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Knicks Notes: Offseason Plans, Randle, Hart, Exit Interviews

May 13th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Finding some shooters should be the Knicks‘ top offseason priority, writes Steve Popper of Newsday, who notes that the lack of reliable shot-makers contributed heavily to Friday’s Game 6 loss in Miami. On a night when Jalen Brunson scored 41 points and shot 14-of-22 from the field, the rest of the starters were just 5-of-32.

New York spent several weeks last summer trying to work out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, and Popper expects the front office to be aggressive again in pursuit of another star. Brunson has established himself as the cornerstone of the franchise, but Popper states that decisions have to be made on whether RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are part of the team’s core. He adds that Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley should be considered trade assets, along with the team’s deep collection of draft picks.

“Everybody is going back to zero,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after Friday’s loss. “We have to start all over. You have to work crazy all offseason to get ready for next season. Yeah, we would still like to be playing, that’s why you do it, if you’re a competitive person, that’s what you want. We fell short. There’s disappointment, but I think to look at it and say we learned a lot, let’s use this as motivation and get better. That’s what you have to do.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Management has to face some “uncomfortable realities” in its offseason evaluation of Randle, states Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. For the second time in three years, Randle has followed an outstanding regular season performance with a flameout in the playoffs. Bondy doesn’t believe Randle can be one of the two best players on a legitimate contender, adding that his moodiness and his tendency to snap at teammates, officials, and coaches can be a distraction.
Although Josh Hart was a valuable midseason addition who’s likely to be re-signed, he and Barrett didn’t work well together in playoff lineups, observes Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated. Herring believes Thibodeau made a mistake by starting Hart against Miami because it clogged the lane as defenders dared Barrett and Hart to shoot from the outside and it eliminated the lift that Hart normally provides off the bench.
The Knicks won’t make Thibodeau or their players available for end-of-season exit interviews with the media, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Barrett, Randle, Offseason, Hart

May 13th, 2023 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks outperformed expectations this season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and winning a playoff series, but their impressive run came to an end on Friday with a Game 6 loss in Miami.

One player who couldn’t be blamed for the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Semifinals loss? Jalen Brunson. New York’s major 2022 free agent addition poured in 41 points in just over 45 minutes, with the Knicks winning those minutes by three points — they were outscored by seven in the 2:50 that Brunson spent on the bench in a 96-92 loss.

Brunson had no help on Friday, with the Knicks’ other four starters combining to shoot 5-of-32 from the field, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. As Vaccaro notes, Brunson blamed himself for a late turnover that helped the Heat seal the game, but if it weren’t for his efforts, New York wouldn’t have had a chance to win at all. With his Game 6 performance, the veteran guard put an exclamation point on an incredible first season as a Knick and earned effusive praise from the head coach on the opposing bench.

“How’s that dude not an All-Star or All-NBA?” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game when he spoke to reporters, including Nick Friedell of ESPN. “He should be on one of those teams. I wish he was still out West. But man, you gotta respect him as a competitor. He’s like a lot of the guys in our locker room. He’s got an iron will. There’s something about these Villanova guys. … He’s just an incredible competitor.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Knicks forward RJ Barrett and Julius Randle weren’t happy with how they played on Friday with the club’s season on the line, but they view the highs and lows of the playoff experience as good teaching moments for the future and are optimistic that better things are ahead, Friedell writes at ESPN.com.
In a separate story for ESPN.com, Friedell examines the three biggest questions facing the Knicks this offseason, including whether they’ll revisit the trade market in search of a disgruntled star. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) also preview the biggest decisions facing New York in the coming months.
The Knicks are in an enviable position entering the summer, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who points to the team’s playoff run and Brunson’s breakout season as reasons why it should be easier than it was a year ago to sell a star player on the situation on New York. Armed with promising young players and plenty of future draft picks, the franchise has the assets to acquire an impact player or to continue building patiently, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes.
Asked about the future of Josh Hart, who can turn down a player option to become a free agent this offseason, head coach Tom Thibodeau replied, “I love the guy so that would be … we’d love to have him back” (Twitter link via Begley). Rival executives reportedly consider Hart extremely likely to sign a new deal with the Knicks.

And-Ones: Thompson Twins, Dekker, In-Season Tournament, More

May 11th, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson, twin brothers who bypassed college to compete in the Overtime Elite program, are projected lottery picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA draft. Israel Gutierrez of ESPN recently caught up with the brothers during Game 3 of the first-round series between Atlanta and Boston.

While much of the hype leading up to June’s draft has centered on French phenom Victor Wembanyama, the projected top overall pick, and G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson, a projected top-three pick, Amen says he’s confident he’s one of the top players in the world.

“They always bring up those names, ‘How you going to pass Victor and Scoot, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” Amen said. “And it’s just like, I’m going to do my thing. I’m going to run my race. And I think if I run my race, I’m one of the best players there is.”

The biggest question marks surrounding Amen and Ausar are the level of competition they faced at OTE and their jump shots, writes Gutierrez. Both players worked extensively on their jumpers over their two years at OTE, but it’s still a focus for improvement going forward.

“I’m improving on shooting, working on pick and roll reads, just reads in general,” Ausar said, per Gutierrez. “My ability to get paint touches, collapse the defense and kick it out for others. Then for myself, just getting open and being able to rise up over defenders and hit a jump shot, or get to the cup.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA forward Sam Dekker, a 2015 first-round pick, has signed a long-term extension with the London Lions of the British Basketball League, the team announced in a press release. The team captain averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 2.9 APG during the 7Days EuroCup last fall and is under contract through 2026, per the Lions.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic spoke to four NBA players who are Premier League fans about the NBA’s new in-season tournament, which will begin next season and was roughly modeled on European soccer tournaments. All four like the idea and believe it could be an interesting way for younger teams to get experience in a more competitive environment. “It’s gonna be really good for our league,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. “Seasons can — not necessarily drag on — but adding an in-season tournament there just to like reinvigorate fan interest and give something that the players are playing for, another competitive type of environment, I think it’s going to be really good.”
Although the majority of the moves didn’t draw as much attention as the blockbusters over the past year, five guards acquired via trades have made a significant impact in their respective teams’ playoff runs, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. The five players Hollinger points to are the Nuggets‘ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (a trade he says he wasn’t a fan of at the time, but has been proven very wrong), the Knicks‘ Josh Hart, the Celtics‘ Malcolm Brogdon, the Sixers‘ De’Anthony Melton, and the Lakers‘ D’Angelo Russell.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Randle, McBride, Grimes

May 8th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart has been raising his potential value in free agency throughout the postseason and will likely receive a new contract starting in the $15-18MM range, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto talked to four NBA executives to help gauge Hart’s next deal. They all believe he will turn down his $12.96MM player option for next season and sign a new contract with the Knicks.

The 27-year-old swingman has been a valuable addition since being acquired from the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 25 regular season games, mostly off the bench, and his hustle and intensity have made him a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau. Hart has seen a different role in the playoffs, starting five of the team’s eight games and matching up with the Heat’s Jimmy Butler in their second-round series.

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New York needs Julius Randle to snap out of his postseason slump to have a chance to get past Miami, writes Barbara Barker of Newsday. She points out that Randle, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, has been held to 15 points or fewer in four of his seven playoff games. He was particularly bad on Saturday, shooting 4-of-15 from the field and committing four turnovers. “You take the emotions out of it,” he told reporters Sunday. “This (loss) is not one you can typically flush away. You learn from the game before, what you can do better. … One game is not going to determine how we feel for the next game or what we think the future’s going to be.”
With Immanuel Quickley listed as doubtful for Monday’s Game 4 due to a sprained left ankle, second-year guard Miles McBride could see his first significant playoff action, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Thibodeau also didn’t rule out turning to veterans Derrick Rose or Evan Fournier, even though neither has been part of the team’s rotation for months. “Everything’s on the table,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll see how it unfolds.”
A Twitter user who identified himself as Quentin Grimes‘ business manager posted a message after New York’s Game 3 loss complaining about Grimes’ usage, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The poster had the username Matthew Z. and handle @mattkeepgoing, and Schwartz notes that Grimes’ manager is Matt Evans, who he grew up with in the Houston area. Grimes started 66 games during the regular season, but he was moved to a reserve role after returning from an injured shoulder.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, Quickley, Grimes

May 7th, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks didn’t get nearly enough production from their star players in Saturday’s loss to the Heat, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combined to shoot 16-of-51 from the field and 2-of-17 from three-point range as New York was badly outplayed in Game 3.

“A lot of that starts with me,” Brunson said. “They’re a very paint-heavy team when you drive the ball offensively. They’re going to collapse. There’s a lot of eyes on me when I drive the ball, so I have to be able to find guys and get them in the right positions to take their shots. It starts with me, and I know I’ve said this before, I got to be better.”

Randle was able to play 38 minutes Saturday in his second game since returning from a sprained ankle. He didn’t use the injury as an excuse for his 4-for-15 shooting performance and assured reporters that he’ll be fine for the rest of the series.

“Like I said, you all keep asking me. It does not matter. I’ll be available to play,” Randle said. “I get myself ready. In my mind, it’s not a factor. I’ve got to find a way to play better and get a win.”

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Immanuel Quickley twisted his ankle late in Saturday’s game when he collided with Bam Adebayo in a chase for a loose ball, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Quickley limped to the locker room and isn’t sure about his status for Monday’s Game 4. “It hurt a lot,” he said. “Part of the game.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau has made a significant lineup change in this series, Popper adds, using Josh Hart as a starter to match up with Jimmy Butler and bringing Quentin Grimes off the bench. Popper notes that Grimes saw crunch-time minutes in Game 2 in place of Barrett. “I think as games wind down, a lot of it is going to be matchup-driven,” Thibodeau explained. “What are you trying to get to? And that’s the thing. When you factor in Kyle (Lowry) and the thing he does, particularly with Jimmy, there’s a lot of things going on. There are a lot of things going on within the game, so we have to have awareness.”
The Knicks’ centers were dominant in the first round, but they haven’t been effective against Adebayo, states Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for two points and eight rebounds Saturday, and Thibodeau used a small-ball lineup for much of the fourth quarter with power forwards Randle and Obi Toppin playing together.

Stein’s Latest: Hart, Pistons, Brooks, Borrego, Raptors, Lee

May 5th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Josh Hart is “generating no shortage of chatter” as his free agency nears, Marc Stein writes at Substack. Hart holds a player option for 2023/24, but is expected to turn it down in favor of a more lucrative multiyear deal.

While there would certainly be many teams around the NBA interested in making a play for Hart if he’s truly available, Stein hasn’t talked to a rival team that views the 28-year-old as “gettable.” According to Stein, potential suitors for Hart view it as inevitable that the CAA client will re-sign with the Knicks, whose front office is run by former CAA head of basketball Leon Rose.

The Knicks will hold Hart’s Bird rights entering the offseason, giving them the ability to re-sign him for any amount up to the maximum without regard for cap room.

Here’s more from Stein:

According to Stein, the Pistons have been mentioned to him more than once as a team to keep an eye on for free agent forward Dillon Brooks this summer. Detroit is expected to have a chunk of cap room available and will likely be in the market for help on the wing.
Having previously reported that former head coach James Borrego is drawing interest from Dallas for a spot on Jason Kidd‘s staff, Stein says there are other teams interested in hiring Borrego as an assistant coach, including the Pelicans. Stein identifies the Rockets and Nets as two more teams that may pursue Borrego, noting that both Ime Udoka and Jacque Vaughn have previously worked with Borrego.
The Raptors interviewed Bucks assistant Charles Lee for their head coaching position on Thursday, league sources tell Stein (Twitter link). ESPN previously reported that Toronto met with Lee, who is also in the mix for the head coaching opening in Detroit and could emerge as a candidate in Milwaukee if the Bucks are willing to consider an in-house replacement for Mike Budenholzer.

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Roster Moves, Brunson, Centers, Thibodeau

April 24th, 2023 at 10:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks forward RJ Barrett has gone from bust to boom in the past two games, Peter Botte of the New York Post points out. Barrett shot 6-for-25 from the field in the first two games of the first-round series against the Cavaliers. He has gone 17-for-30 in the last two games, averaging 23.5 points per contest.

“I just wanted to continue to make the right plays, make the right reads. Just do whatever to help the team,” said Barrett, who will begin his four-year, $107MM extension in 2023/24.

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The moves the Knicks made during the offseason and at the trade deadline have put them in a position to reach the second round, Ian Begley of SNY TV writes. They signed Jalen Brunson instead of trading for Donovan Mitchell, signed Barrett to his extension and re-signed big man Mitchell Robinson. They also added Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency and acquired Josh Hart from Portland in February.
Brunson is running pick-and-rolls with wings and other guards such as Barrett to great effect during the postseason, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes. Their defense is also much more intense, particularly in transition. “We’re playing extremely hard,” Barrett said. “We’re making hustle plays. … The whole team, all the hustle plays we’re making, we’re really together collectively.”
The center rotation of Robinson and Hartenstein became increasingly effective as the regular season wore on, coach Tom Thibodeau told Botte and other media members. “That tandem, from the second half of the season on, Mitch is the anchor of the defense. Isaiah gives us the rim protection and he’s different offensively,” Thibodeau said. “So there’s different components to it.” They combined for 13 points, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots in Game 4 on Sunday.
Thibodeau’s willingness to bench gimpy Julius Randle for a good portion of the second half is an example of how much the veteran coach has changed his approach, Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post opines. Thibodeau has become much more willing to rely on younger players and his second unit, rather than leaning too heavily on veterans.

Knicks’ Quentin Grimes Out For Game 4 With Shoulder Injury

April 23rd, 2023 at 11:44am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Knicks have announced (Twitter link) that starting shooting guard Quentin Grimes will sit out the fourth game of their ongoing series against the Cavaliers. due to a right shoulder contusion.

Grimes initially departed Game 3 in Madison Square Garden on Friday after injuring his shoulder and did not return.

New York adds that reserve wing Josh Hart will start in Grimes’ stead for the team’s second game in its home arena.

Per Fred Katz of The Athletic (via Twitter), Grimes did not join the Knicks for his on-court warmup ahead of today’s contest after the team initially referred to him as a game-time decision.

The 6’5″ Grimes, a second-year wing out of Houston, had been struggling offensively across his first three postseason bouts. He’s averaging just 3.7 PPG on .182/.111/.857 shooting splits, along with 3.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.7 BPG.

That output marks a far cry from Grimes’ regular season output in 2022/23. In 71 games, he logged 11.3 PPG on .468/.386/.796 shooting.

New York Notes: Randle, Hart, Simmons, Dinwiddie

April 19th, 2023 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Julius Randle, playing in his second game back from an ankle sprain, took a hard fall with 2:22 left in Tuesday’s contest and New York down by 23 points. Randle, who went up for a dunk attempt, was hit by Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who was assessed with a flagrant foul 1 (NBA.com video link).

Although Randle said after the game that he was “fine,” he wasn’t thrilled with what he viewed as excessive contact from Allen on the play, as Peter Botte of The New York Post writes.

“At this point, it’s irrelevant. But I thought it was a little unnecessary,” Randle said. “I understand playoff basketball. You don’t give up on plays and I respect that. I’m somebody who doesn’t give up on plays. … Typically when you make those type of plays you go across their body, not through them. But it’s fine. It’s irrelevant. We’ll go back to the Garden, and see him there.”

Although Randle appeared to avoid any sort of real injury on the play, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post called into question Tom Thibodeau‘s decision to still have the star forward in the game that late in the fourth quarter, given the size of the Cavaliers’ lead. Thibodeau told reporters after the loss that he initially planned to take Randle out a few minutes earlier, but the 28-year-old talked him into staying in longer to work on his “rhythm.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s New York-based teams:

Originally listed as doubtful for Tuesday’s game due to a sprained left ankle, Knicks forward Josh Hart was available and played 27 minutes. However, after a big Game 1, Hart was a non-factor in Game 2, posting a team-worst minus-29 mark, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Nonetheless, he insisted the ankle wasn’t the issue. “If I’m out there, I’m good,” Hart said. “I’m feeling good.”
The idea of undergoing a second back surgery hasn’t been completely ruled out for Nets guard Ben Simmons, but it’s considered unlikely, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who hears from a source that Simmons has made showed “really good improvement” in his rehab work in recent weeks.
If the Nets hope to make their series with Philadelphia competitive, they’ll need more from recently acquired guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Lewis says in another New York Post story. Dinwiddie, who averaged 16.5 PPG and 9.1 APG for the Nets after the trade deadline, recorded just 13.0 PPG and 6.5 APG on 38.5% shooting in the series’ first two games. “He’s huge for us, and he knows it. We love him, we depend on him,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He’s going to have the basketball back in his hands when we get back home, and he’ll continue to play and lead us.”

Injury Notes: Giannis, Morant, Hart, Randle, Payne

April 18th, 2023 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

After previously stating that X-rays on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s back injury came back negative, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday that an MRI also came back clean, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

The Bucks haven’t made any official announcements yet about Antetokounmpo’s availability for Game 2 on Wednesday, but Budenholzer told reporters on Monday that the superstar forward was making progress despite still being sore.

“He’s getting some treatment and I think we’ll just continue to monitor him for the next day or two,” Budenholzer said. “Probably fortunate that there are two days between games, so I think still mostly positive, mostly optimistic, but we’ll see how he feels over the next day or two.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

The status of Grizzlies star Ja Morant for Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers remains up in the air due to his hand injury. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today on Monday (Twitter video link) that there’s “significant doubt” about Morant’s ability to play in Game 2. Shams Charania of The Athletic hears that tests on Morant’s hand revealed no breaks and that his availability could end up being a question of pain tolerance. The All-Star guard referred to his pain level on Sunday as a 10 out of 10.
One day after listing Josh Hart as doubtful for Game 2 due to a left ankle sprain, the Knicks have upgraded him to questionable (Twitter link). Knicks forward Julius Randle also provided a positive update on his own ankle sprain, telling reporters that he’s feeling no ill effects after playing in Game 1, though he admitted that his conditioning isn’t yet where he wants it to be (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
Suns guard Cameron Payne, who was limited to 48 games this season due to injuries and didn’t play in Game 1 on Sunday, has been listed as questionable for Tuesday’s Game 2 due to low back soreness, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.