- 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.”
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.”
- 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.
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.
While wrist and back issues have kept Enes Kanter out of action recently, he’d still like to return to action before the end of the season, suggesting this week that it would be “selfish” to shut himself down to focus on potential offseason free agency. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, Kanter will face a decision this summer on an $18MM+ player option for 2018/19, but he’s putting that decision on the back-burner in the hopes of making it back for a couple late-season matchups against the Cavaliers.
“You’re always thinking the business part, but for me basketball comes first,” Kanter said. “We’ve got four games left and the Knicks are still paying me. The Knicks are paying for me to go out there and — if I’m healthy — to go out there to play. So if I feel really good, I’ll go out there and play.
“It’d be really selfish to think about opting in or opting out or thinking about my contract and not playing, giving up on my teammates and my team,” Kanter continued. “It’d be really selfish. For me the Knicks are still paying me, I’m still part of this team. If I’m still healthy I’m just going to go out there and fight.”
Here’s more out of New York:
- Speaking of Kanter, some opposing executives have come away with the impression that the big man is leaning toward opting out in search of a multiyear deal this summer, says Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Begley also examines Kyle O’Quinn‘s impending free agency, exploring how likely New York is to re-sign O’Quinn after he turns down his own player option. According to Begley, Knicks coaches and executives think highly enough of O’Quinn that the club will consider bringing him back, depending on the price.
- Current Magic head coach Frank Vogel admitted earlier this week that he thought he’d be hired by the Knicks in 2016, and was “surprised” when the team went in another direction, as Barbara Baker of Newsday details. “They said they had one more person they wanted to talk to before they wrapped up the process, and they met with Jeff [Hornacek], and Jeff must’ve blown them away,” Vogel said.
- Hornacek spoke this week about Frank Ntilikina‘s development, and the next steps for the rookie point guard as he prepares for next season. Brian Lewis has the story and the quotes in an article for The New York Post.
Despite starting the season with four centers, that could become a position of need for the Knicks this summer, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Enes Kanter has signed with Mark Bartelstein, one of the NBA’s most powerful agents, as he ponders whether to opt out of an $18.6MM salary for next season, adds Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
Backup center Kyle O’Quinn has a $4.3MM opt out that he is expected to exercise, as he recently expressed a desire to join a playoff contender. Joakim Noah is on an extended leave of absence from the team, and Willy Hernangomez has already been traded to the Hornets. Berman expects the Knicks to use the stretch provision on Noah once September 1 arrives to open up future cap space.
There’s more today out of New York:
- Trade rumors have surrounded veteran Courtney Lee, but he hopes to remain with the Knicks, relays Chris Iseman of NorthJersey.com. Lee doesn’t fit in with the youth movement in New York and may not have a future spot in a crowded backcourt. “All I can control is what I can control,” Lee said. “And that’s showing up here and being a professional and continuing to do the things I’ve been doing, encouraging and helping the young guys. And then when Coach calls my name, going out there and playing hard.”
- Lee also came to the defense of embattled coach Jeff Hornacek, Iseman adds, blaming injuries for a disappointing season. The Knicks were 11-10 when Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a stress injury to his left leg in late November, and Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL shortly after Hardaway returned. “For what, injuries?” Lee responded when asked about Hornacek. “For Tim having a stress fracture? For KP going down? How do you blame coach for that?”
- D’Angelo Russell understands the need to improve after mixed results in his first season with the Nets, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Russell averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists, but missed 32 games after knee surgery and did little to calm fears about his defense. “Yeah, it could be better. I think it’s just learning. I’m feeling it out,” said Russell, who will be eligible for an extension this summer. “Everything I’m doing is new, playing with new coaches, new teammates. Everything is new. So I think it’s a feeling-it-out type deal with me, so it could always be better.”
- Rookie center Jarrett Allen has been a pleasant surprise for the Nets, but coach Kenny Atkinson wants him to improve as a rebounder, Lewis notes in a separate story. Allen averages 5.3 boards per night, which ranks 46th among centers.
- Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek isn’t sure whether Enes Kanter – who is dealing with a back injury – will return to the court this season, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. If Kanter doesn’t make it back, it’s possible he has played his last game as a Knick, since he can opt out of his contract this offseason. However, the veteran center is considered a good bet to exercise that option.
- The Knicks have recalled rookie guard Damyean Dotson from the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). It figures to be the last time this season that Dotson is recalled, since the Westchester Knicks – New York’s affiliate – saw their season come to an end on Monday night. Dotson posted 20 points and five boards in the 92-80 loss to the Raptors 905.
Journeyman forward Michael Beasley would like to return to the Knicks, but several factors play into that equation, as Marc Berman of the New York Post examines. Beasley returns to the free agent market this summer and has expressed a desire to stay put. “I would love to be back definitely. A lot goes into that,” he told Berman. “We’ll assess the situation in summertime.” The Knicks would likely have to use a portion of their mid-level exception to retain him. However, they could opt to spend it on a younger player or save cap space for the following summer, Berman continues. Their desire to re-sign Beasley also hinges on who will be coaching the team next season, Berman adds.
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Knicks assigned Damyean Dotson to their Westchester affiliate for its playoff game Monday against Raptors 905, the Knicks’ PR staff tweets. The rookie shooting guard out of Houston is averaging 18.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 2.5 APG in 13 games with Westchester. The second-round pick has appeared in 39 games with New York.
- The Hawks have assigned forwards Tyler Cavanaugh and Jeremy Evans to the Erie BayHawks, according to a team press release. The BayHawks face Fort Wayne in the playoffs Tuesday. Cavanaugh is averaging 14.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 11 G League, while Evans has posted averages of 15.3 PPG and 9.9 RPG in 39 games with Erie.