Knicks Morning News (2018.08.17)

  • [NYDN] Man fighting flesh-eating bacteria from N.J. waters undergoes amputations
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:00:00 PM)

    A New Jersey man started his day fishing for crabs but returned home with a body full of flesh-eating bacteria.

    Angel Perez of Millville, N.J., was crabbing in the Maurice River in Matts Landing on on July 2, when he contracted gangrene through a bacterial infection menacingly called Vibrio necrotizing…

  • [NYDN] Cardinal Dolan appalled by Pa. pedophile report, confident church now dealing with predator priests
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:00:00 AM)

    Timothy Cardinal Dolan puts the blame directly on the Catholic Church for whitewashing the cases of pedophile priests in the past.

    Yet the spiritual leader of New York’s 2.8 million Catholics, while sickened by the damning findings of a Pennsylvania grand jury probe, remains convinced the church…

  • [NYDN] Confronting the scourge of abuse: New York’s archbishop on the Pennsylvania grand jury report and the future
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 3:00:00 AM)

    The damning report of the Pennsylvania grand jury on the diabolical sexual abuse of minors committed by priests and deacons, and the irresponsible way that those in positions of authority, including bishops and cardinals, responded, has once again brought forward the suffering of those who experienced…

  • [NYDN] The Trump administration vs. N.Y.’s marine life: Offshore drilling will put whales and other creatures in deep jeopardy
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 2:00:00 AM)

    Running whale-watching trips, I’ve had a front-row seat to the remarkable increase of marine life in the waters around New York City.

    The rebound of prey species has brought the giant sea mammals, along with seals and dolphins, to our area in increasing numbers over the last few years.

    As our ocean…

  • [NYDN] Prisoners of an idea: Big questions linger about planned Rikers replacements
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 1:10:00 AM)

    Shoved by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Gov. Cuomo and a chorus of haloed criminal justice reform advocates, Mayor de Blasio is getting real about life after Rikers — releasing plans for four jails in four boroughs to replace the dismal island complex.

    Shiny renderings released Wednesday…

  • [NYDN] Tuition, heal thyself: NYU medical school’s bold move
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    The annual tuition at NYU’s School of Medicine is $55,000.

    Not every one of its 650-plus doctors-to-be pay that full bill, but enough of them pay enough of it to rack up punishing debts — $171,000 on average — that hang around their necks like lead stethoscopes.

    No more. Thursday, the school announced…

  • [NYDN] Readers sound off on Andrew Cuomo, housing and the Catholic Church
    (Friday, August 17, 2018 12:00:00 AM)

    Gov. Cuomo slurs America’s greatness

    Massapequa, L.I.: Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday gave a speech in which he declared that the United States was “never that great.” I wonder what his father Mario — a first-generation American, whose parents immigrated legally from Italy and who went on to earn a college…

  • [NYDN] SEE IT: Woman bites cabbie in Queens after she accused him of not giving her correct change
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 11:05:00 PM)

    A biting-mad cab customer chomped her taxi driver’s arm after she thought he didn’t give her correct change, police said Thursday.

    Police released video of the bizarre Queens incident, taken by a concerned motorist, in the hopes someone will identify the toothy attacker.

    The 53-year-old cabbie…

  • [NYDN] ‘Are you Arabic?’ man asks bodega clerk before punching him in the face
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 10:15:00 PM)

    A racist man punched an El Barrio bodega clerk in the face after asking him his ethnicity, then ran away, police said.

    “Are you Arabic?” the suspect asked the worker at the Green Olive Deli on Aug. 9 just before 10 a.m., according to cops.

    A surveillance video provided by police doesn’t show the…

  • [NYDN] One stabbed, one slashed after melee in Brooklyn playground
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 10:05:00 PM)

    One man was stabbed in the neck and critically injured, and another was slashed in the face, during a melee in a Brooklyn playground Thursday night, police said.

    Cops said the victims were knifed in the Nostrand Playground, on Foster and New York Aves. in East Flatbush, at about 7:30 p.m.

    One of…

  • [NYDN] Trump administration insists there’s an economic boom coming, contrary to what most analysts say
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 9:55:00 PM)

    WASHINGTON — Is the latest pickup in U.S. economic growth destined to slow in the years ahead as most analysts say?

    Or, as the Trump administration insists, is the economy on the cusp of an explosive boom that will reward Americans and defy those expectations?

    On Thursday, President Donald Trump’s…

  • [NYDN] Nearly two dozen sickened by gas leak at The Iridium jazz club in Midtown
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    A carbon dioxide leak at a Midtown jazz club sickened 23 people late Thursday night, officials said.

    The gas started blasting out of a leaky soda fountain tank at The Iridium, a basement jazz club on Broadway at W. 51st St., just before 10:15 p.m., police sources said.

    At least 19 of those sickened…

  • [NYDN] Daily News’ Universal Orlando Resort winners learn about tropical plants before hitting the roller coasters
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    Don’t miss the magical surroundings while your eyes are on the main attraction.

    That was the lesson Thursday for a group of Bronx sixth-graders touring Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla.

    The St. Helena’s School students learned all about the work that goes into creating and maintaining…

  • [NYDN] Daily Horoscope — August 17, 2018
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    Via Tarot Astrologers

    General Horoscope for August 17, 2018

    Our feelings lift us to the highest mountain tops or drag us to the bottom of the ocean today when the Scorpio Moon aligns with excessive Jupiter. We may feel defenseless and unable to make changes, even if we know what to do. Luna’s flowing…

  • [NYDN] Google explains ‘Location History’ setting that can track users even if they disable it
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 8:40:00 PM)

    SAN FRANCISCO — Google has revised an erroneous description on its website of how its “Location History” setting works, clarifying that it continues to track users even if they’ve disabled the setting.

    The change came three days after an Associated Press investigation revealed that several Google…

  • [NYDN] Todd Bowles’ defense springs several leaks as Jets lose in second preseason game
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 7:45:00 PM)

    LANDOVER, Md – The Jets defense is supposed to be the anchor of Todd Bowles’ team this season. But with anchors like that, who needs an Achilles heel?

    Bowles’ starting defense looked shaky in their second preseason game against Washington Thursday night. Alex Smith & Co. opened the game with an…

  • [NYDN] City Parks worker accused of hitting co-worker with a chair in a Queens playground
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 7:15:00 PM)

    A city Parks Department worker clobbered a co-worker with a beach chair during an argument in Thursday morning, police said.

    Emerald Gentles, 28, got out of her chair at St. Michael’s Playground in Woodside, then swung it at her colleague, a 55-year-old woman, sources said.

    She hit the woman in…

  • [NYDN] Mehta: Super Sam Darnold morphs into a rookie in first-ever start as a Jet, but not to worry
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 7:10:00 PM)

    LANDOVER, Md. – LOOK! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

    It’s a rookie quarterback.

    If you were expecting Sam Darnold to be faster than a speeding bullet and leap tall buildings in a single bound, you got smacked with an uppercut of reality Thursday night when the Jets first-year signal caller looked human…

  • [NYDN] Number of children separated under Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy climbs, despite federal judge’s order
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 7:00:00 PM)

    More than 500 children separated from their parents under President Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration plan are still not back together with their parents, according to court records made public Thursday.

    In fact, the new tally has gone up since last week when federal Immigration and Customs…

  • [NYDN] Rapper Juelz Santana could face significant jail time after pleading guilty to gun charge
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 6:40:00 PM)

    NEWARK, N.J. — Rapper Juelz Santana admitted in court Thursday that he tried to get a gun onto a plane at a New York-area airport earlier this year.

    Santana, whose real name is LaRon James, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a weapon on an aircraft. The…

  • [NYDN] Whale capsizes fishing boat, tossing two men into New Jersey waters
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 6:35:00 PM)

    Thar she throws!

    Two men fishing Thursday off the coast of Long Branch, N.J., were flung from their boat when a rogue whale capsized it.

    Luckily for the two anglers, a nearby boater — retired Trenton firefighter Gary Szabo — heard their mayday call and sprung into action, reported nj.com.

    Szabo…

  • [NYDN] Breaking: Eagles QB Nick Foles leaves preseason game with right shoulder strain
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 6:35:00 PM)

    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Eagles quarterback Nick Foles left Thursday’s exhibition game against the Patriots with a shoulder strain.

    Foles did not return.

    The Super Bowl MVP appeared to be in pain when he was hit by Patriots defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn in the right arm as he reared back to throw…

  • [NYDN] Woman smiles widely in mugshot after allegedly cutting boyfriend with a sword
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 6:15:00 PM)

    This is no reason to smile.

    A woman in Lincoln, Neb., unleashed a toothy smile in her mugshot after allegedly wounding her boyfriend’s thumb with a sword.

    Ivy Moore was arrested early Wednesday after she called police at approximately 3 a.m. and told them her boyfriend wouldn’t leave her apartment,…

  • [NYDN] Here are 5 ways $92 million could be put to better use than on Trump’s military parade
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 6:00:00 PM)

    With President Trump’s military parade budget careening out of control at more than seven times the original cost, and who knows what such a march may cost next year, here are five ways $92 million could be put to better use.

    ? You could buy 1,415,602 American Red Cross 72-Hour Supply Buckets….

  • [NYDN] Ohio couple rescues baby from hot car after parents overdosed
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 5:50:00 PM)

    An unattended baby girl drenched in sweat in the backseat of a car on an 88-degree day was saved in the nick of time by a couple driving by.

    Both of the unidentified tot’s parents were lying on the side of the street in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 10, apparent victims of drug overdoses, when Eric Asher…

  • [NYPost] Kemba Walker doesn’t know how a future with Knicks might look
    (Thursday, August 16, 2018 1:56:26 PM)

    Kemba Walker got a new French point-guard teammate in Charlotte this summer in Tony Parker. Imagine the buzz next summer if Walker inherits another French point-guard teammate in Frank Ntilikina in New York. Walker, the fiery point guard out of The Bronx and UConn, lights up with a hard smile when he talks about how…

  • 34 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.08.17)”

    That article re: Trey Burke was dope. Here’s an outrageous prediction: if Burke stays healthy, he will have the most exciting Knicks player since Linsanity. I think he’s figured it out and is ready to play for a big contract, and there’s nobody ahead of him. He’s gonna make everyone on the team better on the offensive end and is not going to be terrible defensively. He will be at least as good of a 2-way player as Isaiah Thomas was in 2015-16. The bad news: he will singlehandedly keep us out of the Zion Williamson sweepstakes.

    The Cavs are really the only recent championship team I would atribute everything to luck. They lucked out on LeBron, on Kyrie and then on the pick that eventually became Love. It was an insane stretch of lucky breaks that they mostly managed to squander and even then LeBron eventually brought one home.

    I wouldn’t call it all luck, they had the sense to trade Wiggins for Love, to sign TT and make the JR and Shump deals. They went all-in and it worked, if only temporarily, and that’s probably all they could have done given the tenuous situation with LeBron. They actually got unlucky that Kyrie unexpectedly wanted out.

    @1

    I was hoping there was something to it. I did not realize beside his wild improvement from mid range he also became a savant at the rim. The sample size gives pause though…….

    Well, my reasoning was more that they got lucky getting the 4th that became Thompson and the 1st that became Wiggins too. Their entire starting lineup bar JR was composed of 3 1st overall picks (LeBron, Kyrie and “Love”) and the 4th overall in Thompson.

    They could have messed up things much more obviously and there were some good decisions, but I think they had more bad decisions overall and got bailed by lucky breaks.

    If winning the lottery during a year where the hands-down greatest player in 20 years was not only the consensus #1 but was born and raised not even 40 miles away doesn’t count as “the luckiest shit I’ve ever heard in my life,” I don’t know what to say.

    @5 is anyone disputing that? I thought we were discussing title-winning teams, and even with that luck, Cleveland never won a title with LeBron until they hit the GOAT lottery for the second time, despite the owner’s concerted effort to ensure that LeBron never came back and to fuck up one draft after another.

    But for the champion Cavs, luck wasn’t enough, and they made some win-now moves to get them over the top. (the Draymond suspension didn’t hurt either!)

    I should also mention that the Cavs did finish tied the worst record in the NBA, so winning the lottery in and of itself was kind of lucky but not super lucky.

    Sorry to be that annoying lurker that pops in infrequently and asks dumb questions, but I missed when and how Zion became the consensus tank choice for this site. Why him over the other top prospects? I’m not nearly as obsessive scouting as some folks on here but he reminds me of a shorter Julius Randle, who I’d be happy to get, but not as psyched as many on here. Think I’d prefer Cam. He seems like he’ll be what Mills thinks TH2 should be, which would be a great fit. Can anyone convince me that Zion > Cam (or point me to the tipping point thread where this site joined the Zion bandwagon)?

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, Knox & Robinson are going to lead us to the promised landsays:

    Luck comes in many forms, but in basketball most of it is related to young players. No one can project upside with enough accuracy for it to be considered all skill when they strike gold or all incompetence when they fail.

    All you can do is gather data on the probability of young players with different attributes getting better and how much better. Then if you measure where they are now vs. other players and project them all out with the probabilities, you can make what you believe is the best possible bet.

    If he turns into a total bust, you still may have made the smartest bet in the entire draft according to the probabilities (or vice versa). There’s no way of proving it because the samples are WAY too small.

    The entire results oriented debate becomes silly because of the same sizes.

    What would make sense is to compare the data, model, and thinking of each team and determine whether they are using sound data and reasoning for their estimates. Unfortunately, we don’t see the data and models or hear the conversations. We get buzzwords like hard worker, athletic, long, and high basketball IQ. All these things do matter, but where are the spreadsheets. Maybe there are no spreadsheets.

    Cavs were lucky because they won the lottery the year a generational talent was available, but the Bulls were smart because they selected Jordan.

    I find this to be the same as saying someone is lucky because they won the lottery, but another guy was smart because he chose the correct lottery numbers.

    They’re both lucky AF.

    @7

    Some people on the board here have always kind of liked his potential, and then the highlights from the Duke Ryerson preseason game came out and they’re impressive as hell.

    It’s only preseason and all but he heavily outperformed Barrett and had some moments where you could see talents that translate very well to the NBA generally (rebounding really well in traffic, blocking insane shots, good handle and driving instincts, even a somewhat passable 3 point shot). So that kickstarted the hype train pretty much.

    Why Zion over the other top prospects?

    There’s a long way to go, but Zion projects to be an incredible rebounder, and our current franchise center can’t rebound for shit, so that’s a nice complement. He also projects to be score at an efficient rate, which is what we all love around here (and what no one else on our roster currently does). A frontline of KP, Knox, Zion seems to be a perfect blend of rim protection, floor spacing, scoring, and rebounding, all with the athleticism to switch and cover multiple positions.

    And also he’s just an athletic freak who seems fun as hell. Watch a little more video and you’ll quickly disassociate Julius Randle from Zion.

    Haha, I’m not getting into an extended pedantic argument about my off-the-cuff conjecture today. The Cavs were lucky, then they were awful, then they were lucky again. They managed to take all of their assets and spin them into a roster where Larry Nance Jr. was arguably the 2nd most productive player on it, and still made the fucking Finals.

    Zion looks like a Barkley and is probably the most physically imposing prospect since Lebron.

    I know virtually nothing about Zion but, regardless of how much he looks like Barkley, it’s not fair to him to compare the two. I don’t think that there will ever be another Barkley. Barkley was a freak of nature who, despite looking fat and out of shape, and standing no more than 6’4″ tall, somehow managed to be a dominant rebounder and inside scorer. I remember watching one game in which he repeatedly out-muscled Shaq on putbacks in the paint. (I base the 6’4″ on the dreaded “eye test.” I once had courtside seats for a Nets-Suns game and, during a timeout, he and Danny Ainge were standing 10′ from me and Ainge was at least an inch taller.)

    @12 – that’s cool, I don’t mean to be pedantic. My general point is a lot of teams do the right thing, but don’t reap the reward for it. And also that there’s a level of expected reward for your smart decision. The teams that typically win titles benefit from an extraordinary surplus of reward that came from factors beyond their work and decision making. The Lakers made a smart call on Kobe, for instance. But the fact that he became one of the game’s best scorers ever… that’s a bit beyond their forecast. That’s how it tends to be with the greatest players.

    The other sports reward great organizations for identifying great players, player development, etc. See Yankees, Steelers, Pats, etc.The thought process seems to lead to the conclusion that bball is one big crap shoot, due to the fickle nature of the draft. Why not eliminate the draft altogether? Salary cap is the only constraint and may the best team convince 18 year old Lebron (or Greg Oden) to join their team.

    @1 – While I’m hoping for the top pick overall with a 15 win season, that might not be realistic. Aside from a handful of teams, the East is dreadful. The Knicks will be playing equally awful teams all season. I also think that a few of our lottery picks will take a step forward. Trey Burke (2013#9), Frank Ntilikina (#8), Noah Vonleh (2014#9), Emmanuel Mudiay (2017#7) and Mario Hezonja (2017#5) come to mind. That being said, it’s very Knicksy to miss out on Zion and other top picks by one spot. We’ll see. Either way, I hope to be entertained by good basketball.

    Thanks y’all. Just watched the Ryerson highlights and he’s clearly much more athletic with better handles and vision than Randle. Does actually remind me of Barkley a bit. Obviously that would be a best case scenario but I totally see that comp and it’s true that Chuck was very unique in his skillset/size/athleticism.

    Two notes here:
    – The first link above is to a man struggling against flesh-eating bacteria needing amputations to live. I’m starting to think the algorithm is trolling us. This may be the most relevant news vis a vis The New York Knicks.
    – Charles Barkley always played like an tricky old man playing underwater. He was so goddamn slow, predictable, and fat-looking, but still ended up with the dunk, put-back, rebound, and assist.

    @15 Wasn’t coming at you, just preparing my rhetorical opponents for far less resistance than they got on claims of Knicks drafting prowess. We’re in total agreement.

    Jowles,

    I am away from my computer for a couple of days. I will try reposting in a different format when I get back to the conputer

    Didn’t want to see your work go unreviewed because of the format.

    @19, Charles may have LOOKED slow and fat, but did you ever see him on the break? His footwork and change of direction were superb.

    – Charles Barkley always played like an tricky old man playing underwater. He was so goddamn slow, predictable, and fat-looking, but still ended up with the dunk, put-back, rebound, and assist.

    I think you’re remembering the older Charles Barkley’s style of play. When he was young the dude wreaked pure havoc with a combination of speed, aggression, power and handle that is very Zion-like.

    Barkley was ripped back then. He just had a broad back and a thiccc hind, making him look a little fatter than the average gazelle-like NBAer.

    Dude was like a powerlifter in a short PF’s body.

    Random question for debate:

    Out of the 5 teams The Bulls face in the 90s in the NBA Finals, which team do you think was the best of those 6 teams?

    I would say The Suns were the best but maybe The Jazz teams since they played them 2 years in a row and they were the only team to take them to 7. But I still think The Suns.

    I think The Lakers and Trailblazers were the weakest of the 5.

    The jazz never took the bulls to 7. Honestly, that Sonics squad was pretty deep if I’m remembering correctly. I think they are underrated but the Jazz are hard to beat

    https://youtu.be/LyEYszvrOKE

    More Zion Williamson doing unbelievable things against way inferior competition. The hop step around the 2:15 mark? He could be doing that against the Washington Generals and it wouldn’t be any less impressive.

    The Knicks’ season will be a failure if we do not end up with Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett. Zion had I think 29 and 13 but RJ Barrett had something like 35 points and 8 rebounds in the same game. Between Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, I’m taking RJ Barrett because RJ’s not only a three level scorer but he’s the best defender in this year’s draft. Right away you can see that Zion Williamson is going to help us with FTA and rebounding, but RJ Barrett is a special kid. I don’t think he’s lost a non all star game in a year (FIBA U19 gold medal for an underdog Canadian National Team and then Montverde went undefeated on their way to national title), and he is extremely competitive on both ends of the floor. Cam Reddish is easily the best offensive talent of all three guys, but his demeanor gives me pause. If Zion, RJ, and Cam were like Wade, LeBron, and Melo, Cam Reddish is without a doubt the Melo of the group. It’s going to be very fun watching Duke destroy teams this season on their way to the National Championship, and the Knicks better be the 22 win team we deserve.

    I think the 96-97 Jazz team that won 64 games is unbeatable in that sense, that team was very, very good and would have won against literally any non Bulls team, but the team that I lived the most and cheered the most for was the Suns. I loved that team so much when I was a child, and I still mourn what could have been of Kevin Johnson’s career to this day. I remember my brother, who’s still a Suns fan to this day, saying how Richard Dumas would be a star, only for him to disappear and I find out much later about the substance abuse suspension and all.

    @29 nice, but it’s like judging a guy on the dream team on what he did vs. Angola.

    RJ Barrett looks very good. But ZW has that rare quality of a can’t miss greatness. Just my eye test.

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