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David Fizdale Confident Knicks Can Do Well In Free Agency

March 16th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by marksuleymanov

During a rare, wide-ranging interview earlier this week, Knicks owner James Dolan voiced confidence that the team would enjoy a successful summer in recruiting top tier free agents.

“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents],” he said on The Michael Kay Show. “One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [president Steve Mills] and [GM Scott Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”

Thus far, the rebuilding Knicks sit in the NBA’s cellar, owning a league-worst record of 13-56. However, the organization has pointed toward its young assets, such as Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Mitchell Robinson — in addition to the city of New York — as enticing reasons for free agents to consider the team as a destination.

Fizdale echoed Dolan’s comments, citing player development and chatter around the league.

“Well, the beauty of it, the thing that I always — as much as I love you guys — I try to have my baseline on people that are having to make decisions around the league when they look at our team,” Fizdale said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “All of the feedback that we’ve gotten is young kids have gotten better, our guys compete their butts off. We set ourselves up big-time for a great future and that’s what I’m listening to when I talk to my friends around the league and the feedback that I’m getting.”

The Knicks are expected to be serious players for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and others. It’s still far from a certainty that New York will sign any of those impending free agents and Fizdale said he remains focused on finishing the season strong.

“Well, since we’ve been here, I’m hoping that’s the case, that the relationships and what we’re building here will attract people,” Fizdale said. “But right now I’m so far away from that, guys, I’m like in a darkroom right now with these guys. I’ve got a lot of things I’m trying to clean up and teach these young guys. Free agency for me is like millions of miles away.”

Community Shootaround: Dolan And Free Agency

March 15th, 2019 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The dream scenario this offseason for most Knicks fans goes something like this: They win the draft lottery and land the best prospect in years, Duke wunderkind Zion Williamson. Then top free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decide to join forces in the media capital of the world, giving the Knicks a powerhouse trio and turning them into instant championship contenders.

As those fans know all too well, it’s dangerous to think that way. Their hopes have been consistently dashed over the past two decades, due to poor management decisions and wayward ownership.

The current front office has managed to do some positive things. The Knicks have shed a lot of bad contracts in recent years to the point where they have less than $22MM in guaranteed salary commitments next season. Whether they did the right thing by trading away injured young star Kristaps Porzingis remains to be seen, but there’s an undeniable problem for the franchise: the reputation of owner James Dolan.

Dolan is on the short list of most unpopular owners in professional sports and he recently made headlines for banning a fan who urged him within earshot to sell the team. Paranoia has filled the air around Madison Square Garden under Dolan’s stewardship, poisoning the franchise’s relationship with media, fans and former players.

Porzingis’ unhappiness stemmed in large part from his skepticism that the franchise could ever thrive again under Dolan. As Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today points out, Dolan fails to comprehend that the ultimate owners of a sports franchise are the team’s fans.

All that being said, there’s still a lure about playing in New York City. Coach David Fizdale has done his best to change the culture around the team and develop young players. And if the Knicks win the lottery, Williamson will create an added allure to the franchise.

That leads us to our question of the day: Will distaste for owner James Dolan prevent the Knicks from landing any top-level free agents this summer? Or will they go to New York regardless of how they feel about Dolan?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input

Examining Knicks' Upcoming Offseason

March 14th, 2019 at 10:51pm CST by JD Shaw

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic examines where the Knicks stand entering the offseason, which includes June’s NBA Draft and the start of free agency in July. In addition to having a solid young core, the team will own a high-level draft pick and significant cap space to pursue star free agents on the open market.

Dolan Unlikely To Face Tampering Penalty

March 14th, 2019 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

During a Tuesday radio appearance, Knicks owner James Dolan strongly hinted that the club has heard from certain players and/or agents, and suggested that he believes the Knicks will have a “very successful offseason when it comes to free agents.” While those comments raised some eyebrows, a lawyer familiar with the NBA’s tampering policy tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Dolan worded them carefully enough to avoid running afoul of the league’s policy. “If an agent walks up to [president] Steve Mills and says, ‘Clear cap space, player X wants to come,’ and Steve doesn’t engage, then it’s not tampering,” the lawyer said. “It appeared Dolan was pretty careful to make it seem like that was the deal.”

James Dolan Talks Fan Incident, Free Agency, Porzingis

March 12th, 2019 at 9:03pm CST by marksuleymanov

Knicks owner James Dolan was caught on video last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, confronting a fan who demanded he sell the franchise. The brief confrontation resulted in Dolan ejecting the fan from the arena and subsequently banning him from the venue.

The incident encapsulated a rough recent stretch for Dolan, the owner of the worst team in the NBA this season. Dolan has battled demands that he sell the Knicks and rumors that he’s considering it, defended his decision to ban New York Daily News reporters, and faced criticism for his stewardship of the franchise.

During an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Tuesday, Dolan addressed the incident with the fan, his intentions with the team moving forward, and expectations for a major splash in free agency this summer.

Check out some of the highlights below:

On the incident with a fan at Madison Square Garden over the weekend…

“I do understand for the fans it’s about winning and losing and we haven’t been doing much winning. And there’s a real big frustration level there. We get it. I don’t like losing either. If you want to go right into [Saturday’s] incident, it’s pretty easy.

“It appears this gentleman and his friends planned to do this. Just before the game they cleared their profiles out. We have video which shows them moving from one side of the arena to the other and pointing at me, where I was walking, to set this ambush up and they did. As soon as they were done with it, it was immediately sold to TMZ. Not for nothing, I shouldn’t have taken the bait. I will say we had just lost, again, and believe it or not I get frustrated with it, too. … I don’t mind. You hear all kinds of stuff, but what is a problem is when someone becomes confrontational. These people clearly were there for a confrontation.”

On rumors of Dolan considering selling the Knicks…

“Just for the record, I am not selling the team. I am not quitting and neither is [president] Steve [Mills], neither is [GM] Scott [Perry] and neither are any of the players.”

On whether he thinks the Knicks will do well in free agency…

“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents]. One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [Mills] and [Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”

On the departure of Kristaps Porzingis…

“I thought our guys tried really hard to integrate him into the organization and make him feel welcome here. When he came in and said to us, ‘I don’t want to be here, I’m going to leave the first chance I get and I want to get traded.’ That cast a die on what we had to do.”

Knicks, Hawks, Suns Carrying Most 2018/19 Dead Money

March 12th, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

All but two of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying some sort of “dead money” on their salary cap for 2018/19. This dead money is created as a result of having, at some point, waived a player who had guaranteed money left on his contract (or having 10-day contracts expire).

In some cases, teams are carrying cap hits for players even though they released them several years ago. That’s the case in Detroit, for instance, where the Pistons have a $5,331,729 cap charge for Josh Smith this season — the Pistons cut Smith in 2014.

For other clubs, the dead money is a result of having waived players more recently. The Knicks, for example, shot to the top of 2018/19’s dead money list after the trade deadline when they released Enes Kanter and Wesley Matthews, both of whom had cap hits of $18,622,514.

Carrying a significant amount of dead money isn’t necessarily a sign of cap mismanagement — the Hawks, for instance, have nearly $44MM in dead money on their books, but a significant portion of that money came as a result of acquiring and waiving Carmelo Anthony and Jamal Crawford. Both of those players came with first-round picks attached, so Atlanta doesn’t mind the fact that they’re taking up a chunk of the team’s cap room this year.

Conversely, the Hornets are one of just two teams with absolutely no dead money on their cap this season, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been well-managed. After all, many of Charlotte’s highest-paid players aren’t giving the team much in the way of on-court production.

Here’s the full list of 2018/19 dead money by team, as of March 12, starting with the Knicks:

New York Knicks: $60,490,344
Atlanta Hawks: $43,703,050
Phoenix Suns: $39,609,580
Brooklyn Nets: $39,363,271
Los Angeles Clippers: $30,930,897
San Antonio Spurs: $20,306,394
Chicago Bulls: $18,918,503
Dallas Mavericks: $15,593,061
Los Angeles Lakers: $14,354,067
Sacramento Kings: $11,827,028
Indiana Pacers: $10,888,661
New Orleans Pelicans: $10,196,784
Milwaukee Bucks: $7,412,562
Detroit Pistons: $7,189,209
Portland Trail Blazers: $5,091,108
Oklahoma City Thunder: $4,799,674
Memphis Grizzlies: $3,884,469
Minnesota Timberwolves: $2,945,201
Toronto Raptors: $1,885,458
Philadelphia 76ers: $1,740,276
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,572,152
Washington Wizards: $1,553,515
Orlando Magic: $1,333,333
Golden State Warriors: $945,126
Houston Rockets: $931,943
Denver Nuggets: $412,389
Miami Heat: $397,459
Boston Celtics: $92,857
Charlotte Hornets: $0
Utah Jazz: $0

Contract information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Knicks Notes: Hezonja, Dolan, Scouting

March 12th, 2019 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach David Fizdale recently spoke about the challenges presented by having a roster packed with free-agents-to-be who might be tempted to focus on improving their stock for the summer rather than playing team-first ball. However, Mario Hezonja believes he’s been able to stick to Fizdale’s desired style of play despite his upcoming unrestricted free agency, as he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“I don’t give a s–t that I’m a free agent,” Hezonja said. “I’m trying to help these guys as well. I don’t give a s–t about myself. I’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ll be fine. With my basketball skill, talent and abilities, I’ll always be fine. I just want to help these guys with stuff I’ve been through in my career in both Europe and here.

“I know it’s a very sensitive situation here with a lot of free agents and a lot of young guys I’m trying to help. If I see something in practice, I try to correct them. We have to continue to show togetherness and finish on a good note. A lot of teams don’t achieve playoffs they just give up.”

After playing well to finish the 2017/18 season, Hezonja turned down multiple two-year contract offers to join the Knicks on a one-year deal, but it has been a tough year for him in New York. He’s averaging 7.6 PPG with a career-low .277 3PT%, and the club has the worst record in the NBA. Nonetheless, the former fifth overall pick says he doesn’t regret his free agent decision, adding that he loves New York and hopes to extend his stay with the Knicks beyond this season.

“Even though it’s a bad, rough season individually and as a team, I feel I have [the] support of the city,” Hezonja said.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

James Dolan‘s latest public run-in with a fan – which saw the Knicks’ owner instruct MSG security to detain a customer who yelled at him to “sell the team” – is a reminder that Dolan is “thin-skinned and utterly clueless about the franchise he has run into the ground,” according to Frank Isola of The Athletic, who wonders whether Dolan’s baggage will have an impact on the team’s ability to attract star free agents.
Former Knick Charles Oakley is among those who would advise stars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to avoid the club in free agency, as he tells Dolan. “If you want to be in New York, look at the Nets. [GM] Sean Marks has done a great job. The Nets have better pieces,” Oakley said. “You come to the Knicks … it won’t be easy.”
After attending the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to watch Murray State point guard Ja Morant, Knicks GM Scott Perry will be at this week’s ACC Tournament to get a look at Zion Williamson and other top prospects, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. President of basketball operations Steve Mills will also likely be on hand at the tournament, which will feature players like R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Nassir Little as well.

Mavs Expected To Make Big Push For Kemba Walker

March 11th, 2019 at 5:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are the biggest threat to the Hornets for unrestricted free agent Kemba Walker, longtime Hornets beat writer Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Bonnell cites two knowledgeable sources who indicate the Mavs will make the high-scoring point guard their top free agent target. Dallas could plug Walker into its backcourt to create a formidable trio alongside rookie sensation Luka Doncic and recently-acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis. Dallas has ample cap space to offer the max a new team can give a free agent, a four-year deal worth approximately $140.6MM.

Walker is averaging a career-high 24.9 PPG and 5.8 APG in his walk year. Charlotte can offer him a five-year deal worth up to around $189.7MM, but the franchise’s inability to build a quality team around him may convince Walker to seek greener pastures. That five-year, maximum-salary figure could rise to $221MM if Walker is named to the All-NBA team, Bonnell notes.

The Knicks, Lakers and Pacers are some of the other teams expected to contend for Walker’s services, Bonnell adds.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Atlantic Division

March 10th, 2019 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Atlantic Division:

Terry Rozier, Celtics, 24, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $8.8MM deal in 2015
Rozier has struggled most of the season after his breakout performances in last season’s playoffs, when he averaged 16.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.7 APG while subbing for an injured Kyrie Irving. So why is his stock up? Irving’s commitment to the organization is shaky at best, which makes restricted free agent Rozier a major insurance policy. Rozier would clearly benefit from becoming a starter in Boston or elsewhere. He has averaged 14.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 5.7 APG the last six games in which Irving missed and he played. He rarely turns the ball over, which makes any coach happy.

Ed Davis, Nets, 29, PF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $4.45MM deal in 2018
Davis consistently stays in a team’s rotation by knowing his role and his limitations. He’s told to rebound and play defense and he does those well. Davis is averaging a career-high 8.5 RPG while playing pretty much the same minutes he logged for Portland the previous three seasons. He sports a strong 1.7 Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating, according to Basketball-Reference. He’ll continue to find work as a second-unit fixture who doesn’t mind letting his teammates do all the scoring.

Mario Hezonja, Knicks, 24, SF (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $6.5MM deal in 2018
Hezonja had a second chance to shed the label of ‘bust’ by signing with the rebuilding Knicks after three forgettable seasons with Orlando. Perhaps his label should now read ‘colossal bust.’ Hezonja is destined to go down as one of the worst top-five picks in the last two decades. In 46 games, Hezonja has averaged 7.6 PPG on 39.7% shooting and 3.7 RPG while compiling more turnovers than assists. He hasn’t played since mid-February due to a knee injury or coach’s decision. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Croatian native spends the remainder of his career in Europe.

Boban Marjanovic, 76ers, 30, C (Down) — Signed to a three-year, $21MM deal in 2016
Marjanovic has been sidelined recently by a knee injury. He’s been highly productive and always entertaining when he plays. The 7’3″ center is a throwback to another era when slow-footed giants were more prevalent in the league. Marjanovic is impossible to stop when he gets the ball down low but his lack of mobility make it tough to play him for long stretches. The happy-go-lucky Marjanovic is a fan and locker-room favorite who might get a short-term deal as a third-string backup but it’s doubtful he’ll receive another three-year offer.

Danny Green, Raptors, 31, SG (Up)– Signed to a four-year, $40MM deal in 2015
Green was the ‘other’ starter in the blockbuster Spurs-Raptors trade this offseason. Green isn’t an All-Star talent like Kawhi Leonard or DeMar DeRozan, but he’s a solid NBA starter on one of the top teams in the league. He gained that status in San Antonio and nothing’s changed north of the border. Green has taken two-thirds of his shots from beyond the arc and made 43.3%, his best long-distance average since the 2011/12 season. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating has dropped this year but he’s still a plus 1.2. Green’s 3-point shooting alone will guarantee him a nice payday this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Frank Ntilikina Still Not Close To Returning

March 10th, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina was re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff yesterday, but it still isn’t clear when he might return from a groin injury, relays Peter Botte of The New York Post. Ntilikina, who has missed 18 straight games, said he hopes to receive clearance “to do more” this week.