Jan 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) celebrates with center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
In "Purgatorio," the detailing of Dante's climb up the Mountain of Purgatory, heavenly guides Virgil and Beatrice somehow missed out on the eighth terrace: the 2024-25 New York Knicks.
Many teams would no doubt make meaningful sacrifices to get where the Knicks are entering this week: New York (37-20) firmly resides within the Eastern Conference's top three and has been one of the hottest teams in the new calendar year. The Knicks have two All-Star Game starters (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns) in their premier five and sterling talents like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart next to them.
If this was the NCAA Tournament, the Knicks' resume would be packed with "good" wins: they've dominated Denver, mauled Memphis and Milwaukee, incinerated Indiana, and handled Houston while keeping "bad losses" to a minimum. To that point, the Knicks haven't lost to a team currently stationed outside of its conference's top 10 since Nov. 23 (at Utah).
But with 25 games left on the docket, there is a lingering sense of futility hovering above the Knicks' season: the Knicks are 0-7 against the current Association podium consisting of Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Boston, the teams with the three best record in the NBA. Such struggles took center stage over the weekend, as the Knicks lost consecutive games to Eastern foes Cleveland and Boston, each in handy fashion as their final margins were partly beautified by garbage time.
Until the Knicks find a way to at least be competitive with the Association's finest -- this weekend's couple alone saw them lose a net 50 points -- the rest of this season is going to feel like a funeral march, with a second-round exit serving as the tombstone.
This road to purgatory has been paved with sacrifices, as the Knicks parted ways with names that have come to define the Tom Thibodeau era. On paper, the Knicks can be viewed as a better team for their moving on and president Leon Rose's wheeling and dealing has no doubt propelled the Knicks into a new era of contention after years spent lost in the NBA wilderness.
But since they were able to get the best of these certain squads from time to time, leading to an undoubted aura of "what if" as the potentially inevitable awaits.
The question is, if this is indeed the case, who exactly do the Knicks miss most? The bittersweet power rankings begin below:
The thing to remember about where the Knicks currently stand is that it's a position that many basketball fans -- even Knicks fans of very recent history -- would love nothing more than to be placed in. They handle their ordinary business extraordinarily well (evidenced by their sterling record against subpar competition) and a carry decent hold of the third spot on the active Eastern playoff bracket.
Simultaneously, it's fair to be frustrated; losing in the second round of the playoffs isn't cute anymore, it's no longer a sign of progress. But it's fair to admit that some of the Knicks' bemoaned departures, while rightfully emotional, were indeed addition by subtraction.
Take, for example, the cases of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, respectively traded for the services of Anunoby and Towns. Both were granted a chance at being the Knicks' franchise face in some capacity and each handled the opportunity fairly well, but it was clear neither was going to be a major cog in a championship machine, at least not in New York.
Both, furthermore, earned opportunities to carry out the rest of their primes in relative peace, a luxury that could no longer be afforded to them in New York, a redemption arc the Knicks could no longer afford to fund lest they get lost in passion projects and lose sight of the ultimate goal. Barrett found that in his shift to Toronto, his hometown, no less, while Randle has a chance to find a long-term home this summer as a free agent despite struggles in Minnesota. At least the Knicks were able to get something for each of them before awkward decisions were made.
Departed depth pieces like Obi Toppin and Bojan Bogdanovic are in the same boat: Toppin, for whatever reason, never fully gained the trust of head coach Tom Thibodeau and Co. and has since settled into a reserve's role in Indiana. While it's inspiring to see him reclaim the narrative on his pro career, what he's doing in Indianapolis isn't really anything the Knicks haven't gotten from those that have come after him, underwhelming as it can be at times.
Despite his brevity, Bogdanovic holds an intriguing legacy in New York as the most prominent sacrifice in the rollercoaster deal for Bridges a barter headlined by the shipping of five first-round picks over the Brooklyn Bridge. The potential regret over dealing Bogdanovic (recently waived by Brooklyn now that last year's postseason injury will keep him out for the whole year) stems not from his abilities but rather what the Knicks could've gotten to match the $20 million salary departing.
With all that mind, the truest regret over metropolitan movings resides with three names:
When the Knicks first faced the Timberwolves in December, it felt like they had moved past the need for DiVincenzo: they found a slight rhythm from deep, defensive chemistry was brewing, and both DiVincenzo and Randle were struggling to live up to their metropolitan billings in Minneapolis.
Now that it has become clear that this is who the Knicks are: a team whose best chance for victory came through shootouts, through the jackpot point tallies that dominate the modern Association's ledgers, through the scoreboards that resemble pinball machines. With DiVincenzo gone, the Knicks are struggling to merely even try to get shots with an extra point up: whereas they ranked 13th in three-point tries amidst DiVincenzo setting the record for most successful such tries, they have fallen to 27th this time around.
While the Knicks have handled themselves very well, all things considered, it's fair to wonder if some of the early, massive deficits they've faced (such as the 19-point disadvantage after Sunday's opening dozen in Boston) could perhaps be solved by DiVincenzo's downright historic three-point presence (his current injury issues notwithstanding, of course).
On paper, the Knicks managed to do well for themselves when it came to replacing Hartenstein, especially considering how late in the offseason they conducted such a project: not only did they trade for Towns but they also re-signed Precious Achiuwa, which seemed to be adequate replacements for both Hartenstein and the injured Mitchell Robinson.
Unfortunately, Towns and Achiuwa have failed to generate defensive momentum, Robinson has yet to make his debut (though that could change as soon as this week), and the Knicks still don't fully trust rookie Ariel Hukporti. Hartenstein, meanwhile, has gone on to become a key piece in a potential championship puzzle, one that has currently formed the best record in the Western Conference for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Knicks filled Hartenstein's role with bona fide superstar talent in Towns, and no one in their right mind could rightfully blame Rose for making such a swing, especially after the metropolitan public begged him to take such a swing once Brunson turned out to be a viable franchise face. But with Hartenstein left the stabilizing aspects of the Knicks' season in each of the last two years.
This depth star perhaps turned the Knicks into a fully armed and operational basketball battle station.
Quickley did the seemingly impossible in Thibodeau's New York by breaking through to make an impact as a rookie. His impact only heightened as he ingrained himself deeper into the metropolitan system and things culminated in a runner-up finish in the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year vote.
He was traded to the Toronto Raptors with RJ Barrett in the deal that acquired OG Anunoby from Ontario. Toronto was more than happy to grant him the long-term deal the Knicks would not, needing less than a season to grant him a five-year, fully guaranteed, $175 million payday
If there is any void the Knicks have yet to fill amidst their remodeling, it's that of Quickley's. Sacrificing Quickley as an international export meant parting ways with a reliable scorer, a sterling learner and communicator, and a defensive quarterback ... one that came off the bench and kept the momentum the primary unit regularly generated.
The Knicks have attempted to imitate Quickley's impact: Mile McBride has shown flashes of being a suitable substitute sixth man though his shooting numbers have drastically fallen this year. The Knicks seemed to realize what was lost by trading Quickley almost immediately after he left, as they traded for Alec Burks at the ensuing trade deadline before stocking up on former Suns like Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet. None, however, have been able to duplicate such depth, and the Knicks have suffered for it.