- The Knicks finally managed to pull out a clutch victory on Monday night against Indiana, much to the relief of head coach Jeff Hornacek. “We lose another one like that, guys probably would’ve quit, called it a year probably,” Hornacek said, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com. While Hornacek may be exaggerating a little, another bad loss on Monday likely would’ve intensified calls for a rebuild in New York.
- Speaking of the Knicks‘ roster building, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News provides a list of the 10 worst moves Phil Jackson has made since taking over as the club’s president.
The Bulls and Knicks are among the teams that have interest in Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, multiple sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. A report out of Spain also linked Chicago and New York to Rubio, who is reportedly being “actively” shopped by the Wolves.
A report surfaced on Friday suggesting that the Wolves and Pistons had engaged in discussions that involved Rubio and Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson. However, Stan Van Gundy downplayed those rumblings over the weekend, and indicated that if such a deal was discussed, it may have happened because Minnesota called about Jackson.
If the Wolves are indeed shopping Rubio, it makes sense that the team would have called clubs like the Pistons, Bulls, and Knicks, who have had some questions at the point guard spot this season. In Detroit’s case, Jackson struggled out of the gate following an injury, but has played better as of late, explaining the Pistons’ reluctance to move him. In Chicago and New York though, the long-term outlook at point guard is a little less clear.
The Bulls signed Rajon Rondo to a short-term contract last summer, but he hasn’t been an ideal fit in Chicago, and the odds of him sticking with the team into the 2017/18 season don’t look great — his salary for next year is partially guaranteed for just $3MM. As for the Knicks, they made a major offseason trade to land Derrick Rose, but Rose’s performance in New York has been up and down, and his contract expires this summer.
Rubio, under contract through the 2018/19 season, would represent a more stable long-term option at the point for the Bulls or Knicks, but it’s not clear if either team’s interest is strong enough to make a deal. To date, the Wolves haven’t received the kind of offer they’re seeking for Rubio.
Fiscal realities will probably keep Dwyane Wade in Chicago past this season, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Wade has a player option on next year’s $23.8MM salary, an amount that Winderman doesn’t think he’ll get from any other organization at age 35. If the Bulls opt to rebuild, the columnist believes Wade would consider taking an $8MM mid-level exception to team up with one of his close friends, either LeBron James in Cleveland, Chris Paul in Los Angeles or Carmelo Anthony in New York. A return to Miami is unlikely next season, Winderman states, but could be conceivable for 2018/19.
There’s more news from the Central Division:
- Trading Reggie Jackson isn’t the right answer for the Pistons, argues Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News. A rumor made the rounds Friday that Detroit was considering a deal with Minnesota involving Jackson and Ricky Rubio. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy contacted Jackson and assured him it wasn’t true. Wojnowski states that it would be a mistake for the team to trade its floor leader after investing so heavily in him two years ago. “If he traded me, I told him it was news to me,” Jackson said. “I appreciated the text, just let me know I’m his guy. But I don’t really pay attention much to it.”
- The Bucks held Jabari Parker out of the starting lineup Saturday as punishment for talking to the media about locker room conversations, discloses Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Parker made comments on a team meeting earlier this week, which is a violation of team rules. “I spoke up for the first time, and it didn’t go my way,” he told the media. “I was getting thrashed, but hey, as long as I give them another perspective, I did my job.”
- The Cavaliers‘ need for a backup point guard was on display in Saturday’s nationally televised loss to the Spurs, writes Joe Vardon of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. In the overtime defeat, the Cavs were outscored 17-2 to start the second quarter and 12-1 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The tactics that Phil Jackson used as a coach don’t work well for an executive, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Isola contends that the Knicks president has been playing mind games with Carmelo Anthony in the media, possibly trying to get him to waive his no-trade clause. Anthony turned that around this week by speculating that he might agree to a trade if the Knicks ask him to, putting the decision back on Jackson. Isola also questions how long owner James Dolan is willing to watch an executive publicly criticize his best player. He notes that the Knicks are 5-14 since Jackson’s December 6th interview when he accused Anthony of slowing down the offense. After another disappointing loss Saturday night in which his last-second 3-pointer rimmed out, Anthony said he tries not to concern himself with off-court issues. “I’m done kinda worrying about that,” he said. “My only focus is the guys in the locker room.”
There’s more today out of New York:
- It might be time for Anthony and the Knicks to part ways, writes George Willis of The New York Post. Willis believes an Anthony deal might be necessary considering the current state of the team, which is now 19-26 and three games out of the final playoff spot. Anthony met with Jackson earlier this week to discuss a column by Jackson confidant Charley Rosen suggesting that Anthony was no longer useful in New York. Willis notes that Anthony would get an additional $9.9MM over two seasons if he gets traded and lists the Cavaliers, Clippers and Celtics as possible destinations.
- The Knicks believe they found a steal in rookie Willy Hernangomez, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Hernangomez has been drawing comparisons to Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, his teammate on the Spanish National Team. “When I heard that, I felt great because it means they see what I can do,” Hernangomez said. “I try to work hard every day, and when I have the chance to be on the court, I do my best. For me, I feel very happy when they compare me to Marc Gasol.” Henangomez is averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 36 games. The Knicks acquired his rights in a draft-day trade in 2015 after the Sixers took him with the 35th pick.
- Point guard Derrick Rose isn’t getting foul calls on his drives to the basket the way he used to in Chicago, writes Brian Heyman for Newsday.
As one of just three NBA players with a formal no-trade clause in his contract, Carmelo Anthony wields an unusual amount of leverage. While Anthony prefers to remain a Knick and can’t be dealt without his approval, the nine-time All-Star tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’d be willing to consider waiving that NTC if the front office wanted to move him.
“I think it will be more on the front office,” Anthony said. “I have the power, but still I would talk to them. We would be in communication if they feel like they want to go in a different direction, they want to start rebuilding for the future. If they tell me they want to scrap this whole thing, yeah, I have to consider it.”
Anthony reiterated that he has no interest in leaving New York, and wants to win with the Knicks. However, as he suggests, the idea of a multiyear rebuilding project probably doesn’t appeal much to him, so if the Knicks were to tear things down, he’d be more open to accepting a deal. Otherwise, he’d like to stick with the club, even in a season that has been disappointing so far.
“When you’re in the middle of battling, whether we’re winning or losing, me personally, it’s hard to even sit down and say, ‘[Expletive], I want to get out of here,'” Anthony said. “There’s a part of me that also would feel like I’m being selfish to the guys that are on the team right now, in the midst of us losing to just try to figure a way to escape from everything. For me personally, it would be more of something I would really have to think about and consider. Put it all on the table and figure it out.”
Following the publication of a column by Charley Rosen of FanRag, a longtime Phil Jackson confidant, that was extremely critical of Anthony, the Knicks forward met with the team president earlier this week. During that sit-down, Anthony informed Jackson that he wants to remain with the franchise, while Jackson distanced himself from the criticisms in Rosen’s piece.
The Knicks are not headed in any particular direction, which is arguably the worst position for franchise to be in, and New York president Phil Jackson is a significant reason for that, Chris Herring of ESPN.com argues in a panel of fellow ESPN scribes (Insider subscription required). Carmelo Anthony is also partly to blame because his large contract, which includes a no-trade clause is hamstringing the team, is holding the franchise hostage, Bradford Doolittle opines. The panel suggested, however, that Anthony still has something left and in the right situation he could be a positive part of the Knicks. There are differing opinions on whether or not the Knicks should be in win-now mode or start tanking, with the latter being difficult to do, considering it would mean shedding players with contracts teams would have to take on creatively.
- Joakim Noah hasn’t lived up to his $72MM contract and it’s possible that the Knicks will take him out of the starting line-up once Kristaps Porzingis is healthy enough to return to action, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Noah is averaging 5.6 points per game this season.
Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah will both undergo MRIs on Thursday to determine the extent of nagging injuries, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.
Porzingis missed his fourth straight game tonight with an Achilles problem, while Noah was sidelined by a sprained ankle. Porzingis is confident in his health, saying he is “90% ready.” He also dismissed the idea of sitting out long-term to rest the injury.
“Never felt that bad to actually take some time off,” he said. “I thought I would be [back] like next game, next game and it has taken long, longer time than we expected. … [Doctors] want to be smart about it and have me tell them exactly how I feel, not hide it a little bit and say, ‘Oh, I’m good.'”
Noah said his ankle was all right during Monday’s game, but began to swell during Tuesday’s flight to Boston. His availability for Thursday’s game against the Wizards may depend on the results of the MRI.
“I hope it’s going to be OK,” Noah said. “I mean, it is what it is. I wish I could be there with my teammates right now. We’re struggling. I want to be out there, be part of the solution.”
Carmelo Anthony said the conversation between him and Phil Jackson “wasn’t that long,” as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “We didn’t break bread. We didn’t have an hour’s conversation. It was a short conversation.”
Anthony previously said he wants to remain with the Knicks and he reiterated that desire today. “I’m committed [to staying]. I don’t have to prove that to anybody,” Anthony exclaimed “I don’t think I have to keep saying that. I don’t think I have to keep talking about that. I know for a fact that people see that.”
The soon-to-be 10-time All-Star never thought it would get to the point where he and Jackson would have to sit down and talk about his future with the team. He added that he’s happy he has a no-trade clause in his contract.
“I think, as players, you always want to protect yourself,” Anthony said. “I didn’t think it would get to this point. I think, as a player, if you can get that [no-trade clause], you have a right to protect yourself and take care of yourself when it comes to that. It’s very hard to get, very difficult to get. I have it and that’s that.”
Anthony said he is “numb” to the drama that follows him this season. “That [George Karl] situation, we all know what that was about. He was trying to sell something. In this situation you almost have to pay a little bit closer attention to it because you have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis,” he added. “Other than [that], I’m fine, man. I’m good mentally. I’m good. Trust me.”
The Knicks have won just two of their last 13 games. They will take on the Celtics tonight.
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls:
- The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Joe Young to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website. Christmas has seen action in three games for Indiana this season, while Young has appeared in 20 contests.
- The Knicks have assigned Marshall Plumlee to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The center has only seen 27 minutes of action for New York this season, but he’ll be recalled after Westchester’s game tonight.
- The Celtics have assigned Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The point guard is averaging 17.9 points per game for the Red Claws this season.
- Desperate for a positive development, the Knicks have considered playing Kristaps Porzingis at the five, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. “Sometimes it’s a chance you have to take, but we continue to look over that,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We just need to mix it up maybe a little more.” Moving Porzingis to the center position would push Joakim Noah to the bench.