The Knicks should be considered legitimate contenders but New York still has plenty of work to do

It's time we started taking the Knicks seriously.

Happy Friday, winners! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you.

I think we need to talk about the Knicks today, man. This team is trending in the right direction.

New York just beat up the Nuggets in a 122-84 route. Denver is a team with championship expectations. It’s essentially the same team that just won an NBA championship last season, give or take a few tweaks to the roster.

So, that begs the question, how close are the Knicks to actual contention? Is this team already a contender? If we take a look at the team’s statistical profile right now, the answer is a yes. At the very least, it’s extremely close.

First, the Knicks’ 117.6 offensive rating (9th overall) and 112.0 defensive rating (8th overall) are both good for top-10 marks in the league, according to NBA.com’s stats tool. The Knicks are one of five teams in the NBA ranking in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings. The others are the Celtics, Thunder, 76ers, and Pelicans. Most people would consider at least three of those four teams legitimate contenders.

The team’s 5.5 total net rating ranks 5th in the league, which is good and usually signals a pretty good playoff team. The only teams ahead of the Knicks are the Celtics (+10.2), Thunder (+8.3), 76ers (+7.9) and Clippers (+5.7). Again, all of those teams are contenders. The Knicks should be in that conversation, too.

Do the Knicks have lots of room to grow? Certainly. New York is only 2-11 against the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers so far this season. Most of those games were played earlier in the year and this is a different team. But still, that’s why most would consider the Knicks a step behind the competition ahead of them in the East.

The OG Anunoby trade has changed things though. If you zoom in a bit more, since then the team’s net rating is a whopping +12.9 which is good for second in the league behind the Cavaliers at +16.7. The Knicks are 11-3 in that 14-game span.

There’s a lot of basketball left to be played. But New York is good. OG is the defensive wing the team has needed for quite some time. There’s someone who can guard folks like Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo now.

The games still have to be played. And the Knicks are the Knicks, so it’s understandable why people still don’t believe in this team. New York has failed in the playoffs for decades now.

But, man. This team feels a bit different. Whether it is or not will only be proven by time. But right now? Things are looking good in New York.

Trade SZN is upon us, folks!

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

So, naturally, our Bryan Kalbrosky put together a primer for you with the 10 biggest names on the trade block and how much it’d cost to get them.

There are lots of familiar names on that list. You’ve seen rumors floating around about DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray and more. But one name that really caught me off guard here was Alex Caruso.

It’s not the fact that he’s on the list. Rather, it’s the fact that the Bulls are asking for so much for him. The Bulls want multiple first-rounders, Bryan writes. Here’s more:

“Alex Caruso has tremendous value due to his elite defensive ability and clutch performances. We wrote about why last season and earlier this season, we outlined which contenders should try to make a move.

But the Bulls consider Caruso as “almost” untouchable, according to Chicago Sun-Times‘ Joe Cowley. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Shams Charania has said that the team has “shut down” calls on the defensive ace.”

Sheesh, man. I get it. Alex Caruso is good. He’s almost shooting 50 percent from the floor and is shooting over 40 percent form deep. He’s putting up career-high scoring numbers this season.

But he’s still a 29-year-old 3-and-D guard without elite shot-creation ability. That’s a really good and useful player. Just probably not an untouchable one.

— Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith doing the Dramond-KD thing on accident made my day. Charles Curtis has more here.

— Here are all the All-Star starters and the team captains announced on Thursday. Giannis is the leader this time — what a twist!

— The Bucks owing three coaches $18 million is even hurting my wallet. Bryan Kalbrosky has more here.

— Speaking of Knicks fans, y’all leave Candace Parker alone. Here’s Meghan Hall with more.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading Layup Lines today! We appreciate you. Have a fantastic weekend. We’ll be back again on Monday! Til then, peace. We out.

-Sykes