Off-Season Interviews: New York Knicks
Jul 14, 2022 16:44:41 GMT -5
Golden State Warriors (Caleb), Grizzlies GM (Royce), and 4 more like this
Post by The Athletic on Jul 14, 2022 16:44:41 GMT -5
--New York, NY We’re headed to the big Apple today for an interview with Jalaj Sood. Jalaj now has 2 years under his belt at the helm of the Knicks and he’s already seen the highs and lows that can come with being a GM of a franchise. His debut was bittersweet as a magical regular season led to a 2 seed but the Knicks ultimately were sent home by the 7 seeded wizards. The Knicks followed that up by surprisingly missing the playoffs leaving them at a critical juncture. This off-season the Knicks reloaded adding LeBron and Bradley Beal among others to an already awesome core. Let’s check in on the Soodster and see how he’s doing
Hey Soodster glad you have you here bro- I think first off I wanna ask what your thoughts were on last season? How do you feel it went and what did you learn?
Whaddup bro! Last season was tough especially because I went in thinking I had a really nice team and it didn’t really meet expectations. I think year 1 really spoiled me because I undervalued how important having good depth was and threw all my eggs into a couple baskets which didn’t all workout. I thought I made the right decision mid year pivoting off my current players towards a younger group of guys like Vassell, Cole Anthony, Nowell, and Bridges. Overall, I think the biggest lesson I learned was youth is king in here and if you have enough solid young players on your team you can always pivot towards a win-now campaign. People value young proven players over picks.
Obviously the Miles Bridges situation is really tough. At what point did you think shit I really may actually have to pivot here?
This was an ass situation man. To answer the question though, I was thinking about moving on pretty soon after the full story was released. I wanna start this part by saying I hope Miles and his wife both get some help and that Miles has a redemption arc in the NBA. I had envisioned Miles as a building block for the future for me so trading him was an insanely tough decision and honestly broke my heart a little. For me the decision to part ways with him had a lot to do with the fact that I had just invested into a 37 year old Lebron James who it’s pretty much now or never with. Paul George isn’t getting any younger either.
Adam Silver comes across as the most progressive sports commissioner across American sports leagues and having recently seen Trevor Bauer’s suspension and Deshaun Watson’s looming suspension I thought it was fair to assume Miles would miss if not the whole year a good chunk of the year. I also feel like on some fundamental level I’d lost my faith in Miles and no longer trusted him to be a reliable asset down the road. If I’m feeling this way as a Miles owner, I don’t think its insane to think NBA teams and the Hornets themselves could be feeling the same way, which could make it hard for Miles to come back to the usage levels he was at pre this news.
Could this turn into a really bad move for me? Of course! Miles Bridges on the basketball court is hands down one of the most talented under 25 year old players in the NBA. But getting a solid replacement in Tobias was something I couldn’t turn down so I didn’t really wait too long to pull the plug once the offer was on the table.
Coming into the off-season what were your primary goals for building this roster?
I honestly didn’t come into this off season thinking I was going to make an all out title push. I added Beal and expected to go into the year with a solid team that would make the playoffs but also have a lot of young talent. But then Lebron James was dangled in front of me and how could I not pounce at an opportunity to challenge the Bucks and own the GOAT for his last few years? After acquiring him it was just all about how can I get the best depth around my core 5-6 guys to be an actual threat to Milwaukee. Depth is so insanely important man!
What can you say about the players you signed this off season and what you liked about them enough to bring them to New York?
This is interesting because I really didn’t have any idea I would be bringing big Nerlens Noel to the big apple. I know he’s had his injury concerns these past few years but given the market of FAs around him I was a little surprised to get him so cheap. Noel is a solid defensive big that only needs 15-20 mins a game to be impactful in my opinion. So, I’m really stoked about bringing him in.
Jock the cock reunion is mostly just a fun dart throw! I found it interesting that the suns traded for him and feel like the backup C spot in PHX is going to be a battle between Bismack and Jock. I think the cock’s got a solid chance of winning out just with the extra spacing he’s gonna provide.
David Duke impressed me mightily last year when he was forced into action with all the nets covid issues. He’s a defensive guard who is a menace on the boards and also seems to have worked on his offensive game too. He’s been dominant this summer league and I’m hyped to see what he can do in Brooklyn this year once Ky and KD have been shipped out. I’m not delusional though and realize he could do absolutely nothing lmaoo.
Hoping to maybe add another backup Point Guard in the near future too. We still a work in progress!!
What is the expectation for this team as you head into this year?
Its championship or bust for me bro. I know it’s a high expectation to set and 1 and done playoffs are hell but gotta aim as high as possible ya know. As for individual players, I’m hoping for big breakout years from Vassell and Trey Murphy. Need Philadelphia 76ers (Chris) (Spurs) in discord man so we can hype up Devin together. Dev Dev should have all the opportunity he wants in San Antonio without Dejounte and Trigga has looked insanely impressive in summer league/end of last year. He’s gonna be the perfect fit around NOLA’s core, not needing the ball in his hands to make an impact. There are also rumors he’s grown taller this offseason 👀.
You have a really nasty core... Is there any player in particular that you hope is a Knicks lifer?
The Big Homie! Paul George is my longest tenured player and unless someone blows me out the water with an offer for him I can really see him being a Knick Lifer. Every time I even talk about him in trades I end up watching PG highlights on YouTube and get bricked up on how insane his bag is on offense. That combo of athleticism and pure skill is really rare and I think PG gets unfairly maligned for how freaking amazing he actually is. I legit got his jersey hanging up on my walls, so it would be a crazy day indeed if we saw big homie moving out of the big apple.
If you could eliminate one other franchise in the playoffs this year who would it be and why?
In the east it’s all about beating the Bucks man. They run this shit until someone beats them, so gotta give them their due respect. Unlike previous years though, it feels like the first year where the Bucks roster isn’t OP from top to bottom so I’m liking the chances. Wouldn’t mind another run at the Octopus too. Need to get him back for slapping me with his shlong 2 seasons ago.
Beating Chuckster in a playoff series or Sanj would also hit pretty hard.
Hey Soodster glad you have you here bro- I think first off I wanna ask what your thoughts were on last season? How do you feel it went and what did you learn?
Whaddup bro! Last season was tough especially because I went in thinking I had a really nice team and it didn’t really meet expectations. I think year 1 really spoiled me because I undervalued how important having good depth was and threw all my eggs into a couple baskets which didn’t all workout. I thought I made the right decision mid year pivoting off my current players towards a younger group of guys like Vassell, Cole Anthony, Nowell, and Bridges. Overall, I think the biggest lesson I learned was youth is king in here and if you have enough solid young players on your team you can always pivot towards a win-now campaign. People value young proven players over picks.
Obviously the Miles Bridges situation is really tough. At what point did you think shit I really may actually have to pivot here?
This was an ass situation man. To answer the question though, I was thinking about moving on pretty soon after the full story was released. I wanna start this part by saying I hope Miles and his wife both get some help and that Miles has a redemption arc in the NBA. I had envisioned Miles as a building block for the future for me so trading him was an insanely tough decision and honestly broke my heart a little. For me the decision to part ways with him had a lot to do with the fact that I had just invested into a 37 year old Lebron James who it’s pretty much now or never with. Paul George isn’t getting any younger either.
Adam Silver comes across as the most progressive sports commissioner across American sports leagues and having recently seen Trevor Bauer’s suspension and Deshaun Watson’s looming suspension I thought it was fair to assume Miles would miss if not the whole year a good chunk of the year. I also feel like on some fundamental level I’d lost my faith in Miles and no longer trusted him to be a reliable asset down the road. If I’m feeling this way as a Miles owner, I don’t think its insane to think NBA teams and the Hornets themselves could be feeling the same way, which could make it hard for Miles to come back to the usage levels he was at pre this news.
Could this turn into a really bad move for me? Of course! Miles Bridges on the basketball court is hands down one of the most talented under 25 year old players in the NBA. But getting a solid replacement in Tobias was something I couldn’t turn down so I didn’t really wait too long to pull the plug once the offer was on the table.
Coming into the off-season what were your primary goals for building this roster?
I honestly didn’t come into this off season thinking I was going to make an all out title push. I added Beal and expected to go into the year with a solid team that would make the playoffs but also have a lot of young talent. But then Lebron James was dangled in front of me and how could I not pounce at an opportunity to challenge the Bucks and own the GOAT for his last few years? After acquiring him it was just all about how can I get the best depth around my core 5-6 guys to be an actual threat to Milwaukee. Depth is so insanely important man!
What can you say about the players you signed this off season and what you liked about them enough to bring them to New York?
This is interesting because I really didn’t have any idea I would be bringing big Nerlens Noel to the big apple. I know he’s had his injury concerns these past few years but given the market of FAs around him I was a little surprised to get him so cheap. Noel is a solid defensive big that only needs 15-20 mins a game to be impactful in my opinion. So, I’m really stoked about bringing him in.
Jock the cock reunion is mostly just a fun dart throw! I found it interesting that the suns traded for him and feel like the backup C spot in PHX is going to be a battle between Bismack and Jock. I think the cock’s got a solid chance of winning out just with the extra spacing he’s gonna provide.
David Duke impressed me mightily last year when he was forced into action with all the nets covid issues. He’s a defensive guard who is a menace on the boards and also seems to have worked on his offensive game too. He’s been dominant this summer league and I’m hyped to see what he can do in Brooklyn this year once Ky and KD have been shipped out. I’m not delusional though and realize he could do absolutely nothing lmaoo.
Hoping to maybe add another backup Point Guard in the near future too. We still a work in progress!!
What is the expectation for this team as you head into this year?
Its championship or bust for me bro. I know it’s a high expectation to set and 1 and done playoffs are hell but gotta aim as high as possible ya know. As for individual players, I’m hoping for big breakout years from Vassell and Trey Murphy. Need Philadelphia 76ers (Chris) (Spurs) in discord man so we can hype up Devin together. Dev Dev should have all the opportunity he wants in San Antonio without Dejounte and Trigga has looked insanely impressive in summer league/end of last year. He’s gonna be the perfect fit around NOLA’s core, not needing the ball in his hands to make an impact. There are also rumors he’s grown taller this offseason 👀.
You have a really nasty core... Is there any player in particular that you hope is a Knicks lifer?
The Big Homie! Paul George is my longest tenured player and unless someone blows me out the water with an offer for him I can really see him being a Knick Lifer. Every time I even talk about him in trades I end up watching PG highlights on YouTube and get bricked up on how insane his bag is on offense. That combo of athleticism and pure skill is really rare and I think PG gets unfairly maligned for how freaking amazing he actually is. I legit got his jersey hanging up on my walls, so it would be a crazy day indeed if we saw big homie moving out of the big apple.
If you could eliminate one other franchise in the playoffs this year who would it be and why?
In the east it’s all about beating the Bucks man. They run this shit until someone beats them, so gotta give them their due respect. Unlike previous years though, it feels like the first year where the Bucks roster isn’t OP from top to bottom so I’m liking the chances. Wouldn’t mind another run at the Octopus too. Need to get him back for slapping me with his shlong 2 seasons ago.
Beating Chuckster in a playoff series or Sanj would also hit pretty hard.