Knicks Morning News (2019.03.10)

  • [NYDN] VIDEO: James Dolan threatens to ban Knicks fan for yelling ‘sell the team’
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 2:20:00 PM)

    We feel your pain, pal.

    Thin-skinned Knicks owner James Dolan was gently berated by a fan Saturday afternoon in the final minutes of yet another ugly loss for his team at the Garden, according to video obtained by TMZ Sports.

    The video shows an unidentified male yelling “Sell the team,” as Dolan…

  • [NYDN] Drafting Right: De’Aaron Fox torches the Knicks as young star scores 30 in Sacramento’s 102-94 win at Garden
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 1:00:00 PM)

    The Knicks have three point guards on the roster who were drafted in the top-9 since 2015 (Dennis Smith Jr., Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina). The Kings have one — De’Aaron Fox — and he was, by far, the best player on the court Saturday afternoon.

    Fox punished the Knicks with 30 points and eight…

  • [Sports Illustrated] Knicks Owner James Dolan Kicks Fan Out of Game for Telling Him to Sell the Team
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 5:03:49 PM)

    Apparently all it takes to get kicked out of MSG is to talk a little trash to James Dolan.

  • [Hoops Rumors] Knicks Notes: Dolan, Free Agents, Trier, Draft
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 7:17:36 PM)

    Knicks owner James Dolan had an altercation with another fan today, according to Joseph Staszewski of The New York Post. Late in this afternoon’s loss to the Kings, a fan yelled “Sell the team!” to Dolan as he left his courtside seat. In a TMZ video, Dolan stops, calls the fan rude and allegedly threatens […]

  • [FOXsports] De’Aaron Fox carries Kings to 102-94 victory over Knicks
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 2:35:57 PM)

    De’Aaron Fox scores 30 points to lead Kings to 102-94 to victory over in opener of 4-game trip

  • [YahooSports] GAME RECAP: Kings 102, Knicks 94
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 8:11:18 PM)

    De’Aaron Fox leads Sacramento past New York, 102-94.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks owner James Dolan bans fan from MSG for yelling ‘Sell the team!’
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 7:53:55 PM)

    As Knicks owner James Dolan left the Madison Square Garden floor early during his team’s loss on Saturday, one fan decided to speak his mind and it didn’t go so well.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks Takeaways from Saturday’s 102-94 loss to Kings
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 2:44:42 PM)

    The Knicks extended their losing streak to six games on Saturday after their comeback attempt against the Kings fell short.

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. Roundup: Nets Defeat Hawks to Move Up in Playoff Race
    (Sunday, March 10, 2019 3:37:06 AM)

    Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points for the Nets, who won their third in a row and tied Detroit for sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks lost at home to the Kings.

  • [NYPost] David Fizdale can’t put a finger on why Kevin Knox is slumping
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 10:14:36 PM)

    David Fizdale has watched Kevin Knox working every day to climb out of a prolonged rookie slump, but Saturday once again was not the breakout day for the Knicks’ first-round pick. Knox missed nine of 12 shots and scored just seven points in a quiet 23 minutes in a 102-94 loss to the Kings at…

  • [NYPost] James Dolan threatens to ban fan who tells him to sell Knicks
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 12:23:21 PM)

    James Dolan really doesn’t want to hear the cries for him to sell the Knicks. As Dolan walked away from his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden in the closing minutes of the Knicks’ loss to the Kings on Saturday afternoon, a fan yelled “Sell the team!” at the billionaire owner, as seen in a…

  • [NYPost] Link to NCAA corruption is no longer Dennis Smith’s problem
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 11:31:30 AM)

    If Dennis Smith Jr. was bothered by his name once again being linked to the federal case involving corruption in college basketball, he didn’t act like it Saturday afternoon at the Garden. For the first quarter of the Knicks’ noon-start game against the Kings, Smith was the best player on the floor. Smith scored 11…

  • [NYPost] Knicks lose again as uncertain futures are taking toll
    (Saturday, March 09, 2019 9:36:52 AM)

    The Knicks have taken small solace in the rare individual strides a few emerging players have made this season, but coach David Fizdale still hasn’t been able to make as much headway as he’d hoped in implementing a team concept for a squad sporting the worst record in the NBA. With an eye on free…

  • 36 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2019.03.10)”

    On draft night:

    1. If you’re Phoenix and you end up with the #2 pick, do you take DSJ, and the Knicks #5 (haha) for Ja Morant?

    2. If you’re the Knicks, and the suns said no to the above offer, do you add Dallas’s unprotected pick to the pile?

    I’m trying to be optimistic, but it kinda sucks that we have an almost 50% chance of picking 5th and almost 75% chance of 3rd or worse.

    Knick fan not in NJ who thinks our rookies will lead us to a lousy lottery pick in 2019says:

    One of the takeaways cited in SNY Knicks

    The Knicks had absolutely no answer for Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox

    Why is this a surprise, when you have a management team that believes in Mudiay? With that sort of taste in players, you will never have an answer for players like Fox.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    The Knicks had absolutely no answer for Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox

    We don’t know that. One of our defenders gave James Harden such a difficult time, he came over to him at the end of the game to talk to him. But Mudiay and DSJ certainly have no chance.

    I don’t watch college ball, I just rely on the experts here to tell me what’s going on. Ja looks like a little twig though. I don’t think that’s what we need. I think my arms are bigger than his, seriously.

    Stratomatic "I'm tired of the Knicks paying lip service to DEFENSE. Get defenders & two-way players. Then play them!says:

    Now that Hardaway is out of the picture, we really should experiment with DSJ, Frank, Dotson, Vonleh and Jordan/Robinson together. Frank can take the tougher defensive backcourt assignment and he’ll add the extra playmaker we need anyway (we are horrible on assists this year). Some of our best lineups of the entire season came at the start of the season when Fizdale was experimenting with various combinations of Frank, Dotson, Vonleh, and Robinson. They were more defensive heavy lineups. With DSJ we can still have a scorer on the court (instead of Hardaway) and also have more of true PG presence without sacrificing the defense.

    In his post game comments, in response to a question about Frank, Fiz said they would like to have him guard a hot player.

    It would be great to see Ntilikina play between some actual scorers where he can shoot open 3’s and work on Defense. Too bad that’s not a position these Knicks can offer.

    DSJr/Frank/Dotson/Vonleh/DAJ
    Mudiay/Trier/Knox/Kornet/Robinson

    Is probably ideal/reasonably realistic for now.

    I want to see more Frank

    In his post game comments, in response to a question about Frank, Fiz said they would like to have him guard a hot player.

    Worrying statement on many levels.

    Yes, very likely the one instance of it working out perfectly means it will happen exactly the same way. You’re better than that Jowles.

    I’m wondering..
    Just how good would a backcourt of Ntilikina/Trier be? At 1st I wanted to see a DSJ/Ntilikina backcourt, but I’m really digging the DSJ/Dotson pairing. What sucks though, is Kadeem Allen has already been what Ntilikina’s floor should have been- minus the length to bother positions 1-3 on defense. Sigh…as much hope as I have for Ntilikina, I think I have to let him go. That hurts. I just don’t see him carving out his role once he’s back with Mudiay, Trier, and Dotson having solidified their roles. Hell..even JJ seems like he has a leg up on him. This groin injury is definitely his rock bottom- it couldn’t have happened at a worse time

    Allen Iverson 165 lbs..De’Aaron Fox currently listed @ ~175, same as Morant, was listed @ 170 in college.

    Morant is truly a great guard, very well rounded, an exceptional passer, good rebounder, solid defender and can score in many ways. He has a great understanding of space, moves well with the ball to create angles and moves well without the ball too. He’s very competitive and has a great work ethic. I think he would be a solid pick.

    I like Morant alot. Can’t be mad if he ends up being the pick if we don’t land at 1. I wonder how much trade value DSJ has left?

    Also..with Knox stinking it up, I wonder if Fiz should start Trier and Dotson at the 2 & 3 with DJ & Vonleh and let Knox find his way on the 2nd unit with MitchRob, Lance, Ntilikina, and Mudiay?

    Is there any chance MitchRob could be moved to pf? If so, I’d consider Bol with the 4th or 5th pick. I think he’ll come back stronger. My ranking right now goes:

    1. Zion
    2. Ja
    3. Barrett
    4. Bol
    5. Keldon

    That Dolan video is some creepy shyte

    what was kind of interesting was security’s reaction to the situation…

    I’m guessing this ain’t the first/second/third/fourth/hundreth time something like this has occured…

    I sort of really like the idea of pairing up Bol Bol with Mitch, as offensively Bol Bol seems very comfortable on the perimeter, shooting 52% on 3 attempts per game. Defensively he is very strong in the paint and can rebound quite well. Certainly a very unique talent and definitely worth considering for the 4th and 5th picks…Personally I would prefer to pick Jarrett Culver in that position…but Bol could work out very well.

    Morant is definitely one of those players who’s more vertically athletic than a guy like Westbrook, who’s built like a tank. He can jump and he’s definitely very fast. He’s so productive though that I’m pretty confident in him anyway, he can be a guy like Fox, a primary ball handler who can score and create for others and should be a decent defender eventually with experience, even though he’s not the best shooter.

    Just imagine how much better his shot will be when he has five extra pounds of muscle in his upper body.

    Knick fan not in NJ who thinks our rookies will lead us to a lousy lottery pick in 2019says:

    Strat, my point was about management’s taste in players. The SNY Knicks quote is obviously wrong if you consider Frank a viable option, but not only do they obviously not consider him a viable option, they probably don’t value his defensive skills as much as they should, as you can tell from their Infatuation with Knox and their various guard acquisitions.

    @17 I’m with you. When he was playing I had Bol Bol at #2. Unless the medical staff says he’s too big of an injury risk I’ll definitely take him at 4, even 3.

    Bol Bol is not my cup of tea. He moves like a guy whose knees are going to turn into spaghetti in a couple of years.

    Tell you what, Coby White really impressed me yesterday. The kid can ball, and I was shocked to learn that he’s 6’5″. He’s the kind of kid I could see trading down for.

    This team has made too many high-risk lottery picks recently, I don’t think you can roll the dice on Bol Bol at 5. If Zion/Morant/RJ are all gone, go with a reasonable high floor guy who is likely to make it as a rotation player.

    Yeah, unless you have medical reports saying Bol Bol is completely fine, I’d skip on him. Even if he’s healthy he might not be the better fit with Robinson, and we have so much to fix in the other positions that any other BPA is fine.

    coby white is seriously being slept on by everybody… hes one of the better players in this draft…

    Maybe we can draft Coby White with the 31st overall pick that we have and definitely didn’t trade away in order to dump Travis Outlaw’s $3.5M salary

    Thanks Phil!

    God just when we think this team is almost done paying for mistakes of the past, there’s still this shit to remember and the Noah stretched contract.

    Have we been either missing draft picks or paying bad contracts from the past for what, at least since Melo right? There’s always that one contract or that one pick missing.

    I loved Bol as a prospect when he was playing and I’d still be happy to draft him in a trade down scenario, but yeah I agree that the risk would be too high with our pick.

    It’s just really tough to get excited about any of these guys outsize of Zion and Morant. Culver seems like he has a good chance of being productive, but I’m wary of his 3PT%/FT% as a guard/wing. We have enough guards who can’t throw the ball in the ocean already. You can pretty much re-up that same concern re: Barrett, and his steal rate is pretty bad too. There are things to like about both guys but they’re far from the “can’t miss” types you want with a top-5 pick.

    Is it possible De’Andre Hunter is the safest non-Zion/Morant pick? His steal rate is pretty bad too but at least he seems like a good shooter and he’s fairly big. I have no interest in Langford/Little/Reddish.

    I haven’t done a deep dive on second rounder possibilities because it’s so god damn low (thanks Phil) but Matisse Thybulle, CJ Massinburg, and Dylan Windler seems like possible rotation guys. I don’t see anyone particularly intriguing in that range though.

    If you watch Culver and Hunter, I think you’d see that they are very different players. Hunter is just about exclusively a spot up 3 pt shooter. I’m guessing he has taken a 3 pt shot off the dribble, but I haven’t seen it. On the one hand that’s discipline to just shoot a higher % 3 pt shot like that, though I wonder how many of those shots will be available in the NBA.

    In contrast a significant % of Culver’s 3’s are off the dribble. He creates his own offense, which likely contributes to a lower 3 pt FG%. While they both can penetrate Culver’s handle seems tighter and he seems to be a bit more agile, has more bounce and is smoother. Despite being a year younger, Culver is a better rebounder, an excellent passer and slightly better defender…Matisse Thybulle is very intriguing as a 2nd round pick.

    That’s good info, and yeah I haven’t watched much of either guy. To be clear, I would take Culver over Hunter easily because I think his ceiling is significantly higher and his floor isn’t THAT much lower. Not developing a consistent 3PT shot can be a total dead end in the career of a guard though, so Hunter is probably a little less risky of a pick.

    It’s just disheartening to even be talking about these guys when last year the likes of JJJ, Young, and Bamba were available in the 4-5-6 range. Troy Brown is somewhat comparable to Culver and he went 15th last year!

    It’s just disheartening to even be talking about these guys when last year the likes of JJJ, Young, and Bamba were available in the 4-5-6 range. Troy Brown is somewhat comparable to Culver and he went 15th last year!

    Ugh, it’s brutal.

    And the one year where the first 6 picks were great, the Knicks picked #8, of course. Now, when #4 is probably an iffy pick, that’s where they have the best odds of landing.

    theres really no shame in culver or langford… they are absolutely deserving to be high to mid lotto picks…

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