Liberty Links: The Knicks are still a mess

All signs point to Knicks remaining a stagnant mess - The Vertical

Maybe, after signing Joakim Noah to a disastrous contract last offseason while also trying to rid themselves of Carmelo Anthony's hefty deal, the Knicks would spend more prudently this summer. As with all things Knicks-related, they took a bad situation and somehow made it worse:

Think the Knicks overpaid for Tim Hardaway Jr.? Guess what? Hardaway’s four-year, $71 million deal startled more than a few decision makers here. The Hawks were keen on keeping Hardaway. At $40 million. Maybe $50 million.

$71 million?

Pass.

“I would have offered Dion Waiters money,” said a Western Conference exec, referencing the four-year, $52 million deal Waiters signed with the Miami Heat last week. “Seventy-one million? No one else was going to offer that.”

Here come the new Knicks, same as the old. Who knew former president Phil Jackson didn’t have the market cornered on questionable decisions? A year ago Jackson stunned the NBA by inking Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72.6 million deal. In Noah and Derrick Rose, Jackson had 40 percent of the Bulls’ 2011 starting lineup.

Turns out, he got 40 percent of the value. If that.

It'll be up to Steve Mill to save the Knicks for now. Don't hold your breath, New York.

Celtics writer compares Jayson Tatum to Steph Curry - Twitter

I imagine this guy saying, "How's this for context?" in the same tone David Fizdale said, "Take that for data." How is it for context? Well, it's pretty poor context. People can't use outliers predictively. It just doesn't work like that. Not every tall point guard who can't shoot is Jason Kidd. Not every ultra-thin big man is Tyson Chandler. Not every athletic, long wing who can't shoot is Kawhi Leonard. Not every late-bloomer is Curry.

It's gone beyond even the way people search Basketball-Reference's Play Index for a specific outcome to prove a point, as this man is comparing summer league stats. Hats off to Boston once again.

Who’s Winning NBA Free Agency? Who’s Losing? - The Ringer

Kevin O'Connor named the Rockets as the team with the top offseason this year:

Rumors are swirling that Carmelo Anthony could be headed to Houston. If Melo is acquired, expect his role to change and his efficiency to skyrocket, much like it does in international competition when he’s playing for Team USA. Anthony would give Houston a third high-level scoring presence who can either heat up and score in bunches or simply space the floor as a knockdown, spot-up shooter, (41.8 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last season). The Rockets haven’t forgotten about the back end of their roster, either. They signed two of the top undrafted free agents in forward L.J. Peak and big Cameron Oliver, and took a flyer on a raw, but talented point guard in George De Paula.

I'm very intrigued to see Melo in a role like that in the NBA. As O'Connor mentions, he's an elite role player when on Team USA. When surrounded by fellow banana boat friend Chris Paul and another All-NBA talent in James Harden, will Melo finally come to grips about what type of player he needs to be in order to be in championship contention? I'm not sure, but it would be entertaining as hell to watch it play out.

Bill Simmons sees LeBron James going to the Lakers - The Ringer

Wait a second. Back up. LeBron, Paul George, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins on the Lakers. Really? Here’s why Simmons thinks it could happen:

“Here’s the interesting part,” Simmons says. “So, John Wall, represented by Klutch — Rich Paul — LeBron’s buddy. LeBron, it’s pretty clear he either owns Klutch or funded it or has a stake in it. You could have John Wall and LeBron. Paul George is going to the Lakers anyway. I mean, that’s not even a secret anymore. It’s just like, they might as well start selling his jersey. And I always thought John Wall and Boogie are a team.”

This is taken from Simmons' most recent podcast. As a Sixers fan, sign me up for LeBron James and John Wall getting out of the East and for DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George staying in the West. As a fan of the NBA, I'm not sure anything could really anger me more than LeBron bringing an even more extreme version of a SuperFriends team to the Lakers.