start as smoothly as fans want. And I will also say this who gives a damn if it starts smoothly. You just learned last year. It's about what happens at the end, right? What happens at the end the Knicks what you believe is do they have a winning culture? Do they have winning identity? I would say yes to both of those. Yes, and if they are healthy and ready by the time it comes to the playoffs, I think they'll be fine. So for me whether they get whether they're eight games or nine 10 games about 500 and Christmas or they are three. Am I going to be tripping then? No, maybe if certain things look bad because all the context matters, but I'm not going to be saying oh man is a chance of hangover because one thing I'm just going to say is I don't think this team is going to be complacent. I don't either. Yeah, I think fatigue could be a factor. I think health could be a factor. Yes. Yes to both. But what this had what these teams have whether it's okay see any of these teams have gone before that gives them makes them feel like they have a chance as those would acknowledging that is a very difficult thing to do is continuity and this team is a lot of continuity. They have a lot of adaptability in a head coach. They have a fantastic leader. They have all the tools on paper to defend this title. Will the basketball God smile upon them with the fatigue and the injury? I don't know. That's the big on now. Yeah, I to me legitimately. I think a successful season would be getting back to the conference finals given the history of title defenses in this decade what we've seen like it's just incredibly hard to do like I don't I don't think it's disappointing if they can't win it again and to be clear. I think that there's a chance they could and they enter the season as the favorites in the Eastern Conference to win the Eastern Conference right now, but because of what we just went through and because of how hard how challenging it's been for these other teams and then the external factors and the injuries and the fatigue in this era of basketball where guys are getting hurt more than they ever have you're traveling a lot. You're covering a lot of ground when you're playing which factors into a lot of these injuries and not just the pace but it's also the ground you're covering and being asked to do so many things like I think getting beyond the second round like tip your hat because all these other teams basically got to the second round except for two of them. From the Raptors on and then the Thunder of the first one to get to the conference finals from that point and then injuries are at least in part why they ended up losing and not getting to the finals. The Spurs obviously deserve a ton of credit and all the teams that beat these guys deserve a ton of credit. Oh, absolutely like Minnesota, you know, Miami, New York all the way down not Miami of Boston Boston all the way down, but at the same time, I do think like it's it's just it's a lot to do so. I can't wait to see how they handle it especially because like uniquely the Eastern Conference is going to be deep. It's going to be confusing. It's going to have a lot of teams who really really believe that they can win at a high level like Tyrese Halliburton coming back Philly doing what they did Miami adding Giannis Detroit, you know coming off of one seed season so on and so forth like there's there's there's going to be good teams in the play in this year. Yeah. So this is what the Knicks are going to be up against the Knicks or the Knicks were a team that was circling other teams on the schedule now teams are circling them. On the schedule. I guess the last thing before we get up out of here of these three unknowns that we had which one of this these would scare you the most if we're sitting here and let's say Oh definitely January definitely the last one and it's not and and and you still don't have the answer really don't the last one. Definitely the last don't the answer in January. You would be more scared about that. Definitely the last one because there are things that you can't really control in that if drumming isn't good enough. You have you have the facilities to take care of that. Like you have second round picks. You have some movable deals. Like if you want to pair Colec, you know with something like if you want to pair Colec with draft picks or whomever else not to single out Tyler Colec, but you have avenues to address that like that's the one I'm probably least worried about because I've seen this front office. They're going to exercise exercise every opportunity possible to upgrade their roster and maintain this championship window as we've seen except going into the second apron, but like that's out of the front office's hands Jalen Brunson. I do worry about that's number one for me. That's that's that's like 1a or 1a or so for me, but it's not it's not it's not specific to the wrist. It's everything right? It's just it's just like he's kind of an un he's becoming an unprecedented player if he isn't already so it's like how does this age right? But I also don't think that the rug will get pulled out this season. No, I don't see that but I guess what I would say is the reason I'm actually gonna put the Brunson number one. Yeah, because if he's not right, what's your plan B? Oh, let's be clear. If he's not right, then that's it. Like it's just that's why it's a big like what I'm saying is if you're sitting in January and you're like, I don't have an answer to how Jalen Brunson wrist look but there's nothing you can do, right? That's that's why it's the biggest concern, but to me it's not because there's nothing you can do but to me it's the overall title defense because like there's so many other good teams who I have a lot of respect for where it's like and then the injury and then the injury thing like you just don't know what if there's more unknown there. I guess is my point. I guess what I'm saying is if you're sitting in January and they're a little bit above 500 kind of like you said at Christmas, you can still say to yourself, but it's still time to turn this around. If Brunson's not right in January for some reason. Yeah, the level of concern is to me higher. What's to me the last one is not about it's not specific to a slow start. It's really are they going to be banged up in April? You know what I mean? Oh, so I'm excited. I'm excited. You're saying that even even even just forget the record. Yeah. Yeah, you won't know the answer to that till you get it. I understand what you that is true. You really won't know the answer. It's going to be difficult to like history tells us it's going to be difficult to be healthy even though we have a few teams who were two seeds, but we saw them kind of if not fully flame out in the playoffs have a really difficult time like title defenses are very hard even before this era with the second apron before this era with this level of pace and space before this era of this level of parody and depth around the league. Like it was very difficult to defend titles even back then. Yeah, absolutely. Now it's it's it's I'm I was going to say damn near impossible. It's been impossible for for more than a half decade. I guess the other question here is which of these three do you believe that could prevent the Knicks from winning the championship? Right? Cause like injuries is the obvious thing, right? But you can overcome a championship. Hang on. If Brunson's not right, you're not. Yeah, it's not happening. I think that's why it's the biggest of my concern because it's just what yeah, nobody can overcome losing their franchise player. Nobody but also like what can you do? You know what I mean? Like and that's the thing. It's like I don't I don't know how you like drumming drumming three. I think for both of us because there are things you can do if he's not yet because that's the easiest one. So it's the unknown that you and if he's good great, right? It's the unknown that if there's a problem there are ways to externally fix this the last two though other to know and at least in the immediate future. There's a world in which Brunson's wrist. I'm not saying this. He has to take time to get it. Right. You just don't know how people heal. Yeah, no, you don't know if he reaches it. You don't know in the case of like Jalen Williams where the hamstring goes now and now it's like a multiple right you sometimes overcompensate for injuries blah blah blah blah. You can have that but for me, it's a situation of you may not have the answer to both of one the Brunson and the change of hangover. Yeah, you likely will not have the answer to those so much later in the season. Yeah change of hangover and you that's why you have to give it grace. You need to see where you're at in February March April with those. I agree. That's why I chose January the time. The drumming thing is more urgent because you'll know, you know, we'll know we'll be talking about it. We will know. All right that those are our three biggest unknowns with the Knicks heading into next season. It was very interesting. It's always unknowns heading into a season. We all want to control everything. You can't control everything. That's just life. That's basketball to how it goes. We'll see. Let us know what you think is the biggest unknown of fans always bring some interesting. If you have any ones that we didn't mention, let us know to put those in the comments. Let us know. We will address that on a future mailbag show, which I'm sure we will have coming up pretty soon. That's going to do it for this edition of New York got game. That's my man. Brian Fonseca. I'm Dexter Henry. We'll catch you next time on another edition of New York got game. And thanks for watching New York got game. Boom shakalaka.