Mikal Bridges is ALL-IN on Knicks’ championship pursuit

Mikal Bridges is ALL-IN on Knicks’ championship pursuit

Macau Bridges could have taxed the Knicks like New York City’s congestion tax taxes its drivers, but instead my man signed a team friendly extension to remain with the franchise. Jonathan Mackery of Knicks film school is on to talk all things bridges and tunnels or or bridges in the Knicks off season. Little see little dad joke there. I knew you’d laugh. Return of the Mackery. What’s up, baby? You good? I’m good, man. I uh I hope to be in a position one day in my life where I get to take uh a discount that looks like the discount that Muel Bridges took. But uh yeah, I guess let’s get into that right now. All right. He’s getting a buck 50 million across the four years of the extension. And like you said, he left some bread on the table. Safe to say looks like my man’s all in. I know you’re not Muel Bridges, but why why do you think he chose to take a team friendly deal instead of betting on himself like a lot of other players and testing the market? I mean, the easy answer is security, right? Um, you know, there are some players in the league that I mean, we saw with Kevin Durant who could literally do something with their leg and and miss an entire season and you’re still going to get the entire league lining up to to pay you a max contract, but I don’t know that Muel Bridges quite falls in that category. Now, granted, he is the NBA’s Iron Man. He has quite literally never missed a game in his NBA career. So maybe you would think, okay, not quite the same consideration for him as other guys who are more injuryprone, but this is still someone who over the course of his NBA career thus far has only made and again I say only in air quotes like low8s in terms of millions of dollars. This contract more than or almost doubles that amount. Um you know his his career earnings he took a pretty teamfriendly deal to remain in Phoenix uh on his last contract. So, I think he looked at the bigger picture and said, “You know what? Um, could I potentially get more if I waited until next summer, but you know, it’s a little bit of a haircut, but it’s going to help the Knicks in terms of trying to avoid that second apron. $6 million. He gave a little bit and then also the Knicks gave a little bit um player option on the last year and a trade kicker. So, those are two valuable things I’m sure that Macau Bridges valued in this uh negotiation. They also gave up a lot to get him in terms of draft capital to bring him here. So, we know what the expectations and hype was like around him going into his first year as a nick where he averaged around 17 to 18 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and of course he showed elite defense. But at times Jac, as you know, that wasn’t enough for the fan base. So, what are the expectations now on MueL Bridges going into year two? I I’m going to go in two different directions. One solely focused on Bridges and one maybe a little bit outside of Bridg’s control. Where Bridges is concerned, I mean, again, it’s kind of a boring answer. I think fans would like a little bit more efficiency. Um, he has never been known as an elite above the break three-point shooter, but I think when you went from Dante Devincenzo to Bridges, not only was there a decrease in volume from again above the break, but also he only shot 31% on non-corner threes last year. I think fans would just like that to be a little bit closer to 35 36%. Maybe get a little bit more volume. And the other thing actually while I’m talking about this, I just thought of it. Maybe draw contact every once in a while and don’t avoid other players and physicality like it is the plague. Um, again, never been a guy who’s gotten a ton of free throws, but you know, something a little bit more in that department. And then the other thing that I was thinking of, and again, this is kind of not fully in his control, just the pick and roll defense I think left a lot to be desired last year. Now, obviously that was with Carl Anthony Towns as the five. I think this is a problem that will um kind of self-correct if maybe they go more to a look where it’s Mitchell Robinson or another center, not Towns at the five. And I think Bridges um you know will look a lot better if they go more to that look um at times this year. It’s funny when you said you wanted him to draw a little bit more contact. The first thing that popped up in my head was like this dude could never rub run he could never ride the New York subway like ever. all that contact. But with a $150 million extension, we call an Uber helicopter to get around. Uh let’s kind of break down the Knicks off season a little bit. They still haven’t signed an associate head coach. What do you think about the new Dcoordinator hire? Uh Brendan Okconor from the Clippers. I mean, he comes with a great resume, great reputation. Obviously, he started his career as an assistant coach with the Knicks two decades ago. To me, I I’m a big fan of just like what coaching either what coaching tree do you come from or where was your last stop and how did you do at that last stop? I think Tailoo is as good a coach as there is in the league. Obviously, he was joined by Jeff Van Gundy this year. So, the Clippers, they always seem to outperform expectations, uh, at least during the regular season. Um, and so the fact that they’re bringing someone who has been with the Clippers, I think that’s a big plus. And I also just think to get someone who is and and I’m I’m sure that he is willing to engage in this more collaborative approach to the coaching staff and maybe get a little bit away from the Tom Dibido kind of my way or the highway approach. I think that’s why they hired Mike Brown in the first place. And I think anyone that they’re bringing in now is inherently going to be on board with with again that sort of more um you know everybody uh helps stir the pot uh type of approach. We’re about what couple months a month and a half away from Nick starting training camp. I can’t see them really signing any more big pieces. So grade the Knicks entire off season up to this point. Was Leon Rose in his bag? Yeah. I mean, I think it depends on what ultimately you think of the the Tibs or the decision to move on from Tibs. If if you’re someone who thought for whatever reason, whether you blamed him or not, that they needed to move in a different direction um at the head coaching spot. I think they did about as well as you could have expected. Mike Brown’s a solid coach um and he seems to be everything that they’re looking for. And then as you’re seeing Gershan Ya Belli and Jordan Clarkson on the screen, like given what they had to work with, which was the taxpayer mid-level exception and then just veteran minimums, I think they did about as well as you could have expected. the the Yabiselli signing in particular like he’s a guy who’s going to be able to not only help them but give them a lot of different looks as someone who could play alongside Carlton Towns could play alongside Mitchell Robinson can potentially be the only big on the floor if they go a little bit smaller and they go to something that’s really a lot more versatile. So and then Clarkson for him to fall on their laps after getting waved by the Jazz. I just like that was a no-brainer. Uh not done yet. Like you said, they can’t afford to sign anyone to more than the minimum, but I’d be curious to see who they get with, you know, for, I guess, what what is shaping up to be the the 10th spot in the rotation. Is it going to be Ben Simmons? Is it going to be Landry Shamid? Um, so a little bit more work to be done, but so far so good in my book. So glad you mentioned Ben Sibons. Thumbs up or thumbs down emoji. Would you be okay if the Knicks signed Mr. Simmons? Uh, give me the emoji. Give me the emoji. Can I do this side? There we go. There we go. It’s It’s wavering though. Why? Why? Why? Give us your quick why. So, look, Ben Simmons has become a meme, but he’s still obviously a talented basketball player. There are some things that he doesn’t like to do, like shoot. Uh, talk about Muel Bridges avoiding contact. I mean, he’s Jim Brown, uh, compared to Ben Simmons. Uh, but look, Ben Simmons, I think in a role where he’s playing eight, 10 minutes a night could still help a basketball team. So, if it’s him, that’s fine. Personally, I’d probably go back to Shamut, but that’s just me, my man. Appreciate you, Jac. Always appreciate you, Brandon. Thank you. Take it easy.

Jonathan Macri, the Dean of Knicks Film School, joins Brandon London to break down Mikal Bridges’ $150 million contract extension, Mike Brown bringing back a former Bockers assistant coach to New York’s bench and the team’s free agency additions.

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