New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Knox, Lee, Burke, Jenkins

November 20th, 2018 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks had some concerns about Kevin Knox‘s motor heading into the 2018 NBA draft, and while they were thrilled to land the young forward with the ninth overall pick, those concerns continue to linger 10 games into his NBA career, writes Mike Mazzeo of The New York Post.

According to head coach David Fizdale, the Knicks are working on that aspect of Knox’s game, showing him moments on film where he could have made a cut, run harder, or done something else with his athleticism. For his part, Knox agrees that there’s room for improvement in that area.

“That’s something I’m working on,” Knox said of his motor, per Mazzeo. “A lot of people told me that coming out of college, but that’s not something that’s going to fix overnight. I have to get in shape, get conditioning, compete every day in practice. I think most of it is just competing offensively and defensively. But there’s games when my motor is good, I just got to get it consistent and play at a high level.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Fizdale hasn’t hesitated to shake up his starting lineup in the early going this season, having already gone through five different lineups in 17 games. With the Knicks mired in a five-game losing streak, more changes may be coming to the starting lineup soon, writes Steve Popper of Newsday.
Courtney Lee, who continues to recover from a neck issue, started doing contact drills this week and is getting closer to returning to action, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Lee figures to be a prime candidate this winter if he’s healthy.
Knicks point guard Trey Burke has changed agents, having hired Sam Permut of Roc Nation Sports for representation, per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Burke, who is playing on a minimum salary contract this season, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
John Jenkins was waived by New York last month after spending training camp with the club, but he has looked great in the G League for the Westchester Knicks, averaging 29.6 PPG with a scorching .526/.528/.949 shooting line. He’d love to get a shot to join the Knicks’ NBA roster, as he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. “Anywhere I can get a real opportunity and chance to play at this stage of my career,” Jenkins said. “It would be great to be in the Knicks uniform and play at Madison Square Garden. That’s a dream come true for a lot of kids. They’re the team I want to play for. Hopefully I can make that happen.”

Enes Kanter Showing Mixed Emotion In Response To Playing Time

November 18th, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks are trying to pacify Enes Kanter, in the view of Marc Berman of the New York Post, who suggests Kanter could be unhappy with sitting down the stretch of the team’s game against the Pelicans Friday. Kanter played 15 minutes and was the first player to leave the locker room, also sending a cryptic tweet moments after the game. He opted not to answer media questions directed towards his playing time.

Knicks Notes: Hezonja, Burke, Robinson, Trier

November 17th, 2018 at 5:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

A cutback in minutes could ruin Mario Hezonja‘s return to Orlando on Sunday, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Hezonja, who spent three years with the Magic before signing with the Knicks over the summer, got his first DNP of the season last night in a loss to the Pelicans.

Hezonja has been the victim of an evolving rotation in New York, along with his own inconsistent play. He’s shooting just .397 from the field and a career-worst .280 from 3-point range.

“That’s just how the rotation is where it’s at,” coach David Fizdale said after the game. “Trey [Burke] didn’t play [in two games] and he scored 24 for me tonight. I tell all the guys stay ready, it’s a revolving door. Everyone will get a chance to help our team. I think [Hezonja] will.’’

There’s more news out of New York:

Burke credits a change in attitude for Friday night’s scoring outburst, Berman relays in a separate story. He hadn’t shown the explosiveness that helped earn him a rotation spot after being signed from the G League last season, and says he wasn’t driving to the basket enough. “[I was] being conservative, letting the game come to me,’’ Burke said. “Not attacking immediately. Naturally I’m a scoring point guard. When I attack it’s not always for me to score, it creates for others to. I wasn’t doing that.”
Rookie center Mitchell Robinson showed off his shot-blocking prowess last night with seven rejections in 24 minutes, Berman adds in another piece. He ranks fourth in the league in blocks per 36 minutes at 3.7 and gets many of those with his left hand, a fact that his high school coach, Butch Stockton, takes credit for. “I taught him that,’’ Stockton said. “When he was in high school with us, I always stressed to him to block shots with his left hand. Most people you play against are right-handed. Mitchell can always spring better with his left hand up. His senior year he was the best shot-blocker in the country.’’
Two days after unveiling a new starting lineup, Fizdale changed it again in New Orleans, Berman tweets. The latest move involves rookie Allonzo Trier, who was inserted into the starting five in place of Noah Vonleh.

Knicks Notes: Lineup, Hezonja, Porzingis, Lee

November 14th, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are making a couple changes to their starting lineup, as Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets. Emmanuel Mudiay and Kevin Knox are set to replace Frank Ntilikina and Damyean Dotson in the club’s starting five.

According to Berman (via Twitter), head coach David Fizdale referred to Mudiay today as the Knicks’ “best passer.” While Ntilikina has been effective as a defender this season, he has struggled to produce on the offensive end, and Fizdale is looking for more creation from the point guard spot, Berman notes.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Mario Hezonja represented the Knicks’ most significant free agent addition this past offseason, but he has struggled to hit his stride in New York — he’s shooting a career-worst 29.2% on three-pointers so far. Zach Braziller of The New York Post explores how the Knicks are trying to find the right role for Hezonja and get him going. “I think I’m falling into the same things that other coaches have tried to find: What is he?” Fizdale said. “What spot is best on the floor for him? Can he handle playing the four and the two from a position-less standpoint? Or does he just need to be slotted?”
In a separate article for The Post, Braziller relays comments Kristaps Porzingis made to GQ and observes that Porzingis sounds like someone who plans to return to the court well before the end of the season. “Now that it’s getting closer, I can taste it,” Porzingis, who continues to recover from last season’s ACL tear, told Alex Shultz of GQ. “I’m trying to stay patient. The day will come.”
The Knicks provided an update on Courtney Lee‘s health following a re-evaluation on Tuesday, tweeting that the veteran wing is progressing well and will begin running on the court this week. Lee is expected to be a prime trade chip for New York at this season’s deadline if gets healthy.

Urbina: Knicks A Logical Suitor For Rozier?

November 13th, 2018 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays a pair of international roster moves, tweeting that Chris McCullough‘s one-month deal with Shanxi in China has expired, and writing that Japan’s Tokyo Hachioji Trains have signed Cleanthony Early. McCullough, a 2015 first-round pick, spent time with the Wizards last season, while 2014 second-rounder Early last played in the NBA in 2015/16 for the Knicks.
Preparing for the possibility of the Celtics making Terry Rozier available in trade talks later this season, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype identifies four possible landing spots for the point guard, exploring the potential fit for the Knicks, Suns, Magic, and Spurs.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Thomas, Butler, Theis

November 11th, 2018 at 11:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Any dreams the Knicks may have had about teaming up Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving next season appear to be dead, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The Sixers are considered likely to re-sign Butler to a long-term contract after acquiring him from Minnesota in a deal that should become official tomorrow. That follows Irving’s declaration last month that he intends to remain with the Celtics when he hits free agency.

Butler and Irving are friends and there was talk earlier this year that they might be interested in teaming up in New York, with Butler “liking” an Instagram comment that suggested such a move. New York would have needed to trade for one of them, then sign the other next summer. The Knicks were on the list of teams that Butler gave the Timberwolves when he first made his trade request, but they never seemed interested in making a deal.

The Knicks’ options to land a franchise-changing star in free agency are beginning to dwindle, Braziller notes, and their success may depend on getting Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard to consider New York.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks forward Lance Thomas had been experiencing knee pain for weeks before deciding to have surgery on Thursday, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. “Lance is our leader and we just [want to] get him back feeling good and get him back in that locker room with his voice,” coach David Fizdale said. Thomas will be re-evaluated in about a month, with Kevin Knox and Mario Hezonja expected to get more minutes while he’s sidelined. Fizdale may also use bigger lineups with Noah Vonleh at power forward (Twitter link).
Sixers center Joel Embiid got a positive report on Butler when he reached out to Timberwolves stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, relays Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Even though Butler clashed with both players during his time in Minnesota, they expect him to be a positive influence in Philadelphia. “They thought that he was going to be good for us,” Embiid said. “They thought that we were definitely going to get along. He wants to win. Wiggs told me that he thought that we were going to win the East for sure.”
Celtics center Daniel Theis, who has been sidelined with a plantar fascia tear since October 27, hopes to return next week, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.

Reactions To The Jimmy Butler Trade

November 10th, 2018 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler never meshed with two young stars in Minnesota, but he’ll have to make a similar situation work with the Sixers, writes Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Butler was abrasive with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, often questioning their toughness and their work ethic. Sielski believes the All-Star wing will have to take a different approach to be successful in Philadelphia.

The confrontations could be at least partially explained by Butler’s background, Sielski notes. He was picked 30th overall in 2011 and didn’t enter the league as a ready-made star like Towns and Wiggins or like the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Butler’s attitude may endear him to fans, but it could lead to clashes with teammates, particularly Simmons, who has been known to pass up open jumpers and avoid contact late in games to avoid going to the foul line, where he is a 57% career shooter.

Coach Brett Brown talked about the need to add toughness after his team was eliminated from the playoffs last year. Butler brings plenty of that, Sielski adds, but some of his Sixers teammates may find it hard to adapt to the new atmosphere.

There’s more to pass along in the wake of today’s blockbuster:

The trade makes the Sixers better right away and still leaves the flexibility to improve in the future, states David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who adds that it won’t take much roster tinkering to be able to offer another maximum contract next summer. Philadelphia will have about $22MM in available cap room after accounting for Butler, Simmons and Embiid, along with Markelle Fultz, Landry Shamet, Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden. Fultz will make $9,745,200 next season, so trading him and another young player could free up the roughly $11MM the Sixers will need for a max deal.
Butler now has all the advantages he could ask for and needs to prove he can fit in, according to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. The Sixers provide owners that are willing to spend, a forward-thinking and popular coach in Brown and proven talent already in place. Embiid and Simmons have the franchise set up for a long run as contenders, and Butler needs to settle into a role that doesn’t disrupt the chemistry that’s already in place.
The Sixers talked to the Cavaliers this summer about trading for Kyle Korver and still have interest in the 3-point specialist, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. The Knicks’ Courtney Lee is another possibility as Philadelphia looks for shooters after sending Dario Saric and Robert Covington to Minnesota. O’Connor suggests that the team may also wait for buyouts as it did last year when it picked up Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.
There was a big change in the Sixers’ odds to capture the NBA title after news of the trade was announced, according to Ed Barkowitz of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team moved to a 16-1 shot to win it all at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas after starting the day at 30-1.

Rozier Could Be A Trade Target

November 9th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Unless Kyrie Irving has a change of heart about staying in Boston, the Knicks won’t have a shot at signing the Celtics’ starting point guard. They might have a chance at Boston’s other talent point man, Marc Berman of New York Post speculates. Terry Rozier would be a good fit for them, since they’re still trying to choose among Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke. Ntilikina, Noah Vonleh, Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson are some of the young players New York could dangle as trade bait for Rozier, Berman opines. Rozier will be a restricted free agent in July.

The Knicks’ trio of president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and coach David Fizdale have put a plan into action designed for the long-term health of the franchise, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. They are focused on player development and building through the draft rather than the quick-fix solution that have dragged down the franchise for so long.

Porzingis, Fizdale Clear Up Rehab Confusion

November 9th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A fairly innocuous update on Kristaps Porzingis‘ ACL rehab from Knicks head coach David Fizdale on Thursday prompted a response from Porzingis himself, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays.

After Fizdale suggested that Porzingis hadn’t made significant progress since training camp and was still just doing light jogging work, the big man – apparently frustrated by the perception that his recovery was moving slowly – published Instagram photos that showed him sprinting on an outdoor track.

Speaking today to reporters, including ESPN’s Ian Begley, Fizdale explained that he wasn’t aware Porzingis had started sprinting, since the 23-year-old has been working with his own physiotherapist and hasn’t been rehabbing exclusively in the Knicks’ practice facility. According to the Knicks’ head coach, he touched base with Porzingis this morning and they’re now on the same page.

“We had a great talk about it,” Fizdale said. “I think how he took (media reports of Fizdale’s comments on Thursday) was that people thought he wasn’t busting his hump, he took it personally. It got to him that people would think that. … I think maybe when he heard me say, ‘Hey, we’re taking it slow’ and all of that stuff — that’s what we’re doing — but at the same time he (doesn’t) want people thinking that he’s not busting his hump, because he’s killing it.”

While a slight misunderstanding involving a player and his coach hardly qualifies as a major story (even in New York), the communication between Porzingis and Fizdale, who quickly resolved the issue, is a good sign for a Knicks franchise that has been plagued by dysfunction in recent years. Under another coach, it’s possible that similar comments could have ballooned into a larger problem and created resentment between the franchise and its star, who will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2019. Fizdale wants to make sure that sort of thing doesn’t happen under his watch.

“With this group of people that we got here right now, our agendas are on point. Everybody’s coming from a good place. So why let things linger?” Fizdale said, per Begley. “That’s how stuff ends up festering into a real problem. It’s all usually some miscommunication or a misunderstanding and something you could’ve hashed out as an adult right there. So I stress that to all of these guys, handle stuff face to face. Eye-to-eye communication. Get it over with.”

Lance Thomas Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out At Least Four Weeks

November 9th, 2018 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Lance Thomas has undergone arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left knee, the team announced today (Twitter link). Thomas, who had the procedure completed on Thursday, will begin rehabbing immediately and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, per the Knicks.

Thomas, 30, has never put up big numbers during his time in New York, but has evolved into an important locker-room presence for the club, earning praise from new head coach David Fizdale for his leadership.

After starting the first five games of the 2018/19 season, Thomas came off the bench over the last couple weeks and had seen his minutes cut back even before being sidelined by his knee injury. For the season, he has posted modest averages of 3.9 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 15.2 minutes per contest, shooting just 34.1% from the field and 29.4% on three-pointers.

With Thomas expected to miss at least a month and the Knicks already prioritizing the development of their younger players, the veteran forward may not have much of a role when he returns. Thomas has a pseudo-expiring contract, since his $7.58MM salary for 2019/20 is non-guaranteed, so it’s possible he becomes a trade candidate before February’s deadline.