Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis is bubbling with frustration over the team’s collapse, Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports. Porzingis felt the roster moves made during the offseason would improve the team’s fortunes. Instead, the franchise is in turmoil and the club is no better than it was a year ago. He also hinted that the team shouldn’t have dismissed head coach Derek Fisher last February. “It’s different this year, definitely,” Porzingis told Kerber and other media members. “It was a big shock last year when Fisher got fired. I felt like we were working towards something and even though we were losing, we were moving forward and we had the structure, so it was a shock for me. This year, [it’s] a similar situation with our record and where we stand right now but we can’t be worrying about what’s going to happen.”
A Wednesday report from The Vertical suggested that Phil Jackson‘s apparent efforts to push Carmelo Anthony out of New York have only strengthened the forward’s resolve to stay with the Knicks, and Marc Berman of The New York Post has heard something similar. According to Berman’s source, Anthony has told confidants that he may try to wait out Jackson, who isn’t necessarily assured of a long-term stay with the team. While Anthony has no desire to leave New York, Jackson has an opt-out clause on his contract later this year.
“He still feels it’s his team and still loves it here,” Berman’s source said of Anthony.
It’s been a busy and eventful week in New York, so let’s round up a few more Knicks-related notes:
- One veteran NBA executive tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that if the Knicks want Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, the best approach may be to start trading other veterans on the team, since Carmelo has said he’s more committed to his teammates than the front office. That same executive also wondered why the team is devaluing Anthony by making the standoff between the two sides so public.
- Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated identifies five potential landing spots for Anthony if he decides to waive his NTC. In addition to usual suspects like the Clippers and Celtics, Spears names the Wizards, Raptors, and Hawks. However, Spears hears from a source that Atlanta doesn’t appear interested in making a major move before the deadline.
- After being arrested at the Knicks game on Wednesday night, former NBA forward Charles Oakley told his side of the story, claiming in an interview that he was simply trying to watch the game when he was told he’d have to leave (link via Justin Terranova of The New York Post). After Oakley denied the team’s assertion that he was the instigator in the situation, the Knicks issued a second statement on the matter (via Twitter), calling Oakley’s account “pure fiction.”
- “There are dozens of security staff, employees, and NYPD that witnessed Oakley’s abusive behavior,” the Knicks said in their statement this afternoon. Even if that’s accurate, it’s not a great look for the club to continue attacking one of its most beloved former players, and it may further discourage free agents from joining the franchise, as Reggie Miller tweets. We noted on Thursday that agents believe Jackson’s behavior will sour future free agents on the idea of joining the Knicks.
- In the wake of this week’s incidents, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes that the Knicks’ circus continues to find new ways to surprise and amaze.
9:57 PM: Oakley has been charged with three counts of assault for striking MSG’s security guards and criminal trespassing, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter links). A police source tells Begley that the incident began with Oakley making comments toward Dolan and eventually Dolan told security to escort him out of the arena.
8:41 PM: Former NBA player Charles Oakley was removed from Madison Square Garden tonight as a result of a physical altercation, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays (series of Twitter links). Oakley was apparently trying to get through a crowd on his way to owner James Dolan when the incident occurred. Security quickly surrounded the former big man and Phil Jackson tried to intervene to get him to calm down. Oakley blames Dolan for the whole situation. “Dolan did this,” Oakley shouted.
The Knicks PR released a statement shortly after the incident via Twitter.
“Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner. He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help soon.”
Oakley previously had a relationship with the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, as Scott Cacciola of the New York Times detailed earlier this season. The relationship soured over the years, but Oakley has previously said that he attempted to mend the relationship but found no success.
Austin Rivers said the Knicks were on his short list when he was a free agent this past summer, as Laura Albanese of Newsday writes. “[The Knicks] were a huge option,” Rivers said. “That was a team that I was really considering.”
The Knicks are eyeing Rivers in a potential Carmelo Anthony deal. The guard hears the rumors surrounding his name, but he remains focused on helping his current team win.
“When [a trade] happens, it’ll be new for me, but after that, it’s whatever. Just focus on playing basketball, help my team, that’s it,” Rivers said.
[RELATED: Latest On Carmelo Anthony]
Here’s more on the Knicks from Albanese’s piece:
- Team president Phil Jackson and coach Jeff Hornacek wanted to sign Rivers over the summer and they believed he would have been a great fit next to Derrick Rose, as Albanese passes along in the same piece. “Jeff had a vision of playing a little bit up-tempo,” Rivers said of his free agent meeting with the Knicks. “I don’t know how that’s panned out or what they’ve done, but I think that also changes when you’ve got certain players . . . He wanted to [coach us the way he] coached that Suns team, they wanted to get up and down and he thought me and Derrick could play together, get up and down, start ‘1’ and ‘2.’ ”
- Anthony has not said publicly that he would waive his no-trade clause to leave the Knicks, but his former coach Jim Boeheim thinks he would do it for two teams, Albanese relays in the same piece. “I think it depends on the team,” Boeheim said. “I think [the Clippers or the Cavaliers] would be ideal. But I don’t know if it can be worked out. I hope it can.”
- Boeheim added that he’d love to see Anthony play with “somebody that could win.” He added that the Knicks have to make a move because he believes the team cannot win as currently constructed.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t entertain much trade talk when asked about Anthony before tonight’s game. “We don’t have Carmelo. I swear to God. He plays for the Knicks. That’s your story and that’s the way we leave it. You can ask us about our guys, but Carmelo is not on our team,” the coach said.
Knicks team president Phil Jackson appears to be pressuring Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, but the public campaign is making the 9-time All-Star’s desire to stay with New York even stronger, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. “[Jackson]’s underestimating ‘Melo’s willingness to stay,” a source told Wojnarowski.
Anthony has privately told some of his teammates that he won’t let Jackson run him out of town, according to Wojnarowski. The scribe adds that the Knicks have contacted the Clippers, Celtics, and Cavs about an Anthony deal, but the teams have put together underwhelming proposals that include only role players. Anthony has privately indicated an interest in those three teams, but the Knicks haven’t found a package they are willing to accept.
Boston hasn’t shown much interest in Anthony. The franchise is much more enamored with Jimmy Butler and Paul George since they are both younger and their games are more well-rounded, Wojnarowski adds.
The Knicks may search for trades outside those three teams and attempt to persuade Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to go to another team, though New York hasn’t yet begun that process. Wojnarowski adds that if Jackson had employed more transparent approach, Anthony would have been more open to finding an agreeable solution, which may have included agreeing to a trade. However, Jackson’s antics have severely damaged the relationship and it may be beyond repair.
Phil Jackson‘s veiled criticisms of Carmelo Anthony have raised eyebrows around the NBA, and player agents have taken notice of the Knicks president’s behavior. Multiple “prominent agents” have told Ian Begley of ESPN.com that Jackson’s handling of the Anthony situation would turn off their own clients – and others – to the idea of joining the franchise in free agency.
According to Begley, several people in the Knicks’ front office think that the team would be best off trading Anthony in order to focus on building around players like Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez. While that may be true, Anthony has a no-trade clause and has expressed a strong preference to remain in New York.
Rather than accepting that stance and exploring other ways to improve the club’s outlook, Jackson appears to be prodding Anthony in an effort to encourage him to waive that no-trade clause. The merits of that approach are debatable — Jackson has been known to use the media in the past to manipulate certain situations and motivate players. However, those tactics looked savvier when he was presiding over championship rosters and getting quantitative results. Based on Begley’s conversations with agents, it seems as though players around the league are unimpressed with Jackson’s actions this season.
With or without Anthony, the Knicks will likely head into the offseason armed with a good deal of cap room and some holes to fill on their roster. If the team is willing to make Joakim Noah-esque contract offers to certain free agents, perhaps Jackson’s behavior won’t be a factor, but the Knicks president may want to reevaluate his motivation tactics as the summer nears.
Brook Lopez is no stranger to trade rumors, and joked this week that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” without the constant speculation, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. Reiterating his desire to remain with the Nets, Lopez said that he’ll be happy as long as the team keeps him in the loop.
“I realize there’s a possibility of both things (staying with the Nets or being traded). I’ve said what I’d prefer,” Lopez said. “They’re going to make their decision, but I would hope that I’d be informed, and I have the confidence they would inform me if they were thinking [of doing] something or something was going down.”
Here’s more on New York’s two teams:
- The Nets have reached an agreement with enterprise software company Infor to display their patch on Brooklyn’s jerseys, according to Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick. Soshnick hears from a source that the Nets will receive $8MM annually from Infor under the NBA’s three-year pilot program for jersey sponsorship. The company will also provide the franchise with “data analytics and technology to support the team’s business operations, fan experience initiatives and player performance,” per Soshnick.
- Asked about the possibility of Knicks management blowing up the roster and focusing on the future, Courtney Lee admits that he couldn’t blame the front office for considering that route. “But I’m still confident in the group, man,” Lee added, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post interprets Phil Jackson‘s Tuesday subtweet to Carmelo Anthony as a sign that the Knicks president wants out of New York.
- With the Clippers in town to face the Knicks, New York will be closely monitoring Austin Rivers, who could be part of an Anthony deal with L.A. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the story.
Knicks president Phil Jackson was quiet once again after his team suffered an embarrassing home loss to the Lakers on Monday, but he did issue a public statement of sorts this afternoon. In his first tweet of 2017, Jackson drew attention to Kevin Ding’s latest piece for Bleacher Report.
Ding’s article suggests that Carmelo Anthony isn’t as dedicated to winning as Jackson’s previous stars, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In Ding’s view, Jackson believed when he arrived in New York that he could get more out of Anthony, and has been unsuccessful in turning him into something he’s not. The piece drew a response from Jackson, who seemed to agree with the general premise, though he took exception to one part.
“Bleacher’s Ding almost rings the bell,” Jackson tweeted today. “But I learned you don’t change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.”
Graham, a Georgetown standout in the mid-1980s, landed on Jackson’s CBA team in 1986 after academic problems cost him his spot on the Hoyas. Graham got into an in-game altercation with Jackson and was waived several days later, having appeared in just 11 games for the Albany Patroons. Jackson later wrote in his memoir that he was unable to get through to Graham, whose eyes would “glaze over” when Jackson tried to talk to him (link via Alan Siegel of The Washingtonian).
The parallel line Jackson appears to draw from Graham to Anthony isn’t exactly a flattering one, and may further alienate the star forward. Anthony has repeatedly said he’d like to remain in New York, and has the power to veto any trade, but Jackson and the Knicks have created a potential rift in the relationship. Jackson’s tweet today suggests the team president isn’t exactly attempting to mend that rift.
Last June, Derrick Williams turned down a player option with the Knicks and then was surprised when the team didn’t re-engage with him on talks about a new contract. The former No. 2 overall pick ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Heat for the exact amount he would’ve earned in New York, but finds himself without an NBA home again this week after being cut by Miami to make room for Okaro White.
Although the Knicks don’t currently have an open spot on their roster, they would have some interest in re-adding Williams if he clears waivers, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com. There’s no guarantee of a reunion between Williams and the Knicks, but the veteran forward does still have “some fans” within the organization, per Begley.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Joakim Noah has become close with Carmelo Anthony this season, and would like to see Anthony remain in New York through this year’s trade deadline, as Marc Berman of The New York Post details. Noah is also hoping that team management won’t give up on this season to focus on the long-term future. “We’re not there,” Noah said. “We’re a team that we have to stay in the moment and stay focused. I know what this jersey means to everybody in this locker room.”
- In the wake of an ugly home loss to the Lakers, Knicks president Phil Jackson remains silent, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. As things continue to go south for the team, Jackson has allowed the situation to “spiral out of control, adopting the organizational attitude of passing off responsibility,” in Bondy’s view.
- Berman hears from a source that Jackson is “miserable” with the Knicks’ losing record, but the New York Post scribe says that’s no excuse for Jackson’s behavior. According to Berman, Anthony has every right to exercise his no-trade clause if that’s what he wants to do, and Jackson should stop trying to run the star forward out of town.
While teams and players often avoid directly responding to individual trade rumors and reports, members of the Cavaliers wasted no time in shooting down a Monday rumor involving Kevin Love. After The New York Daily News reported that LeBron James was pushing the Cavs to acquire Carmelo Anthony, even if it meant giving up Love, team and league sources told other outlets that it wasn’t true, and the Cavs publicly pushed back after their dramatic win over the Wizards.
“It’s trash,” James said of the report, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “And the guy who wrote it is trash too, for writing that, especially during the game like that. So it’s always about outside noise and that’s just outside noise for us. We got to focus on what needs to be done and that’s to continue to compete for a championship. And we got who we got. Our GM (David Griffin) will do a great job of figuring out if we need something else, but right now we’re in a good place.”
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue suggested that Love should be flattered that other teams want him, but said the big man isn’t going anywhere, and the latest rumors are “not coming from our end.” As for Love, after perhaps his best game of the season, in which he racked up 39 points and 12 rebounds, he was happy to laugh off Monday’s report.
“What do they say?” Love said. “‘A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put his pants on.’ So, it’s a lie. … It’s almost laughable. I’m on this team. I’m going to be on this team. And we want to win with the guys that we have.”
Love indicated last week that he expected to remain with the Cavs for “a long time,” and even though reports at the time suggested that he wasn’t entirely untouchable, a trade is viewed as highly unlikely. The Cavs reportedly have some interest in Anthony, but aren’t actively looking to trade for the Knicks forward, despite New York’s continued pursuit of Love.
While Monday’s story from the Daily News was roundly denied both privately and publicly by Cavs sources, it’s worth noting that Frank Isola wasn’t the only reporter with the scoop. Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link) also heard from league sources that LeBron has pushed Cleveland to acquire Anthony “at any cost” — Chris Paul has taken a similar approach with the Clippers, per Smith.
The Cavs’ strong and aggressive denial of the report suggests that Love almost certainly isn’t going anywhere, particularly in a deal for Anthony. But the fact that multiple reporters heard from reliable sources that LeBron might be pushing for such a trade means that info is coming from somewhere. It will be interesting to see what moves – if any – Griffin and the Cavs ultimately make in the coming weeks.