Knicks Morning News (2019.05.17)

  • [Sports Illustrated] NBA Draft Rumors: Ja Morant Meets With Knicks, Grizzlies, Pelicans at Combine
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 12:02:22 PM)

    The Grizzlies have signaled they’ll select Murray State point guard Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick assuming Zion Williamson goes to the Pelicans.

  • [NYTimes] Warriors Stage a Comeback to Beat the Blazers in Game 2
    (Friday, May 17, 2019 4:28:17 AM)

    Stephen Curry scored 37 points, and Golden State rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit.

  • [NYTimes] Warriors Say Kevin Durant Will Be Out Another Week
    (Friday, May 17, 2019 4:07:29 AM)

    Coach Steve Kerr said Durant’s injury was more serious than initially thought. He added: “Hopefully he’ll be back at some point, but we’ll just wait and see.”

  • [NYTimes] Keeping Score: If Brook Lopez Seemed to Be Everywhere, It’s Because He Was
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:10:51 PM)

    The Bucks center starred on both ends of the court in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. To survive, Toronto will have to contain him.

  • [NYTimes] Lebanon Dispatch: Basketball Is ‘War, Minus the Shooting’ in Sectarian Lebanon
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:04:30 PM)

    The professional basketball season resembles an election campaign, with party colors adorning team jerseys and banners of political patrons hanging in stadiums. Then there are the insults and riots.

  • [NYTimes] Why Does a Bucks Security Guard Look Familiar? He Used to Play for the Team
    (Friday, May 17, 2019 2:22:16 AM)

    Dick Garrett was part of the 1974 Milwaukee Bucks team that lost in the finals. Now, as a security guard, he has a front-row seat to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo.

  • [NYTimes] Enes Kanter Is Playing, so Many N.B.A. Fans in Turkey Can’t Watch
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 9:11:14 AM)

    Kanter’s team, the Portland Trail Blazers, played a conference final on Wednesday, but Turkish fans had a hard time finding it.

  • [NYTimes] Sonya and Dell Curry Mastered Cheering for Their Sons. But Not at the Same Time.
    (Friday, May 17, 2019 2:26:01 AM)

    For the first time in N.B.A. history, brothers — Stephen and Seth Curry — are up against each other in a conference finals. This is tricky — for their parents.

  • [NYPost] Changing Pelicans landscape could help Knicks land Anthony Davis
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:45:13 PM)

    CHICAGO — Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry didn’t exactly make a plea to Anthony Davis remaining with the Pelicans. In saying after the lottery that the situation will be ironed out, Gentry never once said he wishes Davis will be back. The Knicks are monitoring the Davis soap opera in the wake of New Orleans winning…

  • [NYPost] RJ Barrett’s NBA draft preference: Landing with Knicks or Lakers
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 5:07:57 PM)

    CHICAGO — It looks like RJ Barrett won’t be singing the Memphis blues. According to an NBA source, the 6-foot-7 Duke swingman prefers if he drops past Memphis, to No. 3 or No. 4, to get to play with either the Knicks or Lakers. Memphis has the No. 2 pick, but the source told The…

  • [NYPost] RJ Barrett is NBA draft godsend Knicks fans didn’t want: Shades of Wade
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 12:10:24 PM)

    Be disappointed about not getting Zion Williamson if you want, Knicks fans. But you should also be excited about RJ Barrett. There seems to be a dejected feeling among some fans about Barrett, that not only is he far inferior to Williamson but that he’s not much of a prospect, period, and that the fan…

  • [NYPost] The Knicks’ Zion Williamson ‘hangover’ is nothing to fear
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:52:50 AM)

    Once the Zion Williamson “hangover” subsides, the Knicks are poised to get a “really, really good player” with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft. So says ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz, who believes the Knicks still should be excited about the likelihood of landing either Murray State point guard Ja Morant or…

  • [SNY Knicks] Sources: Some with Knicks ‘highly’ rate Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 11:02:19 PM)

    Jarrett Culver isn’t considered part of the top tier in this year’s NBA Draft class, but sources tell SNY Insider Ian Begley that some within the Knicks organization ‘highly’ rate the Texas Tech standout.

  • [SNY Knicks] WATCH: Potential Knicks targets Ja Morant, Cam Reddish talk NBA readiness
    (Friday, May 17, 2019 12:43:29 AM)

    As the NBA Combine kicked off in Chicago, some of the top prospects in this year’s draft class were on hand to tackle the national media for the first time. And, as one would expect, there were large crowds surrounding Ja Morant and Cam Reddish.

  • [SNY Knicks] Where Knicks target RJ Barrett reportedly prefers to go in NBA Draft
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:42:34 PM)

    RJ Barrett, who is shaping up to be available at No. 3 overall for the Knicks, reportedly has a preference on where he’d like to go in the NBA Draft.

  • [SNY Knicks] Vegas Likes Knicks’ chances of winning 2019-20 NBA Title
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 2:46:22 PM)

    The growing optimism that the Knicks will land Kevin Durant and a second max free agent this summer is being reflected in their odds to win the NBA Title next season.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks Draft target RJ Barrett on what he needs to improve in NBA, playing with Duke, more
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 12:08:32 PM)

    Former Duke forward RJ Barrett is projected to be the No. 3 pick in next month’s NBA draft to the Knicks. Asked what he feels he needs to do to improve at the next level, he kept it simple.

  • [SNY Knicks] Here’s why it doesn’t seem Zion Williamson will look to be dealt by Pelicans
    (Thursday, May 16, 2019 10:01:56 AM)

    Zion Williamson was excited about the prospect of playing for the Knicks before Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. That, coupled with the ever-present amateur body language readers on social media, led to speculation on Wednesday that Williamson wasn’t happy about the possibility of landing with the Pelicans.