The shorthanded Knicks fell short against the Pelicans while keeping their eyes on bigger prizes down the road. But have they already given up too much in their pursuit of the promised land?

Technically, a basketball game occurred at Madison Square Garden last night.

The Knicks played . . . well, is it possible to be shorter than shorthanded? If I were Matthew Miranda, I’d make up a word (Ed. note: “shorter” is shorter than “shorthanded”!). Or reference the time the Vienna Philharmonic was hit by the flu in 1965 and had to perform without half the orchestra. Unfortunately, I’m not that good. And neither were the Knicks last night.

Playing without five rotation players, New York got obliterated on their home court by the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 115-92. The Pels were without CJ McCollum, but it didn’t matter – partly because the Knicks were at such a talent disadvantage, but also because Trey Murphy stepped in for McCollum and (naturally) had his best game of the season.

If you’re reading this article, first off: hats off to you. I feel a certain kinship with people who share the love I have for this wonderfully maddening franchise. But also, there is a chance you want a full rundown of the intricacies of how exactly the Knicks’ B team got run off the floor by the Pelicans. You want something that actually matters to this franchise going forward. Let’s dive in.

Re-visiting trade number two

The Knicks were playing the second leg of a back-to-back last night. While they narrowly escaped the first with a win, it’s interesting to think how that game could have ended had the Knicks not caught a break. Quentin Grimes scored 14 fourth-quarter points while hounding Jalen Brunson end-to-end defensively. His last 3-pointer gave Detroit its first lead since the first quarter and his final bucket, a high-flying rim-attack we rarely saw in New York, very well could have been the game-winner.

Grimes has been shaky thus far in Detroit, much like he was this year in New York. But the flashes he’s shown over 2.5 seasons in the NBA belie his draft position. An exquisite pick by Leon Rose and company, he’ll likely never become a traditional star, but profiles as a player who can stay on the court next to one and retain 100% of his value. Nothing he brings to the table is taken off of it when other players are excelling, which is exactly what you want in a non-star.

At the time of the trade there was a cloud of uncertainty hovering over it. The vibes in New York were so good that trading a struggling role player wasn’t going to move the proverbial needle. And besides, did the Knicks really need Quentin Grimes? They already had Donte DiVincenzo at home! Three weeks later and there are already murmurs of frustration.

Alec Burks has struggled immensely in his return to New York, including going 1-of-7 from the field last night. And while Bojan Bogdanović has been lights out from beyond the 3-point line (4-of-10 last night, 43.6% overall in New York), his scoring inside the arc has regressed while his defense has been — somehow — worse than advertised. The Knicks have been obliterated defensively with Bogdanovic on the court. surrendering 122.5 points per 100 possessions. Is it panic time?

Not even close.

It takes time to adjust to a new system. And in Burks’ case, he’s been extended far beyond the role he was acquired to fill. In Detroit, over 60% of his field goal attempts were 3-pointers, where he made over 40%. Not only is he now shooting worse, but he’s also shooting fewer threes relative to his overall shot diet. Those numbers will normalize as the Knicks’ rotation does. We won’t truly know the verdict on this trade until we see how Burks and Bogdanović fill in around the Knicks’ healthy starting lineup. In theory, both players can fill multiple positions, and the Knicks created an influx of lineup combinations at their disposal. 

But this has been a nice reminder of how arrogance can potentially dictate your decision-making. Two summers ago, when the Knicks made a series of draft-day moves that would ultimately lead to them signing Jalen Brunson, there were rumors of them having an interest in Jalen Williams. The Knicks could have, in theory, drafted Williams and still signed both Brunson plus Isaiah Hartenstein. But they didn’t. And it was justified by fans and pundits alike, because “Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t have played Williams anyway.” Williams, who has played since day one in Oklahoma City, has been wonderful this season — per estimated plus/minus, he’s been a top-30 player in the NBA at just 22 years old.

I bring this up because similar rationalization has been used to defend Grimes falling out of favor in New York and ultimately being traded. Thibodeau viewed Grimes and DiVincenzo similarly to how he viewed Julius Randle and Obi Toppin during Toppin’s time with the Knicks: their minutes were almost zero sum. Thibodeau didn’t see Grimes as a true small forward and, if possible, didn’t want him sharing the court with DiVincenzo plus another guard. So of course the Knicks had to trade him! He was never going to be maximized in New York anyways.

Maybe this ends up working out. I am not expressing a certainty either way. But I bring this up as a reminder that a trade of one young player for a few veteran rentals is usually made by teams near the finish line. The Knicks have created real expectations for themselves. As I watched their B-team get trounced last night, I was reminded that a big reason Grimes didn’t work was because he was pigeonholed into a single role. If this trade is going to work, Thibodeau needs to capitalize on his roster’s newfound versatility. 

I’m going to continue to say it to anyone who will listen: when healthy, the Knicks have a real shot this season. Their starting lineup was blitzing opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions. It’s not unreasonable for the front office to want to give Thibodeau the best supporting cast possible headed into these playoffs. But it’s important to remember that sacrifices were made to get here. As the playoffs inch closer, the Knicks are running out of time to show their fans that they’re prepared to make this postseason be different.