OKC Thunder: NBA Power Rankings week 10 – All-Star break edition

New York Knicks: 18-17

Week 10: 3-1
Won vs: Kings 140-121, Pacers 110-107, Pistons 109-90
Lost to: Warriors 106-114

Opponents this week: Spurs, Pistons

Offensive Rating: 108.5 (23rd) | Defensive Rating: 107.4 (2nd)  | Net Differential: +1.1 (11th)

There’s no better example of defense being a factor than the Knicks who’ve climbed to second in the association on that side of the court. Unlike the teams who are performing well offensively and poorly on defense, the Knicks aren’t just on the playoff ladder they moved into the top portion with their Sunday victory (combined with the Raptors game postponement).

Given the halfway mark is almost up and with room to work financially will the Knicks elect to make a trade deadline deal to bolster their offense?  It’s a double-edged sword though as patience may be the wiser move given the franchise was expecting to take their time in rebuilding.

Expediting that process now might nudge the Knicks up slightly but then what happens in the free-agent market? While draft picks aren’t a guarantee this class is extremely deep.

The best news may be how quickly coach Thibodeau got the team to buy in defensively. Mind you, it feels a bit like the Bulls 2.0 era with Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson on the club.

Leon Rose doesn’t have the draft capital the OKC Thunder have, but the Knicks own two of the Mavericks first round picks (2021, and 2023 with the latter top 10 protected), their own picks and the ability to swap picks with the Clippers. They also amassed five second-round picks over the next six years.

In the past, the Knicks performing as well as they have would lead to the club jumping too quickly and tossing that draft capital away. This year, they’d be wiser to take their best shot with who they have.

Leon Rose needs to demonstrate he and the franchise are committed to tackling the situation via wisdom and patience and that this truly is a new era in Knicks basketball.