Knicks Morning News (2018.06.30)

  • [ESPN] Kanter exercises option to remain with Knicks
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 2:11:44 PM)

    Enes Kanter has exercised his $18.6 million player option to remain with the Knicks.

  • [NYDN] Red: CC Sabathia proves old is new again in Yankees’ rout of Red Sox
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 3:00:00 AM)

    Mookie Betts hacked feebly at CC Sabathia’s 97th and final pitch, and the Red Sox right fielder was only able to send a dribbler 55 feet to the right of the mound.

    But the 37-year-old Sabathia, all 300 pounds of him, quickly pivoted from his follow-through, scooped up the ball and threw it underhand…

  • [NYDN] Thailand cave rescue efforts pick up pace as flooding eases
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:45:00 AM)

    MAE SAI, Thailand — The effort to locate 12 boys and their soccer coach missing in a cave in Thailand for a week has picked up pace, with a break in the rain easing flooding in the system of caverns and more experts from around the world joining the mission.

    The search effort in the northern province…

  • [NYDN] Maryland attack tells journalists to take threats seriously
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:25:00 AM)

    NEW YORK — Threats of violence against journalists for doing their jobs are commonplace, and a coping strategy for many is the thought that the words are mostly empty — until that small comfort was shattered by the shooting deaths of five people in a Maryland newspaper newsroom.

    Reporters largely…

  • [NYDN] California zoo vets raising neglected baby red panda
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:05:00 AM)

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The newest furry member of the Sacramento Zoo is relying on human care after her mother started neglecting the tiny red panda.

    Sacramento Zoo spokeswoman Laurel Vincent said Friday that the female cub was born Monday to 7-year-old Pili and 9-year-old Takeo.

    Veterinarians took…

  • [NYDN] Why Citizenship NOW! is essential
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:00:00 AM)

    We’re living in frightening times in the United States, and the group that feels this most viscerally are immigrants. Immigrants and their relatives have been under attack since Jan. 20, 2017, the day Donald Trump was sworn in.

    Since then, we’ve witnessed border patrol agents cruelly separate children…

  • [NYDN] Political star Ocasio-Cortez asked about running for president on ‘The View’
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 1:50:00 AM)

    NEW YORK — A few days ago, few people outside of Queens and the Bronx knew who Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was.

    Now she’s being asked about running for president.

    The 28-year-old Democrat appeared on the ABC program “The View” Friday to talk about her upset victory in a primary over a 10-term New…

  • [NYDN] For Junior’s sake: Deliver full and fair prosecution for assailants
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 1:10:00 AM)

    Let there be no misunderstanding, now that young Lesandro Guzman-Feliz lies in the earth, the blood let from his neck like an animal:

    The slaughter of a promising 15-year-old Bronx boy known as Junior at the hands of criminal gang members who mistook him for their intended target cannot be left…

  • [NYDN] ‘Sharks!’ and the city: The New York Aquarium comes back swimmingly
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 1:05:00 AM)

    Our great city on the sea usually shrugs at the water-borne wonders that lie literally all around us. So it’s high time, whatever the tide, to make a break for Coney Island, where today the New York Aquarium debuts a new exhibit of marine creatures built to live in this tough town, “Ocean Wonders:…

  • [NYDN] Aye for immigrants: Citizenship NOW! lends a boost
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    The Daily News is proud to co-sponsor Citizenship NOW!, in its 16th year. Nearly 50 attorneys and 250 other volunteers will spend this summer’s day at John Jay College helping immigrants navigate the intimidating road toward U.S citizenship.

    This nation has never more needed the hard-working, revitalizing…

  • [NYDN] U.S. stocks tick higher, but trade worries stop an early rally
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    NEW YORK — U.S. stocks finished mostly higher Friday, but they surrendered most of an early gain as worries about rising tariffs once again dampened investors’ enthusiasm as the second quarter came to an end.

    Banks led the early rally. The Federal Reserve gave the green light for most large U.S….

  • [NYDN] West Point gets first black superintendent in school’s 216-year history
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:45:00 AM)

    WEST POINT, N.Y. — Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, a 1983 U.S. Military Academy graduate who has held high-ranking Army posts in Europe and Asia, will become the first black officer to command West Point in its 216-year history, academy officials announced Friday.

    Williams will assume command as the…

  • [NYDN] Protests planned nationwide over Trump immigration policy
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:25:00 AM)

    PORTLAND, Ore. — Liberal activists, parents and first-time protesters motivated by accounts of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border plan to rally in hundreds of cities nationwide Saturday to press President Donald Trump’s administration to reunite the families quickly.

  • [NYDN] Readers sound off on the MTA, free speech and Sweden
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:00:00 AM)

    MTA angels on the Q70 bus

    Chicago: The morning of June 19 brought me a pleasant surprise, which I feel compelled to share with you as an example of excellent customer service. I was visiting New York for business in the Jacob Javits Convention Center. In the middle of a transfer from the Q70 bus…

  • [NYDN] Judge blocks Kentucky from requiring poor people to get job to receive Medicaid
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 11:40:00 PM)

    FRANKFORT, Ky. — A federal judge says Kentucky can’t require poor people to get a job to keep their Medicaid benefits, chastising President Donald Trump’s administration for rubber-stamping the new rules without considering how many people would lose their health coverage.

    The decision is a setback…

  • [NYDN] Trump says he’ll bring up election meddling with Putin during summit in Finland
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 11:05:00 PM)

    MORRISTOWN, N.J. — President Donald Trump said Friday he plans to bring up Russian election meddling during his upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin, part of a wide-ranging list of topics that could include sanctions and the status of Crimea.

    Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he planned…

  • [NYDN] Professor allegedly stalked student with 800 messages a day; ‘Be happy that somebody likes you this much to stalk you’
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 11:00:00 PM)

    ORLANDO, Fla. — A University of Central Florida professor is facing stalking charges after a Ph.D. student says he sent her more than 800 messages per day and watched her work out through the window at her gym.

    Ali Borji, a 39-year-old assistant professor in the school’s Department of Computer…

  • [NYDN] NSA deleting more than 685 million call records
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 11:00:00 PM)

    WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is deleting more than 685 million call records the government obtained since 2015 from telecommunication companies in connection with investigations, raising questions about the viability of the program.

    The NSA’s bulk collection of call records was initially…

  • [NYDN] We didn’t murder Junior Guzman-Feliz, say 2 accused killers in jailhouse interviews
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 11:00:00 PM)

    They’re accused of the vicious machete killing of Bronx teen Lesandro (Junior) Guzman-Feliz, but on Friday two of his suspected killers said they didn’t do it .

    Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, the 24-year-old who cops say delivered the fatal blow to the neck of the 15-year-old best known as Junior,…

  • [NYDN] Bear cub with burnt paws rescued from Colorado wildfire
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:05:00 PM)

    DURANGO, Colo. — An orphaned bear cub suffered painful burns to her paws in one of the half-dozen significant wildfires scorching Colorado, but she is being nursed back to health, state officials said Friday.

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers believe the bear will recover well enough to be released…

  • [NYDN] Mike Trout once asked Yankees legend Derek Jeter for a signed ball… during a game
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:04:00 PM)

    Shooters shoot.

    Like most Jersey kids born in the 1990s, Mike Trout idolized Derek Jeter.

    The current face of MLB even repped No. 2 growing up in honor of the Yankees legend.

    So when Trout rolled up to second base during his rookie season and met Jeter for the first time, he asked for an autograph.

  • [NYDN] U.S. says court ruling allows authorities to detain families until their cases are finished — and that may take months or years
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 9:20:00 PM)

    PHOENIX — The Trump administration says a ruling this week by a federal judge in San Diego requiring the government to reunify families separated at the border means authorities can legally keep families detained until their cases are complete.

    The interpretation means immigrant families could…

  • [NYDN] Madonna denied documents from her Central Park West co-op board
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 9:15:00 PM)

    A Manhattan judge has told Madonna to take a bow from her suing her co-op board.

    The pop star can no longer seek documents from her Central Park West co-op board explaining why they changed the rules to bar her kids from using her posh $7.3 million pad, a state supreme court judge ruled Friday.

  • [NYDN] Marchers honor victims of Capital Gazette attack
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 8:40:00 PM)

    ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Quietly clutching candles or hoisting #AnnapolisStrong signs, more than 1,000 people streamed through Maryland’s capital, remembering five people slain in a newspaper office not just as gatekeepers of the news but as a crucial piece of their tight-knit community.

    Friends, former…

  • [NYDN] Aaron Boone may have to reconsider Yankees lineup change after Greg Bird breaks out of slump
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 8:30:00 PM)

    With the Red Sox stacking up three left-handed starting pitchers this weekend in the Bronx, the Yankees summoned Brandon Drury from Triple-A Scranton to provide a righty-swinging option to the slumping Greg Bird at first base.

    Those plans still might not have changed fully after the oft-injured…

  • [NYDN] Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres come through again as Yankees no longer surprised by Baby Bombers
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 8:30:00 PM)

    Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres anchored the Yankees offense in an 8-1 win over the Red Sox Friday night, but inside the clubhouse it was just another day at the office for the youngest of the Baby Bombers.

    “Not surprised anymore,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “Gleyber with the big…

  • [NYTimes] The N.B.A.’s Decider: How LeBron James Controls Fortunes
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:32:12 AM)

    The greatest basketball player in the world might join a new team, instantly making it a title contender. Or he might stay with the Cavaliers.

  • [NYTimes] LeBron James Opts for Free Agency. Next Stop … Lakers?
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:38:05 PM)

    The free-agent market opens at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Sunday. James might end up in Cleveland after all.

  • [NYTimes] Say ‘Kia’ Around the Liberty, and Many Heads Turn
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:32:30 AM)

    The Liberty don’t have many wins this season, but at least they have set a W.N.B.A. record for most Kias in league history.

  • [NY Newsday] The N.B.A.’s Decider: How LeBron James Controls Fortunes
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:32:12 AM)

    The greatest basketball player in the world might join a new team, instantly making it a title contender. Or he might stay with the Cavaliers.

  • [NY Newsday] LeBron James Opts for Free Agency. Next Stop … Lakers?
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:38:05 PM)

    The free-agent market opens at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Sunday. James might end up in Cleveland after all.

  • [NY Newsday] Say ‘Kia’ Around the Liberty, and Many Heads Turn
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 2:32:30 AM)

    The Liberty don’t have many wins this season, but at least they have set a W.N.B.A. record for most Kias in league history.

  • [SNY Knicks] Is James Dolan preparing to sell Knicks and Rangers?
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 2:23:38 PM)

    James Dolan plans to separate the Madison Square Garden Company from the Knicks and Rangers.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks’ Kanter opts in, wants to Make Knicks Great Again
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 2:15:50 PM)

    Enes Kanter just announced that he’s opting in to his $18.6 million deal with the Knicks — and he did it using a play on Donald Trump’s slogan.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks’ Knox, Ntilikina headline Summer League roster
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 2:10:25 PM)

    Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson headline the 2018 Summer League roster.

  • [SNY Knicks] LeBron James opts out, could be taking his talents elsewhere
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:46:14 AM)

    LeBron James opted out, and will now be targeted by the Lakers, Rockets, 76ers, and others as the 33-year-old decides on his next landing spot.

  • [SNY Knicks] Enes Kanter fires back after Knicks opt-in report
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:52:50 AM)

    Center Enes Kanter said he still has yet to make a decision on whether he decided to opt into his $18.6 million player option with the Knicks after a report said he would exercise that option.

  • [NYPost] Knicks could make a run at one of these three free agents
    (Saturday, June 30, 2018 12:07:25 AM)

    Here are three potential free agents the Knicks could target when NBA free agency begins. Each player’s name includes their age, height, weight and free-agent status: Michael Beasley, 29, 6-9, 235 Unrestricted free agent The Knicks either sign their surprisingly dynamic forward who started after Kristaps Porzingis went down or find his replacement. Beasley scored…

  • [NYPost] Knicks fans, Wall Street celebrated team’s possible sale too soon
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 6:10:10 PM)

    Well, it was a great couple of days for Knicks fans. For about 48 hours, New York hoops fans worked themselves into a state of giddy hopefulness — believing Wednesday’s announcement by Madison Square Garden that it was weighing a move to spin off the Knicks and its other sports teams was an oblique message…

  • [NYPost] Mike Francesa rips apart Knicks ‘salary thief’ Phil Jackson
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 12:21:45 PM)

    Mike Francesa criticized former Knicks president Phil Jackson during an appearance on “Desus and Mero” on Thursday, claiming the legendary coach “stole” the hefty salary he received from the team from 2014 to 2017. “He [Knicks owner James Dolan] brought Phil Jackson in, he gave him a ton of money, he gave him carte blanche,…

  • [NYPost] Enes Kanter creatively announces his Knicks return
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 10:03:07 AM)

    “The Decision” was obvious. Enes Kanter finally announced he’s opting into his contract, doing so flamboyantly on Twitter with a photo of himself at a podium with the sign “Make Knicks Great Again.” Kanter, after exploring other options, didn’t find a long-term deal that would make it worth leaving $18.6 million on the table. Kanter…

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ free-agency options if they ignore Michael Beasley
    (Friday, June 29, 2018 7:45:08 AM)

    Michael Beasley was invited by Knicks president Steve Mills and coach David Fizdale to join them on a float in the Gay Pride parade last Sunday in New York. Perhaps it was a way for Fizdale to see how much Beasley has changed. As the Knicks figure out how to fill their stopgap starting power…

  • 105 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.06.30)”

    How serious are these other teams for Beasley’s services? I think Beasley has earned a multiyear deal from the Knicks, and I won’t be upset if he gets one. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we don’t have to use the entire midlevel on him, right? Considering what he made last season, he’d probably accept 5 or 6 mil a season in exchange for longer term security. But these other teams’ interest- depending on how much of a role they can offer and how serious they are- is gonna drive up his price. Sounds crazy, but retaining Beasley- at least for this season- should be a priority. Or do we wanna go with Lance and Hicks as our PF’s? If Beasley’s out of our price range, then Randle should be the target. Hell, I’m not sure if he shouldn’t be a target over Beasley given his age and production. But he’s likely to be overpaid so that might be tough to swallow.

    Beasley will play elsewhere in 2018-19. He showed too many signs of maturity and the Knicks won’t give him a multi-year deal and he’ll be paid far more than anyone here thinks he’s worth. He can score. Randal is just as out-of-reach as Beasley. The other thing to understand is that every PF free agent is going to know that they’re just keeping a seat warm for KP. We go with what we have or some other D-League player. Viva la tanque.

    Like a few of the Knicks, Beasley’s best role is as a bench scorer on a good team.

    They should not give him a long term deal.

    Plus if he stays here and starts he’s going to anoint himself our number one scoring option and take 20 shots per game while taking every play at the other end as a mini vacation. Neither is exactly good for our young guys’ development.

    Definite no on Beasley. Signing him takes away minutes from younger players and potentially hurts the tank.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    I didn’t want Beasley last year and I still don’t want him. He outperformed his cheap contract and deserves to be rewarded somewhere, but I’d like to move on from the “no defense”, “dumb mistakes” kind of player and sign some tough vet PF that can teach the kids for a year until KP is back. No long term contracts. Also, I haven’t given up on KOQ coming back. Maybe we can split that mid level between KOQ and “whoever” in some fashion that will be keep him here for another year without committing long term yet.

    In my evolution as a Knicks fan I’m constantly torn. On one level, I have a lot of love for people that wore the uniform and represented NYC, the city of my birth, with courage and honor. So, Kanter, won my admiration when he went after LBJ last year, etc. As a fan, something like what Ainge did last year, trading Thomas for Irving, is anathema. Sports have changed. It used to be that these people were members of the community of the city they played for. Now, though I’m pro unions, something has been lost. They’re all Hessians, soldiers for hire. Fan boys, something I’ve been richly guilty of, get ridiculed here and rightfully so. Someone being “my guy”, doesn’t improve his pick and role defense. Signing someone in the hopes that he learns on the job is ridiculous. Players do what they do. Getting a confluence of effective players is the goal, but that process does go against something primal in the psyche of the fan. I think, often, this is what our threads are about.

    Beasley didn’t outperform his contract–he’s barely above replacement level. Don’t resign him–he’s bad for the locker room, too old, and takes minutes away from the equally bad young guys who have a chance at improving.

    No multi year contracts to anybody this year. We need to focus on conserving cap space and scouting RJ Barrett.

    Beasley didn’t outperform his contract–he’s barely above replacement level.

    If I take this statement literally, it’s an oxymoron. Assuming you believe in the concept of a replacement level player for the NBA, then the value of a replacement level player should be league minimum salary. Beasley made league minimum, so if he’s above replacement level in performance, even if barely, he was underpaid.

    Now I am not saying he should get the mid-level salary or anything like that, but his performance last year won some games for the Knicks. Teams are willing to pay more than minimum for that, and I think he will get it and probably be worth it.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Beasley didn’t outperform his contract–

    Beasley made a little over 2m last year. He’s a mildly plus scorer and pretty good rebounder for a guy that spent a little time at SF too. His problem is defense. What do you want for 2m? He was fine. We don’t need him in NY.

    Don’t resign him–he’s bad for the locker room, too old, and takes minutes away from the equally bad young guys who have a chance at improving

    I don’t want him back but he’s been a great teammate wherever he’s played.

    Yeah, I don’t want to resign him either, but if you pay a guy $2M and the avg NBA salary is $6M, and he’s a little better than replacement in terms of production, then he played to like 3X his salary, right?

    Is there a way we can not resign Beasley but still get access to all the stuff he says?

    Both Beasley and Kanter are hated on quite a bit in this forum. They don’t play much defense, it’s argued. But bearing in mind that NBA games are an entertainment thing rather than life or death, I insert the point that these two guys are fun to watch. K busts his ass on the boards like no one in the League and you always know where his heart it. A B produces the most creative and crazy moves to the basket anywhere. And it’s said that both are good locker room guys. OK, winning is the main thing but watchability should be part of the equation. Sign ’em both, I say (well, K is already signed so I will alter my comment to say,”Sign Bease, quit complaining about K’s lack of defense; he’s going to rain down 3,s this year.)

    No multi year contracts to anybody this year. We need to focus on conserving cap space and scouting RJ Barrett.

    I genuinely admire your optimism. You manage to regularly conceive more white whales in hand than Elon Musk despite riding 20 years on what by all appearances seems to be a ship full of white elephants.

    So who is out there worth signing, if we aren’t going more than one year? McBuckets?

    Lee is finally being shopped per David Aldridge. Pure salary dump. Hope we don’t have to give up a 2nd.

    @16

    One guy I’d like to see if he’s available is Montrezl Harrell. He’s probably getting a better contract elsewhere, but he produced very well for the Clippers last year and is a pretty good rebounder and finisher inside.

    Otherwise just go for a veteran minimum guy like Anthony Tolliver and call it a day.

    Yeah Harrell could be really interesting if cheap but apparently the Clips really like him so probably not. The worst part about Timmy’s contract is that this is actually a good year to be bad team with cap space because there are a bunch of 25 and under guys who might go cheap given the lack of money floating around. Instead of one guy who needs to hit his absolute best case to merely match his contract we could take a shot at 2 or even 3 guys who have a modest chance at becoming significant assets relative to their deals.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Lee is finally being shopped per David Aldridge. Pure salary dump. Hope we don’t have to give up a 2nd.

    Shopping Lee makes sense on a lot more levels now.

    1. Frank is going to play more SG
    2. Hardaway belongs at SG
    3. Knox is a legitimate SF so Lee/Hardaway can go where they belong
    4. Baker is going to be healthy
    5. Dotson showed he belongs at the end of the season and may wind up getting a lot of minutes

    There’s no room for Lee. If we have to pay to get someone to take him that would dreadfully disappointing to me because he’s still productive, a good guy, and the salary is not that bad or long anymore.

    It makes a lot more sense on every single level except the only level that matters

    While hyperposting I would like to suggest that if it becomes possible to steal Thomas Bryant amid the Kawhi-Lebron tumult we should try to do so

    Are there any rumors at all that the Knicks are in the mix to facilitate a Kawhi Leonard trade? It sure would be nice to be pleasantly surprised by the Knicks this summer.

    Yeah, Lee really has to go. He adds nothing to this team as currently constructed and the roster spot has to be cleared for the development of everybody else. At this point I’d be fine with giving up a future second just to dump him, at least we should have extras due to the Willy trade. It’s good news, but we’ve been hearing that he’s available since the last trade deadline and still nothing came up. I’m cautiously optimistic about it.

    @23 yeah there have been dozens of rumors from multiple sources. Unfortunately all from knickerblogger posters.

    Yeah, Kawhi has no interest in coming here and the Knicks have no assets to send elsewhere. We’re not getting Kawhi.

    Dolan’s Law says that if the Knicks trade for Kawhi, he’ll be medically retired by the time the Spurs use the last of their future firsts

    So if the Lakers get Lebron and Kawhi, and we were to then take Deng’s contract and give them serviceable role players like Lee, Kanter, and/or Burke, how much more would we have to give up to get an asset like Ball or Kuzma?

    Giving up a pick to get some team to take Lee??? He’s a solid player on a good contract for 2 more years.

    I think there’d be other teams with better offers. I would love to add nothing more, but that seems too easy–just trade porn for homers. I think we would need to add some kind of pick, but I’d love to be wrong.

    Any contract that expires in 2020 or earlier is okay to keep in my book. Giving up any pick to clear cap space is a Knicksian error, which means it’s likely to happen.

    If anything, the Knicks should be absorbing contracts and taking picks in exchange. But then again, they have $95M tied up in contracts this year and $64M next year, so, haha, probably not.

    If we take on Deng’s contract we need to be compensated for that. I don’t care if another team offers more. I’d rather do nothing than make stupid deals.

    Deng for Lee/Kanter/ect would need to involve more assets coming back our way. I’d take Ball, or a first.

    The best thing the Knicks can do right now is nothing. No paying to get rid of players please. Do due diligence. Take a great deal if it’s available. Otherwise, we are in good shape and will be in even better shape next July if we just stay where we are. Let contracts sunset. Keep ALL picks.

    A lot is now on coach Fizdale. I want the answers to the burning questions this year. Is FN the answer at PG? Is Knox rotation worthy? Dotson / Baker same question. If Lee and TH2 are on the team and play, so be it. I don’t want to keep them out of the rotation arbitrarily just to lose. I’m not really on the tank team on that level. The players that deserve to play should play. The emphasis should be on the future though, so, something like what happened to Wily would be a disappointment. Let the kids play, see what you have, mix in vets, let Beasley go, Let O’Quinn go (sorry buddy, I’ll always root for you, good luck.) Just don’t “fortify” the team in a way that doesn’t help our long term prospects.

    @34
    I mostly agree, but if they can use their willingness to suck (assuming that exists outside this board) and take on a bad contract, they could unload vets and pick up another young asset–and that could be cool too. I might even give up a protected pick to do this. Some of this may simply be impatience and a desire for them to do something exciting though. That can get dangerous too.

    I might even give up a protected pick to do this.

    absolutely not

    No, the Knicks aren’t trading FOR Kawhi, but they could facilitate his trade. LA supposedly is looking to trade for a pick or so to sweeten the KL pot. I wonder if the FO even tries to get in on such deals?

    We need to get just one media outlet to monitor KB and start rumors…
    🙂

    My idea was trading away a 2021 Charlotte 2nd rounder or something like that, not a real asset, to get Lee off the team to help the tank, not trading 1sts or real assets.

    With Lee gone and Kanter expiring next year we would have cap space to do exactly what we should have been doing, absorb bad contracts for assets and slowly gathering them while waiting for a good opportunity to make a move.

    Pretty crazy that Durant on a 1+1 might be the best outcome for the Dubs. He’s likely to be a terrible overpay at the end of his next long contract, something like $40-45M in his age-35 season.

    Also, the Sixers’ package for Kawhi looks pretty great for both teams, if he’s healthy. RoCo becomes far less important when you have Kawhi as your primary wing defender, and losing Saric probably doesn’t matter much if Kawhi gives you 40 MPG in the playoffs.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Any contract that expires in 2020 or earlier is okay to keep in my book. Giving up any pick to clear cap space is a Knicksian error, which means it’s likely to happen.

    Exactly.

    Giving up a 2nd round pick to move Lee would be a mistake. If you want to move him because he’s not going to get minutes and he’s a good guy that deserves to play on a good team, you can take back a total dreg of a player player on an expiring contract. You get the worse player but get out of the money 1 year quicker. That’s tolerable. He’s still a decent 2-way player, still has enough left in the tank to be productive for his last 2 years, and is not wildly overpaid. He would definitely help a lot of teams off the bench and some teams as a starter. Paying teams to take good players that are not wildly overpaid is not how you accumulate assets.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Kawhi is not coming to NY no matter what we offer. He wants to play with James in LA. It appears James is going to LA as long as they can bring someone else along (preferably Kawhi but maybe even George). The ball is in LA’s court to swing a deal for Kawhi without gutting the team so badly they still can’t get past Houston and Golden State.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Pretty crazy that Durant on a 1+1 might be the best outcome for the Dubs. He’s likely to be a terrible overpay at the end of his next long contract, something like $40-45M in his age-35 season.

    That’s would be quite a risk, but the way some guys are going these days 35 may be the new 30.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    With Lee gone and Kanter expiring next year we would have cap space to do exactly what we should have been doing, absorb bad contracts for assets and slowly gathering them while waiting for a good opportunity to make a move.

    Except they aren’t going to do that.

    They are going to try to sign a max free agent next year. If we manage to move Lee for an expiring and free up even more space than we need for a max player, they are going to add another piece.

    Having to give up a pick to get rid of Lee would be one of the worst outcomes I can imagine. First they wanted a 1st rounder for him, couldn’t get it. Now I’m sure they’d take a decent second rounder for him. Now we’re talking about giving up picks to get rid of him? Not a chance.

    Knicks have to get rid of him before FA signing time next summer — we will have zero leverage with teams trading for him in that case since they know we need to get off that money. Need to move him on now or certainly before the deadline.

    I still think a DJ Augustin for Courtney Lee trade would be pretty reasonable for both sides. Augustin sucks and can’t play, whereas Courtney Lee would be able to stay on the floor in just about any playoff series. Guys who can be a secondary ballhandler, have enough size to not get completely run over, and can shoot 40+% from 3 are valuable. I’d like to get a 2nd round pick back in that but honestly I’d prob do it just to get off Courtney’s 2019-20 $$ and to clear up some playing time for the kids.

    A decent reason to sign Beasley if he’s willing to come just on a non-bird exception (ie. more than the minimum some other team might offer him) is that he could be a reasonable trade piece at the deadline. If Fizdale can make him shoot more 3’s, he’ll look a lot more efficient and could actually bring an asset, even if just a second rounder. Def would not give him more than a 1 year deal though.

    Here are the players who have posted a BPM >3.0 after age 35.

    Malone
    David Robinson
    Kareem
    Stockton
    Dirk
    Robert Parish
    Ray Allen
    Duncan
    Kidd
    Pierce
    Camby
    Drexler

    So yeah, Durant’s in that class, but only Malone, Robinson and Duncan broke >5.0 over the course of a whole season. You don’t want to be paying these guys $40M+ after age 33 or so. Too risky.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    @45

    I’m wondering if having better insights into nutrition and training is allowing players so stay at their peak a little longer than the guys on that list.

    Except they aren’t going to do that.

    They are going to try to sign a max free agent next year.

    This is probably correct, because this franchise has no idea what “win curve” means.

    “Hey, we’re several years away, let’s sign a max contract guy who is going to steeply decline by the time those several years pass!”

    NO BEASLEY.

    The Beaz is the exact kind of player that gets hot from time to time and wins you meaningless games. Give the Beaz minutes to Isiah Hicks or whatever other no-hoper end-of-roster dude happens to be lurking around.

    Beaz and Hardaway on the same team together gives you two guys who can do that streaky-hot, win-meaningless-games thing. You can afford one of those at the max.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    I would not be entirely opposed to a deal that brought Wilson Chandler back for Courtney Lee if something like that could be arranged.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    This is probably correct, because this franchise has no idea what “win curve” means.

    “Hey, we’re several years away, let’s sign a max contract guy who is going to steeply decline by the time those several years pass!”

    It depends who it is and how old he is. Someone in their late 20s or older would not be very smart, but everyone doesn’t have to be 22 or younger.

    IMO, we aren’t going to draft ourselves to serious contention from here. As soon as KP is back we are going to start winning some games. We’ll probably get a better draft pick next year than the talent warrants in the same way we did this year because KP and THJ were out, but it probably won’t be enough to get a top 5 pick. We are almost certainly going to have to trade or free agent our way into 1 or more stars the way the T-Wolves did (and will probably continue trying to do). We’ve been a year or two behind the T-Wolves because of missing picks and other errors.

    NO to Beasley, there are zero good reasons to bring him back. He will take minutes away from the younger players and go off for 3 or 4 games leading to meaningless wins. No thank you.

    I agree with the idea above – the best outcome will be Do Nothing. Let the expiring deals expire next year and don’t do anything stupid. If they can find someone interested in Kanter, Lee, or Lance and can trade them without giving up anything else or taking back someone’s long term crap contract then do it, but I wouldn’t be in a rush or desperate to do so.

    For once do the right fucking thing which is nothing. Ride out the contracts on the books and keep flexibility for next year.

    Thomas Bryant just got released by the Lakers. We should give him a shot at least for summer league.

    The Knicks should rent their cap space to LA and acquire Deng and assets. Unfortunately, the Knicks don’t have any cap space to rent. Hence the importance of having salary flexibility, and not signing free agents.

    Almost every major free agent that actually changes teams does so to the detriment of the team that signs them. They vastly underperform the over-pay required to poach a vet, and quickly become an albatross.

    In 2007 the big prize was Rashard Lewis. Result: ALBATROSS

    In 2008 the big prizes were Elton Brand and Baron Davis. Results: ALBATROSS and ALBATROSS (required #1 overall pick to dump).

    In 2009 the big prizes were Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Result: ALBATROSS and ALBATROSS

    In 2010 the big prizes were LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer. Result: FANTASTIC, great by default, ALBATROSS, and ALBATROSS.

    In 2011 there were no big prizes due to the Lockout. Result: no albatrosses!

    In 2012 the big prizes were Steve Nash, Omar Asik, and Jeremy Lin. Result: ALBATROSS, ALBATROSS, OVERPAY.

    In 2013 the big prizes were Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Al Jefferson, and Andre Iguodala. Result: HUGE HEADACHE, HUGE ALBATROSS (waived with entire contract eaten), BIG OVERPAY, ALBATROSS, and GOOD SIGNING.

    The 2014 big prizes were LeBron James and Chandler Parsons. Result: FANTASTIC and ALBATROSS.

    The 2015 big prizes were LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, and DeMarre Carrol. Result: FINE, BAD, BAD

    Etc…

    So, outside of Andre Iguodala and Chris Bosh, who were both signed and paired as a 3rd/4th wheel with the top players in the league, ALL of the top free agent poachings of the past 10 years turned out badly, mostly very badly, for all the teams blowing their cap space.

    The takeaway is: use your cap space to make trades that bring in the young assets of teams that don’t get it. Don’t spend it in free agency.

    @53

    This is the problem with free agents in all sports really. You’re paying for their past production. You very often pay a premium price for a player’s decline phase. There are generally only a handful of players in the league at one time who are truly worth a max contract.

    If I know my New York Knicks, I know for sure they will be handing out a max contract to a guy who is really not a max contract player the absolute first time they get the chance.

    We could swap Lee for Deng and picks. But that’s a big fucking contract for three more years, and LA needs their picks to entice SA into a trade. I’d take a couple second founders for Lee, but I’d want two firsts for him and taking Deng.

    I’m wondering if having better insights into nutrition and training is allowing players so stay at their peak a little longer than the guys on that list.

    Maybe, but rookies are also privy to the same training and recovery. No reason to think that the young players wouldn’t get a boost from improvements in conditioning and nutrition.

    If I know my New York Knicks, I know for sure they will be handing out a max contract to a guy who is really not a max contract player the absolute first time they get the chance.

    Yes, I have to stop and remember that the new regime has no cap space, so we really don’t know if they won’t spend all their money on shitty veterans — or if they simply can’t.

    This year the Hawks had 3 first round picks, the Bulls had 2, the Clippers had 2 and Phoenix had 2.

    I’m trying to remember the last time the Knicks had 2 picks in the 1st round? Or in other words, the last time the Knicks got back a first round pick as part of a deal?

    Seems like every other team pulls this off, but not our beloved Knicks, we’re always the team giving up the picks for Hall of Famers like Eddy Curry and Andrea Bargnani.

    The Knicks traded Timmeh for Jerian Grant the same year they drafted Porzingis. Then they traded Jerian for a big bag of nothing, and brought Timmeh back at an exorbitant price.

    #Knicks

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Knox are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    The Knicks traded Timmeh for Jerian Grant the same year they drafted Porzingis. Then they traded Jerian for a big bag of nothing, and brought Timmeh back at an exorbitant price.

    #Knicks

    lmao

    Brutal

    Knicks fans deserve a free pass into heaven.

    @58 I guess that qualifies, but they didn’t go into that draft with more than one first rounder, they made that deal on draft night (which we all thought at the time was a heist from the Hawks)

    Thomas Bryant released from the Lakers

    Jerian Grant got traded for Derrick Rose and the pick that eventually became Dame Dotson, and he has a shot to be a better basketball player than Jerian Grant. I’d call that series of transactions a small success considering we’d likely have paid TH2 big money anyway.

    #8 Frye, #21 Robinson, and #30 Lee. 2005. (Yes, the last 13 years have actually made what Isiah did look pretty good in hindsight)

    I forgot that in 2006 Isiah had #20 (Balkman) and #29 (Collins) as well.

    So 5 1st round picks in 2 years could have worked out pretty well long term! (if he hadn’t given the full mid-level exception to terrible players every year and made so many shitty trades for vets and scrubs, of course)

    I really thought John Wallace and Walter McCarty were going to put us over the top in 96/97. I thought Wallace was going to awesome- I was so psyched when he dropped to us. I was glad Kobe, Nash, Peja and Jermaine O’Neal all got picked ahead of him because he was who I really wanted.

    p.s. How is it that Ernie Grunfeld is still a gm in this league?

    Lakers + LeBron – Nance (lol) – Randle = 40 wins????

    I was actually thinking about Grunfield recently. He did that amazing Oakley/Camby trade but since then, he’s been practically the definition of mediocre and ass-covering. Just good enough that he doesn’t get fired but never does anything risky, either. He likely remembers how that Oakley/Camby trade caused so much grief for him here, despite it being a great trade (Reason #10404 that you shouldn’t give a shit what coaches think about player evaluation, even brilliant ones like JVG – he hated the amazing Oakley/Camby trade and pouted about it most of the season until his hand was forced due to injuries).

    The Knicks have to be able to trade Lee pretty easily, he has one of the greatest contracts in the NBA.

    i like grunfeld more than most… i would say he’s about what an average gm looks like… and maybe to a certain extent above average considering all the gm’s he’s outlasted over the years…

    he’s been lucky… the only picks that worked out for him basically picked themselves…. and he’s had some stinker of trades on his resume…. but he’s had a solid career…. i don’t think the knicks ever found a better gm since….

    That’s what I mean about him being a great ass-coverer. The most impressive thing about him is that he’s kept that job for, what, 18 years? That’s really impressive and I think he does it by mostly not doing anything out of the ordinary, so no one can ever say he tried and failed, ya know?

    @MikeAScotto
    The New York Knicks have interest in unrestricted free agent Mario Hezonja, league sources told The Athletic. Knicks general manager Scott Perry was in Orlando when the Magic selected Hezonja fifth overall in 2015.

    if hezonja gets anything more than a baker deal with a team option instead… i would be pretty pissed….

    Paul George resigning with OKC I think is a bad decision. They essentially will return with the same team and get bounced again in the first round. Melo will shoot them out of games etc etc.

    Mixed feelings on Herzonja. Surely we have too many wings. But Sacramento are showing interest so we’ve got to be above them right?

    One year deal for Baker’s money with a team option would be great, but I’d be fine with a one year deal flat out. Anything beyond that, no thanks.

    Dwight Howard potentially joining Golden State would be incredibly scary. Even a washed up D12.

    Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) tweeted at 2:21 pm on Sun, Jul. 01, 2018:
    With Paul George and Jerami Grant on board, Oklahoma City now has a payroll of $156M with 11 players under contract. Because of the repeater tax penalty, the Thunder currently have a tax bill of $130M. The tax bill would be the largest in NBA history.
    (https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1013276436420055040?s=09)

    Wow

    There has to be a correlation between paying everybody market value and getting bounced in the first round. The Thunder probably have nobody on their team who gives them surplus value, and it’s one big 45 win stew.

    @NYPost_Berman
    Follow Follow @NYPost_Berman
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    Knicks have expressed interest tonight in PF Anthony Tolliver, along with at least five clubs.

    Hezonja would be a great signing. Good low-risk move for a young player. I’d do three years $15-20m – 3rd-year team option.

    Let’s see if Perry packages a future 1st with a bad contract so we can sign Hezonja. That would be textbook Knicks.

    Tolliver would be a fine one-year signing, but he’ll get better offers.

    It’s funny, we talk about how contracts wouldn’t be nuts this year and yet McBuckets is getting 3 years/$22 million. But hey, at least they only had to add a second round pick to get Mudiay for him.

    Ed Davis is a nice signing for the Nets. One year/$4.4 million. Wouldn’t have minded that for the Knicks.

    I don’t hate the idea of Hezonja in a vacuum, but how many offense-only players is this team gonna bring in here?

    Paul George re-signing with OKC. There goes the Lakers Big 3 idea for this year.
    Let me get my violin out….. Finally the league mandate for everything going the Lakers way has failed.

    It does sort of put Lebron in an awkward position, right? Him, Kawhi and a bunch of scrubs isn’t winning anything in L.A. He can’t go to Houston because of Chris Paul’s contract.

    He could go to Philly, I guess, or he might just have to settle for another 1+1 with Cleveland and try again next year.

    Because of the repeater tax penalty, the Thunder currently have a tax bill of $130M. The tax bill would be the largest in NBA history.

    Wow, seems like just yesterday that James L Dolan forked over $45,000,000 in taxes for the 23 games that his team won. Looks like Clay Bennet may beat the tax-dollars per victory record: a sports record I never thought would be broken.

    I wish I kept shooting 3s from a great distance when I was a teenager. I was a 3 and D specialist my whole career playing basketball and I gave up on that to go to work as a kid. I’d really like that 3 million dollar contract right now. Lol

    I think one year contracts will be more common than usual this free agency period. Teams dont want to tie up cap space for next summer. That will mean there will be more dollars available next summe and salaries will go up. We have some leverage because, unlike most teams, we can offer a full mid-level. We should use it to get a good player on a one plus one where the second year is our option. It would worth paying a little more thus year to get that.

    The Lakers would be pretty damn good if they went with a Ball, Hart, Bron, Kuz, Randle starting five. They’d outrun everybody and have 5 guys that can handle the ball to start and finish games.

    Wow, seems like just yesterday that James L Dolan forked over $45,000,000 in taxes for the 23 games that his team won. Looks like Clay Bennet may beat the tax-dollars per victory record: a sports record I never thought would be broken.

    It’s obviously a lot of money and an absurd decision for everyone involved (except for Jerami Grant. That was a fine deal for him), but note that these teams should all be able to easily field $200 million payrolls, ya know?

    I think one year contracts will be more common than usual this free agency period. Teams dont want to tie up cap space for next summer. That will mean there will be more dollars available next summe and salaries will go up. We have some leverage because, unlike most teams, we can offer a full mid-level. We should use it to get a good player on a one plus one where the second year is our option. It would worth paying a little more thus year to get that.

    I do agree with that. One plus team option is fine by me.

    I don’t hate the idea of Hezonja in a vacuum, but how many offense-only players is this team gonna bring in here?

    I do hate the idea. It was ok having Beasley as a role player off the bench, but as starters I want as few one way players as possible.

    Hezonja just isn’t my cup of tea. I’m not the biggest fan of guys who can’t dribble, defend, or pass.

    It’s hard to get too excited by Herzonja, who made the big leap from terrible to almost mediocre this past season. On a team friendly contract he won’t hurt anybody, but if McDermott is setting a precedent for players of his ilk, I’d walk away now.

    Apparently, the Warriors are thinking about him too

    The Warriors, though, might get Dwight Howard, since he’ll be making nearly his full salary already from the Nets for this season, so he can afford to ring hunt for a year.

    Dwight Howard the basketball player makes a ton of sense for almost every team, but Dwight Howard the human being is probably going to end up a Washington Wizard.

    I don’t know who the Warriors will actually pick. My brother, who lives in the Bay area, told me O’Quinn is one of the possibilities. If Philly is interested too, the Warriors might not be able to afford him.

    The Spurs probably should have never let Marco Belinelli leave, so it is good that they got him back. Talk about another guy who serves no point anywhere but on a good team!

    Although, as I said that, what if the Spurs aren’t a good team next year? Uh oh.

    Howard in GS is interesting. As tempting as it sounds, given his price and all, I’d probably stay away. KOQ would be perfect there, or if he’s too expensive, Amir Johnson does a lot of the same stuff as him, has way more playoff experience, and has made a ton more money in the league, so I don’t know why GS doesn’t sniff down that road.

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