🚨 HOT 97 New York radio drama continues, the new hosts Mero & Kazeem go off live on air about their bosses this week for 15 minutes straight unfiltered, while adding that their ratings are better than The Breakfast Club - "the worst place I've ever worked at" - "weekly meetings and there's the guy who makes 2 more 0s than you and youre like what does this guy even do... do not be discouraged we are in the era of independent media..." - "this is the worst place I've ever worked at in my life... this board that's like 95 years old... I understand where Ebro Laura and Rosenberg are coming from..." (via Hot 97 Youtube stream)

Like the person above says I was "presented w/ data in a respectful way" while the person I was replying to has been commenting on several of my posts for days w/ totally unearned epistemic authority + saying things like "if you don't agree idk what to tell you"

Point of clarification: If the Ariel Hukporti injury is worst case scenario, and even if Sixers get a Disabled Player Exception as a result, they still would not be able to exceed the first apron, which is a hard cap b/c they used the full, non-tax MLE. The DPE does not clear space under the hard cap.

RUMOR: There’s nothing stopping the Milwaukee Bucks from entertaining trade offers for both Kel’el Ware and Myles Turner, per @KevinOConnor. Should the Knicks inquire about Ware?

WHY YOU DON’T WANT YOUR TEAM TO GO OVER THE APRON: I feel like a lot of people don’t fully understand why fans are hesitant about their team going over the second apron. It’s not simply: “Who cares? Just pay the money. The owner is rich.” That’s not how the NBA works. The second apron isn’t just about paying more tax. It comes with restrictions that can make it harder to BUILD and IMPROVE your roster. • You lose access to certain salary-cap tools. • Your ability to make certain trades becomes more restricted. • You have fewer ways to add talent around your expensive players. • You can’t just keep throwing money at the roster and assume you’ll always be able to fix whatever goes wrong. And this is the part I think people miss: Going over the second apron can make sense if you have a championship team you truly believe is worth locking in. But you better be damn sure. Because once you’re there, you’re giving yourself less flexibility to make changes later. So when people say: “Why doesn’t Dolan just go into his pockets and pay KAT?” It’s not that simple. Of course the owner can spend money. But the NBA’s CBA puts restrictions on what you can do with that roster once you’re operating above certain thresholds. You’re not just paying a bigger bill. You’re accepting a different set of rules. And THAT is why I’d rather the Knicks be smart about how they build this team instead of just paying everybody because they can. I want KAT. I want Brunson. I want HART. I want DEUCE. I want this team to stay together. But I also want the Knicks to have the flexibility to keep improving. Championship windows don’t last forever. You don’t want to sacrifice your ability to improve the team just because you were afraid to lose a player. Spend when it makes sense. Pay when it makes sense. But “the owner is rich” is not a basketball strategy. 🫴🏽

Marc Spears calls out the Knicks “I know the championship kinda cleans a lot of stuff, [but] they’re still the Knicks. Let’s not forget the past.” 😬 (Via @ESPNNBA )

As noted previously, Knicks past offers to Karl-Anthony Towns have included deals starting at $45M-$50M. Towns’ comments this morning made clear that he has no interest in what Knicks have offered. Will Knicks’ increase their offer? Should be noted that are voluntarily limited by 2nd apron. Owner James Dolan said on WFAN in June that club will not be exceeding second apron in team salary this season.

The Memphis Grizzlies and guard Jordan Hawkins have mutually agreed to part ways, allowing the 2023 lottery pick to find a new home in free agency once he clears waivers, sources tell ESPN.

Tonight. 8 p.m. My Minecraft City. Subscribe now: youtube.com/@miket757

Isiah Thomas is back The former Knicks coach & president has been appointed to the board of the Knicks Thomas will join the board of directors when the Knicks become a standalone public company the first week of the season

The Knicks were 100% right to draft Pacôme Dadiet, no matter how the rest of his career goes: dailyknicks.com/knicks-alrea…

NEW: Miles McBride wants to stay in New York long-term. The Knicks won't cross the second apron to make it happen — making his future in NYC cloudy at best. "I'm a little disappointed... I hope we come to some type of agreement. I’ve played thru injury.” nydailynews.com/2026/09/26/e…

Windhorst: “What KAT does will determine if Knicks core can stay together…He's got a $61 million option for (not this season) next season. Knicks have said ‘we don't wanna be in 2nd apron.’ If he picks up that option they're gonna be in the 2nd apron. So what they are gonna ultimately need him to do is not take that option and reduce that, and that is the basis for this conversation. That is the basis for all of it. Now, even though there may be a hard feeling or two between the front office and Karl in the coming months about this, ultimately I think this is gonna get done because Karl is represented by CAA, and CAA and the Knicks are like this. They're completely intertwined with each other. Leon Rose used to be his agent. And I believe ultimately that CAA and the Knicks will come to an agreement here. They represent Jalen Brunson. They represent a bunch of other players on the team. They'll get a deal done…. Wirh one caveat… If James Dolan messes this up. …Let Leon Rose and CAA do their business, and I think Karl-Anthony Towns will figure it out …Dolan has issued edict— no second apron come hell or high water…If that indeed remains the case and they proceed that way with Karl Towns, he will have the option to go someplace and get a max…obviously he's not being offered the max 'cause then he'd sign it, okay? And I think he's probably open to taking less than the max…he’s open to not taking $276 million. He wants to be in New York. He wants the team to stay together. But if Jim Dolan sets an ironclad spot and forces Karl to the market, he will have max offers. He can get that kind of money next summer if he wants to. But I honestly believe this is all gonna work out even if, again, you hear a little bit of, uh, wavering in the first couple of days of camp”

The New York Knicks’ priority for their final two standard roster spots is a big man and a wing, with the front office placing greater emphasis on adding a big man, @TheConsensusNBA has learned.

The world lost a giant today. I lost a close friend. The basketball world lost a beloved star. Our Jewish community lost an ally and someone who knew exactly how to show up. Mike Sweetney wasn’t just a friend. He was family. When you needed him, he was there. Always. You didn’t even have to ask. The very first message I got after October 7th, 2023 was from Mike checking if I was ok. He knew I was in Israel. A couple of years later, when Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles, the first message I got was from Mike. He knew my son, Noah was there and wanted to make sure he was ok. When we would run a charity event for troubled teens, Mike would show up. He was there for our student-athletes at Yeshiva University day in and day out, regardless of his other responsibilities and jobs. His dedication to mental health awareness and his willingness to share his story for the benefit of others was the work of a selfless human being with a huge heart. Mike - we love you and we will miss you. Thanks for everything. If you would like to assist the family, please feel free to reach out directly and I will give instructions.

I still believe Towns is the Knicks’ MVP and was in their postseason run but it really doesn’t even matter. Brunson+Towns+OG has an argument for best big 3 in the NBA precisely because, when optimized, all 3 can be elite simultaneously without redundancy or diminishing returns.