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The New York Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges last offseason with the hopes that they could, after 26 years, finally make the NBA Finals.
They got close, falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. While New York had the talent (but not the depth) to keep up with the Pacers, their effort all season had been questioned.
While Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Bridges seemed to fit perfectly with Jalen Brunson in Tom Thibodeau's system, Towns was the odd man out, despite his undeniable talents.
Towns Showed No Effort on Defense
In the postseason, Towns' offensive efficiency and scoring numbers took a slight hit, but it was nothing too serious. However, on defense, he didn't look bought in, which quickly wore down his teammates and coaching staff.
"Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies," reported The Athletic's James Edwards III (subscription required).
"Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter."
In the postseason, Jalen Duren shot 71.4 percent when guarded by Towns in the first round, and Luke Kornet shot 83.3 percent when guarded by him in the second round.
In the Conference Finals, Myles Turner shot only 56 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent from deep, and Towns held him to 0-for-6 shooting from deep, although his interior defense was suspect at best all season long.
As the Knicks look to retool and make another Finals push next season, KAT is already the odd man out and has already been included in trade rumors.
More must-reads:
- Is Cooper Flagg’s hype getting out of hand?
- Derrick Rose’s impact in Chicago goes way beyond basketball
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
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USA Basketball upset by Uruguay at FIBA AmeriCup
The FIBA AmeriCup 2025 in Managua, Nicaragua, has been turned upside down. USA, one of the tournament favorites, was upset by Uruguay, 86-85, on Sunday. After trailing for the majority of the game, USA briefly regained the lead 83-82 with 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Uruguay quickly responded with a mini four-point run to help seal the victory. Former Tennessee Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi led Uruguay in scoring with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, along with five assists and two rebounds. Langston Galloway led the way for USA with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. The result is significant because after two games in Group A, Uruguay and USA sit in second and third place, respectively, at 1-1. The final games in the group are that much more important now, as USA will face one of the tournament favorites, Brazil (2-0), while Uruguay will face Bahamas (0-2). There are a number of scenarios that could play out depending on who wins these games. For the tournament, the top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the quarterfinals, along with two of the best third-place teams. Point differential is a big factor in FIBA Basketball, and USA currently has a +/- of +11, so even with a loss to Brazil, it would still be in a likely position to advance to the quarterfinals. The only difference is that it might find itself in a little bit of unfamiliar territory, playing as the "underdog" against a higher-seeded team.
Browns abandon four-QB approach by trading Kenny Pickett
The Cleveland Browns will not be keeping four quarterbacks on their roster heading into the 2025 regular season, after all. The Browns agreed to a deal on Monday to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in return. Pickett spent just five months in Cleveland, as the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March. They gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in that deal. There had been reports throughout the summer that Pickett was not exactly lighting it up in Browns camp. Joe Flacco has been named Cleveland's Week 1 starter, so rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will now back the 40-year-old up. The Raiders needed a veteran quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the team's preseason finale over the weekend. O'Connell is expected to be sidelined for around two months. Pickett began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2022. The former University of Pittsburgh QB started 12 games as a rookie and did not play well, finishing with 2,404 yards, seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Pickett started another 12 games for the Steelers in 2023 before being benched and later traded to Philadelphia. In total, Pickett has completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Texans releasing former Pro Bowl OL
Amid a full-scale offensive line makeover, the Texans are set to move on from a player they took a flier on this offseason. They are releasing Trent Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 10-year veteran spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list, having suffered a torn patellar tendon during what amounted to a brief cameo in Cincinnati. The Texans needed to either activate Brown or send him to the reserve/PUP list. Option C, however, will be used. This will be the first time a team has released Brown. This release comes as Brown was moving toward a recovery from knee surgery, according to Wilson. But he will head back to free agency instead. The 380-plus-pound blocker having suffered a major knee injury during an age-31 season invited questions about his future, but a reunion with Nick Caserio — a Patriots exec when the team traded for Brown in 2018 — provided a lifeline. The Texans gave Brown a one-year, $2.35M deal with $550K guaranteed. Houston will eat only the $550K in dead money. Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter. Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint. Brown has been injury-prone throughout his career, and although the former 49ers seventh-round pick operated as the Pats’ full-time LT during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, he has played more than 11 games just once since. The Texans also added two more tackles — Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery — this offseason. Robinson has emerged as a trade candidate. With Brown out of the picture, Ersery is moving toward the starting LT job (opposite the versatile Tytus Howard) with 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher then set to be a swing tackle.
Jets May Pursue 'Dream WR Trade Target' After Malachi Corley Release
The New York Jets desperately need to add wide receivers to their offense or quarterback Justin Fields is going to struggle in year one with the team. Beyond Garrett Wilson, there's nothing to be too excited about in New York's wide receiver room. In fact, it's hard to tell who the second option is. To make matters even worse, the Jets recently opted to cut ties with second-year wide receiver Malachi Corley. This decision further depletes their pass-catching room. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently urged the Jets to trade for disgruntled Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Meyers would be the dream addition for the Jets following Corley's release. Jakobi Meyers would be the dream addition for the Jets "Meyers spent the first four years of his NFL career in New England, where he developed into one of the more underrated wide receivers in football. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Raiders in 2023, essentially receiving the same deal the Jets gave to Allen Lazard that very offseason," Fried wrote. "While Lazard has fallen well short of expectations in New York, Meyers continued to overachieve in Vegas. The NC State product is fresh off a career year in 2024 in which he finished with 87 catches for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. "Meyers was targeted a whopping 126 times in 2024 and wasn't credited with a single drop. His 2.3% drop rate ranks fourth-best among all NFL wide receivers since 2020, behind only DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, and Amon-Ra St. Brown." Meyers recently requested a trade from the Raiders and the Jets could benefit from this decision in a huge way. Adding the talented wideout across from Wilson would open them both up for the future. It would provide Fields with a stable second option on offense rather than having to deal with the struggles that would come with the Jets' wide receiver room. In training camp, the Jets struggled with drops. Meyers has some of the best hands in football. Pair that with his talent, and the Jets have their dream wide receiver target sitting right in front of them.
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