The Strickland October Mailbag, Part One: Draft ranks, LaMelo threats, and rewriting history
Matthew Miranda dives into your questions in the first ever Strickland Mailbag, tackling draft rankings, LaMelo Ball maneuvers, Obi Toppin’s fit, and rewriting history.
On the importance of homegrown stars for NBA Finals hopefuls (and the Knicks)
Stacy Patton delves into the history of past NBA Finals combatants to try to crack the code on homegrown stars vs. free agent superstars, with an eye on patience for the Knicks.
Macri’s Missives: Point guard pontifications
Jonathan Macri is joined by The Strickland’s own Prez this week to dive head-first into the point guards potentially available to the Knicks in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Free Agent Profile: Joe Harris
Guest contributor Jack Borman breaks down the game of Joe Harris, a sharpshooting wing who could give the Knicks, well, shooting! (Which they’ve sorely missed for years.)
No All-Rookie? No problem: Projecting RJ Barrett’s future
New contributor Derek Reifer lays out the case for RJ Barrett as a core piece after his rookie season, despite a snub from the All-Rookie teams
Draft Profile: Cole Anthony
Prez digs into the game of point guard Cole Anthony, a New York kid whose high school numbers labeled him an elite prospect, but lost a ton of ground in the draft after a lackluster freshman year at North Carolina.
A measured and objective portrait of Knicks Associate Head Coach Johnnie Bryant
Jack Huntley takes a look at Johnnie Bryant, AKA the (All-)Star Maker, the Knicks’ new Associate Head Coach and development guru who has molded a number of young players into All-Stars in recent years.
Operation Killian: Everyone has a PG, So Why is it So Hard To Get One?
Prez and Tyrese London explore different avenues for acquiring a franchise point guard and discuss why Killian Hayes might be the answer for the PG-bereft Knicks.
Macri’s Missives: The Miami Blueprint
Jonathan Macri is joined by Collin Loring, site expert at All You Can Heat, to discuss how the Knicks can emulate the Heat’s organizational success.
Weaponizing the Knicks’ cap space: A Brock Aller fever dream
Shwinnypooh looks at four players the Knicks could sign this offseason that could help them out in the near term, but also provide value down the line as trade chips to send to a contender for sweet, sweet draft picks.
Film review: Keys to the Finals
Dallas Amico takes you on a trip to the NBA Finals (with winning basketball, what a concept!) to examine how the Heat’s offense could break down the Lakers’ defense, and potentially score an upset on basketball’s biggest stage.
Presenting The Strickland’s first mailbag invite
Matthew Miranda kicks off the first edition of the Strickland Mailbag. Click through to submit your questions in the comments!
Takes Time: Are the Knicks all in on Obi Toppin?
Presenting Takes Time, a new rapid reaction series at The Strickland for the biggest Knicks news of the moment. James Marceda and Shwinnypooh lead off by discussing the rumor that the Knicks are supposedly sold on Obi Toppin in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Speed Confuses: A Kira Lewis Jr. discussion
Prez and Theo dive deep on Kira Lewis Jr., attempting to solve why he’s not more highly regarded as a prospect despite drawing praise from a number of experts.
A measured and objective portrait of Knicks VP of Strategy Brock Aller
Jack Huntley details the exploits of Brock “The Diabolical Genius” Aller, the Knicks’ new VP of Strategy and cap guru whose reputation for shrewd and cap-bending moves precedes him.
Draft Profile: Tyrese Haliburton
Prez gets into the game of Tyrese Haliburton, a nominal point guard whose skills more closely resemble that of a shooting guard. Could he be in play for the Knicks?
Macri’s Missives: The trial of Chris Paul
Jonathan Macri is joined by two friends from his former lawyer profession — Yash Manjunath and Bernard Ozarowski — to litigate the trial of the century (or at least this offseason): Should the Knicks trade for Chris Paul?
Wildcard, Wildcat: A closer look at Tyrese Maxey
Prez and Shwinnypooh take a closer look at Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey, and try to project the game of one of the hardest players to project in the 2020 draft.
Assessing the Knicks’ ability to trade up to No. 1 or 2 in the draft
Tyrese London takes a look at the needs of the Timberwolves and the Warriors, and whether the Knicks might have the firepower to make a bid for the No. 1 or 2 pick in the draft.
Draft Profile: Tyrese Maxey
Prez examines Tyrese Maxey, an undersized shooting guard who’s a dogged defender, but who possesses a jump shot that, as of now, is purely theoretical. Could he be the latest in a long line of Kentucky players hiding his true powers?
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OG could be taking a huge leap forward these playoffs — and the Knicks might need him to if they want to reach the next level.