The NBA free agency period begins at midnight tonight, so I figured I’d let everyone know where the Knicks’ cap room stands heading into free agency.
Month: June 2015
The New York Knicks will be thinking big in free agency.
Dwyane Wade will become a free agent Wednesday, and his 12-year stay with the Miami Heat could be ending.
Even the highest-profile women’s sports leagues in the United States continue to face the problem of how to attract wider audiences and greater news media coverage.
Phil Jackson is poised to add two starters on the eve of free agency with the Knicks reportedly closing in on Greg Monroe and Arron Afflalo.
Sources: Knicks 'want to be in mix' for Danny Green
Porzingis' brother: Melo reached out to draftee
This is the latest in a series of examinations into different games, events and decisions that impacted Knicks history in some way, shape or form. Stories that are not as famous as, say, “The Dunk” or Willis Reed playing Game 7, but still have a place in Knicks history, especially for die-hard fans. Here is an archive of all the stories featured so far.
The Knicks have a long history of having fathers and sons both play for them. Ernie and Kiki Vandeweghe, Henry and Mike Bibby, Al and Allie McGuire and I am sure others that I am missing (Patrick Ewing Jr. sadly never quite caught on to the team, despite coming close a couple of times). Interestingly enough, their latest draft pick, Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, almost counted, as well! Based on a request from blog commenter alsep73, we take a look at the somewhat comical (and sort of kind of tragic) tale of how the Knicks almost signed Harvey Grant and the franchise-altering decision they made to find a fill-in for Grant when they failed to sign him.
Brittney Griner stepped onto the court for the first time this season, starting the process of putting her domestic violence arrest behind her for good.
Pierce opted out of the final season of a two-year deal he signed with Washington last summer that included a reported $5.5 million player option for the 2015-16 season.
LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol would upgrade the Knicks immediately and would bring a smile to Carmelo Anthony’s face.
This is probably an unknowable thing, for now and maybe forever.
Carmelo Anthony, 31, who has four years and nearly $102 million remaining on his contract, would apparently prefer not to wait for the Knicks’ top selection to pan out.
Coming off a strong season in his return from injury, Lopez chose on Friday to bypass the $16.7 million he would have earned next season. He will be able to talk to other teams July 1.
While it is still too soon to tell whether Emmanuel Mudiay’s journey through China to the N.B.A. draft marks the beginning of a trend, some young players might be lured by the riches associated with playing overseas as the N.C.A.A. sorts through legal battles.
Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant both envision making contributions right away during their rookie NBA campaigns.
Anthony told a close friend ‘are we supposed to wait two or three years for this guy?’ when discussing the 19-year-old forward.
With the Knicks drafting Kristaps Porzingis fourth overall, we decided to go to our panel of experts. We asked them to finish the following statements.
New York is going to regret taking Porzingis over …
Kurylo: Willie Cauley-Stein. This guy reminds me of Kevin Garnett. Can guard anyone, but questionable offensive skills. If he stays healthy, he’ll be in the league 15+ years.
Armosino: Justise Winslow. Would’ve been a strong 3 and D wing that would’ve allowed them to play Carmelo at the four. Doesn’t have the upside of Porzingis, but his skill set also affords him a higher floor.
Fisher-Cohen: Long term, I think Hezonja is the only player drafted after #4 who has the potential to be worth regretting (i.e. perennial All-Star). But people will bitch for a year or two about us passing on Winslow and Mudiay because both will put up numbers that pop at a glance early on.
Cronin: No one offhand. Even if someone else turns out to be great, there was no one after Zinger that was a no-brainer. Mudiay was a safer pick, but not necessarily a better pick. So it is hard to knock them for the pick in terms of “How did you pass on ____?” Any one of those four-five guys would have been a fine pick.
Udwary: Maybe Justise Winslow, for the more immediate gratification of having a more ready to contribute player. Really, though, you have to like the potential of the Zinger to be a nightmare matchup for the entire NBA. I kind of like the pick.
By taking Porzingis, Phil Jackson’s showed …
Kurylo: he’s neither as clever as his reputation, nor as dumb as I thought. New York could have traded this pick down, and done some creative stuff. But they also could have made the mistake to go with a “triangle” guy or ready-now player. I’m glad they swung for the fences, because drafts are graded 3-5 years after the fact.
Cronin: That he’s willing to make a risky pick over a safer pick that didn’t fit his system as well (Mudiay). I suppose I also like that he’s willing to try for a home run whose talent won’t show up right away. For a guy who doesn’t plan on being here in six years, I appreciate that he’s willing to draft a guy who might not be good until Year 3.
Fisher-Cohen: I still worry Zinger will get traded, but if we keep him, like I wrote in the last round table, it is the first thing Jackson’s done that indicates he understands the pit the Knicks are in and is willing to build for the long term — that the Knicks may be leaving the endless “screw rebuilding” cycle of mediocrity. To me, that’s much more important than the pick itself as the Knicks had zero chance of being great if they stayed on the win now wagon, making all their decisions irrelevant.
Udwary: It shows he has some patience for this rebuild. Porzingis isn’t the guy who is going to make a major contribution right away. This, of course, completely contradicts the contract that Phil gave Melo, which seeomingly put the emphasis on quickly building a contender around the aging star. So, I guess it also shows Phil is inconsistent. Inconsistent and patient are maybe not the best qualities to share, but it at least worked ok tonight.
When the Knicks selected Porzingis, I…
Kurylo: was fine with the pick. What settled me on Porzingis? Stat-guru Kevin Pelton had him ranked 4th. Pelton’s list also had my favorite Myles Turner ranked 6th, so you know the list is legit. Also the anxiety that the team would do something really stupid (Kaminsky, Lyle, etc.) helped me get over this selection.
Here is my subjective draft board, factoring in my statistical projections (http://t.co/1yFTbmZisD, In) and opinion: pic.twitter.com/cHZ4mxLmex
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) June 25, 2015
Armosino: was happy it wasn’t Frank Kaminsky. Porzingis wasn’t my first choice, but I’m fine with him.
Cronin: resigned myself to him. I was also still sort of moping over losing out on Okafor and Russell. Honestly, after missing out on the guys I really wanted, I was hoping that they’d just take a shot at the grand slam pick with Zinger. It was nicely ballsy.So I was cool with it. Plus, this might very well be it for Bargs, as they wouldn’t want Bargs’ habits rubbing off on Zinger, right? That alone might make this draft a happy day in Knick history.
Fisher-Cohen: Felt extremely happy and hopeful about the Knicks for the first time in a long time (see above for why).
Udwary: I was already crushed when Philly took Okafor, so my main feeling at the time of the pick was numbness. Over time I came to warm up to the pick.
The first year that Porzingis had a PER over 15 will be …
Kurylo: 2018. He’s only 19 and has as much body fat as a three bean salad. Dirk did it in 2 years, but I think he wasn’t as raw.
Armosino: 2017. PER likes guys that shoot a lot and shoot threes. Unless he’s an immediate bust, I imagine he’ll be playing good minutes in his third season.
Cronin: I wouldn’t be shocked at 2016, but I think 2017 for sure. PER loves scorers and the Zinger is going to score.
Fisher-Cohen: This question is tied into what the Knicks do. If Jackson goes out and signs a bunch of old men to fill the team, and Porzingis only plays like 10 MPG, then he’s probably not going to improve as quickly. But I’ll be optimistic and say 2016/17. If he gets the minutes to get a feel for how to play in the NBA and puts on weight, he should be able to score and put up some defensive stats.
Udwary: It really depends on the team around him. I feel like, as long as Melo is on the team and healthy, Porzingis probably won’t see a many shots, especially if the David West and Greg Monroe rumors are true. So, I would go for 2018 when Melo breaks down and David West turns to dust.
Porzingis’ career will be most similar to …
Kurylo: I’ve crunched the numbers a few times, and I’m having a hard time finding anyone similar to him. Good outside shooting, decent shot blocking, questionable rebounding? Really the two that stick out are Dirk and Wang Zhizhi. Yes that’s a wide range, but hours after a high-risk high-reward selection, that’s all I can muster.
Armosino: Dirk, obviously. Hall of Fame.
Cronin: Ryan Anderson. Good, tall shooter. Anderson is a fine player, though. It’s no insult.
Udwary: This is tough. The guy is a legit 7’2” with some long arms. If he can put some weight on, and improve his rebounding, he really has the potential to be Pau Gasol with a 3-point shot. I do hope that happens, and he isn’t just another Bargnani – a 7-footer who doesn’t do anything 7-footers should do.
Fisher-Cohen: I’m gonna say Clifford Robinson. I have no idea.
On a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high), today I rank this pick …
Kurylo: 4. I’m surprisingly optimistic on this pick. I wasn’t expecting much from the team, but Phil has actually given some hope to the franchise.
Armosino: 3. Porzingis had the highest upside of anybody left on the board. Gambling with a top-5 pick when the Knicks are this asset barren is definitely a risk, but I also liked that Phil is fine playing the long game. Short term thinking is what has killed the Knicks in the past.
Cronin: 4. What were they supposed to do? The three best players were gone. I’d have given them a 4 if they had taken Mudiay, WCS or Winslow, as well. Perhaps this could even bump up to 5 depending on how much credit I want to give them for just taking the risk.
Udwary: 4. It was probably the best they could do with the pick they had. At least they didn’t take Lyles or Kaminski. Also the pick precipitated a Stephen A. Smith Twitter hissy fit. Stephen A. hating it gives the pick much more credence, in my eyes.
On a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high), 5 years from now I’ll rank this pick …
Kurylo: 2. Unless ‘Zingis learns to rebound or shows he can defend on the NBA level, he’ll be a questionable #4 pick. The odds aren’t great, so I’m going low here & hoping I’m wrong.
Armosino: 5. He’s going to be amazing.
Cronin: 4. I don’t think I’ll judge this pick more harshly or more kindly in five years. I will give them credit for where they were picking, and that’s the same now as it will be in five years.
Udwary: 3. Most likely he will be a serviceable stretch 4 who is a pretty good help defender, but poor rebounder. A solid starter, but not an all-star. The potential is there to be something special, though.
Fisher-Cohen: 4.5. Zinger could be anything from a bust to a superstar. But the fact that the Knicks were willing to take a gamble for once and play for the long term? Priceless.
From coast to coast, the NBA draft was a big night for the biggest markets.
More than 8,000 Minnesota Timberwolves fans filed into Target Center on Thursday night, knowing that Karl-Anthony Towns was coming. They hoped Tyus Jones might be sticking around, too.
The Latest from the NBA draft at Barclays Center in New York (All times local):
The Minnesota Timberwolves got their man in the middle. The Lakers got a playmaking partner for Kobe Bryant.
Kentucky’s versatile big man Karl-Anthony Towns was the expected first overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2015 NBA Draft but surprises followed at Barclays Center on Thursday.
Picking 29th in the first round, the Nets selected McCullough, a 6-foot-9 forward who had his freshman season at Syracuse cut short by a knee injury after just 16 game.
Hill was introduced as vice chairman of the Atlanta Hawks, one day after the franchise and arena rights were bought for $850 million.
Payne, a spindly point guard from Murray State, was the fourteenth pick in the first round of the draft, higher than some players who once were rated far above him.
First-round selections in the NBA Draft on Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (pick number, NBA team, player, position, previous team):1. Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns, forward-center, Kentucky
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will discuss China’s investigation of a deputy sports minister who sits on its board, but has had no official communication from China on the matter.
Porzingis, a 7-foot-1 forward from Latvia who has spent the past three seasons with Cajasol Sevilla of the Spanish league, is regarded as a player with huge potential but may need time to develop.
Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis received a rough welcome to U.S. professional basketball on Thursday, when fans of the New York Knicks booed their team’s selection of the 19-year-old with the fourth pick in the NBA draft.
Karl-Anthony Towns is a young man with many gifts, but the 19-year-old top pick of the National Basketball Association Draft vowed to give all he can to help turn around his new team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kentucky’s versatile big man Karl-Anthony Towns was the expected first overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2015 NBA Draft but surprises followed at Barclays Center on Thursday.
How very European of the Knicks.
For Phil Jackson, Thursday night’s NBA draft followed by Let’s Make A (free agent) Deal, is supposed to be a gateway to redemption.
Phil Jackson’s second move Thursday night probably was more popular than his first.
The boos and the faint chants of “Fire Phil” were to be expected once NBA commissioner Adam Silver stepped to the podium.
The Knicks entered last season stocked with shooting guards — Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. Now, they're all gone. After team president Phil Jackson pulled a shocker…
They were booing loudly and roundly and chanting "Fire Phil” at Barclays Center, partly because Kristaps Porzingis wasn't Justise Winslow or Emmanuel Mudiay or Willie Cauley-Stein; partly because he is…
Top stats to know: Top 5 NBA Draft picks
No. 19 pick: Knicks deal for Jerian Grant
With the fourth overall pick, the New York Knicks drafted 19 year old Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian power forward, by way of Baloncesta Sevilla Spain, is 7 feet and 1/2 inch tall and from my estimation, weighs about 115 lbs. He’s an outside shooter and shot blocker that needs to go on the Eddy Curry/Jerome James diet. A typical high-risk high-reward player, that we’ll have more (lots, lots more!) on in the morning.
The second surprise of the night was the Knicks acquiring the 19th pick from the Atlanta Hawks for Tim Hardaway Jr. The shooting guard wore out his welcome in New York with lots of crappy shooting nights, failing to play defense, and perhaps single handedly costing them the first overall pick in the draft by getting hot at the wrong time.
New York picked up Jerian Grant, a mature (23 years old) and large (6-5) point guard. Grant has an NBA-ready body, and he’s a strong finisher at the hoop. He made 73.1% of his shots at the rim his senior year, and averaged 6.2 fta/40 his senior year. Also careful with the ball, the Notre Damer was 7th in the NCAA in assists per game, and his assist per turnover ratio was a healthy 3.0. His three point shooting did regress his last season, but was healthy the seasons prior. Oh and Grant made one hell of a dunk this year (see #1 in the YouTube Video) where it appears his shoulder gets to the height of the rim.
EDIT: The official press release about Grant/Hardaway
NEW YORK, June 25, 2015 – New York Knickerbockers President Phil Jackson announced today that the draft rights of Jerian Grant, out of Notre Dame, the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, have been acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, via Washington, in exchange for guard Tim Hardaway Jr.
Grant, 6-4, 198, averaged 14.6 points and 5.8 assists over four seasons with Notre Dame. In his senior season, the Silver Spring, MD native was named a First Team All-American and was one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the National Player of the Year by averaging 16.5 points and 5.8 assists in 38 games.
Hardaway, 6-6, 210-pounds, was originally drafted by New York in the first round, 24th pick overall, in the 2013 NBA Draft. Last season, the Orinda, CA native averaged 11.5 points in 70 games.
EDIT2:
Apparently, the Knicks have made another trade! Statistically Hernangomez appears to be a rebounders & inside scorer. Unfortunately at 6-11, he doesn’t appear to be a shot blocker at all. Apparently he’s not very athletic, but supposedly has a high-IQ.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Knicks official says the team has acquired draft rights to Spanish center Guillermo Hernangomez from the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the trade had not been finalized by the NBA. The official says Philadelphia received two future second round picks.
Hernangomez played with the last two seasons with New York’s fourth overall pick, Kristaps Porzingis, with Sevilla of the Spanish League. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 31 games last season. In 74 career games with Sevilla, Hernangomez averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
The official says Hernangomez will play next season in Spain.
We’re less than fifteen minutes away from the start of the 2015 NBA Draft. Things are still so up in the air that I honestly couldn’t tell you who the Knicks will end up with tonight. Whoever it is, I think I can at least guarantee one simple thing – that it will be interesting.
Let’s go Knicks!
The KnickerBlogger staff has decided to spend the 8 days prior to the draft discussing the upcoming event. Each day will feature a different question that we will attempt to answer. Feel free to join us in the comment section!
Who do you want New York to end up with in the draft?
Kurylo: I’ve been all over the place with my answers. However with the decision on the line, I know what direction I would take. I think one of the most underrated attributes in the NBA is defense, which makes it attractive to buy. Additionally Carmelo Anthony is a scorer with average defensive skills, so it makes sense to complement him with defenders. I’d trade down with Denver, and take either WCS or Myles Turner.
Silverman: Towns. (Note: they will not get Towns.)
Gibberman: As I just said one of Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Winslow, WCS or Hezonja and I leave the draft a happy person. The Knicks have to epically screw this up for me to get pissed off.
Fisher-Cohen: Of the players who are somewhat likely to be available (i.e. not Towns or Okafor), I’ll go with Porzingis as it would indicate a true focus on the future and a willingness to make the sort of a gambles the Knicks will have to make to have at least some chance of becoming more than just a second round playoff team in the best case.
Topaz: With Towns out of reach, I’ll say Russell or Winslow. But I agree with Brian here — the only real mistake the Knicks can make here is dealing this pick for a veteran. Knicks fans were likely disappointed with the 4th pick, but this is a draft loaded with very talented players, and the team will be very fortunate to end up with one of Russell, Winslow, Mudiay, WCS, or even take the opportunity to roll the dice on Porzingis. The key, as ever, is this: does the front office still subscribe to the fallacy that this team is one player, or one offseason, away from building a contender? If yes, we’re in trouble. If not — and they view the Draft and this offseason as the start of a long process that will require patience — the Knicks will have a number of excellent options to choose from to begin it.
Cronin: Towns is just too unrealistic to even hope for him, right? So either Okafor or Russell. At this point, I’d be ecstatic with either one of them. Okafor slightly more so than Russell.