This could be HUGE for the Knicks. The New York Knicks have made one of the most important deadline moves as they brought in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Pistons for pretty much nothing.
I have a feeling this might be more of a double-edge sword than it appears on the surface.
With them being one of hottest teams and basketball and only one game behind 2nd place in the East, the New York Knicks have made a massive move at the trade deadline to bring in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons for a bag of chips and a Pepsi can. And, if you couldn’t tell, I think the Pistons were absolutely fleeced by this move…and the Knicks might have also been fleeced too.
This move will make or break the Knicks season. That’s without a doubt.
So, for those who haven’t heard the news or lost this trade amongst the flurry of deadline acquisitions, the New York Knicks have traded for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono, and two second round picks.
Yeah, the Knicks just got a consistent 20 PPG small forward and a very capable backup 2-guard for Quentin Grimes, a perennially injured Evan Fournier, two bench players, and two 2nd round picks. Clearly, the Pistons just got utterly fleeced of their arguably 2nd best player in Bogdanovic and a decent shooting guard. Do I really need to go into detail as to why? No? Good as now I can get into why even though this move looks great on the surface for the Knicks, it might just backfire in their face.
So, like I said, the Knicks are one of the best teams in the East (and some would even say the 2nd best team) as they have the 2nd best defense in the NBA with their impressive 109.4 PPG against stat line. However, despite having a great defense and being tied with the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers for the 3rd best record in the East, the Knicks right now only have the 15th best offense in basketball as they only produce 115.2 PPG.
That’s a mere +5.8 points differential.
Now, I know a lot of teams have worse points/game differentials than the Knicks, but a 6ish win margin is not enough to compete against the best of the best in the NBA, such as the Celtics, Nuggets, Heat, 76ers (if they have Embiid), and the Clippers, when the moment is brightest during the NBA playoffs. And the Knicks must have the same line of thinking as they have added Bogdanovic (who averages 20.2 PPG this season) and Burks (who averages 12.6 PPG) to bolster their offense.
However, this is where the double edge sword comes into play as even though I think the Knicks will be a significantly better offensive team with Bogdanovic and Burks, I have SERIOUS reservations about the status of their defense now that Bogdanovic and Burks (but especially Bogdanovic) will play key roles.
Why? Well, on the 7-43 Detroit Pistons, who are currently the single worst team in the NBA, Bojan Bogdanovic had the WORST DEFENSIVE RATING OF ALL PLAYERS at 125.0. He had a worst defensive rating than the likes of James Wiseman (121.2), Jaden Ivy (119.8), Cade Cunningham (120.2), and Alec Burks…who was a poor 119.5 himself.
In other words, Bojan Bogdanovic is a horrific defender, and will most definitely not be relied upon for his defense.
And yet, the Knicks’ strength is their defense…which they are now compromising for the hope of better offense.
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