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00:13what's up everybody Knicks offseason continues another move made by the Knicks Dexter Henry
00:18Stephan Bondi here on New York got game Steph the Knicks bringing Jordan Clarkson back deal
00:24for one year 3.9 million dollars you expected this to happen what do you make of this Jordan Clarkson
00:31being back in the fold with the Knicks I think it's a great signing um for another vet minimum so
00:36it
00:36only counts something like 2.5 million toward the second apron even though it's a 3.9 million dollar
00:42contract um you know Jordan Clarkson really showed up last season in a different way than I think
00:49anybody envisioned everybody thought he was going to come in and be this gunner uh Mike Royce score
00:54off the bench and what he what was necessitated and what was needed from him was more of a
00:59defensive player a guy who can come in and play like court kind of like a reserve role that's not
01:04going to have the ball as much in his hands uh and he adapted I think mid you know midseason
01:09he was
01:09out of the rotation and he realized if I'm going to get on the court I need to do some
01:14things that
01:15I haven't been doing throughout my career and he showed up and he did it and he was part of
01:20the
01:20NBA finals rotation as well yeah it was shocking because he was out the rotation as you mentioned
01:25in the middle of the season and you saw the adaptability from him but we've also heard a lot
01:30stuff about the leadership from him how much of that matters in bringing him back here to the
01:36Knicks just the leadership that he can provide off the bench yeah I think he's a listen he's 10 years
01:41in the league is that right something like that I mean he's seen a lot he's played with LeBron James
01:45he's he had he would he had played in the finals previously um and you know more so than the
01:50leadership you know as somebody like myself who's seen who's been in the locker room pretty much all
01:55season everybody likes this guy okay he might be the most popular guy in the locker room one through
02:0215 they it's hard not to like it's impossible not to like Jordan Clarkson he's a real chill dude
02:09down to earth dude got along with everybody accepted his role he's the kind of guy you want in your
02:15locker room so the thing is I think a lot of fans may hear that too and obviously they're not
02:19there
02:19in the way you are and sometimes even me in the locker room but this is a guy who's going
02:23to be
02:24in 11th man how much of it matters Steph that he can accept that role because everybody's not going
02:29to re-sign or sign with the team because they may want more shots they may want more minutes but
02:34he's actually accepting of saying hey I'm going to be the 11th man on this team some nights I'll play
02:37some nights I won't how much of that matters in the team building and continuity for the Knicks going
02:41forward it's very important and in fact I learned that from Tom Thibodeau who never he didn't want
02:47players who were in that role in the 11th 12th man 10th man even who um who he chose personality
02:56um and character over talent in that spot and that's not to say Jordan Clarkson isn't talented he's
03:02obviously very talented right he's you know over the years he's been one of the best six men
03:06in the NBA so he's a combination of both he has the talent and he's willing to accept his role
03:12and
03:12I think it helps listen this is and this is just me speaking um just talking that what makes sense
03:18logically I'm not reporting it but this guy who was in Utah for a long time he comes to New
03:24York City
03:24he's big in fashion uh it's probably a lot better to live in New York City and to be part
03:30of a champion
03:31and I'm sure he's having fun and to come back you know it makes a lot of sense for everybody
03:36involved
03:36so what you're saying is he would have no interest in going back to Utah that's what you're saying
03:40see see I don't see that's why I was wanting to be careful because he actually he's one of a
03:44few
03:44people yeah talking about you so he really did enjoy his time there which you don't hear from
03:49players all the time around the NBA you know this right you don't always hear that I wasn't trying
03:53to put words in your mouth but you don't always hear that that players enjoy Utah but he is enjoying
03:57his time here in New York all right so this is now the Knicks have 13 roster spots filled
04:02Steph they need 14 that's that's the minimum you've got to have on the roster by the time
04:08the season starts the last roster spot here do you think it's going to be a third center uh what
04:15what are you hearing on that the other day you and I talked about Jonas Valanciunas that could be a
04:18possibility I know Nick Richards is another name that has been out there what do you think the Knicks
04:22may or may not do with this 14th roster spot so I was confident and it came true that the
04:28Knicks
04:28were going to bring back Jordan Clarkson I don't have a good read on what they're going to do with
04:31this last spot and they don't even need to technically fill it right away I think you can go
04:36a few weeks without having that 14th player on the you know to start the season I know people you
04:42know we brought up Valanciunas to me and this is just me talking it doesn't make sense for either
04:49him or the team I mean in that spot you already have Kat eating up a lot of minutes you
04:55got Andre
04:55Drummond eating up a lot of minutes if I'm Jonas Valanciunas and I say I'm a veteran um do I
05:02want
05:02to play overseas or do I want to sit on the bench um and if you're the Knicks you're like
05:07I you know I
05:08would personally rather have a young person in there in that spot to develop to eat up six fouls if
05:13necessary um to me Valanciunas doesn't make the most sense that's not to say that they won't sign
05:19him I don't know if they will uh but that's just my personal opinion and you know the other option
05:24is as we've discussed before is bringing in guys on non-guaranteed non-guaranteed deals and let them
05:31fight for that final roster spot like the Knicks did last year yeah you can see that happening what
05:35do you think about a guy that was in the system last year Trey Jemisin the third what do you
05:38think
05:38about him do the Knicks like him is it possible he could be back in the fold in any kind
05:42of way
05:44no no chance he could be back I mean listen he could come in in training camp but I he's
05:49definitely
05:49not they're not going to sign him to a standard contract uh similar to Jeremy Sohan they're not
05:55good listen they can bring those guys in and like we said right that spot but it's not like here
06:00you're
06:00you have the 14th roster spot uh that's all you do you think that's more likely Steph that they go
06:06that route of the non-guaranteed guys maybe come into training camp fight for that spot instead of
06:11saying hey let's give out another veteran minimum slot here for that 14th roster spot just because
06:15it gives them I guess I'm looking at this way it gives them some more flexibility right it does and
06:19flexibility is important for this group um I'm not going to say whether it's more likely or not
06:23because I don't have a good like I said I don't have the greatest read on this situation with the
06:2714th spot but uh to me that makes the most sense because you want as much flexibility as you can
06:34get heading into training camp somebody gets injured right uh in training camp you're screwed
06:40because you can't bring anybody else on um so to me that that flexibility is important and that would
06:47be the route that I would go is to is to bring in guys on non-guaranteed deals and let
06:51them fight for
06:52that last spot yeah it feels like that would make sense a lot for the Knicks and look I mean
06:56I we just
06:57had an episode come out here where we're talking about what was left on the Knicks to-do list
07:00here um but it feels like most of the work is done for this offseason now you you go you
07:05head
07:06to summer league how do you view this offseason as a whole because some some fans are going to say
07:12well they weren't able to bring everybody back Mr. Robinson's a one player they weren't able to
07:16bring back they didn't go on over the second apron considering they haven't gone over the second
07:20apron is this a successful offseason in your eyes yeah for not going over the second apron for sure I
07:25mean to get those contracts I I tweeted out all the deals that they got other than Jordan's and
07:31you'd be shocked at what Mohamed Diawara is going to be making and then talk about shock because it's
07:36so low and well are you sure are you shocked about the money stuff or are you shocked more because
07:40when
07:40I saw you I retweeted that and I brought it up on the show yesterday but are you shocked about
07:44that
07:45or the fact that the back ends of those contracts Mo Diawara not guaranteed for the last two years
07:51partial guarantees in the final year for Alvarado and I think the last two years for Shamit which
07:55was more shocking to you the money or the fact that you have the partial guarantees and the
07:59non-guarantees on the back ends of those deals the the what you the latter okay the non-guarantees
08:04because if you're going to take a low salary I get it then you're going to go for stability
08:08right um but in those cases listen I thought Jose's getting paid about what he deserved but Landry
08:15took a crazy discount in my opinion um you know Mo Diawara if I were him listen I'm not his
08:23agent but
08:24I would have been like can we get a one-year deal and hit free agency I don't want you
08:27to control what
08:28if I what if I pop off you know and now you have me for four years on this very
08:34deep on this very
08:35generous deal you know we saw what happened with Deuce McBride if Deuce McBride had hit free agency
08:41a year ago he'd be making a lot of money um so you know that was that was surprising but
08:49you know
08:50as we talked about a couple days ago when we're talking about Jalen Brunson's injury the the Knicks
08:54have set themselves up where they're not they can they're financially viable for not just next season
08:59but but the future when guys like um Jalen Brunson are up for an extension so I've also brought this
09:06up
09:06to Brian Fonseca I'm curious as to your thoughts because when you see guys take those deals and I was
09:11shocked like you because of the latter what we talked about right the non-guaranteed deals that
09:15are partial guarantees there this word gets used a lot in sports and I sometimes hate it the world
09:21culture but do you think the fact that guys are taking lesser money and not the stability all the
09:28way through that speaks to the Knicks culture and where they are as opposed to where they were before
09:33yeah and it it does and it it you know it starts at the top it starts at Jalen Brunson
09:38um what a guy
09:40who you know he he did not go into free agency he could have made 113 million dollars more um
09:48he took
09:48that discount for the opportunity to win in New York City he won in New York City he set the
09:54tone
09:55everybody's having fun I'm sure they're raking in endorsement dollars and appearance money and all this
10:01stuff so you're getting some of the I know the taxes aren't great um but uh we know yeah we
10:08know
10:08but but everything else like I'm sure they're really enjoying themselves and it's cool to be a part of
10:13uh me covering it every day it's cool to be a part of that just in it from a media
10:18standpoint um I can
10:20imagine these guys are having the time of their lives and I I can understand why they want to be
10:24more
10:24to be part of that in the future with that being said I'm glad you mentioned that with Jalen Brunson
10:29setting the tone I think the next thing the Knicks fans are going to look to for this offseason
10:33is okay what happens with the extensions particularly Cat do you think a Cat extension gets done before
10:39the start of the season and do you think Cat will be willing to follow the lead of Brunson
10:43and take less money on his next deal um I I do believe there will be a deal done for
10:50both um
10:51Carl Anthony Towns and Josh Hart whether that happens before the season starts or during the season
10:58I'm not sure I mean they have the entire season to make sure that happens right um he I think
11:05he
11:05will take less than the max because the max is a what he's eligible for I'm talking about Carl
11:11Anthony Towns is very very substantial um and if he takes a max contract then the Knicks are tied up
11:19um and they will be approaching the second apron or pass the second apron for as long as he's under
11:25contract so I do expect Carl Anthony Towns to take a discount it when he when and if he signs
11:31or if he
11:31signs and um Josh Hart as well I mean Josh Hart is on the record as saying that he wants
11:37one more
11:37extension and he's going to retire when he's about 35 years old so uh he's having the time of his
11:43life
11:43he's playing with his best friend in Jalen Brunson uh he's not going anywhere Josh Hart so I expect both
11:49those guys to come to an agreement or extension whether it's before the season or during the season and
11:54then the one I'm very not sure about is Miles McBride yeah I think that's the one that's up in
12:00the air for where the Knicks gonna go there because it feels like at some point that's gonna put them
12:05right up where they're gonna have to really make a decision Steph right about what they want to do
12:08do they do you want to go over the apron second apron that is for a guy like Miles McBride
12:12it's gonna
12:12be very interesting to see but and and beyond that like if you're if you're deuce and you're not
12:19getting the offer that you think you deserve because you're a reserve player um you might
12:24want to go to a place where you can start where you can make more money so that that is
12:28gonna be
12:28something to watch even before the season if they don't agree to an extension uh before the season
12:34starts with Miles McBride he all of a sudden steps onto the trade market yeah and he's a tradable
12:40contract and the Knicks still because they're below the second apron they can aggregate salaries
12:44in trades which is part of flexibility that would help them but it would seem Steph that
12:49this team based on the business they've done this offseason they've set themselves up pretty good
12:54for the next couple of years to still be in this and I feel like for Knicks fans that should
13:00be a
13:01huge win yeah yeah I mean they don't they're not bringing back Mitch um and the center depth is
13:06going to be an issue that we're going to monitor all season they obviously didn't bring back
13:10either um but those that's it they're bringing back everybody else um they have the chemistry
13:17they have the experience together they're coming off a championship I think Knicks fans can feel
13:21pretty good uh with the caveat that we do have to watch that front court depth because if somebody
13:26gets injured like Carl Anthony Towns uh the Knicks are in very in big trouble there yeah it could be
13:32it'd be very interesting to watch through the season what the Knicks do if they try to upgrade the
13:35front court depth there we'll see Stephan Bondi's about to head out to Vegas for Summer League that
13:40should be some fun times Steph uh I will talk with you in a couple of days I'm sure we'll
13:44talk about
13:44some Vegas Summer League basketball uh don't don't do too much out there Vegas man be safe I learned
13:49my lesson man stay away from the tables yeah yeah stay away from the tables you're a seasoned veteran
13:54you don't have to do you don't have to do that do that out there that's Stephan Bondi I'm Dexter
13:58Henry
13:58we'll catch everybody next time on New York Got Game
14:02and thanks for watching New York Got Game
14:06Boop Shakalaka
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