The misfortunes of the Knicks took unexpected forms

Surprisingly, it was not worth it in the end.

In the void, No. 3 is not bad. The New York Knicks beat the expected value of their choice, and they did not collapse like the Cavs or the Suns. But this third envelope was not opened under vacuum. It was opened in a universe where the first and fourth envelopes contained hideous symbols. By eliminating Zion Williamson, New York's focus is now on attracting Anthony Davis to the two players they designate as a free agent. But Lakers and Pelicans lottery jumps have also threatened this pipe dream AD.

The most egregious layer is that pelicans have hung the first choice, with a six percent chance of doing so. They now have the most convincing business chip for Anthony Davis ready to dress next to Anthony Davis. This puts into question their business plans of the center, but, bless his soul, the desire of Davis to flee New Orleans seems to have survived the night. The protest of the players can cancel the best prepared plans of all GMs, even those who were lucky as David Griffin did last night. Davis-Pelicans relations seemed very dysfunctional at the end of the season. So, despite the wrinkles of Zion's size last night, commercial rumors are likely to continue.

The additional layer of frustration lies in the fact that no commercial AD program has exceeded expectations more than that of the Lakers. With a 2.8% shot, Los Angeles has risen to fourth place. This should soften a package of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. In this rough draft, the gap between selections # 3 and # 4 does not make up for the gap between these annoying but interesting kids, and the slurry: Frank Ntilikina (I'll die of joy on this hill, but hey!) , Kevin Knox (still 19, and they were in tanking, but a rookie rookie season), Dennis Smith Jr. (an inflatable non-shooter who would fit poorly with LeBron), Mitchell Robinson (a fantastic affordable contract player) ), as well as some of the six other Knicks first-round picks from the next five drafts (which may be too hot after turning Anthony Davis into a cavernous cavity). The Pelicans have already seen this Lakers package, and they might have nailed it for the sheer pleasure of watching it, but they probably still have priority over everything the Knicks can put on the table.

Now it's not just worth the war in costume. Davis still holds the power of preference. Any business partner will need the assurance that he plans to stay in his new city after the end of his current contract next summer. Of course, these two franchises are stupid, but no team would empty for a one year lease. The Celtics could make an attractive offer, but Davis (and his father) do not seem to want to be there in the long run.

Perhaps the best hope is that the Pelicans spoiled their relationship with Davis and decided to let him loose and slow down their rebuilding – for example, by matching their new king to his Duke friend, warming his welcome. Hoping that R.J. The friendship between Barrett and Zion Williamson is strong enough to change the course of the NBA, I guess? It's far from the stupidest thing I'm rooted for as a Knick fan.