Knicks unlikely to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, unless he demands it

The Knicks can dream all they want, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is a long shot for New York unless he demands a trade only to the Knicks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

New York’s problem is simple. They burned five first-rounders to get Mikal Bridges last season, and that left them without the draft capital other suitors can throw at Milwaukee. Unless Giannis makes it Knicks-or-bust, New York won’t have the ammo.

As for the current roster:
The Knicks rolled Utah on Friday, cruising to a 34-point win. OG Anunoby returned after a nine-game absence with a left hamstring strain and posted 11 points in 23 minutes. He was on a minutes limit, but coach Mike Brown liked what he saw.

“You always worry with a big lead, you don’t want anybody to get hurt,” Brown said, via ESPN’s Vince Goodwill. “But we needed to get OG some game minutes. I thought he looked good. I would’ve loved to get him to 25 or 26, but 22 or 23 worked.”

Josh Hart also made his seventh start of the season — a move Brown said was driven by staff input, not stubborn coaching instinct.

“You wanna know the truth?” Brown said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “I rely on my staff. If I’m the only one thinking the other way, maybe I’m wrong. And I’ve been wrong before.”

The Knicks are healthy again, rolling again … just not Giannis-close unless the MVP puts his thumb on the scale.