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Knicks Notes: Carmelo, Centers, Porzingis, Starters

September 27th, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

While Carmelo Anthony was happy to ultimately land in Oklahoma City, agent Leon Rose admitted that he and his client had been expecting a trade to Houston before the Knicks hired Scott Perry as their general manager and reset those discussions. As Frank Isola of The New York Daily News outlines, Rose and Perry were ultimately able to work things out after being at odds over the Rockets opportunity.

“Even though Scott and I battled over Houston, I have to respect the fact that he inherited an extremely difficult situation and that he had to do what was best for the organization,” Rose said. “Ultimately, he did right by Carmelo and made a deal. It all worked out for everybody.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • After acquiring Enes Kanter from the Thunder, the Knicks have an overabundance of options at the center position, prompting Marc Berman of The New York Post to wonder if another trade may come at some point to clear out that logjam.
  • With Anthony gone, Kristaps Porzingis  is now “The Man” in New York, and he expects himself to naturally evolve into a team leader, writes Berman for The New York Post. “I don’t need to force it,” Porzingis said. “First thing I’ll do is be the hardest-working guy. We have a bunch of guys who work hard. I will work hard also and give an example. From that hard work, you can be a leader and give it to your teammates.”
  • Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. are likely locked in as starters at power forward and shooting guard, respectively, but the other three spots in the starting lineup may be up for grabs during the preseason, as Berman details for The Post.
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Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Hornacek, Anthony

September 25th, 2017 at 1:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks haven’t seen Kristaps Porzingis since he skipped an exit meeting in April, but the Latvian star was trying to smooth things over this afternoon at media day. Porzingis said he has no lingering bitterness toward the organization regarding the events of last spring or the offseason roster changes, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. “No I’m coming into this season with a fresh mind,” Porzingis said. “It’s a new season.”

Porzingis is also in a new role as team leader after the trade of Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City. Porzingis denied reports that he clashed last season with coach Jeff Hornacek, insisting he has a “great relationship” with the coach and saying he doesn’t “know where it’s coming from,” tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

There’s more today from New York:

  • Porzingis got bigger and stronger over the summer, which will come in handy as he tries to carry the team, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Anthony is gone, along with former team president Phil Jackson and his triangle offense, leaving the organization to rebuild around its 7’3″ center. “Moving forward in this league, he’s going to get a lot of opportunities to grow into that lead position,” Hornacek said of Porzingis. “We’re just excited to get back to coaching and moving forward with him and trying to develop him into that great player that we think he can become.” 
  • With his trade to the Thunder becoming official today, Anthony penned a farewell note to New York fans on his website. He thanked owner Jim Dolan and the Knicks organization, along with everyone who supported him during his six and a half years with the team. “New York equipped me to make it in any other place in the world,” he wrote. “It taught me how to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. Saying Goodbye is the hardest thing to do. I never thought I would, especially to you. No one will ever take your place. It’s hard to find someone like you, so know you will always be missed. You helped me laugh. You dried my tears. Because of you, I have no fears. You came into my life and I was blessed. It’s time to raise my hand and say goodbye. It’s not the end, because like I’ve always said, NYC ‘til the end.”
  • Despite his fond memories, Anthony’s time in New York was a disappointment, contends Neil Best of Newsday. Best gives Anthony credit for the classy way he handled the feud with Jackson, but says he never delivered the playoff success the team expected when it acquired him from Denver.
  • Once Anthony expanded his list of possible destinations to three teams, the Knicks took the best deal they could find, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Although neither Enes Kanter or Doug McDermott may have a long future in New York, Isola says they are a better alternative than taking on Ryan Anderson‘s huge contract.
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Knicks Expect Carmelo To Open Camp With Team

September 22nd, 2017 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

After a full offseason of trade rumors, Carmelo Anthony remains a Knick, and the club’s brass doesn’t expect that to change within the next few days. Speaking today to reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPN (Twitter link), Knicks president Steve Mills says he expects Anthony to be with the club on Monday for Media Day and on Tuesday for the team’s first practice.

While general manager Scott Perry says the Knicks will “continue to listen” to trade possibilities for Anthony, the team is currently planning to head into the season with Carmelo in its starting lineup, as head coach Jeff Hornacek confirmed today (Twitter links via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog).

We’ve heard all summer that Anthony’s preference is to be traded, but Perry and the Knicks expect nothing but professionalism from the veteran forward, and believe he can set a good example for the team’s young players (Twitter links via Begley). Meanwhile, Mills – who confirmed that the team has been in regular contact with Anthony recently – indicated that he doesn’t expect the Knicks’ chemistry to be negatively impacted by the trade rumors surrounding the club’s leading scorer (Twitter links via Begley).

Here’s more out of New York:

  • Various reports over the offseason, including one this week from Marc Berman of The New York Post, indicated that Hornacek has a strained relationship with Kristaps Porzingis. However, the Knicks head coach said today that his relationship with Porzingis is good, and that he won’t comment on reports that state otherwise.
  • Hornacek suggested today that rookie Frank Ntilikina could compete for the starting point guard job, but Perry, likening the point guard position to a quarterback in football, cautioned that Ntilkina may need some time to get comfortable in the NBA (Twitter link via Berman).
  • Joakim Noah has been medically cleared to get back on the court following his rotator cuff injury, per Mills (Twitter link via Zagoria). Now that he’s been deemed healthy enough to play, Noah will open the regular season by serving the remaining 12 games on his 20-game suspension.
  • Based on Hornacek’s comments today, it sounds like the Knicks’ offense will change significantly, with the triangle no longer the focus, tweets Begley.
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Knicks Notes: Jack, Burke, Dotson

September 7th, 2017 at 6:05pm CST by Austin Kent

When the Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina, they expected to bring him along slowly so that he could develop from a raw prospect into a dangerous core piece down the road. The loss of Derrick Rose via free agency, however, suddenly cleared room on the depth chart.

With nobody standing between Ntilikina and a significant workload early, New York went out and signed veteran reserve Ramon Sessions. It turns out, however, that there a few more playmakers the Knicks have been keeping their eye on. Per Ian Begley of ESPN, the club views Jarrett Jack and Trey Burke as potential adds as well.

This isn’t the first time that Jack’s name has been brought up by the New York media – in August Ohm Youngmisuk, also of ESPN, linked the Knicks to Jack and Archie Goodwin.

While Jack had a solid season across town with the Nets as recently as 2014/15, he has been besieged by injuries ever since.

Burke, in contrast, has simply seen his role decrease from season to season as his four-year career has drawn on. Though the former NCAA Tournament star is still just 24 years old, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be anything but a bit player for the next team that he finds himself on.

If the Knicks are going to make a move to shore up their playmaking corps, they may want to act sooner than later. Begley’s tweet actually came in response to the news that the Trail Blazers had signed the aforementioned Goodwin to a training camp deal.

There’s more from the Knicks:

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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Embiid, Celtics

September 4th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Austin Kent

A pair of Knicks bigs have turned heads at EuroBasket 2017 and that bodes well for the future of the franchise. Between Kristaps Porzingis‘ offensive showcase with Latvia and Willy Hernangomez‘s dominance in the post with Spain, New York fans ought to be drooling with anticipation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

Squashing any concerns about a knee bruise that kept Porzingis out of some exhibition games with his national team, the 7’3″ Knicks forward has flaunted his length, range and just about everything else that’s made him such a tantalizing, unique NBA package. Through two games so far, Porzingis has averaged 22.5 points per game.

Hernangomez may not have pumped out any similarly viral highlight reel plays through his first two games in the tournament but the 23-year-old has stepped up as a foundational component of his Spanish team. The 18 points and nine boards he dropped in 20 minutes during the club’s opener is reminiscent of his impressive string of performances for the Knicks in the second half of 2016/17.

Even Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Berman writes, has looked impressive through three EuroBasket games averaging 16.0 points per match.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sixers need to figure out the best way to handle Joel Embiid‘s contract extension – our very own Dana Garauder wrote about it here – but one thing that can’t be overlooked when weighing injury risks and production is the impact that Embiid has on the Sixers brand. “He’s got the public on his side,” a league source told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “[The idea of alienating or losing Embiid altogether] is a public relations nightmare.“
  • Between Gordon Hayward leaving money on the table in Utah and Kyrie Irving leaving a team that made three straight Finals appearances, the newest Celtics made big sacrifices to be where they are now. “They were doing what I thought was fair game and very grateful that both of them chose to come here and make those sacrifices,” Danny Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England.
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Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Stauskas, Nets, Celtics

August 31st, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by marksuleymanov

A report earlier this week suggested that friction between the Knicks‘ young phenom Kristaps Porzingis and head coach Jeff Hornacek caused the Latvian to skip his exit meeting earlier this offseason. However, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that issues between the player and coach were not the source of Porzingis’ issue with the team.

Porzingis was reportedly frustrated with the front office (particularly ex-president Phil Jackson) and the team’s treatment of Carmelo Anthony. Issues between Hornacek and Porzingis suggest that his problems with the team went beyond Jackson and company. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported in July that Porzingis and Hornacek’s relationship “sat on rocky terrain” for most last season, partly because of his loud and critical treatment of the Knicks’ former first-round pick.

“We try to get good relationships with all our guys, not just the star guys,” Hornacek said to Bondy about his relationships with players on the team. “We’re talking to these guys every day. We see them every day. We travel with them. As a group we’re trying to do more things as a team, kind of family-type stuff. We’ll try to grow on that, that way.”

For what it’s worth, the Knicks have insisted that the organization’s future rests on its young assets with the 22-year-old Porzingis at the forefront. With key changes to the front office and the roster, New York enters 2017/18 with cooled expectations but a clearer vision for the future.

Below you can read additional news around the Atlantic Division:

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Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, Thomas, Celtics

August 26th, 2017 at 10:20am CST by marksuleymanov

In a blog post for MSG.com, Knicks president Steve Mills discussed the team’s future and plan for the upcoming season. Mills mentioned Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, offseason signee Tim Hardaway Jr., and this year’s first-rounder Frank Ntilikina but conspicuous by the absence of his name is Carmelo Anthony.

Mills said in the post that the “plan to become more youthful and athletic is underway” before mentioning the Knicks’ young assets. This comes shortly after the Knicks released promotional content for their season ticket plans with the featured players being Porzingis, Hernangomez, and Ntilikina. Even though Anthony is still a member of New York’s roster, the team appears to be showing through subliminal signs that the team has moved on from their superstar.

Trade talks regarding Anthony to the Rockets are “fairly dormant” and the Cavaliers are possibly interested in his services; however, a trade is not imminent. While it’s possible that Anthony begins the season with the Knicks, he is not expected to remain with the team for the remainder of his contract.

Read below for additional news tidbits around the Atlantic Division:

  • While Porzingis has been absent from Team Latvia, the Knicks’ big man remains committed to the team for Eurobasket, according to basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter Link).
  • Speaking to reporters, including ESPN’s Chris Forsberg, from the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens discussed the team trading away Isaiah Thomas. “What [Thomas] did in Boston the last two-and a-half years has been incredible,’ Stevens said. “I said earlier what he’s meant to me, what I think of him, how great he’s been in the locker room, what kind of teammate he’s been.” While the trade is currently complicated by Thomas’ troubled hip, Stevens was complimentary of the player who helped lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
  • Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald joined CSN New England to discuss the Thomas trade — which is currently in danger of being nixed due to his hip injury — and said that the organization owes thanks to him. Thomas emerged into one of the league’s top players while in Boston and Bulpett also covers the effort that the former last pick of the 2011 draft put in to help the team.
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Knicks Notes: Hardaway, Beasley, Artis, Porzingis

August 19th, 2017 at 9:17am CST by marksuleymanov

The Knicks made a sizable commitment to Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason, bringing the former Knick back home after inking him to a four-year, $71MM deal. While there’s a lot of apprehensions about Hardaway’s deal, Knicks’ assistant general manager and former guard Allan Houston cannot wait to see how the team’s draft pick from 2013 establishes himself, Thomas Lipe of the New York Post writes.

Speaking at Hofstra University with his youth program, Houston said the current version of Hardaway is more seasoned and talented than several years ago.

“I’m excited for [Hardaway],” Houston said. “When you’re 20 years old and you’re coming into this environment, everybody has to grow and everybody has to mature. He’s developed all the way around and he’s prepared himself for this. So he’s prepared for it.” 

Houston himself is no stranger to large contracts with the Knicks as he signed a six-year, $100MM pact with the team in 2001. While Houston was more established at the time of his deal, he was also older and injuries prevented him from playing out the entirety of the contract. Hardaway, still just 25 years old, brings youth and upside to a rebuilding Knicks team. Houston feels that Hardaway can live up to expectations by not just strong on-court performance but strong off court work as well.

“The mindset I took is: you come in, you put your work in, you treat your whole being, your whole life, like you want to make the most out of it,” Houston said. “You want to be valuable, not in terms of money, but you want to be valuable to your family, your community, to the franchise. That’s where [Hardaway’s] mindset is.”

Read additional notes surrounding the Knicks below:

  • In a resounding interview with Marc Berman of the New York Post, free agent signing Michael Beasley referred to himself as a “walking bucket” who has not received the respect he deserves. The former second overall pick says he’s long past his prior marijuana suspension and said that people still dwelling on his past issues need to emulate him by growing up. For his career. Beasley has averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG across nine NBA seasons with five different teams.
  • Just prior to signing with the Knicks, Jamel Artis spoke to Adam Zagoria of FanRag Sports. The former Pittsburgh forward expressed his excitement to join the New York squad and said his offensive skill set would mesh well with the current core.
  • A recent report indicated the Cavaliers‘ interest to acquire a budding young star in a trade for Kyrie Irving with Kristaps Porzingis topping the list. Fred Kerber of the New York Post cites league source who claim “no proposal exists” in which the Knicks part with Porzingis for Irving. Kerber adds that while the New Jersey native Irving would like a homecoming to New York, it will not come at the expense of the team’s Latvian standout.
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Knicks Rumors: Blatt, Porzingis, Ntilikina

August 15th, 2017 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

David Blatt’s connections to the Knicks front office could land the former Cavaliers head coach in New York during the upcoming season, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Blatt would like another NBA job and he’s close friends with team president Steve Mills and recently-hired front office executive Craig Robinson, both of whom were college teammates of Blatt’s, Isola points out. The Knicks’ schedule could also put current coach Jeff Hornacek on the hot seat before the All-Star break as they play 16 of 20 games on the road right after Christmas, including the Warriors and Spurs, Isola notes.

In other items regarding the Knicks:

  • The club should not give up Kristaps Porzingis in order to acquire disgruntled Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News argues. Porzingis is a unique player who should be considered an untouchable, a 7’3” big man who protects the rim and stretches the floor, Bondy notes. Porzingis is not even eligible to become a restricted free agent for another two seasons, and even shedding the contract of Carmelo Anthony or Joakim Noah isn’t worth giving him up, Bondy continues. If Irving wants to play in New York, he can sign with the franchise as a free agent in two years, Bondy adds. Currently, the Knicks regard any attempt by the Cavs to acquire Porzingis as a non-starter in trade talks involving Irving.
  • Frank Ntilikina has picked the brains of former NBA players in Europe and believes he’ll have to play more on instinct than he did overseas, he explained to Mike Vorkunov of the New York Times in an in-depth feature. Former Knick Mardy Collins and former Maverick Rodrigue Beaubois instructed him that talent and athleticism rule in the NBA, while the European game is more focused on basketball I.Q. and a cerebral approach. “They told me like when you go here, you don’t have to think too much, because I used to think a lot,” the Knicks lottery pick told Vorkunov. “I used to play the game as a chess game. So they told me when you go there, you just have to play your game and not think too much.” Ntilikina has been studying tapes of top NBA point guards in an effort to refine his game, Vorkunov adds.
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Kyrie Irving Rumors: Spurs, Celtics, Porzingis

August 15th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

If the Cavaliers had received assurances from LeBron James that he intends to remain with the franchise beyond the 2017/18 season, their approach to a Kyrie Irving trade might be much different, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While the Cavs certainly haven’t given up hope of James remaining in Cleveland, the franchise wants to use an Irving trade to protect itself against his possible departure — that means focusing on acquiring a young potential star, rather than targeting veteran help for LeBron.

Initially, the Cavs’ desire in an Irving trade was to acquire young players and picks that could help the team down the road and to get pieces that could help the club contend immediately. However, that kind of massive return may not be available for the star point guard, forcing the Cavaliers to choose one path or the other. And with LeBron unwilling to commit, the Cavs are leaning toward prioritizing long-term pieces over short-term help.

As Wojnarowski details, Josh Jackson (Suns), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), and even Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) are among the young players the Cavaliers have their eye on in trade talks. In his own piece on the situation in Cleveland, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders agrees that those four teams – Phoenix, Boston, Denver, and New York – are mentioned most frequently as trade partners, and continue to have discussions with the Cavs.

Here’s plenty more on the Irving situation:

  • According to both Wojnarowski and Kyler, teams around the NBA believe that the Cavaliers will ramp up trade talks and get more serious about moving Irving in September, with training camps approaching.
  • The Spurs have interest in Irving, but the fact that the Cavs are prioritizing young potential stars over veteran help means Cleveland doesn’t have much interest in the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker, or Danny Green, says Wojnarowski.
  • Although the Cavaliers are intrigued by Tatum, the Celtics have yet to make an official offer for Irving and the two sides haven’t formally discussed this year’s No. 3 overall pick, according to Wojnarowski. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe adds (via Twitter) that Boston has remained in touch with the Cavs throughout the process.
  • The idea of including Porzingis in an Irving offer is currently a “non-starter” for the Knicks, per Wojnarowski. However, Woj adds there may still be some lingering tension between Porzingis and the franchise, and teams are wondering how emphatic the Knicks’ “no” really is — especially if the Cavaliers would be willing to take on Joakim Noah‘s contract.
  • Wojnarowski reports that the Bucks have shown interest in Irving. However, with Giannis Antetokounmpo obviously untouchable, Milwaukee may not have a young star who makes sense for the Cavs.
  • Although the Clippers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Irving, a league source tells Kyler that L.A. doesn’t appear to have the right combination of assets to appeal to the Cavs — a third team would be necessary, and even that may not be enough to make the Clips a serious contender for Irving.
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