- If the Knicks decide to release Derrick Rose, it will free up $18MM in cap room for them to find a point guard or draft one this offseason. As Bobby Marks of the Vertical explains on Twitter, the pending free agent otherwise has a $30MM cap hold set for this summer. Earlier today we wrote about Rose missing the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus.
- The Celtics have been a model team for rebuilding clubs looking to turn their fates around, Taylor C. Snow of the Celtics’ official site writes. Rival Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek cites the roster full of hard-nosed guys as one of the major reasons behind their success.
12:30pm: The Knicks have confirmed the injury to Rose’s left knee and say arthroscopic surgery will be required (Twitter link). Estimated recovery time will be six to eight weeks, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
12:04pm: Knicks point guard Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his knee and won’t play again this season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. This would be the fourth knee operation of Rose’s career, according to Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports.com.
It’s uncertain how long Rose will need to recover from the injury or how it might affect the offers he gets in free agency. The 28-year-old played 64 games for the Knicks, averaging 18.0 points and 4.4 assists per night. He made more than $21.3MM in the final season of a five-year extension he received from the Bulls.
The injury could signal the end of Rose’s time in New York, as reports have said Knicks management is disappointed in his defense and won’t make a strong effort to re-sign him this summer. Rose was acquired from the Bulls last June along with Justin Holiday and a second-round pick in exchange for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon.
Kristaps Porzingis will talk to Knicks management before deciding whether to play in the European Championships, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Porzingis, one of three Knicks who may be involved in the tournament, said he is undecided about whether he wants to represent Latvia. He didn’t participate in the nation’s Olympic qualifier last summer.
Teammates Willy Hernangomez of Spain and Mindaugas Kuzminskas of Lithuania both plan to be part of the competition. The event starts in August and runs through mid-September, close to the start of training camp, but Hernangomez doesn’t believe the Knicks will object. “They let me play in the Olympics, and the European Championships is almost as important to us,” he said.
There’s more this morning out of New York:
- Porzingis and Hernangomez are part of a core of promising young talent that gives the Knicks hope for the future, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. That group also includes Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and Marshall Plumlee. “We’ve seen improvement with all of them,” said coach Jeff Hornacek. “A lot of that is offensive player development. We’ve got to get these guys on the defensive side of it. That’s an attitude you have to develop as a young player.” Isola adds that team president Phil Jackson made a mistake last summer by bringing in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee rather than committing to rebuilding around younger players.
- The Nets are focused on providing a positive finish to a miserable season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. They still have the league’s worst record at 17-59, but Saturday’s win over Orlando makes them 8-12 since the All-Star break. Brooklyn is four games away from the Lakers in our latest Reverse Standings with six left to play. “We definitely want to finish the season strong,” Trevor Booker said. “It’ll give us something to build off of over the summer going into next season.”
- The Nets have a rooting interest in the Pacers missing the playoffs, notes NetsDaily.com. Indiana’s second-round pick will go to Brooklyn if it falls between 31 and 44. The Pacers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh with the Bulls and Heat at 37-39. The Nets are assured of having the Wizards’ first-rounder (currently No. 23) and the Celtics’ (No. 27), along with Boston’s second-rounder (No. 57). They also have $3.425MM available to purchase another pick.
Knicks guard Ron Baker has won over coach Jeff Hornacek — and reportedly team president Phil Jackson as well — as he prepares for restricted free agency, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
The 24-year-old rookie filled in for Derrick Rose Friday night in Miami and put up 10 points and six assists in a Knicks victory. He also ran the triangle well and stood out with his effort on defense.
A four-year player at Wichita State, Baker came to the NBA with several similarities to Hornacek. They bonded quickly, with Baker saying, “Yeah, we have a pretty good friendship. We’ll try to be on the same team.’’
Sources say Jackson likes the way Baker defends against point guards, an area where Rose has been lacking. At 6’4″, Baker has the size to play shooting guard, but his 3-point range is a concern, as he is hitting just 29% from long distance.
“Guys like that [combo guards] are valuable in the league,’’ Hornacek said. “You’re not just strictly just relying on him at the 2. You can play him off the ball, you can play him on the ball. If he’s playing the point, he can get us into the offense. He’s smart about calling out the plays. And he’s a tough defender. Early on, playing against point guards, he was keeping guys in front of him.’’
Baker worked out for 16 teams last year, but still went undrafted. He signed with the Knicks in August and earned a roster spot. The early part of his season was filled with D-League trips, but he hasn’t been there since New Year’s Eve.
Berman adds that no matter what kind of offer Baker gets this summer, Hornacek will be a strong advocate for matching it.
Following brash remarks from Derrick Rose, the Knicks announced Carmelo Anthony (sore lower back), Lance Thomas (hip), and Rose would sit out tonight’s game against the Heat. Leading into Friday’s road match-up, D-Rose described the Knicks as a superior team to Miami.
“We’re more talented,” Rose told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “It shows basketball is a team sport. Any year in the league is about whoever catches a rhythm. No matter how your season is going… you can always catch a rhythm, they caught theirs at the right time, winning [13 in a row]. They have been playing great basketball ever since then. So we never caught that luck this year.”
More from The Mecca…
- Jeff Hornacek sung a different tune than Rose, saying the Knicks have much to learn from Erik Spoelstra‘s Heat. “Use Miami as an example,’’ Hornacek told Marc Berman of the New York Post. “It’s old-school basketball. Bump and grab, and the referees are not going to call all of those. As long as they stay that aggressiveness all game long, they get away with those things. They have good stretches – get five, six, seven stops in a row and take the lead on you.’’
- Kristaps Porzingis discussed the Knicks’ shortcomings in 2016/17, citing “consistency” as a major issue for the team. “We didn’t do it from the beginning the right way,” Porzingis told Fred Kerber of the New York Post. “We didn’t have real fundamentals as a team and I think from the beginning it worked for us because we played based off our talent and based off good energy. Once things got a little tougher, we just didn’t have the fundamentals as a team.” Porzingis went on to say he had the team tabbed for a “six, seven, eight seed” finish.
- Scottie Pippen aimed pointed criticism at Phil Jackson, saying his former coach should be pushed out of his job. “I just think he [Jackson] hasn’t put the right pieces on the floor,” Pippen said on ESPN program The Jump. “I give a lot of credit to Carmelo, who has been very professional in getting through this 82-game season, and now he’s being benched to some degree, they’ve taken a lot of his minutes away. This team really just hasn’t had it. They haven’t had it since Phil Jackson landed there. I’m sure the fans will love to see Carmelo in New York and Phil out.”
- Stefan Bondy of the Daily News outlined ‘Melo’s dilemma: being too young for a mentor role, yet too old to be on a tanking team. “Anthony is only 32 years old, too young to serve as a mentor player/coach to the likes of Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour and Chasson Randle,” Bondy writes. “He knows that. There’s too much basketball left in his legs to take on a reduced role for the sake of a rebuild — for more losing and better lottery odds. To use Anthony’s words from Wednesday, “I see the writing on the wall.”
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- A day after sending them down, the Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet from the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). VanVleet and Siakam led the way with 24 and 22 points respectively in a Raptors 905 win on Thursday night.
- Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee also returned to the NBA a day after being assigned to the D-League, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). Plumlee had a double-double for the Westchester Knicks in a loss on Thursday, with 11 points and 11 boards.
- The Grizzlies have recalled forward Jarell Martin from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Martin’s assignment with the Iowa Energy lasted more than a month. For the season, he has averaged 15.9 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 22 games with Memphis’ D-League affiliate.
- The Pacers have assigned rookie forward Georges Niang to their D-League squad, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the fourth assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season for Niang.
Kevin Durant believes it’s unfair to criticize the top players for sitting out games, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant told Haynes. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like [LeBron James], [Stephen Curry], [James Harden], [Russell Westbrook]. It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”
“It’s hard for you to just craft a rule out for the top players. I’ve seen guys that’s not even in the playoffs resting, sitting out for the rest of the season. And it’s nothing against those guys. I’m not trying to bash them or anything. [Suns center] Tyson Chandler is out. They got him sitting out for the rest of the year. I’m sure he wants to play, but they’re not saying anything about Tyson Chandler, so it’s hard for me to really talk about this. It’s not a league-wide rule. It’s not a league-wide concern.”
Durant added that he empathizes with fans who miss out on seeing their favorite player when they come to the arena. “I see it from the fans’ perspective and the players’ perspective,” Durant said. “I’m caught right in the middle.”
While the 2013/14 league MVP feels bad for those fans who show up the arena, he gives the situation some perspective.
“On the other hand, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford tickets to the game. So, I kind of feel sorry for you, but then I don’t when I look at it that way,” he added. “Your parents spend hard-earned money, I understand you want to see your favorite players, but there’s some people who don’t even get a chance to watch a game live.”
Durant hasn’t played since February because of a knee injury, but the team recently announced that he has made “very good progress.” The small forward could see court-time again before the end of the season.
While we wait for Durant to get healthy so his fans can see him play, check out some notes from around the league:
- ESPN.com examined every front office in the league and ranked them from top to bottom based on the guidance and leadership each organization provides and how it affects success on the court. Unsurprisingly, team president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford received the highest mark. Which team received the worst mark? The Kings came in slightly below the Knicks for worst front office in the league.
- Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright, Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the executives who are viewed as potential nominees for GM roles should they become available, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. Arnovitz adds that Wright may be a few seasons away from landing a gig, but those within the league believe he has what it takes to do the job well.
- JK Management announced that it will hold the first annual Professional Basketball Combine at IMG Academy. The PBC will take place in the days following the league’s official combine in Chicago.
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The trio will be in action tonight for the Raptors 905, who lead the NBADL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-11 record.
- The Knicks have sent rookie bigs Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ndour and Plumlee will suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks in their game against the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate.
After a season that began with great promise, the Knicks have nothing to look forward to but the lottery. New York was officially eliminated from the postseason race with tonight’s 105-88 loss to the Heat, capping off a fourth consecutive non-playoff season.
“I haven’t been excited like this in a long time to actually get going and get ready to create something,” Carmelo Anthony told Marc Berman of the New York Post when training camp opened. But Joakim Noah, who was signed to a four-year, $72MM deal over the summer, turned out to be a disappointment and finished the season under league suspension. Derrick Rose, the other major offseason addition, has been a letdown on defense and appears unlikely to be re-signed.
The Knicks now face a crucial offseason that may include a franchise-altering trade of Anthony, who was offered to the Clippers, Celtics and Cavaliers before last month’s deadline.
In the meantime, here’s some more news out of New York:
- Noah said his decision to use an over-the-counter supplement to help with his rehab after surgery “backfired,” relays Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. Noah apologized to his teammates when he returned to practice Tuesday and called his 20-game suspension excessive. “It’s a tough lesson to learn, but everything in life has its purpose,” Noah said. “I know that right now it’s a tough situation to be in not being there with my teammates out there on the court. But I’m going to take this suspension like a man and move on.”
- Coach Jeff Hornacek said the substance that Noah took wasn’t provided by the Knicks’ medical staff, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. “Most of these guys, they want to do something on the side, they check with our trainers, analyze it, take a look at it,” Hornacek said. “Sometimes you can’t control these guys if they’re taking other supplements they buy in the store.”
- With the playoffs officially out of reach, Anthony understands that his role will be reduced for the rest of the season, Begley relays (Twitter link). “I see the writing on the wall,” he said. “I see what it is. I see what they’re trying to do and it’s just me accepting that. That’s what puts me at peace. Just knowing and understanding how things work. I’m at peace with that.”
Joakim Noah will serve the first game of his 20-game suspension on Wednesday night, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that an independent, NBA-approved doctor has medically cleared Noah. The veteran Knicks center received his suspension two games ago, but wasn’t eligible to begin serving it until he was deemed physically able to play.
[RELATED: Joakim Noah receives 20-game suspension]
Had it not been for the suspension, the Knicks likely would’ve been happy to let Noah take the rest of the season to recover from his left knee injury, shutting him down for now and focusing on getting him healthy for next season. In that scenario though, the 32-year-old would have had to serve all 20 games in 2017/18. By receiving medical clearance now, Noah will be able to serve eight games this season, leaving 12 for the fall.
Noah, who received his ban for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, said this week that the substance for which he tested positive was intended to help with his rehab, but was not approved by the Knicks.