Knicks 105, Raptors 94: More questions than answers
The Knicks ended their season with a rousing win over the Raptors powered by Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley’s career nights, setting the table for a key offseason with many unanswered questions.
I considered centering this recap around Eddie Lee Wilkins. Eddie was a Knick sixth-round draft pick in 1984, back when there were 10 rounds. He dazzled in the season opener, scoring 24 points in 27 minutes to go with 10 rebounds. He went on to play 321 more games and reach 20 points only once more, six years later.
Considered Lavor Postell. A second-round pick out of St. John’s in 2000 (a year after New York infamously snubbed another St. John’s star named Ron Artest), Postell didn’t see a lot of action his first two seasons, which may remind you of a current Knick sophomore. Late in his second season, Postell finally got real minutes and put up 20 and 18 in consecutive games after reaching double-figures once in his career. He’d last another 15 games before being out of the league.
Considered the Mets and Nolan Ryan. About a New York franchise sitting on a generational talent but trading him away before he bloomed. Thought about Rod Strickland. How the Knicks at one time had a young and obviously promising guard who showed out for every team he played for. Every team he played for gave him the chance to shine. Except the team that drafted him.
Considered that old MLB adage to never trust what you see in baseball in April and September. In April, too many players are still working into the flow, or they’re held out with injuries, or they’re on new teams or in new leagues; in September, half the teams are prepping or fighting for the playoffs, half are looking ahead to next season, and everyone’s roster expands so much the last month of the season is a whole other league. The Knicks were a combined 8-3 in the first and last month this season. The rest of the year: 29-42.
Considered Linsanity. How humans, not just Knicks fans, aren’t designed to endure paradise. People have been warning us about that for thousands of years. Ancient religions and mythologies are filled with stories of people being unable to look upon the divine or the majesty of heaven, so if your team has a too-good-to-be-true vibe happening, maybe be wary of believing in it too hard. Exhibit A: 2021 Julius Randle vs. 2022 JR.
Considered an analogy about my first love, whose heart I broke, and how a couple years later the universe found an elegant way to break mine. Thought I’d tie it in to learning a lesson too late.
Never did I consider that after all the time and energy invested, I’d find myself with more questions than answers. And that right there is the epitaph of the 2022 Knicks. “More questions than answers.”
Who is the real Randle? Some say this year’s the real deal, that last season was a mirage and the Knicks should move him before his nine-figure extension kicks in next season, especially in light of Obi Toppin doing whatever the opposite of jumping the shark is. Others point out Randle pressed his first season in New York trying to live up to making $19 million a year, and that he very well may have pressed this season trying to live up to making $29 million a year.
Is RJ Barrett worth the rookie max? He’s eligible for a five-year deal worth around $180 million. Which tea leaves are more reliable for predicting RJ’s worth? Twenty-one-year-olds who put up 20, six, and three over a full season and take to leadership as naturally as George S. Patton (RJ seems a bit more soft-spoken) are rare indeed. Over the past two seasons, Barrett’s shot’s been way off for months and can’t-miss for months. His scoring is up, mostly because he took more shots from everywhere, despite his shooting percentage dropping from the field, the line and from deep. Can he take another leap and improve his finishing and dishing on drives? Andrew Wiggins’ max extension was derided by many the moment it happened. Is RJ better than Wiggins was?
Are we any more sure of how to approach Mitchell Robinson’s free agency than we were a year ago? I’m not. Part of me imagines him re-signing for four years and $60 million and immediately realizing I’m relieved to have him back. Robinson remained the team’s most critical defender, and his offensive rebounding now rivals his D as his greatest attribute. Part of me imagines him signing that 4/$60 million deal elsewhere and immediately realizing I’m relieved the Knicks didn’t bring him back. Mitch has attempted as many shots outside the paint in an NBA game as I have, and while the offensive rebounding is an effective counter to the lack of spacing his non-jumper creates, has there been meaningful growth in any other area? The past three seasons, Robinson’s averaged 2.5 screen assists per game, 2.8 and 2.8, creating on average 5.4 points, 5.8 points, and six points. That’s a far cry from Clint Capela, much less Rudy Gobert or Jusuf Nurkić.
If Mitch leaves, what happens in the pivot? This was the sixth time in eight seasons Nerlens Noel has missed 10-plus games, the fourth he’s missed 20-plus, and the second he’s missed 50-plus. That’s not what you’re looking for from a starting center. The summer offers no real game-changers. Mo Bamba is a restricted free agent. Derrick Favors has a player option. Nurkić and Dwight Howard are unrestricted. Any of those names do anything for you?
Ahh – but what about Jericho Sims? The rookie impressed, showing some real flashes of getting it as the season wound down... which, if last season with Toppin is any indication, means Tom Thibodeau will refuse to give Sims meaningful playing time until March 2023. Maybe the answer to this question – not the answer so much as a way to cut the question’s knot – is already on the roster. No, I’m not talking Taj Gibson. Although I did enjoy his play and presence greatly this season.
A young Ludwig van Beethoven made a habit of breaking pianos. The tech of the time wasn’t up for the force of fortissimo fate furnished the young musician. In a dimension where Thibs is God, Beethoven would go on breaking pianos rather than breaking out, because at one point in history the old pianos were good enough. In our reality, technology improved; the instrument rose to the majesty of the performer’s mother tongue. When genius keeps hitting its head on the ceiling, you either raise the ceiling or stop the genius from growing. Exhibit A: Obi.
Toppin is a kinesthetic genius. I don’t recall ever seeing such a human on the Knicks. Ever. There’ve been high-flyers and long-jumpers and flamboyants with flair to spare. Obi’s all that and more. He is without a doubt in the top 1% of the league in leaping to the basket and maneuvering mid-air to avoid charges – all while still finishing the shot. His speed is ridiculous; he’s like Jose Reyes playing basketball. Certain athletes stand apart even from other athletes. Bo Jackson was like that. Vince Carter, too. In some areas, that’s Toppin. He has to play next year. Lots.
Randle’s led the team in points, rebounds and assists the past two seasons, something no Knick ever did before – and while we’re all painfully aware his production was often inefficient in a year that saw him fall from more popular than Erica Kane to less liked than Eric Adams, there’s still something to be said for a guy who takes the ball for 200-plus innings. Especially as you’re bringing along the pitcher you hope ends up being your ace. Randle will probably never be as good as he was in 2021. I think it’s fair to hope he pro’ly won’t have another year as negative as this one. He’s going to play next year. Lots.
Does Thibodeau have a beautiful enough mind to figure out how to blend two ballers he’s mostly avoided mixing? Immanuel Quickley, suddenly a triple-double machine, needs to play, too. What’s the plan for Cam Reddish? Will whoever the Knicks draft, assuming they keep the pick, affect who they go after in free agency? Do this season’s struggles lead Thibodeau to grow in exciting new ways or barricade himself deeper in dogmas? More questions than answers.
P.S. The Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 105-94., finishing the 2021-22 season with a record of 37-45.
