Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek allowed Tim Hardaway Jr. to draw up a play against the Hornets this past Monday. Hornacek’s trust in Hardaway to man the clipboard — even for one play — was a boost to their relationship, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays.
Berman notes that Hardaway is believed to have interest in coaching after his playing days. In the interim, Hardaway appreciated having Hornacek’s trust and the effort he has put into developing the team.
“He’s doing a great job in a tough situation,’’ Hardaway said. “Coaches are in a tough situation too. It’s easy for him to fold as well. He’s continuing to develop us as ballplayers, continuing to encourage us on both ends of the floor, especially in practice, continuing to have that killer instinct and mentality to instill in the ball club. We appreciate that and we’ll keep on fighting for him.’’
Check out more Atlantic Division notes down below:
- As the Knicks tried to lure free agents to New York City, the messy breakup with Phil Jackson and the triangle offense was likely a hindrance to that goal, Hornacek told reporters, including ESPN’s Ian Begley. “I think it probably was,” Hornacek said. “I think we truly believed that we could blend it [into Hornacek’s preferred offense]. And we found out that probably wasn’t great.” Hornacek added that a healthy Kristaps Porzingis and a young core of talent will be the Knicks’ strongest recruiting pitch.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe looked at 10 things he likes and dislikes around the league and Nets‘ sharpshooter Joe Harris is one thing he likes. Harris’ journey from being released by the Cavaliers to becoming a scoring machine in Brooklyn has him lined up to sign a “fat contract” soon, Lowe writes.
- In a wide-ranging interview with HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy, Celtics guard Shane Larkin discussed his impending free agency, past injuries, and his current stint in Boston. Larkin noted that if possible, he would love to remain in Celtics green. “Obviously going into free agency, you can’t say, “Yeah, this is what’s going to happen.” I love being in Boston and if Boston is the right place for me to be next season, I would be happy to come back and have no hesitation because I love the fans, I love the city and I love everything about it,” he said.
- DeMar DeRozan has not been scoring as much as he’s accustomed to recently but he and the team are far from concerned, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. DeRozan, instead, has focused on other aspects of the game, such as defense and playmaking. DeRozan joked that he reserves his scoring for emergency situations as he can help the Raptors in other ways.
OKC Coach Billy Donovan sat former Knick Carmelo Anthony the entire 4th quarter against Denver in 1 point loss with the playoffs on the line for OKC. Why?
Because Carmelo is garbage
Hardaway Jr should get traded, the plan should be to draft Trae, move Frank to the 2, and try to find a way to sign Kyle Anderson to play the 3. Get a better coach while you’re at it, bring Jeff Van Gundy back.
Draft Trae yes, sign Kyle Anderson, no. He’s not starter material – purely backup material. Van Gundy would be fun, but in a rebuild not sure he’s the right guy. Trading Hardaway… should’ve never been signed to begin with – at least for that cost. Knicks bid against themselves.
Frank should come back and be ready to take over at the 2 next season with a off season of working on his perimeter game and isolation skills. He might make a bid for the all star game next season so it won’t be a rebuilding year next season for the Knicks.
I hope you’re right about Frank. Watching his games, he’s right hand dominant, which is easy to defend against, and I hope he works on his shooting this off-season. His defensive is good and can become great. Reminds me of Michael Cooper.
Dionis, Frank an All-Star??? I always figured that you made your comments tongue in cheek, but if I’m wrong, you’re just delusional.
No on Trae Young, take a SF like Mikal Bridges. The Knicks already have a bunch of PG options next year, and I feel like Young may end up becoming a Lou Will type in the NBA.
Yes Frank an all-star. He is already really good moving off the ball and in catch and shoot situations. Just needs to work on his one on one moves and tighten up his handle and he’ll be formidable with that superb defense.
I don’t think Mikal Bridges makes it to the Knicks if they end up drafting where they place right now at 9. But he’d be nice if it happens.