The No. 8 show was sold and given away half! The East Finals beat the old boss and entered the finals again. Do the Knicks regret it?

Let's talk about a heartbreaking and relieved story today - the No. 8 pick of the New York Knicks in 2020. This kid entered the team with the halo of "Son of Hometown" but was traded by the Knicks. Now he is wearing a Pacers jersey and pushes his old club to the ground to rub it. To be honest, the Knicks management now looks at the transaction record and probably has to slap the thigh. The story has to start with the 2020 draft. The Knicks chose Topin, who grew up with the No. 8 draw, who grew up with Brooklyn. This kid has watched the Knicks play against the Nets since he was a child. He can go back to his hometown to play basketball, and his eyes are full of light. As a result, he was thrown cold water in his debut: he made 3 of 12 shots in 23 minutes to score 9 points and 3 rebounds, and then injured 10 games. When he came back, coach Thibodeau didn't trust the rookie at all - at that time the Knicks were holding on to the defensive, and even Jimmy Butler was on the bench that year, let alone tied the rookie.

In the rookie season, Tom averaged just over 10 minutes per game, less than veteran Gibson, with a terrible data of 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds. The second year was a little better. Randall was able to hit the ball when he was not there, scoring 9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17 minutes, and averaged 27.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in the last five games. This data is now a "rookie counterattack script". As a result, the Knicks didn't give him a chance. The turning point of

is in 2023. The Knicks signed Brunson and made up for Hart, and Toppin's playing time fell back to 10 minutes. The playoffs were even worse. The fourth game against the Heat only took 5 minutes and sat on the bench in the second half. After the game, he was so anxious that he asked the coach to argue, and later denied this matter in an interview - probably he was really wronged at the time. At the end of the season, the Knicks exchanged him for the second round picks in 2028 and 2029, and sent him away half-buy and half-get.

But Topin's story has just begun. When it came to the Pacers, Coach Carlisle gave him "the respect the Knicks had never given": his playing time exceeded 20 minutes, averaged double points per game, 36% of three-pointers, and signed a four-year, 60 million long-term contract. The most satisfying thing is that in the past two years of playoffs, the Pacers have been hitting the Knicks in a row, and this year they are still head-on in the Eastern Conference Finals - Toppin was so fierce on the court.

G1 in the overtime in the Eastern Conference Finals, he scored 4 points in a row to help the team reverse; G4 made a key three-pointer with 46 seconds left, destroying the Knicks' counterattack; G6 was even more ruthless, making 7 of 11 shots in 25 minutes to score 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, preventing the old club from being ruthless. The Knicks player was exhausted, and Toppin flew all over the field as if he was charged - how is this playing basketball? It is clearly used to say: "You guys were wronged back then! "

Why did Toping explode on the Pacers? To put it bluntly, adaptability is too important. The Knicks Rhythm League counts down, focusing on the half-court position, and Toppin's athletic ability is not at all; the Pacers Rhythm League has the best fast break, empty cut, and three-pointers. In addition, the Pacers' wing defense is hard, and his weakness of moving slowly is covered - the Knicks must have understood early that "suitability is more important than talent", so why should they send people out?

Now look at the Knicks' operations, it's really a "blood loss". The No. 8 pick in 2020 was replaced with two second round picks; the Pacers became the "big winner of the draft". Halliburton, Nesmith and Toppin were all traded back then, and now they are joining together to win the championship. Doesn’t the saying go from “New York abandoned generals” to “East Final Battle”? ——It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s that you haven’t met the right person.

Finally, I want to say that the cruelest and most romantic place in professional sports is probably "Leaving may not be the end." The more frustrated he was when Toping was given up by his hometown team, the more relieved he was now slapped in the face of the old owner. For him, this is not a simple "revenge", but a proof that when a player finds a stage that suits him, no matter how small the light is, it can illuminate the entire arena.