New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics’ Brad Stevens Named NBA’s Executive Of The Year

April 30th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).

In his third season as the Celtics’ head of basketball operations after eight years as the team’s head coach, Stevens put together a dominant Boston roster that posted a 64-18 record, easily the best mark in the NBA, along with a +11.7 net rating, the third-best mark in league history.

The Celtics were coming off a 57-win season in 2022/23, but Stevens shook up the roster drastically last summer, trading away longtime defensive stalwart Marcus Smart in a deal for Kristaps Porzingis, then moving key role players Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams in a a blockbuster for Jrue Holiday as training camps got underway.

Stevens also signed several Celtics players to contract extensions in the past 12 months, including Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Holiday.

Unlike the NBA’s other major awards, the Executive of the Year is voted on by 29 team executives from around the league rather than 99 media members. Stevens received 16 of 29 potential first-place votes, along with six second-place votes and three third-place votes, for a total of 101 points (Twitter link).

The runner-up, Sam Presti of the Thunder, had 47 points, including four first-place votes. Tim Connelly of the Timberwolves also earned the top spot on four ballots en route to a third-place finish (29 points).

Knicks president Leon Rose (27 points; one first-place vote) was the only other executive to earn more than 11 points, though Nico Harrison (Mavericks) and Monte McNair (Kings) also received first-place votes, while Rockets general manager Rafael Stone earned a pair of them. A total of 13 executives showed up on at least one ballot.

Former Raptors Duo Keys Knicks' Defense

April 29th, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Raptors teammates OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa were instrumental in the Knicks’ defensive effort during their Game 4 win over the Sixers on Sunday. They guarded Joel Embiid a majority of the time with Isaiah Hartenstein in foul trouble and Mitchell Robinson sidelined by an ankle injury.

The Knicks’ frontcourt duo also made the right reads in rotations and pick-and-rolls, SNY TV’s Ian Begley notes. “I don’t know how to (explain it),” Achiuwa said. “It’s a feel thing between me and OG. When we’re involved in a defensive action, I understand what he wants to do, we read off each other and play off each other that way. … That’s kind of what played into it.”

While Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was setting a franchise record for playoff points in a single game, Sixers counterpart Kyle Lowry only made one field goal in Game 4, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. Lowry, an unrestricted free agent after the season, is averaging 10.5 points and 4.0 assists per game in the series.
Offensive rebounding was a key to the Knicks’ victory on Sunday. They grabbed 15 for the game, including seven in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Sixers 21-6 on second-chance opportunities. “That’s what they do,” 76ers forward Kelly Oubre told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “Like I said, Jalen (Brunson) is putting up all the shots, but at the end of the day, like that’s what he’s supposed to do. And then everybody else is supposed to crash the glass like mad men.”

Knicks’ Bojan Bogdanovic To Miss Game 5 Tuesday

April 29th, 2024 at 4:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks have ruled out wing Bojan Bogdanovic for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sixers on Tuesday, Fred Katz and Shams Charania of The Athletic report (Twitter links). Bogdanovic is dealing with a left foot contusion.

Bogdanovic was injured when he collided with Sixers’ forward Nicolas Batum just after entering Game 4 on Sunday. Bogdanovic averaged eight points and four rebounds during the first three games of the series, including a couple of clutch baskets during New York’s Game 2 victory last Monday.

With Bogdanovic departing after one minute of action, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went with a seven-man rotation for the remainder of the game.

Bogdanovic, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Detroit to bolster the Knicks’ perimeter offense, was already banged up entering the postseason. He has been dealing with a left wrist injury that may require offseason surgery.

Bogdanovic’s future with the team is uncertain. He has a $19MM contract for next season, but only $2MM is guaranteed.

The Knicks will look to close out the series without Bogdanovic on their home court.

Brunson Sets Playoff Franchise Record

April 28th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson broke Bernard King‘s franchise record on Sunday with 47 points in New York’s Game 4 win over the Sixers. Brunson didn’t shoot well in the first two games of the series but has averaged 43 points and 11.5 assists in the last two games.

“You expect him to make every shot. He’s a great player,” Knicks forward OG Anunoby said. “Even when he was cold the first couple of games, you knew he was going to turn it around. Just ’cause we see him every day. It was going to turn around eventually.”

Josh Hart didn’t have a field goal in the Knicks’ victory but he made his presence felt in many other areas. He grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked three shots, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. “I mean, I had to do something,” Hart said. “I had five turnovers, didn’t make a shot, didn’t hit any free throws, missed two free throws late that were big. So offensively it just wasn’t there today. But when you have that, you have to try to figure out ways to still make an impact in the game. And for me that was rebounding and pushing. Offensive rebound, trying to get extra possessions. Looked athletic on a couple of blocks, so that was nice.”
Sixers star Joel Embiid called out Philadelphia’s home crowd after the loss, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links). The arena had plenty of fans rooting for the visitors. “Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they’re down the road and I’ve never seen it and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town,” he said. “They’ve always shown up and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah. It’s not okay.”
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson sat out Game 4 due to an ankle injury suffered in the previous game. Robinson warmed up prior to the contest but couldn’t go. Afterward, he was spotted leaving the locker room in a walking boot, Katz tweets.

Knicks’ Bojan Bogdanovic Suffers Foot Injury

April 28th, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

1:40pm: Bogdanovic has officially been ruled out for the rest of the contest, the Knicks have announced (via Twitter).

1:31pm: Knicks reserve combo forward Bojan Bogdanovic sustained a foot injury during New York’s critical ongoing Game 4 against the Sixers this afternoon, when Philadelphia forward Nicolas Batum fell into him.

According to the Knicks (Twitter link), Bogdanovic has officially suffered a left foot contusion and is considered questionable to rejoin his teammates later in this game.

New York, despite missing All-Star power forward Julius Randle, currently leads the Sixers 2-1 in the series. The absence of Bogdanovic, a critical floor-stretcher thanks to his three-point marksmanship, could prove detrimental for a team already missing its most important forward. Bogdanovic is already grappling with a left wrist injury that may require surgery whenever the Knicks’ playoff run ends.

Bogdanovic has played a fairly limited role during his first playoff series as a Knick. He’s averaging 8.0 PPG on .292/.400/.571 shooting, 4.0 RPG, and 1.3 APG across 16.7 MPG off the New York bench.

Knicks’ Bogdanovic Has Wrist Injury, May Need Offseason Surgery

April 28th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Rory Maher

Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic recently underwent an MRI on his sore left wrist, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the 35-year-old has ligament damage and may need surgery in the offseason.

Bogdanovic plans to play through the injury for the remainder of the playoffs, Scotto adds.

It’s unclear when the Croatian veteran initially sustained the wrist injury, but he has been wearing a wrap on it since April 7, a week before the regular season ended.

New York acquired Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Pistons at the February trade deadline in the deal that sent Quentin Grimes to Detroit.

It’s a tough blow for the Knicks, who are already shorthanded in the frontcourt with Julius Randle out due to season-ending shoulder surgery. Mitchell Robinson‘s left ankle sprain could keep him on the sidelines for Sunday’s Game 4 as well.

Bogdanovic put up big offensive numbers in starting roles with Indiana, Utah and Detroit over the past several seasons, but he hasn’t been as effective or efficient for New York. Through three playoff games in 2023/24, he’s averaging 8.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 16.7 MPG. While he has converted 40% of his three-point looks (6-of-15), he’s just 1-of-9 on twos (11.1%).

Bogdanovic’s $19MM salary for ’24/25 is only partially guaranteed for $2MM. He could be a free agent this summer if the Knicks release him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed.

The Knicks currently have a 2-1 lead in their first-round series with the 76ers.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Oubre, Hield, Payne

April 27th, 2024 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The toughness that Joel Embiid displayed in Game 3 will have to continue for the Sixers to have any chance to win their series with New York, writes Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite dealing with the pain of a surgically repaired left knee and the difficulties brought on by a mild case of Bell’s palsy, Embiid set a career playoff high with 50 points in Thursday’s crucial victory.

With two days to rest before the series resumes Sunday, Embiid is embracing the challenges of playoff basketball, no matter what physical ailments he has to overcome.

“I want to play as much as possible. I only have about, maybe, eight years left. So I have to enjoy this as much as possible and I want to win,” he said. “I’m just trying to keep pushing. I’m not going to quit. If it’s on one leg, I’m still going to go out there and try, but that’s not an excuse. Got to keep playing better, and better, and better.”

After Game 3, Embiid called the Bell’s palsy “an unfortunate situation” and told reporters, including Tim Bontemps of ESPN, that it started with migraine headaches shortly before Philadelphia’s play-in game last week. He explained that the condition sometimes causes blurred vision, and he frequently has to put drops in left eye to keep it from drying out.

“It’s pretty annoying, you know, with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. So yeah, it’s been tough,” Embiid said. “But I’m not a quitter, so gotta keep fighting. But yeah, it’s unfortunate. That’s the way I look at it. But it’s not an excuse. Gotta keep pushing.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Kelly Oubre responded to the Knicks‘ complaints about officiating after Game 3, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. In addition to a free throw disparity, New York players were upset about a Flagrant 1 foul that Embiid committed when he grabbed Mitchell Robinson‘s leg, with Donte DiVincenzo calling it a “dirty play.” Oubre said he has been on the receiving end of that type of contact and doesn’t consider it dirty. He also called for a focus on basketball instead of threats of retaliation. “It’s like, let’s just hoop,” Oubre said at today’s practice. “Let’s go out there and play hard and nobody’s gonna fight. This ain’t WWE. So at the end of the day, stand on the stuff that’ll say so we’ll see tomorrow how they react.”
Philadelphia police are conducting an internal investigation into whether Oubre received preferential treatment following his auto accident early Tuesday morning, tweets Michael J. Babcock of TMZ Sports. Oubre, who is accused of running a red light and hitting another car, wasn’t cited or given a sobriety test or breathalyzer.
Buddy Hield played just four minutes in Game 3 and appears to have been replaced in the rotation by Cameron Payne, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hield didn’t get off the bench after the first quarter, while Payne contributed 11 points and three assists in nearly 16 minutes. Hield has been a disappointment since being acquired from Indiana at the deadline, and Pompey suggests the Sixers would probably rather have Marcus Morris, who was shipped to San Antonio in the three-team trade.

Knicks Notes: Officiating, Robinson, Anunoby, DiVincenzo, Hart

April 27th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Sixers ripped the officiating following their Game 2 loss, it was the Knicks who had grievances to express during their post-game media session following Game 3. As Peter Botte of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t happy with the fact that Joel Embiid went to the line 21 times while his team as a whole was awarded just 19 free throw attempts.

“I’ll look at it again, and I’ll send my clips in like I do every game and they’ll say, ‘marginal contact,’ and then we’ll have marginal contact on Embiid and he’ll be at the line 21 times,” Thibodeau said after Thursday’s loss. “So that’s the way it works.”

While some Knicks players suggested they’d expected the officiating in Game 3 to favor the Sixers after how Game 2 ended, they took exception to an Embiid foul on Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter. After Embiid fell to the floor on defense, he grabbed Robinson’s legs as the Knicks center attempted to rise up for a layup attempt (video link). Donte DiVincenzo called it a “dirty” play, while Josh Hart said Robinson was fortunate to avoid a significant injury.

“I’m all for tough fouls, tough playoff fouls, but that’s something that can put a guy out for a significant amount of time,” Hart said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “So we’re lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt during that time.”

Embiid – who was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play, rather than flagrant 2 that would have ended his night – explained to reporters after the game that he had “flashbacks” to a play earlier this year when Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee. He said he wanted to avoid a repeat of that incident.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” Embiid said. “I just … in those situations I gotta protect myself, because I’ve been in way too many situations where I’m always the recipient of the bad end of it.”

Here’s more on the Knicks as they prepare for Sunday’s Game 4:

Robinson’s status for Game 4 remains up in the air, but he didn’t practice on Saturday, according to Thibodeau (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic). If Robinson is unable to play, the pressure will be on Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa to respond to and match Embiid’s physicality on Sunday, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
OG Anunoby and DiVincenzo were two of the Knicks’ most reliable role players during the regular season, but they’ve been up and down so far in the playoffs, according to Botte, who says New York needs more consistency out of the two wings going forward. The Knicks outscored opponents with Anunoby on the floor in every single one of his 23 regular season games with the team, but have a negative net rating during his minutes in two of three postseason contests.
The fact that so many key Knicks contributors played their college ball at Villanova has been a fun subplot of the first-round series between New York and Philadelphia. As Bondy details for The New York Post, both Hart and DiVincenzo spoke this week about how they hoped to be drafted by the Sixers when they came into the NBA. “Yeah, I wanted to go (to Philadelphia),” said Hart, who was the No. 30 pick in the 2017 draft. “They were at 25 and did a draft-and-stash, some European guy that I can’t pronounce the name.” The 76ers used that pick on Anzejs Pasecniks, who spent the next two seasons overseas, then had his rights renounced by Philadelphia in 2019.

Mitchell Robinson Exits Game 3 With Ankle Sprain

April 25th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

10:25pm: Robinson was seen exiting Wells Fargo Center wearing a walking boot, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

10:02pm: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson exited Game 3 against the Sixers with a sprained left ankle, according to the team (Twitter link). Robinson had been listed as questionable to play in the game due to an ankle issue.

According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Robinson looked hobbled throughout the game (Twitter link). Even though he was playing through an injury, losing Robinson is a huge deal for the Knicks with Joel Embiid on the other side of the court.

Robinson averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31 games this season. In the first two games of the series, he averaged 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. When he exited the game, Robinson had two points and seven boards. New York was a plus-seven in Robinson’s 12 minutes of play, but lost Game 3 by 11 points.

Isaiah Hartenstein, who drew the start, and Precious Achiuwa will likely see an increase in minutes if Robinson is unavailable. Hartenstein finished Game 3 with 14 points and five fouls, while Achiuwa had four points and three fouls.

By defeating the Knicks in Philadelphia, the Sixers earned their first win of the series, avoiding a 3-0 hole. The two teams will square off on Sunday for Game 4, and it’s unlikely Robinson will be ready to play much, if at all, in that game. Recovery times for ankle sprains differ wildly, so we’ll have to wait more to hear about his timeline. Robinson, who underwent ankle surgery in December, missed 51 regular season games in 2023/24.

De’Anthony Melton Active For Sixers In Game 3

April 25th, 2024 at 6:13pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton is active and available for the team ahead of Game 3 against the Knicks (Twitter link via PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck).

Melton went through shootaround earlier today, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), but it’s unlikely he’ll have a big role after barely playing this calendar year. We noted earlier today that Melton was trending toward a Game 3 return.

“He’s always an impactful player when he’s out there,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said of Melton in a story from Neubeck. “One thing I can say as a co-worker and friend, he really works. There’s never been a moment that he’s been down, he’s worked every single day to try to come back. He hasn’t given up. As a teammate, all you can do is appreciate something like that. And if he’s able to come back, I think he can change the series.”

In 38 games (33 starts) with the Sixers this season, Melton averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 36.0% from deep. He has only appeared in seven games since the start of 2024 and he hasn’t played 20 or more minutes in a game since Jan. 12 while dealing with a back injury.

Melton has missed 22 of the past 24 games for the Sixers, not including either of their playoff games. Down 0-2 to the Knicks, the Sixers are banking on getting a boost in their backcourt from the veteran guard, even if he plays sparingly. In the 2023 playoffs, Melton averaged 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 38.8% from three across two series.

Neubeck suggests that Melton could help get trade deadline acquisition Buddy Hield, who has struggled offensively, off the floor. Melton would be better suited to help in a series defined by physicality, athleticism, rebounding and versatility.

“[I can do] the little things,” Melton said. “Rebounding, boxing out, getting deflections, getting steals, I feel like in the playoffs every possession matters. Holding them to one possession is important.”

The Sixers have lost their two playoff games to the Knicks by a combined 10 points, including a three-point defeat on Monday that featured a controversial ending.

New York center Mitchell Robinson, who was listed as questionable, is active.