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Knicks Fire Jeff Hornacek

April 12th, 2018 at 12:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have dismissed head coach Jeff Hornacek, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, team management informed Hornacek of its decision upon returning to New York late Wednesday night following the Knicks’ win in Cleveland. The club has since confirmed the move.

Hornacek, who previously coached the Suns, was hired by the Knicks in 2016. He took the reins from interim head coach Kurt Rambis., who stayed on as an assistant until he was also relieved of his duties today, per Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). In two seasons with the franchise, Hornacek led the Knicks to a 60-104 record (.366), missing the playoffs in consecutive years.

Having been hired by former Knicks president Phil Jackson, Hornacek was considered to be on the hot seat for much of the 2017/18 season. Expectations for the Knicks weren’t high entering the year, particularly after the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City in September, so the team’s 29-win showing wasn’t necessarily a major disappointment. Still, there was a belief that the new regime – led by president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry – would want to bring in its own head coach to lead the next stage of New York’s rebuild.

It’s not yet clear if there’s a frontrunner to replace Hornacek on the Knicks’ bench, but a few potential candidates – including Mark Jackson, David Blatt, and David Fizdale – have been mentioned multiple times over the past couple months. The Knicks plan to contact those three veteran coaches, league sources tell Wojnarowski.

In a piece for The New York Daily News on Wednesday, Frank Isola identified Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, and Jerry Stackhouse as other possible options to replace Hornacek. Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter) that Stackhouse is on the Knicks’ list of candidates to contact.

Isola also cited a source who named current Knicks VP of player development Craig Robinson as a “long-shot candidate” to move to the head coach position. While that scenario seems unlikely, Robinson was formerly a college head coach at Brown and Oregon State.

Hornacek is the fourth head coach fired by an NBA team during the 2017/18 league year, joining Earl Watson (Suns), Fizdale (Grizzlies), and Jason Kidd (Bucks). Phoenix, Memphis, and Milwaukee have hired interim coaches for now, but figure to conduct full-fledged searches soon, so the Knicks may have to compete with those clubs as they look to schedule interviews.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Details On Traded Picks, Upcoming Draft Tiebreakers

April 12th, 2018 at 12:20am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2017/18 NBA regular season in the books, the postseason matchups are set in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

More importantly for fans of most non-playoff teams, the end of the regular season means that the 2018 NBA draft picture is clearer than ever. The 2018 draft order is close to being set and – with a small handful of exceptions – most of this year’s traded draft picks with protections on them have now officially changed hands or officially stayed put.

However, there are still some major question marks surrounding the draft order, since several clubs finished the regular season with identical records, and draft tiebreakers don’t work like playoff tiebreakers do. In order to break these ties, the NBA will conduct random drawings this Friday, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes (via Twitter).

[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings]

For lottery teams, such as the 24-58 Mavericks and Hawks, who finished tied for third in the lottery standings, the implications of those drawings are huge. Whichever team wins that tiebreaker will have ever-so-slightly better odds at the first overall pick (13.8% to 13.7%), and will be in position to claim the higher first-round pick if neither team lands in the top three.

For instance, if the Suns and Grizzlies remain at No. 1 and No. 2 in the lottery and another team leapfrogs the Mavs and Hawks, the winner of the tiebreaker between Dallas and Atlanta would claim the No. 4 overall pick — the loser would get No. 5. For the second round, the loser of the tiebreaker would receive the higher selection.

Here are the draft tiebreakers that will be conducted on Friday:

Mavericks vs. Hawks for Nos. 3, 4.
Kings vs. Bulls for Nos. 6, 7.
Bucks vs. Heat for Nos. 16, 17.
Spurs vs. Timberwolves for Nos. 18, 19.
Pacers vs. Pelicans vs. Thunder vs. Jazz for Nos. 20-23.

Several of those tiebreakers will also affect this year’s traded picks. Most notably, the Bucks/Heat drawing has massive implications for Milwaukee and Phoenix — the Bucks’ first-round pick will head to the Suns if it lands at No. 16, but Milwaukee would keep it if it ends up at No. 17. In other words, each team has a 50/50 shot at the pick. If the Bucks keep it, they’d owe their 2019 first-round selection to Phoenix, albeit with somewhat similar protections.

Here’s a breakdown of the traded first-round picks for 2018. A check mark indicates the pick will definitely be sent to the indicated team:

Nets pick to Cavaliers (✔️): Eighth in lottery standings
Lakers pick to Sixers (97.1%) or Celtics (2.9%): 10th in lottery standings
- Note: Celtics will receive pick if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 via the lottery.
Pistons pick to Clippers (97.5%): 12th in lottery standings
- Note: Pistons will keep pick if it lands in top three via the lottery.
Heat pick to Suns (✔️): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
Bucks pick to Suns (50%): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
- Note: Bucks will keep pick if it lands at No. 17 via a random drawing.
Timberwolves pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 18 or 19 (tie)
Thunder pick to Timberwolves (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
Pelicans pick to Bulls (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
Cavaliers pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 25
Raptors pick to Nets (✔️): No. 29
Rockets pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 30

Here’s a breakdown of the traded second-round picks that will change hands in 2018:

Bulls pick to Knicks (✔️): No. 36 or 37 (tie)
Nets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 38
Knicks pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 39
Lakers pick to Nets (✔️): No. 40
Hornets pick to Magic (✔️): No. 41
Clippers pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 43
Bucks pick to Nets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
Heat pick to Rockets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
Nuggets pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 47
Trail Blazers pick to Mavericks (✔️): No. 54
Cavaliers pick to Hornets (✔️): No. 55
Celtics pick to Thunder (✔️): No. 57
Warriors pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 58
Raptors pick to Suns (✔️): No. 59
Rockets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 60

Latest On Jeff Hornacek

April 11th, 2018 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek appears likely to find out within the next few days whether or not he’ll be retained for the 2018/19 season. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Hornacek expects to have a sit-down with president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry on Friday to discuss his future.

As Berman writes, Hornacek sat in on players’ exit interviews with Mills and Phil Jackson a year ago, but remains uncertain whether he’ll do the same again this year with Mills and Perry, which sounds like a red flag. The Knicks’ brass has been mum on the subject, but until he hears otherwise, Hornacek anticipates being a part of those meetings on Thursday and Friday.

“I plan on it,” Hornacek said. “No one told me no.”

The possibility of Hornacek’s dismissal at season’s end has long been rumored, but speaking today to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, the head coach sounded like a man making a case to keep his job.

“Obviously we started it and we’d like to continue it,” Hornacek said of his staff. “It’s very satisfying for coaches to take a team and build it and grow it. You can look around the league at some of the teams that are now some of the better teams in the league. They went through those same type of things. … Now all of a sudden have their teams four or five years later and maybe even home-court advantage for the playoffs. So sometimes people are wanting things to happen right away. But sometimes there’s patience. That’s what we’re looking for.

“You can’t expect a rebuilding situation and go out there and win 50 games,” Hornacek added. “That’s why they call it rebuilding.”

Already tasked with presiding over a rebuild, Hornacek hasn’t been given much to work with over the last two years, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Having been saddled with Jackson’s triangle offense in his first year with the club, Hornacek has seen the front office overhauled during his time in New York and neither regime has made a series of inspiring roster moves. The club has also been plagued by major injury woes, including Kristaps Porzingis‘ season-ending ACL tear.

Nonetheless, the writing seems to be on the wall for a coaching change. Although Hornacek spoke today about wanting to finish out the final year of his contract in 2018/19, expiring deals are rare for head coaches — with one year left, a coach can usually expect to sign an extension or receive his walking papers.

If the Knicks do part ways with Hornacek, expect Mark Jackson, Doc Rivers, David Fizdale, David Blatt, Jerry Stackhouse, and Jeff Van Gundy to be among the candidates on the club’s list of targets, according to Isola, who identifies current VP of player development Craig Robinson as a “long-shot candidate.” Robinson is a former college coach, Isola notes.

Knicks Notes: LeBron, Jack, Hardaway Jr.

April 10th, 2018 at 9:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

J.R. Smith, who spent three and half seasons with New York, can’t envision LeBron James ever joining the Knicks.

“Nah, don’t think so. Can’t see it [happening],” Smith said of LBJ playing home games in Madison Square Garden (via Peter Botte of The New York Daily News). “But that’s cool, though, man. A lot of cities have tried that already with [a billboard]. But we’ll see what happens.”

James can become a free agent this offseason and he’s seen several billboards recruiting him to cities that Cavs are visiting, including one reading “King of New York? Prove it.” that was put up last week in the Big Apple.

Dwyane Wade was also recently asked about LBJ’s chances of coming to the Knicks, responding simply with “good luck.”

Here’s more from New York:

Jarrett Jack deserves credit for showcasing professionalism with the Knicks and being a mentor to the team’s younger players, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. The veteran has been helping the team’s stable of young point guards while trying to refrain from being overbearing. “If somebody kept the training wheels on your bike the whole time you would never know what it’s like when they take them off,” Jack said. “Sometimes you got to let them balance on their own, push them down the hill a little bit and see what happens.”
Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s contract has been a topic of debate since his four-year, $72MM deal last summer. However, he’s had a solid season and one anonymous scout tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he doesn’t believe the financials are hindering the Knicks. “Forget the name,” the scout said. “If I said you could sign a young, athletic wing who averaged 15 points on a playoff team [Atlanta], would you?”
As we relayed earlier today, current Knicks point guard Trey Burke finished third in voting for the G League’s 2017/18 MVP award.

Lorenzo Brown Named 2017/18 G League MVP

April 10th, 2018 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors 905 guard Lorenzo Brown has been named the NBA G League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2017/18 season, the league announced today in a press release. The NBAGL’s 26 head coaches and general managers voted on the award.

Brown, 27, has played for various G League teams since the 2013/14 campaign, having been named an All-Star twice. However, 2017/18 was arguably his most successful overall season in the G League. In 32 games for Toronto’s G League affiliate, the veteran guard averaged 18.8 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 5.2 RPG, making 46.8% of his shots from the floor.

Brown is currently on a two-way contract with the Raptors, appearing in 14 games this season for the NBA club. According to Basketball Insiders’ data, Brown’s two-way deal is only for one year, meaning he’ll become a restricted free agent this summer.

The Raptors 905 are currently down 1-0 to the Austin Spurs in the G League’s best-of-three Finals, so Brown will have a chance to lead the club to a series comeback beginning on Tuesday night — he’ll also receive his MVP trophy before tonight’s game. If the Raptors’ affiliate can extend the series, the deciding game would take place on Friday.

Current Warriors guard Quinn Cook and current Knicks guard Trey Burke finished second and third, respectively, in G League MVP voting.

Knicks Notes: Burke, Jack, Ntilikina, Fizdale

April 8th, 2018 at 2:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

Trey Burke has worked on shedding the “draft bust” label this season in the Knicks organization, starting with a strong G League season and now as the team’s primary point guard. In 34 games (7 starts), Burke has averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.5 APG while seeing the court for 20.9 minutes per contest.

Burke took part in a Q&A with Steve Serby of the New York Post to discuss his career rebirth, on-court mentality, and impressions of New York. Burke discussed his career at length, revealing that he lost confidence after the Jazz took Dante Exum in the 2014 NBA Draft, was frustrated by his scarce playing time in Washington, and took a two-week break from basketball that helped him rediscover his love for the game.

“No, no, I never thought about that,” Burke said of considering retirement. “I did start losing love for the game, which was scary, because it never really happened. That’s when I gave myself some time away from the game as well, gave myself about two weeks away from it, and I worked harder than I ever worked in my life last summer. And it feels good to be reaping some of the results right now. That’s how I know the best is yet to come, ’cause I plan on having another summer as great as last one.”

Check out more Knicks notes below:

Jarrett Jack, the Knicks‘ veteran point guard who has been on the bench since the All-Star break, has found his way back into some games recently. Fred Kerber of the New York Post relays Jack’s appreciation for losing streaks and how they shape a team. “But can you do that when stuff isn’t going your way and what shows where your true character lies?” Jack said. “People might think I’m crazy, but I love the losing streaks and the downside of the season because it really shows who you are, collectively, individually.”
The Knicks have stressed the importance of maintaining and building strength to rookie Frank Ntilikina. Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that head coach Jeff Hornacek is pleased with Ntilikina’s physical progression and how it is positively helping his performance.
As we relayed earlier, Heat guard Dwyane Wade advocated for David Fizdale as a potential head coaching candidate for the Knicks if the organization parts ways with Hornacek.

Dwyane Wade Suggests David Fizdale As Next Knicks Coach

April 8th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Heat came to New York Friday, Dwyane Wade offered a suggestion if the Knicks plan to replace coach Jeff Hornacek once the season ends, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Wade advocated for David Fizdale, a longtime assistant in Miami, who fired earlier this season in Memphis. “He’s a phenomenal coach — everyone has seen that in the job he was able to do in Memphis [last season],’’ Wade said. “I definitely think his name will be in the running for a lot of jobs. He’s going to bring to a team his work ethic, a great offensive-minded coach, but has defensive principles from Miami [president] Pat Riley has installed in every coach that’s come here.”

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Hornacek, Perry, Dotson

April 8th, 2018 at 10:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis‘ brief appearance at Saturday’s game for Lavtian Heritage Night provided a reminder of how valuable he is to the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. New York is 6-26 without Porzingis, who isn’t expected to return from a torn ACL until November or December. The Knicks are a different team without his ability to space the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense

The organization faces a difficult decision this summer about whether to offer Porzingis a $150MM extension or to wait another year and deal with him as a restricted free agent. Bondy writes that there are advantages to delaying the offer and seeing how Porzingis heals while maximizing 2019 cap space, but securing a long-term commitment as quickly as possibly would provide peace of mind and fend off any resentment that Porzingis might have left over after skipping his exit interview last year.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

The Knicks’ intentions with coach Jeff Hornacek should be clear in a few days, Bondy tweets. This year’s exit interviews with players are set for Thursday, but he notes that coaches who are going to be fired typically don’t get to participate.
Resolving the coaching situation is just part of the agenda for Scott Perry in his first full offseason as Knicks GM, states Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Perry also needs to find a small forward, resolve the situations at point guard and center, improve the team’s athleticism and find ways to develop younger players. Iannazzone suggests that Troy Williams might be a long-term answer at small forward, or the Knicks may try to get Villanova’s Mikal Bridges in the draft.
Damyean Dotson set a few team milestones with his 30-point, 11-rebound performance Friday night, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. He was the first Knicks rookie guard to reach those numbers in the same game in 54 years and the first rookie in the organization to do so off the bench since the league began keeping track of starts in 1970/71. A second-round pick, Dotson has spent much of his first season in the G League. “We had a lot of guys at that position. That makes it tough. He’s done a good job of bouncing back and forth from the G- League. He gets good reps there and that’s what we use that for,” Hornacek said. “He practices every day with the guys and that’s going to make him a better player. I think that it has.”

Frank Ntilikina Building Up Strength

April 7th, 2018 at 10:37am CST by marksuleymanov

Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina has gained eight pounds over the course of the season and it has reflected well in his play, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

Coaching Rumors: Magic, Bucks, Suns, Knicks

April 6th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports polled executives around the NBA recently on rising head coach candidates, Raptors assistant Nick Nurse and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse were among the top names on the list. According to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times, both Nurse and Stackhouse will likely be among the the candidates the Magic consider if the club elects to replace Frank Vogel this offseason.

In addition to the fact that current Magic president Jeff Weltman was formerly the GM in Toronto, Stackhouse also has a connection to Orlando general manager John Hammond, who was the GM in Milwaukee when Stackhouse played for the Bucks. Woelfel adds that some NBA officials believe the Magic are “leaning toward” replacing Vogel with Stackhouse, though Orlando’s list of preferred targets figures to become clearer if and when the club formally moves on from its current head coach.

Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from Woelfel:

Multiple sources tell Woelfel that Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would have “more than a passing interest” in the Bucks‘ position if they move on from their current teams this offseason. Some NBA officials believe that Budenholzer wouldn’t want to be part of an “extensive” rebuild in Atlanta, according to Woelfel.
While the Suns are expected to conduct a wide-ranging head coaching search, multiple NBA executives and coaches think David Fizdale, Jason Kidd, and Villanova’s Jay Wright will receive strong consideration, says Woelfel.
Besides Wright, Virginia’s Tony Bennett is among the college coaches expected to draw NBA interest. “Everybody knows he’s an exceptional defensive coach, but he does some really nice things offensively, too. He can flat-out coach.” one longtime NBA executive told Woelfel. “I think almost every team that is in the market for a new coach will take long, hard looks at Wright and Bennett. They’re both great coaches and they’re both great guys.”
A league source expects Mark Jackson and David Blatt to be among the finalists for the Knicks‘ job if the team dismisses Jeff Hornacek, according to Woelfel.