New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Anthony Reportedly Advised Free Agent Not To Sign With Knicks

December 16th, 2017 at 6:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony, who returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time tonight since a September trade to the Thunder, was open about his plans to leave New York throughout the summer, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.

While the Knicks and his agents were working out Anthony’s future, he isolated himself from the process, spending the offseason in intense workouts and star-studded pickup games that featured some of the NBA’s top players.

Privately, Anthony was telling friends that he didn’t plan to return to New York, even though he was under contract for this season. He also delivered that message to at least one unidentified free agent who was part of the pickup games, Begley relays, recommending that he not sign with the Knicks on the assumption that Anthony would be there.

Anthony was still stinging from the year-long feud with former team president Phil Jackson, who launched a public crusade to get his star player to waive his no-trade clause. Jackson called Anthony a poor fit for the triangle offense and insinuated that the franchise would be in better shape without his hefty salary taking up cap room.

The Knicks made several attempts to unload Anthony before the deal with the Thunder came together, according to Begley. Anthony’s representatives negotiated a buyout agreement that owner James Dolan rejected, trade scenarios with the Rockets dragged through most of the summer and the Knicks discussed Anthony with the Trail Blazers and several other teams.

With Jackson now gone, much of the animosity between Anthony and the Knicks seems to have subsided. Former teammates remain supportive, especially Kristaps Porzingis, who has inherited Anthony’s role as the franchise player.

“He was trying to do the right things to win, but it was just not clicking,” Porzingis said. “It was not the right pieces around him to make that happen. I’m grateful that I had a player like that on my team that I could learn from. Not only on-the-court stuff, but also off the court, a lot. So I can’t say a bad thing about Melo.”

Knicks Would Have Improved With Or Without Anthony

December 15th, 2017 at 6:30pm CST by Austin Kent

The Knicks have thrived without Carmelo Anthony on board but veteran guard Courtney Lee doesn’t think that his absence is why the team is winning. “If Melo was here, we would’ve made that adjustment with him,” he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “So you can’t just pinpoint it at him and say, ‘Well he left and we made these adjustments.’ The style of play was going to be different from last year regardless.“

Enes Kanter Eager To Play Through Pain

December 15th, 2017 at 4:26pm CST by Austin Kent

Despite the fact that he’s barely over “40-50%”, Enes Kanter isn’t about to sit out any games for the Knicks if he doesn’t have to. The big man, who’s posted 13.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in a widely acclaimed first few months in New York, told Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he knows all too well that every single game matters over the course of an NBA season.

Tim Hardaway Jr. Not Close To Return

December 15th, 2017 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Thursday for the first time since being sidelined with a leg ailment, Knicks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. referred to the injury as “serious” and suggested that he’s not close to a return. Asked if he thinks he’ll be back before the end of the calendar year, Hardaway was noncommittal, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“The goal is just to get better first,” Hardaway said. “That’s the goal. I’m not giving myself a deadline. I don’t want to get to that point and be upset and down on myself. I don’t want to give myself a set date on when I should return. I’ll do what I can to get this right. When I’m confident and ready to go, then we’ll see.”

Hardaway, who hasn’t played since November 29, was diagnosed with what the Knicks simply called a “stress injury” in his lower left leg. While it’s not clear if he has a stress reaction or a stress fracture, both injuries could take several weeks to heal, Berman notes.

Although they lost three of their first four games without Hardaway, the Knicks are currently riding a three-game winning streak and are hanging onto a top-eight seed in the East. General manager Scott Perry recently expressed a distaste for tanking, so it will be interesting to see if New York can remain in playoff contention during Hardaway’s absence, as the trade deadline approaches — the club’s approach to the deadline could vary significantly depending on its place in the conference standings.

Frank Ntilikina Improves Beyond Years

December 14th, 2017 at 10:06am CST by Austin Kent

Despite the fact that he hasn’t even turned 20 years old, Frank Ntilikina is beginning to show that he could lead an NBA offense, perhaps sooner than later. As Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes, the Knicks rookie continues to develop in a variety of ways as the season progresses.

New York Notes: Knicks, Ntilikina, Nets, Stauskas

December 13th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Lakers playing the Knicks on Tuesday, Luke Walton was asked about his old coach, Phil Jackson, and admitted that Jackson’s ouster in New York didn’t sit particularly well with him, per Al Iannazzone of Newsday.

“I don’t know all the details of what was going on here, obviously, but a mentor to me like that and someone that means as much to me as Phil does, I’m not in favor of it happening,” the current Lakers head coach said of Jackson. “There’s people out here that I wanted to see succeed. I love the triangle offense. I wanted to see that work. But for whatever reasons it didn’t.”

Here’s more out of New York:

Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina are showing Knicks fans that it’s okay to be optimistic about the club’s future, says ESPN’s Ian Begley. In praising Ntilikina, Begley notes that the rookie point guard is “low maintenance,” adding that there were some in the Knicks organization who had serious concerns before the draft about LaVar Ball’s impact in the event that the team had a chance to pick Lonzo Ball.
Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that the Nets‘ deal to have Joseph Tsai buy a 49% stake in the franchise could be done by the end of the month. Although it’s not finalized yet, controlling owner Mikhail Prokhorov referred to Tsai as “a great partner” who “will help the game and help the NBA.”
While Jahlil Okafor was the primary piece in last week’s trade between the Nets and the Sixers, the deal also gave Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson another reclamation project to work on. As Lewis writes for The Post, it will be interesting to see what Atkinson – who has a reputation as a “guard whisperer” – can get out of Nik Stauskas.

Knicks GM: No Interest In Tanking

December 11th, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks were widely viewed as a bottom-10 NBA team entering the 2017/18 season, but they’ve played .500 ball so far, and president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry would like to see team keep winning and contend for a playoff spot, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. As Berman details, Perry expressed a distaste for the idea of tanking, suggesting the Knicks won’t go down that road.

“I don’t think that’s healthy for any culture,” Perry said. “I think if you try to institutionalize losing, that’s hard to get out of your building.”

When the Knicks finally found a new home for Carmelo Anthony just before training camp opened in the fall, it signaled that the team had fully committed to its rebuild, lowering expectations for the coming season. A losing record and a top-10 pick for 2018 was considered a probable outcome. At the moment though, the Knicks hold the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a tiebreaker edge over the Sixers — both teams are 13-13.

While the Knicks’ hold on a playoff spot is tenuous, the team’s lack of interest in tanking should send a positive message to the players on the roster, including Kristaps Porzingis. As Berman notes, the Knicks are aware that Porzingis wants to see signs of progress before he commits to a long-term contract with the franchise. The standout big man, who will be extension-eligible for the first time in 2018, believes making the playoffs is an “achievable” goal for the Knicks this season.

“I don’t believe in [tanking] either,” Porzingis told Berman, agreeing with Perry. “Every season you have to go with the expectations of making the playoffs. That’s the way to get better. If you do make the playoffs, that experience, you can’t change for nothing. Every player should as soon as you start you career. The sooner you get that, the more you’re prepared for the future. I’m really looking forward to making the playoffs.”

Knicks Notes: Perry, Kanter, McDermott, Hardaway

December 10th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks GM Scott Perry doesn’t want to try to duplicate “The Process” that has worked for the Sixers, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Philadelphia endured several years of on-court failure while collecting prime lottery picks and other assets. Perry said his franchise shouldn’t “institutionalize losing” and prefers to compete for a playoff spot.

“I think it’s very important if you’re playing meaningful basketball late in the season because of the culture you’re trying to build here,” he explained. “I’ll also say wherever we wind up in the draft, whether on the playoff side or lottery side, I have extreme confidence in the scouting and front-office staff we’re going to add some talented players to the mix here.”

The Knicks are off to a 12-13 start after finishing last season 31-51 and are tied with the Heat for ninth place in the East.

There’s more this morning from New York:

The team’s early-season success is a result of “winning” the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City, Berman writes in the same story. Enes Kanter immediately took over as the starting center and is averaging 13.6 and 10.5 rebounds per game. Doug McDermott has been productive off the bench, scoring 7.9 points in 23.5 minutes. New York also picked up Chicago’s second-round pick, which will be 31st overall if the Bulls continue to hold the league’s worst record. “Enes has come in and quickly become a crowd favorite,” Perry said. “He brings a toughness. He brings commitment to team. He’s complemented [Kristaps Porzingis] very well. He’s relentless on the boards and adds a little edge and toughness to our team. Doug is the consummate professional, can stretch the defense because he can shoot 3-point shots and done even better on the defensive end than most people thought. Both those guys have been about enhancing the culture we want to have here.”
Being around the .500 mark early in the season is nothing new for the Knicks, but Porzingis told Al Iannazzone of Newsday that there’s a different feeling this year. New York got off to a 14-10 start last season and was 22-22 in 2015/16 before collapsing both times. Porzingis believes the organization is in a better position now with the drama of the Phil Jackson era gone and endorses the team’s offseason moves. “That’s the right direction to go: rebuild, have young guys and play hard and build a new team,” he said. “But not at any moment in my mind has there been a thought that maybe we can lose this game so we can get a better draft pick. I’m not about that. I want to win every game.”
Injured guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who is sidelined with a stress injury to his left leg, was in a walking boot Saturday as he joined his teammates in Chicago, Berman tweets.

Bulls Notes: Payne, McDermott, Mirotic, Hoiberg

December 9th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Doug McDermott‘s return to Chicago tonight as a member of the Knicks gave Bulls fans an unpleasant reminder of the Cameron Payne trade, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Payne appeared in just 11 games after being acquired from the Thunder in that five-player deal and hasn’t played at all this season as he recovers from offseason foot surgery.

Coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters tonight that an X-ray on Payne last week showed improvement, but he still isn’t able to run or cut and probably can’t play full-court games for at least six weeks. Cowley suggests it will take Payne at least a couple of weeks to get in shape after that, which pushes his return date back to sometime in mid-February.

“He came at a very difficult time last year with a veteran team, and just had his struggles,” Hoiberg said. “At the same time we’re competing for a playoff spot and it’s a tough time to come in and make an impact. For Cam, the big thing is to stay positive through this stretch, and to get him back and have some positive moments for us when we’re going down the stretch.’’

There’s more tonight from Chicago:

McDermott was surprised by the trade that sent him to Oklahoma City at last season’s deadline, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. He was in the middle of his most productive season, averaging 10.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, when the deal occurred. “It was hard leaving because of all the people I liked here,” he said. “But I wish them the best. It was a great organization to play for.”
Now that Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis have put aside hard feelings over their preseason altercation, they should expect to remain teammates for the rest the season, Johnson writes in a mailbag column. The Bulls found a “non-existent” trade market for both players after Mirotic threatened not to return to the team unless Portis was dealt. The Bulls also found no interest in Mirotic when they shopped him prior to last year’s deadline, and no other organization offered him a significant deal as a restricted free agent this summer.
Rumors about Hoiberg’s firing have persisted almost from the time he became the Bulls’ head coach, but he is safe for this season, Johnson adds in the same piece. The front office likes how he has handled a collection of young talent, and he has done better with assigning roles and holding players accountable for their performance. Hoiberg has two more seasons left on his contract.

Knicks GM: No Plans For A Noah Buyout

December 9th, 2017 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joakim Noah has barely played since his PED suspension ended last month, but the Knicks have no thoughts of trying to get him to agree to a buyout, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Noah has been on the court for just 11 minutes in two games this season and has appeared in just 48 total games since signing a four-year, $72MM deal in the summer of 2016. He still has two seasons and $37.825MM left on that contract, making him virtually impossible for the team to trade.

GM Scott Perry remains a supporter of Noah’s and believes the 32-year-old center will eventually become an asset.

“I like having some veteran people around to help a young team,” Perry said. “His veteran experience is very helpful to have in the locker room. As of right now, I’m comfortable he’s here. Let’s see what he can contribute going forward. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him and embraced where he is in his career. It’ll happen at some point [that he”ll play].’’

While Noah was sidelined, he fell to fourth on the depth chart behind starting center Enes Kanter, who was acquired from the Thunder in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and backups Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez. Playing time is also an issue for Hernangomez, who has appeared in just 14 games this season and is seeing less than 11 minutes per night.

Noah has accepted blame for his plight, which was created through a mix of injuries and the 20-game suspension. He had knee and hamstring injuries last season, then needed surgery in April for a torn rotator cuff. He took Androgen to speed up the healing process, which resulted in his suspension.

Noah said he feels like a rookie again as he tries to work his way back into the rotation. He has already made one trip to the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester as a way to get some playing time and is willing to go there again.

“I’ve always been a team guy,’’ Noah said. “That’s never going to change. That’s who I am. I support all my teammates. It’s not about my situation. I made my mistakes. My injuries, everything, I’m coming from the bottom. I’m OK. I feel good. I feel healthy. And whenever my number is called, I’m ready.”