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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Noah, Sullinger

January 19th, 2017 at 1:29pm CST by Will Joseph

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.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

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.
Jared Sullinger made his season debut for the Raptors on Wednesday and although the team lost, he felt like he exceed his own expectations, as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star relays. “I was able to keep up with the game,” Sullinger said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep up, especially how hard and how fast the Sixers play, but I was able to keep up with the game.”
Jae Crowder is more valuable to the Celtics than Anthony could ever be, Logan Mullen of WEEI.com contends. Mullen argues that Anthony doesn’t provide the intensity that Crowder brings on a nightly basis. The scribe admits that the Celtics need one more star player, but cautions that Anthony isn’t the right fit.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post

Porzingis, Noah To Have MRIs On Thursday

January 18th, 2017 at 9:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.”

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Lowry, Lopez

January 17th, 2017 at 5:20pm CST by Austin Kent

Much has changed over the course of the first two and a half months of the season, writes John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Sixers are now faced with different circumstances than what they began the year with. Part-way through January, it appears as though Jahlil Okafor — and not Nerlens Noel — is the most likely to be traded.

Okafor, Smallwood writes, is an impressive big man and goes on to cite the 21-year-old’s All-Rookie team performance last year as one of the reasons why. Even in some recent performances, the center has shown that he’s a solid young player, perhaps capable of averaging 20 and 10 eventually. The emergence of Embiid as a reliable option at the five for the Sixers, has rendered Okafor’s services less necessary than they would be otherwise.

In order to take advantage of Okafor’s value, the Sixers should look to trade the big man in order to reconfigure the balance of their roster and Smallwood gives several examples of players that could theoretically come back to Philadelphia in a trade. Smallwood offers Jaylen Brown, Jordan Clarkson and Doug McDermott as three perimeters threats that could potentially be had in exchange for Okafor.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

It’s too early to think about free agency, Kyle Lowry tells ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, but for whatever it’s worth, the guard considers Toronto “home”. Currently under contract for $12MM with a player option for $12MM in 2017/18, Lowry could net a significant pay raise over the summer if he opts out. “When the time comes, then I will worry about [free agency],” says Lowry. “[The Raptors] will definitely will be an option.“
The Nets have a decision on Brook Lopez to make prior to the trade deadline, but an injury to Jeremy Lin has made things more complicated, writes Seth Berkman of the New York Times. The franchise would ideally like to see how Lopez and Lin fare together before making a significant change but the tandem has been limited to just a handful of games healthy at the same time.
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.
We discussed the meeting between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony earlier, but it’s worth adding here that Jackson specifically told the veteran forward he did not subscribe to the criticisms in the now infamous Charley Rosen article, says Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Jackson, Rose, Porzingis

January 14th, 2017 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony‘s relationship with team president Phil Jackson is getting progressively worse, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Anthony remains bitter that Jackson refused to interview Tom Thibodeau for the Knicks’ coaching vacancy in May, and was further angered when Jackson stated publicly last month that Anthony was slowing down the triangle offense by holding the ball too long. Anthony reportedly went on a locker-room tirade after Wednesday’s loss to the Sixers, yelling at teammates for losing a 10-point lead in the final 2:30 and for not getting him the ball on the final possession. However, a source tells Isola that Anthony remains unlikely to waive his no-trade clause.

There’s more out of New York:

A 15% trade kicker makes Anthony very difficult to trade if he does give his consent, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Even though the Knicks would pay the kicker, it would push his salary cap figure to about $30MM, which would be tough for another team to match in a deal.
Derrick Rose‘s agent, B.J. Armstrong, admits that Rose could have calmed the situation surrounding his absence from Monday’s game by contacting team officials, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. ” I think in looking back, just a simple phone call or a simple text notifying the team to let them know what happened, what he needed to do and take care of with his family situation would clearly have been a thing he needed to do,” Armstrong said today in an interview with Sirius XM Radio. “He felt that he needed to go home and take care of a family matter … but I think the big thing that is coming from this story is that a simple text, a simple notifying someone from the Knicks to let them know what he needed to do.”
Kristaps Porzingis is hoping to return for Monday’s game after being sidelined by a sore left Achilles, but he doesn’t want to repeat his mistake of playing before the injury is fully healed, relays Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Porzingis started having problems with the Achilles in late December. He sat out three games, returned for four, then missed Thursday’s game with the Bulls and doesn’t expect to play Sunday. “I need to get it 100 percent before I step back on the court again,” Porzingis said. “I need to take my time, calm down a little bit. I’m just too anxious to be out there. I was like, ‘You got to let me go, you got to let me go.’ But we have a tough schedule ahead of us. I want to be back as soon as possible. But at the same time, I want to make sure I’m healthy and that I can be 100 percent for the team.”

Knicks Notes: Rose, Porzingis, Anthony

January 13th, 2017 at 8:05pm CST by Luke Adams

When I asked Hoops Rumors readers on Thursday how long you expect Derrick Rose to remain a Knick, only about 15% of you said that he’d remain with the franchise beyond the end of the 2016/17 season. However, in the wake of a Monday incident in which he was unexpectedly absent from a game, Rose tells Michael Lee of The Vertical that he still wants to re-sign with the Knicks, and thinks the team has accepted his explanation for the absence.

“When I was in the room, I felt like they understood where I was coming from,” Rose said. “I hope one incident didn’t change their mind. Who knows? This is a business. If it was to happen, I still would want to play the way I normally know how to play wherever I’m at.”

While it may sound counterintuitive, there are a few reasons why keeping Rose on a long-term deal would be tempting for the Knicks, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. As Begley points out, there’s no guarantee that New York would be able to find a better point guard option if the team lets Rose walk. The veteran point guard also received rave reviews from former teammate Taj Gibson, who calls Rose “one of the greatest dudes I’ve ever been around,” adding that the former MVP is “misunderstood” (link via ESPN.com).

As we wait to see how things play out for Rose and the Knicks, here are a few more notes out of New York:

Kristaps Porzingis‘ lingering Achilles issue, which forced him to miss another game on Thursday, is becoming a problem for the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
In a piece for ESPN.com, several writers, including Begley, Ohm Youngmisuk, and Kevin Pelton, debate the Knicks’ trade options, discussing whether the team should be a buyer or seller, and whether Rose and/or Carmelo Anthony could be moved.
Did Phil Jackson‘s offseason moves make the Knicks a better team? A month ago, the answer would have been yes, but it’s not so clear anymore, Begley writes in another ESPN.com piece. As Begley notes, New York actually had a .500 record through 40 games last season. This year, the club is 18-22.

New York Notes: Knicks, Porzingis, Lin

January 3rd, 2017 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

It was a rough night for the NBA’s New York teams on Monday, as both the Nets and Knicks suffered double-digit losses on their home courts. While Brooklyn lost to a strong Utah club that’s in the midst of a winning streak, the Knicks’ defeat came at the hands of an Orlando team that ranks below them in the standings. In the wake of that loss, Jeff Hornacek delivered “his most damning assessment” of his club’s defensive issues, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“I don’t think our guys aren’t trying — maybe they’re not capable,” said the Knicks head coach. “I don’t know. That’s what we have to figure out. Maybe play some other guys and mix the lineup somehow. … We have to find someone to play some defense. You can’t come out at the beginning and their first three baskets are 3s. You have to have better pride than that. … I think they’re trying — they must not be good enough defensively.”

With Hornacek sounding ready to make some changes to his lineup, let’s round up a few more notes out of New York…

Nagged by Achilles pain, Kristaps Porzingis missed his second straight game on Monday, and may see his minutes reduced going forward as the Knicks try to keep him and their other starters fresh and healthy. As Berman details in a piece for The Post, Porzingis isn’t thrilled with the plan, telling reporters with a smile that he wants to play all the minutes he can. However, he deferred to Hornacek and said he’d go along with what’s best for the team.
Speaking of Porzingis, he remains on the shelf for now, with Hornacek telling reporters today that the big man is doubtful for the Knicks‘ next game on Wednesday (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).
There’s no specific timetable for Jeremy Lin‘s return to the Nets, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Lin admitted that it has been discouraging to have to battle health issues so far this season after he joined a new team on a new long-term deal in the summer.
We passed along a few Knicks and Nets notes on Sunday and Monday as well.

New York Notes: Galloway, LeVert, Porzingis

December 31st, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks made an effort to re-sign Langston Galloway over the summer, but the lure of returning to his home-state propelled the combo guard to join the Pelicans, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “I didn’t think I would leave [New York],’’ Galloway said. “But I had an opportunity to go home. That definitely was big, important for me and my family and wife. It’s definitely been great playing back home, loving the atmosphere New Orleans has.’’

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

Caris LeVert has only played 12 games this season because of a foot injury, but Nets coach Kenny Atkinson likes what he’s seeing from the rookie, Brian Lewis of the New York Post relays. “[LeVert’s play has been] Super positive. I just said that to our coaches, his energy, how hard he plays, how fast he is, his athleticism, how aggressive he is,” Atkinson said. “So that’s the positive we take out of [it], that he’s really starting to grow in front of our eyes. That’s good to see.”
Randy Foye is taking advantage of his playing opportunity this season and he credits his experience playing alongside diverse play-makers for his ability to help the Nets run an effective offense, Lewis writes in a separate piece. “I played with [Blake Griffin in the past], last year being with [Russell Westbrook] and [Kevin Durant], and seeing the double team and just knowing you’ve got to have the right spacing,” Foye said. The shooting guard signed a one-year deal with Brooklyn during the offseason.
Kristaps Porzingis said Anthony Davis‘ game has greatly influenced his own, Berman passes along in a separate piece. “Before I got to the NBA, I was watching him a lot — skinny guy coming out of college, how he was able to adjust to the NBA, at this level,” Porzingis said of Davis. “Obviously, I learned from him — even seeing defensively, able to hold guys in the post. His skill set is his, pretty all-around. He can do everything, but it was more seeing how he can adjust with his physicality.”

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Porzingis, Powell, Sixers

December 22nd, 2016 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics will include one of their main backcourt pieces if they make a major trade, Chris Mannix of The Vertical anticipates. Boston will have trouble affording the quartet of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier in the long run and can’t add an impact player without shedding one or more of them, Mannix continues. Smart is eligible for an extension next summer and will command a starting salary of at least $10MM, while Thomas and Bradley can become free agents in the summer of 2018. It will take a good chunk of the salary cap to retain both, in Mannix’s view. The starting backcourt can also have their contracts renegotiated this summer but Mannix is skeptical that GM Danny Ainge would eat into future cap space to make that happen.

In other developments around the Atlantic Division:

Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis and other players with rookie contracts will get a significant boost in pay once the new CBA is ratified, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Porzingis will receive a 15% increase next season and a 30% bump in the final year of his four-year rookie-scale deal, Berman continues. Sources informed Berman that Porzingis’ revised salary will increase from $4.5MM to $5.1MM next season and from $5.6MM to $7.3MM in 2018/19.
The Raptors need another elite player to become true title contenders but they should try to hold onto shooting guard Norm Powell, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun opines. Powell has the ability to play three positions and could play some minutes at point guard if Toronto includes current backup Cory Joseph in a blockbuster deal, Wolstat continues. In any case, coach Dwane Casey should try to give Powell, 23, more consistent minutes, Wolstat adds.
Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor will continue to start together in the Sixers’ frontcourt during their upcoming West Coast swing, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com reports. According to Seltzer’s research, that duo has 52 shared minutes over the Sixers’ last four contests, producing an offensive rating of 95.0 points per 100 possessions, and a defensive rating of 113.3 points per 100 possessions.

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Hornacek, Porzingis

December 15th, 2016 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite public skepticism about his long-term commitment to the Knicks, team president Phil Jackson “fully intends” to finish the two years on his contract with the franchise, league sources tell Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. In fact, he might even want to work out a new contract that starts in 2019, says Ding. Jackson’s current deal with the Knicks features an opt-out clause for 2017, though the Zen Master has indicated publicly that he has not intention of exercising that opt-out, and it sounds like his private stance is the same.

Here are a few more Knicks notes:

While Jackson whiffed on his first coaching hire in New York (Derek Fisher), his decision to hire Jeff Hornacek this time around looks like a winner, writes Chris Mannix of The Vertical. As Mannix details, it looks safe to add Hornacek’s hiring to the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis as the two best calls of Jackson’s tenure with the Knicks.
Speaking of Porzingis, rival executives and agents believe that the presence of young big man could help lure free agents to the Knicks in future years, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I think guys will definitely [want to play with him] because he can stretch the floor and he’s unselfish,” one agent said. “He’s also really, really talented.”
With Derrick Rose banged up and forced to miss some games within the last week and a half, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post notes that the Knicks can’t afford to have many key players sidelined at once. As Vaccaro explains, there’s a fine line between the fully healthy “fun, feel-good team” the Knicks have been lately, and a version where a couple of their standout guys are out with injuries.

Knicks Notes: Hornacek, Porzingis, Anthony

December 13th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek gets caught in the middle between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony at times and he admits that it puts him in an awkward spot, as he tells Sam Amick of USA Today. “Yeah, I mean it happens,” Hornacek said of fielding questions on the Phil Jackson-Carmelo Anthony relationship. “I think that’s the understanding in New York, that things get blown up probably more than a comment here or a comment there, which is probably meaningless, turns into something big. So you roll with the punches.”

Here’s more from New York:

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News doesn’t believe Jackson’s comments will hurt the Knicks when it comes to signing free agents. Isola believes that the presence of Kristaps Porzingis will make the Knicks an attractive free agent destination regardless of whether or not Jackson is still running the show.
The Anthony-Derrick Rose combination remains a work-in-progress and Anthony believes the duo should see more action together, Al Iannazone of Newsday writes. “I think me and Derrick are still trying to figure out ways to take advantage of what defenses are doing out there,” Anthony said. “I don’t think we play together on the offense as much as we should.”