Month: June 2015

[New York Daily News] Lupica: Time for Phil Jackson to finally put plan in place (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 04:57:10 GMT)

Tonight is finally the night for Phil Jackson to start making the Knicks a better basketball team, which is what he was hired to do.

[New York Daily News] Knicks play NBA draft close to vest, prospects ready to help (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 04:47:44 GMT)

No one has been able to pinpoint what Phil Jackson will do with the fourth selection in the NBA draft.

[New York Times] Sports of The Times: N.B.A. Draft: Rising Above Snubs, Cameron Payne Is Now a Possible Top Pick (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 09:00:15 GMT)

There is a great likelihood that Payne, a spindly point guard from Murray State, will be selected higher in Thursday’s draft than many players once rated far above him.

[New York Times] For Fran Fraschilla, ESPN’s Draft Interpreter, Overseas Talent Must Be Translated (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 09:00:15 GMT)

Fraschilla traveled an unlikely path to become ESPN’s go-to source of information on international basketball prospects during the N.B.A draft.

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Atlanta Hawks Sale Is Approved (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 04:31:22 GMT)

The N.B.A.’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Hawks to an ownership group led by Tony Ressler.

[New York Times] A Place for Dakari Johnson to Hone His Fine Art, Basketball (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 01:50:11 GMT)

Johnson, one of several players from Kentucky in this year’s draft, has been training for years in an unlikely location: the Pratt Institute, a prestigious art school.

[New York Times] On Pro Basketball: N.B.A. Draft: Kristaps Porzingis and Rabid Fans Will Test Jackson’s Patience (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 01:39:25 GMT)

Does Phil Jackson, one and a half years into his presidency of the Knicks, dare take Porzingis, a 19-year-old who could at best be the next Dirk Nowitzki but at worst the next Nikoloz Tskitishvili?

[New York Times] Sports of The Times: Phil Jackson’s Moment of Truth Has Arrived (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 01:25:56 GMT)

By late August, after the N.B.A. draft and free agency, we will be able to truly draw the measure of Phil Jackson, an entertaining and confounding, intelligent and frustrating character.

[New York Post] Knicks, Phil Jackson could trade down for one of these 2 players (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 04:07:26 -0400)

Wisconsin senior center Frank Kaminsky knew the triangle offense before Phil Jackson showed it to him last week and freshman Trey Lyles performed at a Kentucky practice in March like…

[New York Post] Justise Winslow on meeting Melo and how he could help the Knicks (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 03:51:00 -0400)

With the NBA draft on the horizon, Duke freshman Justise Winslow took a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: What drives you? A: The thing that…

[New York Post] The $9,300 suit one top NBA prospect is wearing to the draft (Thu, 25 Jun 2015 01:09:23 -0400)

When Emmanuel Mudiay was 10 years old, he and his two older brothers would pretend they were hosting their very own NBA draft in their Texas home, even videotaping their…

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 will the Knicks actually end up with?

Kurylo: Trey Lyles. The Knicks are the only team dumb enough to send out a pre-draft media smoke screen, and then actually go through with it. And if you think about it, the thing the Knicks need least is another tweener forward with average athleticism. So it’s a lock.

Silverman: Until we see a college-aged dude in Vegas playing with Thanasis, Cleanthony, and Gallo 2.0, I’m going to stick to my grim prediction that they’ll deal it for a vet and a pick in 2016. In all honesty, any organization so mind-numbingly repugnant as to re-hire Isiah Thomas don’t deserve nice things.

Gibberman: Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell.

Fisher-Cohen: Agree with Brian — if the Knicks don’t trade the pick or trade down, I think it’ll be Russell as Mudiay and Porzingis will take too long to develop for Phil (and I think Philly takes Porzingis).

Topaz: Seems like the Zen Master — who went on one of his more comprehensible Twitter rants recently about the importance of penetration to NBA offenses — would be a Mudiay fan. Even though he’s a not a great fit for Phil’s beloved Triangle, he seems like the likely choice (with Russell off the board) for someone who clearly doesn’t value outside shooting as much as the rest of the league.

Cronin: I think the big three will be gone and New York will like Mudiay enough to keep him (or rather, no one else will like Mudiay enough to offer anything substantial for him). So I predict Mudiay. I hope I am wrong.

With the NBA Draft tomorrow (and before we get to the next installment of our draft round table), I wrote a piece for the Huffington Post about whether Bill Russell wasn’t drafted #1 in the 1956 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals because of a deal involving the Ice Capades.

I also wrote a more extensive article on the same topic at my own site here.

[New York Daily News] Knicks monitoring DeMarcus Cousins trade rumblings: Phil (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 04:53:06 GMT)

Phil Jackson stepped to a podium at the Knicks’ practice facility to speak with reporters two days ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft.

[New York Times] Biggest Kentucky Group to Date Preparing for NBA Draft (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 06:46:35 GMT)

John Calipari and his Kentucky pipeline to the NBA will have yet another major impact on the league’s annual draft.

[New York Times] AP Interview: Brittney Griner Ready to Return to Basketball (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 06:34:35 GMT)

Brittney Griner is eager to make her season debut this weekend in Minnesota after being entangled in a series of troubling off-court episodes.

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Cavaliers Retain Timofey Mozgov (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 04:20:21 GMT)

The Cavaliers picked up Mozgov’s $5 million contract option for next season.

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Basketball: Even the Opening Date Is Moving at the Nets’ Training Center (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 02:40:59 GMT)

The team, which had planned to move in by training camp, now expects to take up residence in February.

[New York Times] Future Is About to Arrive for Phil Jackson and the Knicks (Wed, 24 Jun 2015 01:10:03 GMT)

Decisions on what to do in Thursday’s N.B.A. draft and in free agency will soon reshape the team.

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!

As the Knicks GM, would you trade down to the 7th pick in this draft?

Kurylo: If Okafor is still around at 4, I wouldn’t. If he’s not, and I can grab Turner with #7 I’m down. Yes if whoever was taken fourth becomes a star, I’d be hard pressed to live it down. However I’m really high on Turner and this team needs more picks.

Silverman: No. You’re not going to get anything of value by dropping three slots or so (think Mayo for Love back in 2008). Just take the guy that tickles Phil’s (not) Zen fancy and go sign a bucketful of smart, two-way players in free agency. It’s not that complicated, really.

Gibberman: Yes, yes and yes again. I’ve been screaming for this since almost immediately after the lottery. As long as the Knicks come away with one of Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Winslow, WCS or Hezonja I’ll be happy. If they can do that plus acquire Ty Lawson or Danillo Gallinari I’d be ecstatic. If they can do that plus get the right’s to the future Blazers or Grizzlies’ pick Denver owns that’s a step down from ecstatic. 7th would be my cut off of where I’m willing to trade down too.

Fisher-Cohen: Obviously depends on the offer, but no way am I doing it just to get out of Calderon’s deal nor to pick up any non superstar player older than 26 or so. The Knicks are years away. Calderon’s deal will expire and Lawson will be in decline before the Knicks make the conference finals. But purely from a talent standpoint, there seems to be a lot of good gambles in the mid-late lottery, making it more sensible this year than most to trade down.

Topaz: It’s certainly tempting. This team isn’t one piece away — they have virtually no players of value under contract, and will need young, cheap rotation players. The return would have to be a future first and/or a talented young player in addition to the 7th pick, but I don’t really think that trade will be out there.

Cronin: It would depend on who is there at #4, #7 and what Denver is offering with the #7 for #4. I’m not doing it for, like Wilson Chandler and the #4. And Denver likely isn’t doing it for next year’s #1 pick, so I don’t really know what they have to offer. If Cauley-Stein is still there at #7 and the Big Three are all off the board and Denver is giving something fancy along with the #7, I’d do it. That’s a whole lot of ifs, though.

[New York Daily News] Kristaps Porzingis has private workout with Knicks (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 01:54:51 GMT)

The Knicks held a private workout on Monday morning with Kristaps Porzingis, the Daily News has learned.

[New York Daily News] Lottery losers: Knicks have a history of unlucky picks (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 01:25:03 GMT)

When Isiah Thomas sat down with David Lee two weeks ago for an NBA TV interview, he reminded the veteran forward of a promise he once made.

[New York Times] NBA Pipeline From Europe Getting Bigger, Deeper and Stronger (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 06:22:35 GMT)

The pipeline of players from Europe to the NBA isn’t slowing down.

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Hawks’ General Manager Out for Good (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 04:05:47 GMT)

Danny Ferry officially stepped down after being placed on leave last September for making racially insensitive remarks.

[New York Times] W.N.B.A. Suspends Isiah Thomas’s Bid to Own Part of Liberty (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 02:51:30 GMT)

The league and the team agreed to indefinitely suspend the application process three weeks after the W.N.B.A. formed a committee to vet Thomas’s ownership stake.

[New York Times] Pursuing Perfection From Atop the N.B.A. Draft Class (Tue, 23 Jun 2015 01:09:35 GMT)

Karl-Anthony Towns, a former star at Kentucky, is expected to be drafted No. 1 by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

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!

Of Kristaps Porzingis, Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja, Trey Lyles, Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Kaminksy, and Stanley Johnson, which is going to have the best NBA career?

Kurylo: I‘m going off the list. Myles Turner’s stats have me drooling: 11.8reb/40 and 4.7 blk/40. Both of those numbers are right in-line with Karl Towns (12.7/4.2). He also hits 83.9% of his free throws as well, and he’s no stranger from the 3 point line (3.3 3PA/40), but only at 27.4%. So at worst offensively he should be OK with the pick & pop, and he’s got a shot at being able to stretch the floor offensively. Defensively I think he’ll be good given his numbers and size (7-0).

Silverman: Justise. At worst, he’ll be defensive stopper about on par with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I think there’s so, so much more there, in particular a Jimmy Butler-esque ability to draw fouls. I do agree with my colleague Mr. Gibberman, namely that Willie Trill’s number two with a bullet. A legit center that can out to the perimeter to smother wings is such a vital skill given the direction that the NBA is #goink as a whole.

Gibberman: Justise Winslow with Willie Cauley-Stein a close second. Winslow will have the ability to defend one through four despite not measuring as tall as you would have liked. His wingspan more than made up for it. I’d bet on his shot creation skills improving with time and that’s what puts him ahead of WCS for me. WCS is a potential defensive player of the year and can create shots in a different way on offense (diving in the PnR), but his offensive impact won’t be that of Winslow.

Fisher-Cohen: If these were my options at #4, I’d probably go with one of the two Euros with Hezonja coming out ahead due to his NBA body. Hezonja has the size, agility and length to fit the new “positionless NBA” that Spoelstra talked about and that Golden State has fulfilled. He can already shoot and seems to be extremely athletic. All he has to do is improve his ball handling and learn how to draw contact, which is something numerous wings with similar athleticism and length have learned to do (Paul George, Gallinari, Klay Thompson, Hayward).

Topaz: Winslow, please and thank you. Porzingis is very appealing — partly because of his athleticism and shooting ability, partly because of the undeserved verbal thrashing he’d receive from well-lubricated Knicks fans at Barclay’s. But I have to agree with Robert, here. Winslow seems special. I don’t see many weaknesses, other than a little lack of polish on the offensive end. He’s strong, athletic, extremely tough, and an excellent defender at multiple positions whose game improved considerably on both ends as the college season went on.

Cronin: I think the most likely scenario is that WInslow has the best NBA career. But Cauley-Stein and Zinger could easily outperform him. Their likelihood of doing so, though, is not as great. I disagree, though, with the assertion that Winslow will be at worst as good as Kidd-Gilchrist on defense. He might be that good, but that’s an awfully high bar to expect a guy to hit as an “at worst.”

[New York Daily News] At NBA draft, could D’Angelo Russell fall to Knicks? (Mon, 22 Jun 2015 03:43:30 GMT)

The Knicks and their fans have been pointing to these next two weeks since before the calendar turned to 2015.

[New York Times] Shocking: Tulsa Leads Western Conference in WNBA (Mon, 22 Jun 2015 06:25:38 GMT)

Don’t look now, but the Tulsa Shock are sitting atop the Western Conference.

[New York Times] Small Ball Was Story of Finals, but Bigs May Own Draft Night (Mon, 22 Jun 2015 06:16:35 GMT)

Small ball was the story of the NBA Finals.

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Brittany Boyd Leads Liberty to Victory Over Dream (Mon, 22 Jun 2015 04:34:18 GMT)

Brittany Boyd scored a career-high 18 points, and the visiting Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream, 73-64.

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!

10 years from now, where will this draft rank in terms of NBA talent?

Silverman: Can I just keep putting shrug emoticons? It’s a total crapshoot. At the start of the season, you’d probably put the 2013 draft under the biggest bus you could find and tramle it to death. Even Mike Woodson would approve.

Now? Otto Porter looked great during the playoffs, Alex Len’s starting for Phoenix, Victor Oladipo looks like he’s ready to bust out. Nerlens Noel alone brought Philly’s defense to the middle of the pack. Rudy Gobert’s the Stifle Tower. And on and on.

Gibberman: I see it being something like the 2010 draft. Some strong top end talent and high quality throughout almost all of the top 10 picks. Also, some good selections throughout the later first round. I love this draft.

Fisher-Cohen: It’s hard for me to judge. It’s been so long since the Knicks have had a high draft pick, that my head is way deeper into this draft than previous ones. However, my impression is that the top of the draft will end up somewhat underwhelming compared to most drafts while picks 5-15 will have 2-3 real gems, maybe something like the 2004 draft.

Kurylo: It’s not going to be as good at the 2003 draft, but it’ll be better than anything from 2004-2010. Maybe take out LeBron James from 2003, and you have this group. I think it’ll be better than 2004. Towns can be the next Dwight, and I think the next 7 guys will out perform Andre Iguodala, Luol Deng, Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Josh Smith, Devin Harris, and Anderson Varejao.

Cronin: I think Mike nailed it – this draft really looks a lot like the 2003 Draft, sans Lebron. That draft had top shelf talent like Melo, Bosh and Wade in the top five while this draft has guys like Towns, Okafor and Russell who look like they’ll be stars. Mudiay would seriously be a #1 pick in the last two drafts and he’s not even necessarily going to be a top four pick this year! That’s nuts! Also, this draft even has a European bust going in the top five just like 2003 (I kid, Mario, I kid!).

[New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Ex-Atlanta Hawks General Manager Cleared (Sun, 21 Jun 2015 04:25:07 GMT)

An independent investigation determined that Danny Ferry was not motivated by racial bias when he made statements that led to the buyout of his contract.

[New York Daily News] Isola: Phil Jackson’s strange trip with Knicks continues (Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:13:57 GMT)

This was always Phil Jackson’s time of year.