Hello Knicks Reddit!
Fred Katz from The Athletic wants to tell you all about his new project — Katz and Shoot, a Knicks and NBA podcast — and he’s asked me to share it with the people of Reddit.
The following is from Fred, himself:
My first ever episode, which you can find here, with special guest SNY’s Ian Begley posted Monday afternoon. In it, we touched on the crazy ending to the Suns game, Mitchell Robinson’s shenanigans, RJ Barrett’s improvement, Quentin Grimes’ shooting slump, some original reporting on the Knicks’ hunt for a star and way more.
The goal of the podcast is to take you all behind the scenes. I won’t stop at just analysis or breakdowns of the big moments. I’m with the team on the road. I’m in the locker room before and after games. I want to share that perspective with the public. And sometimes, a podcast is an even better forum to tell goofy Mitchell Robinson anecdotes or dive into the psyche of a player than a written story could be.
I’ll make sure the guests are top notch throughout the show. I will also conduct mailbags regularly, answering questions directly from the listeners.
Subscribe to Katz and Shoot on Patreon for $5 a month and receive one episode a week or subscribe for $10 a month and receive two episodes a week in-season. Subscribing to the $10 tier also gives you the ability to send in questions for the aforementioned mailbags.
Check out the link to the home page here: https://www.patreon.com/KatzandShoot
I hope you all enjoy! And because I am a stealth observer of Knicks Reddit (yet don’t have enough karma to create posts on my own; I can only reply to posts in the comments, which is why my buddy \u\Swankyyyy is posting this for me). I will happily linger here to answer all questions about the Knicks, the rest of the league or anything else you’re curious to know. Feel free to ask me anything in the comments. Thank you!
Hey Fred! Thanks for taking the time out your day to engage with the fans and answer our questions. My question is: Just how patient is this front office and when/what is the point where they decide change is needed? Would they throw their hat in the ring for an older player like Paul George in a win now situation or would they only go for a player who will make us a perennial playoff team for years to come?
Hey Fred!
Super excited for the pod. We all have talked for ages about how the Knicks probably need a star to push them over into serious contention.
But who knows how long we’re going to be playing the disgrubtled-star waiting game. So I was wondering: what kind of smaller needs do you think the team has that need to be addressed before becoming a serious contender, and what type of guys do you think we can target around the league in smaller acquisitions to address those needs?
Hi Fred, what do you think is Grimes ceiling and what can be done about his current shooting funk/lack of confidence?
Hey Fred, welcome to this crazy little slice of Reddit we call home during the season. Looking forward to the podcast.
My question pertains to Mitchell Robinson. He has always been a force defensively, but this year he seems to have stepped up to become a presence that leads by example for this team on both sides of the floor. Increasing his offensive rebounding, steals, blocking inbounds, fighting for extra possessions, hustling extra hard.
Is he somebody that the team and coach Thibs looks to as sort of the core identity of what this team wants to be now more than ever? And if so was that something he or the team has communicated that responsibility to directly or has it come naturally?
Appreciate a legit Knicks pod but I think you missed an opportunity there not naming it “Triple Fred” with the double entendre and all.
Hey Fred, do you think the relationship between IQ and NY would be fractured if some other team this offseason offered him a big contract and a starting spot but NY matched with the intention of keeping him on the bench?
Hi, Fred, love your work!
First a Knicks question:
I’ve always been of the belief that the choice that would define this window for us is choosing between RJ or Randle as the piece to keep long term with whatever big star we acquire, and now, Brunson as well, and i’ll be honest, not much from this season has done much to dissuade that theory.
Could you see any world where both could stick together long term, and if not, who do you think is it more likely this front office chooses, especially if RJ’s play from the first 2 weeks of the season (even if not shooting a coin flip from 3 😅) winds up sustaining?
And now a journalism question:
Best advice for someone specifically trying to break in the sports journalism field?