Knicks Morning News (2017.12.15)

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. Gives Referee Monty McCutchen New Job in League Office
    (Friday, December 15, 2017 4:15:14 AM)

    As vice president, head of referee development and training, he will mentor and coach referees from the N.B.A., N.B.A. G League and the W.N.B.A.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: Live From New York, It Will Be a Struggling Carmelo Anthony
    (Friday, December 15, 2017 12:32:46 AM)

    The former Knicks star makes his New York return on Saturday night, and he will arrive here as a member of a Thunder team not doing all that great.

  • [NYPost] The secret to Frank Ntilikina’s newfound success is simple
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 7:21:02 PM)

    The mind is a terrible thing to use. At least in games. And one guy who wholeheartedly agrees is Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina, who more and more is adhering to the advice of teammates and coaches and playing more on instinct rather than thinking everything through as if the NBA were advanced calculus. Jarrett Jack,…

  • [NYPost] Knicks asked Courtney Lee to step up and he answered big
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 7:06:04 PM)

    With Kristaps Porzingis back in the locker room with knee pain and Tim Hardaway Jr. wearing a walking boot on the bench, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek made a remark to Courtney Lee to start the fourth quarter. “Fourth quarter, coach told me to step up, we need you,’’ Lee recounted. “I said, ‘I got you…

  • [NYPost] Kristaps Porzingis’ durability has to be Knicks’ top concern
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 6:29:16 PM)

    The Knicks posted a 111-104 victory over the Nets in Barclays Center, and the best news of all — more than Courtney Lee’s 27 points, more than Frank Ntilikina’s continued development, more than a victory on the road — was that Kristaps Porzingis could stand and walk. Now standing erect became a big deal a…

  • [NYPost] Knicks hold off pesky Nets as Porzingis injury worry lingers
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 5:09:47 PM)

    The Knicks won the game, but the night turned into an alarming Brooklyn Bummer at Barclays Center. Knicks stud Kristaps Porzingis removed himself from the game with a left-knee injury with 9:55 left in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 111-104 victory over the Nets on Thursday. He headed to the locker room, limping in…

  • [NYPost] Kristaps Porzingis leaves Knicks game with knee injury
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 4:24:55 PM)

    Knicks stud Kristaps Porzingis suffered a non-contact left-knee injury with 9:55 left in the third quarter vs. the Nets and removed himself from the game immediately and headed to the locker room, limping in the tunnel. Porzingis was defending Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and appeared to take a bad step. On occasion, non-contact injuries wind…

  • [NYPost] There’s a strange basketball feeling in this city — hope
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 3:49:26 PM)

    Try youth and development. It’s so crazy, it just might work. And that’s what both the Knicks and the Nets are discovering this season. So are their fans, who entered with low-ceiling expectations and have to be encouraged — as well as very entertained — that the quick fixes are dead. When the two teams…

  • [NYPost] Hardaway Jr. speaks on mysterious injury: ‘This is serious’
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 2:15:58 PM)

    Knicks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. indicated his absence will last past the Christmas season. In his first remarks since going down with “a stress injury” in his lower left leg, Hardaway called it a “serious injury,” said he’s not going to “force the issue” and declined to give himself “a deadline’’ to return despite feeling…

  • [NYPost] Meet Ariel Smith, the newest ex-Knick Jewish convert
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 10:57:26 AM)

    You can call him Ariel Smith now. Chris Smith, the former Knicks point guard and J.R. Smith’s younger brother, is making a basketball comeback and is set to debut next week in the Israeli League for Ironi Nahariya after recently converting to Judaism. Smith became an Orthodox Jew — the strictest level. Smith’s new Hebrew…

  • [SNY Knicks] Porzingis update: Knee buckled, removed for precautionary reasons
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 10:20:25 PM)

    Kristaps Porzingis exited the Knicks game against the Nets with a non-contact left knee injury.

  • [SNY Knicks] Rare Knicks’ road win marred by Porzingis injury
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 10:05:03 PM)

    The Knicks grabbed a rare road victory as the beat the Nets 111-104, but Kristaps Porzingis exited with a non-contact knee injury.

  • [SNY Knicks] Tim Hardaway Jr. refuses to give timetable for return
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 7:22:31 PM)

    Tim Hardaway Jr. has finally spoken publically about his “serious’ injury.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks’ arrow pointing up as holidays approach
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 6:10:56 PM)

  • [SNY Knicks] Tonight’s game: Knicks at Nets, 7:30 p.m.
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 5:11:20 PM)

    Knicks look to make it three wins in a row against the Nets in Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m.

  • [SNY Knicks] Kanter worried about helping Knicks, not nagging injurries
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 10:49:01 AM)

    Knicks C Enes Kanter will continue to play through his injuries as the team has no plans to shut him down.

  • [NYDN] Knicks hang on despite losing Porzingis in 111-104 win over Nets
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 8:47:36 PM)

    The Knicks were seemingly on their way to a comfortable road win. No problems. No hiccups.

  • [NYDN] Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn’t know when he’ll return for Knicks
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 8:47:08 PM)

    There’s a lot Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn’t know about the stress injury that sidelined him indefinitely, like when he can play basketball again.

  • [NYDN] Kristaps Porzingis leaves Knicks game with sore left knee
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 4:59:02 PM)

    Kristaps Porzingis left Thursday’s game against with an apparent knee injury.

  • [ESPN] Porzingis exits vs. Nets with left knee soreness
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 9:30:18 PM)

    Kristaps Porzingis left the Knicks’ game at Brooklyn in the third quarter Thursday night because of a sore left knee and is unsure whether he can play Saturday against Oklahoma City in Carmelo Anthony’s first game back at MSG.

  • [ESPN] ‘Entourage’ actor to aid Knicks as esports scout
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 1:15:22 PM)

    A fan of the Knicks and gaming, “Entourage” actor Jerry Ferrara has joined the team’s esports effort as head scout.

  • [NY Newsday] Caris LeVert’s ‘confidence’ helping second-year player mature in new role
    (Friday, December 15, 2017 1:12:10 AM)

    It’s hardly how they drew it up, and it’s far from ideal, but that doesn’t mean the Nets aren’t loving every minute of Caris LeVert’s metamorphosis.

  • [NY Newsday] Is lack of durability Kristaps Porzingis’ biggest issue?
    (Friday, December 15, 2017 12:18:52 AM)

    The Knicks have found a way to stay competitive without Tim Hardaway Jr. The question now is whether they are going to have to do it without Kristaps Porzingis.

  • [NY Newsday] Kristaps Porzingis leaves early with sore knee, Knicks hold on to beat Nets
    (Friday, December 15, 2017 12:17:19 AM)

    Kristaps Porzingis felt his knee buckle and then felt a sharp pain. It was the sort of thing that would strike fear in most any basketball player, but he wasn’t too worried, he said afterward. He stayed in, got some treatment and tried to play through the pain.

  • [NY Newsday] Tim Hardaway Jr. won’t rush back
    (Thursday, December 14, 2017 11:02:07 PM)

    Tim Hardaway Jr.’s spirits are good and his leg is on the mend, but there still is no clear timetable for his return to the Knicks.