Rob Waichman

[Big Knick Energy @BigKnickEnergy_]

Victor Wembanyama had us all fooled with the Monk bullshit, the chess in the rain, the books, the peaceful aura.

The real version of him showed after losing and its safe to say this man is not built to be the face of the NBA.

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

Participate in the Strategy Guide Contest to win up to 5,000 Polychromes and other rewards!https://t.co/X1XPiA5pdr

[Ian Carroll @IanCarrollShow]

. @TheRoaringKitty is live-streaming for the first time in three years tomorrow!

GameStop price is blowing up even more.

Mainstream media is spinning more lies. Here’s a debunk of all their bullshit, and everything you need to know.

Hype train leaving the station 🚀🚀🚀

[Andrew Tate @Cobratate]

To celebrate the holiday weekend, I’m giving $5,000 to someone random who reposts this post (must be following @Pulte and me so we can dm you if you win!)

[Kris Pursiainen @krispursiainen]

Game, Series, Season: Your Round 2, Game 7 game story for @wfuvsports:

50-32 in a season where Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson missed several months each and OG Anunoby missed extended time after he was acquired around the deadline.

Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks gave the franchise’s faithful supporters their best season in 10 years. The playoffs brought more challenges, that even despite the injuries to Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, the Knicks took head on.

With a 130-109 defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Indiana Pacers, the game, series, and season came to an end as Indiana dribbled it out. That’ll be it for this group.

Brunson left the game in the second half and never returned with a fractured left hand. With both of their Game 7 statuses in question, Anunoby gave the Knicks two threes in five minutes to open the game but never returned and Hart provided 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in his 37 minutes of play before fouling out.

A surprise five-game stretch from Alec Burks helped keep the Knicks afloat throughout all of the injuries, but having just four of the team’s nine rotation players after the trades with Toronto and Detroit left did them in.

In terms of the injuries the squad sustained throughout the season and postseason, both Thibodeau and Brunson were steadfast in their opinion that those are part of the game. Brunson told reporters that the team, "didn't make excuses for anything," and "moved forward with what [they] had."

Indiana shot 67.1% from the floor over the four quarters, good for the highest mark in the the playoffs by any team - ever. For a New York team starting guys who began the season as third-stringers, that was too much to overcome. Leads as large as 20 points dissolved to as little as six, but basketball is a game of runs and Indiana never stopped going on them.

The Garden went through the seven stages of grief throughout the Game 7 loss, starting with shock and denial all the way to acceptance - albeit solemn - as the fans cheered the names of Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Hart to show their appreciation as things wound down. With a little over a minute to go, Thibodeau subbed in Jericho Sims and Daquan Jeffries: his way of getting his rotational players their much deserved rest while waving the white flag.

The team’s “next man up” mentality got them 50 wins, the second seed, and to Game 7 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. But next, next, next, next, next, next man up was a bit too much to ask of the resilient NYK group.

After the game, Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau said that, "in the end, there’s only going to be one happy team. 29 teams fall short. If you give everything you have, you can live with no regret…this team exceeded everybody’s expectations, except probably our own.”

---

New York enters the offseason needing to re-sign OG Anunoby, represented by Leon Rose's son Sam Rose at CAA, and another CAA client in Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein has told media he'd re-up with New York if they matched his highest offer, if it came from somewhere else. The Knicks also have the choice of whether or not to guarantee Bojan Bogdanovic's contract - they'd be able to use their MLE if they did not.

With two first round draft picks at #24 and #25 and the eighth pick in the second round, the team is armed with plenty of draft capital to both add young and cost-controlled contributors as well as to potentially utilize as trade fodder.

Might they trade Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride, and some first round picks for Mikal Bridges to reunite him with his buddies from Villanova? There's plenty of time to theorize which offseason moves Leon Rose & Co. can make, but it's time now to simply just rest & recover and assess what the guys already in the building can do to get better - from players to coaches.

Jalen Brunson is a sure bet to do all three of those things. With his fractured hand sidelining him for the final quarter of the Knicks' season, he'll certainly need some R&R. As far as his on-court focuses in the summer, he made it clear to media after the game that he'll "strive for perfection."

Brunson shocked the world with his improvement in the 2022-23 season. He led the Knicks to the second round. This year, without most of the team's key frontcourt players, he did it again. He averaged 32.4 points per game, including two in which he got hurt and had to leave early. He averaged 7.5 assists per game. He shot 44.4% from the field and 31% from downtown on 6.5 attempts per game.

Brunson and Thibodeau were each asked about extensions, given that both of them are eligble for them this offseason. Brunson interrupted the question, telling the reporter, "Don't talk about that right now." Thibodeau was surprisingly the more verbose of the two, saying that, "the Knicks have been great to [him]" and that New York is "where [he wants] to be."

Along with the unpleasant surprises in regards to the injuries, this season brought plenty of pleasant surprises as well for the Knicks. Donte DiVincenzo taking the starting job from Quentin Grimes and never looking back. Deuce McBride instantly outplaying his 3-year, $13mil extension when tasked with joining the rotation after Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were dealt up North for OG Anunoby. The Knicks winning 26 of the 32 games OG Anunoby played in after adding him to the roster. Isaiah Hartenstein replacing Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup due to his injury and keeping that spot through the postseason. Even Thibodeau leaning on small-ball and Brunson/McBride backcourt lineups.

As mentioned before, New York differs from many other contending teams in that they have a plethora of first round picks left to trade. Instead of teasing superstar names and implying the Knicks *could* make a deal for them, it's easier to say that this Knicks group has an easy path to raising both its floor and its ceiling.

Fans of the New York Knicks can take solace in the team's continued persistence and fight throughout the season. Sure, they could have closed out better on several shots in this Game 7. They could done plenty of things differently throughout the season. All in all, it doesn't mean accepting failure to be proud of the work this group did and how much room they have left to grow.

Jalen Brunson, Tom Thibodeau, and the New York Knicks will be back. They'll likely be better. They certainly aren't done here.

[Andrew Tate @Cobratate]

I’m going to give $10,000 to someone random who reposts this and follows @Pulte and me. We will post proof of payment!

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@pulte $Rwaichman 🙏🏼

[Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins]

Hart was Huge tonight… but that Damn Big Body Brunson with a casual 43 piece wing dinner “spicy” was just special especially in the 4th! Btw in the playoffs he’s leading the league in 4th quarter points. One could argue the best closer in the game!!! Carry the hell on…

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@pulte $Rwaichman 🙏🏼

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@pulte 🤞🏼

[Big Knick Energy @BigKnickEnergy_]

Going for 10 in a row at home against the Lakers.

Jalen Brunson vs Lebron James.

Madison Square Garden

It’s a fucking show 🍿

LETS FUCKING GO 🧡💙🧡💙

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@BrandonTierney @BTandSal @KingJames Hey guys what’re your thoughts on this trade for lebron? I agree that if it costs us anyone of our core pieces then I don’t want him on the team but if we can have him man the second unit which needs some firepower and ball movement then I’d be open to the idea of lebron

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@nyknicks Just give us this. As a Knicks fan, seeing what other teams get as alternate jerseys compared to what we get is just depressing. This concept is fire and would look dope IRL

[SNY Knicks @sny_knicks]

Thoughts on this Radio City Music Hall inspired Knicks holiday jersey?

(via r/NYKnicks, u/tmac6886)

[Big Knick Energy @BigKnickEnergy_]

Our NBA 2K24 giveaway will extend for another 24 hours. If you haven’t entered already, here are the rules:

1.MUST BE FOLLOWING US
2.RETWEET
3.COMMENT YOUR FAVORITE NBA 2K PLAYER EVER

*Winner announced tomorrow 7pm*

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@BigKnickEnergy_ Brunson

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@Tom_Fool_ Always lurking

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@KnicksMuse Knicks, Giants Yankees

[KicksFinder @KicksFinder]

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[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@nyknicks Bring them back!

[Rob Waichman @RobWaichman]

@CallofDuty @InfinityWard can we get Zombies and a Day/Night system in DMZ? 🤞🏼