- David Fizdale‘s honeymoon year with the Knicks is nearing its end, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Fizdale has experimented with several different lineup combinations in his first season as coach, as the pressure of having a successful draft offseason continues to mount for the team. The Knicks are expected to pursue top-level talents once free agency officially opens on July 1.
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Knicks have recalled center Luke Kornet from their G League affiliate in Westchester, the team announced today. Kornet, 23, originally signed a deal with the Knicks during free agency last July.
- The Magic have assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to the Lakeland Magic, G League affiliate of the team, according to a tweet from the club’s PR department. Lakeland hosts Westchester in the NBA G League Eastern Conference Semifinal game on Friday night.
- The Kings recalled Caleb Swanigan and Cody Demps from their G League team in Stockton, James Ham of NBC Sports tweets. Both players joined the team in New Orleans for Thursday’s road game against the Pelicans.
- Knicks forward Noah Vonleh underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a right ankle sprain with a bone bruise in his right foot, the team announced. Vonleh is expected to be re-evaluated in one week, with the 23-year-old averaging a career-high 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 25.3 minutes per game this season.
- Knicks coach David Fizdale couldn’t commit to Frank Ntilikina returning this season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Ntilikina re-injured his groin on Friday, an injury that cost him nearly two months of action earlier in the year. “We don’t know yet on the status of how far away he is from coming back,” Fizdale said when asked whether Ntilikina is out for the season. “I know it was a tough blow to the kid the other night. I just don’t know how severe it is. I just know that it got to a point during the game where it was really bothering him. It’s just been frustrating for the kid. It’s been frustrating for all of us, but for him it’s been tough.”
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder have recalled Deonte Burton from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Burton accumulated 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one block during Monday’s G League playoff game against the Salt Lake City Stars.
- The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Vipers are in the G League Western Conference Finals.
- The Knicks have assigned Luke Kornet to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The big man will be available for the G League squad’s playoff game tonight.
With Luka Doncic on the draft board, the Kings received several offers for De’Aaron Fox last June, including one from the Knicks that included Kristaps Porzingis, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. Sources tell Lowe that New York was asking for additional assets along with Fox or would have required Sacramento to take on some unwanted salary.
That trade and others never materialized because the Kings didn’t want to move down and risk losing Marvin Bagley III. They also weren’t interested in taking Doncic because they didn’t want to interfere with Fox’s development as a playmaker.
“I like Luka,” GM Vlade Divac said, “but we didn’t want to overload with players who — maybe they don’t have the exact same characteristics, but if you want to develop the guys you have, you have to make sure they have room to develop.”
Fox has rewarded their confidence, posting a 17.4/3.8/7.2 line in his second NBA season and putting himself in the running for Most Improved Player. He also sparked a turnaround for the Kings that had them in contention for their first playoff berth in more than a decade before tailing off.
Sacramento’s front office will face some important decisions soon about how to build for the future, Lowe notes. Fox, Bagley and Harry Giles are all in their early 20s. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes, who was acquired from the Mavericks last month, are all 26 with free agency looming next summer. Willie Cauley-Stein will be a restricted free agent in July, and Lowe suggests that his defensive shortcomings should make the Kings pass on matching any offer that exceeds the mid-level exception of about $9MM.
Divac isn’t concerned about the gap in the timeline or the danger of losing any key pieces in free agency.
“I would be if Foxy, Harry and Marvin weren’t better than people think,” he said. “They will be ready earlier. And if they are not, they are still the core. We will surround them with players who will help them get to the next level.”
Today’s game with the Clippers barely mattered to the Knicks; it’s the summer battle over free agents that’s going to be important, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. There have been whispers around the league that New York is in good position to land Kevin Durant and another elite free agent after clearing tons of cap room with the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
However, the Clippers could be the toughest obstacle in the Knicks’ way. They can already offer one maximum contract and might have plans to unload enough salary to hand out another. Plus, as Berman notes, they have a playoff team already in place, while New York is at the bottom of the league standings. The battle of owners — the gregarious Steve Ballmer vs. the enigmatic James Dolan — may be the biggest mismatch of all.
“I’m not going to give you my spiel, man,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said when reporters asked how he would sell free agents on L.A. over New York. “Come on. Other than the weather, we’re going to stop there. No, I don’t talk about free agency a lot.”
There’s more from New York:
- Getting their 60th loss wasn’t the worst thing that happened to the Knicks this afternoon, Berman adds in a separate story. Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina, lottery picks from the past two seasons, left the game with injuries a few minutes apart. Ntilikina aggravated a groin strain that kept him out for 24 games before he returned Friday. It could mark the end of his time in New York, as the Knicks are expected to make him available in trades this summer. Knox suffered a sprained right ankle, but coach David Fizdale called it “day to day” and said he’s optimistic that it won’t be a long-term issue.
- The Knicks’ lack of a veteran core has exposed Knox’s weaknesses as a main option for the offense, observes Steve Popper of Newsday. Fizdale contrasts his situation with Tayshaun Prince‘s, who had limited skills as a rookie but was surrounded by veterans in Detroit. “Kevin’s warts show, because everybody else is screwing up, too,” Fizdale said. “So we can’t tuck him away and hide those things right now. But I think going through this is as good as going through it with veterans, because this fast-tracks you.”
- Mitchell Robinson has already set a Knicks’ rookie record with 137 blocks, and Fizdale believes he can develop into a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, relays Peter Botte of The New York Post.
Despite speculation before and after his trade from New York to Dallas, Kristaps Porzingis had no intention of playing this season, he said in an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Porzingis developed a plan more than a year ago with his brother and agent, Janis Porzingis, and physical therapist Manolo Valdivieso for the best way to recover from a torn ACL. That included sitting out a full season, even though it has been difficult to just watch.
“Oh my god, that’s the hardest thing for me to wake up on game days, go through shootaround with the team and then have to pick a suit to wear for the game,” Porzingis said. “… It’s so weird that I’m not able to — I am able to, but I’m not playing yet. It’s the game day, and I feel like it’s the game day, but you just pick a suit and you wear it and you’re there. And I try to be in the moment when I’m there with the team and help as much as I can without being able to be on the floor, but it’s very, very, very tough. Tougher than I expected.”
Porzingis confirmed that he is fully recovered from the injury to his left knee that derailed last season. He said he feels great and is doing all basketball-related activities except for playing in games. He adds that his power, explosiveness and lateral movement are all testing better now than they did before the injury.
The Mavericks gladly signed on to Porzingis’ plan when they traded for him at the end of January. The team added Valdivieso to its staff and has him working with its top training officials. Porzingis said he is “grateful” that the Mavericks have been so accommodating, which although he didn’t mention it, was a point of contention with the Knicks before the deal.
Porzingis participated in his first practice in more than a year on March 13 and said he is looking forward to more. He admits that he has been tempted to play since three months after the operation, but is focusing on what’s best for his future.
“I can feel the progress already, so it excites me even more,” he added. “It makes me even more eager to be out there on the floor. But I’m going to stick to what I have to stick to, stay patient, and when I’m back, I’m going to be back to 110 percent. At this point, I’ve matured a lot. I’m like, ‘This is the decision I have in my mind, and it’s the right decision.’ I don’t feel the same way every day, but I stick to it.”
Porzingis will be a restricted free agent this summer, but he already sounds committed to the Mavericks, who can offer him $158MM over five years. Porzingis said he wants to help the franchise end its three-year playoff drought and is ready to recruit free agents to Dallas.
After an extended absence, Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina returned to action on Friday against the Nuggets. New York’s first-round pick from 2017 played in 25 minutes, tallying five points, five assists and four rebounds.
The Frenchman had not suited up since Jan. 27 when he suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for nearly two months. Ntilikina also had not played 25 or more minutes since Jan. 21, when he totaled 30 in the Knicks’ loss to the Thunder. As Ntilikina tries to carve out a role for himself, he believes the time off helped him improve.
“Nothing is lost,” Ntilikina said to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “I’ve learned a lot. More than you think while being on the side while also working on my mind. I’ve learned a lot. I think I’ve improved a lot, even things you don’t see. Now I’m just looking what’s ahead of me and I’ll work my ass off to be the best Frank I can be.”
Much has been made of the Knicks’ decision to select Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Still under the Phil Jackson regime, the 20-year-old was drafted ahead of talents such as Dennis Smith Jr. (whom the Knicks recently acquired), Donovan Mitchell, and others.
Entering this summer, the Knicks are expected to be aggressive in the free agent market. If that happens, it’s fair to wonder what type of role — if any — Ntilikina will have next season. With nine games left this season, Ntilikina is aiming to show his value — and he feels the two-month hiatus helped.
“You see the game on the side,” Ntilikina said. “You’re learning a lot. You’re watching a lot of film. You’re watching a lot of behaviors. You’re watching not only your team, all the NBA. You’re trying to do something, you cannot play. You’re still trying to learn and improve. That’s my mindset. I’m trying to get better at everything. I was not chilling for this. I did improve.”
Here are Friday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Sixers assigned big man Jonah Bolden to the Delaware Blue Coats, the team’s PR department tweets. Bolden is averaging 16 PPG and 12 RPG in 33.3 MPG over six appearances with the Blue Coats, who play a back-to-back this weekend.
- The Spurs recalled rookie guard and first-round pick Lonnie Walker IV from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. In 28 games with Austin, Walker IV is averaging 16.7 PPG in 27.5 MPG.
- The Magic assigned guard Melvin Frazier Jr. to Lakeland ahead of the G League’s team back-to-back games this weekend, the team’s PR department tweets. Frazier is averaging 12.1 PPG in 29.8 MPG over 16 games with Lakeland.
- The Knicks recalled center Luke Kornet from Westchester, the team’s PR department tweets. Kornet is averaging 18.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 32.5 MPG over 11 games with Westchester.
- The Jazz assigned first-round pick and guard Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. Allen is averaging 17.5 PPG in 31.8 MPG while starting 11 games for the Stars.
- The Warriors assigned rookie guard and first-round pick Jacob Evans III to Santa Cruz, according to a team press release. In 20 games with Santa Cruz, he’s averaging 11.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 26.4 MPG.
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pistons have recalled Khyri Thomas and Svi Mykhailiuk from the Grand Rapids Drive, G League affiliate of the team, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets. Detroit is set to play in Phoenix against the Suns on Thursday night.
- The Spurs have assigned forward Chimezie Metu and guard Lonnie Walker IV to the Austin Spurs, announcing the moves in a press release today. Both players were available for Austin in their final home game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Thursday.
- The Knicks assigned Luke Kornet to their G League team in Westchester, according to a tweet from the club’s PR department. He’s expected to re-join the Knicks for Friday night’s home game against Denver.