[SNY Knicks] NBA announces All-Star starters: Kristaps Porzingis falls short (Thursday, January 18, 2018 6:25:57 PM)
Kristaps Porzingis fell just on the outside looking in to be an All-Star starter, as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid were voted ahead of him.
[SNY Knicks] Report: Hornacek could be coaching for his job in final 37 games (Thursday, January 18, 2018 5:35:09 PM)
According to a report, Jeff Hornacek might be coaching for his job amid ‘whispers’ that Mark Jackson could replace him.
[SNY Knicks] Hornacek says bad defense cost Knicks game, not technical foul (Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:53:47 AM)
Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t want to hear about Courtney Lee’s late techincal foul costing his team the game. They shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place.
[SNY Knicks] Lee after receiving questionable tech: ‘I’m at a loss for words’ (Thursday, January 18, 2018 8:18:08 AM)
Knicks SG Courtney Lee believes he was the latest victim of bad refereeing after a questionable technical foul cost the Knicks’ comeback late in Memphis.
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 7:42:22 PM)
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 7:31:19 PM)
SALT LAKE CITY — Jeff Hornacek wants to see much more fire and passion from the Knicks at the start of games and throughout them, and challenged his team to play with more pride.
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 10:18:12 PM)
SALT LAKE CITY — The conversation occurred in the summer after the Jazz selected Westchester product Donovan Mitchell on draft night. Jazz top assistant Johnnie Bryant, who worked closely with Gordon Hayward, wasn’t surprised to hear Mitchell, the 13th pick, say he wanted to win a title, wanted to be an All-Star. “What struck me…
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 5:35:29 PM)
SALT LAKE CITY — There was anger in the Knicks’ locker room late Wednesday night and anger in Jeff Hornacek’s voice after their 105-99 meltdown in Memphis. Perhaps they were hit by the realization of a playoff race slipping away into a developmental phase. Whispers are another few terrible defensive performances like the one on…
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 2:12:06 PM)
We tend to look at coaching as a zero-sum game: You’ve either got the goods to be a champion, and quickly, or you don’t. You’re either BeliSaban or you’re Kotite. You either get a parade. Or you get a pink slip. Too few coaches ever are given the chance to do what we routinely expect…
(Thursday, January 18, 2018 1:41:56 PM)
Kristaps Porzingis missed out on being named an Eastern Conference All-Star Game starter like a shot that circles the rim before falling to the court. The Knicks star lost out on the fifth spot to the 76ers’ Joel Embiid, after the voting results were announced Thursday evening for the All-Star Game to be held Feb….
[NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: 8 Fearless N.B.A. Predictions: LeBron, Boogie and the Blazers’ Backcourt (Friday, January 19, 2018 3:27:36 AM)
Don’t order that LeBron James Lakers jersey just yet.
[NYDN] Nigel Hayes leaves Knicks, signs 10-day contract with Lakers (Thursday, January 18, 2018 3:08:18 PM)
Nigel Hayes is leaving “dirty” NYC for sunny California.
[NYDN] Porzingis misses All-Star Game as Embiid grabs final spot (Thursday, January 18, 2018 1:54:57 PM)
Kristaps Porzingis has more respect from the players than he does the fans (or the media).
[NYDN] Knick great Walt Frazier diagnosed with scratched cornea (Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:54:34 AM)
Walt “Clyde” Frazier is still “Resounding and Astounding” with his “Wit and Grit.”
[NYDN] Jeff Hornacek isn’t to blame, but Knicks may not keep him around (Thursday, January 18, 2018 10:27:28 AM)
The Jerry Sloan in Jeff Hornacek surfaced late Wednesday night in Memphis when reporters offered a convenient alibi for an inexcusable loss.
85 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.01.19)”
I haven’t been watching the G League but Dotson has supposedly looked pretty good and we may have a couple of other players that will eventually get called up.
Gobert is probable tonight. Good news for the tank.
I don’t get the Ron Baker bashing. He is a very good defensive player by any metric and hardly shoots so his TS doesn’t really matter all that much. He has a positive VORP and a reasonable WS48 for a backup. Sure, he’s overpaid, but it’s hardly his fault that the team is losing.
re: ron baker…. i think to anyone who has functioning eyes, the teams defense is better because at the very least, you see one guy busting his ass all over the court… and his name is ron baker… do stats support this…
@3
I like Ron, but his metrics look better than his actual quality as a player because he was extremely hot from 3 to start the year and had a 65 TS%. Even then, he was only a league average player (maybe slightly above), because he doesn’t really do anything besides shoot on low volume and defend well. If he’s not shooting 40+% from 3, then you’re left with an end of bench guy who’s basically replacement level, I think.
Apparently the Hornets are making everyone available in trade talks. They’ve been trying to move MKG, Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard, and Nic Batum but their contracts are too big, so now they’re willing to attach Kemba Walker in return for a young player/first round pick. I wonder if we could call and steal MKG and his broken jumper because he’s essentially what the Knicks want out of Lance Thomas; a combo forward who actually makes an impact defensively.
As I said before, Deandre Ayton is alright but he is no Jock Landale…
https://deadspin.com/saint-marys-beat-gonzaga-and-now-theyre-not-just-some-w-1822227619
Hmm. Fire sales are always interesting but if they’re looking to shed salary I don’t know what we could do to help them since we’re also looking to shed salary.
Ron’s value is not related to his TS%, although obviously a higher TS is better. He’s an excellent defender (13th best SG by DRPM, has a positive DBPM (+0.9 which is 17th best amongst PG/SG per B-R), and 2nd in the league in steals per 36 to Kawhi). Defense is 50% of the game is it not? And on offense he’s not a total zero and does many of the little things that keep an offense moving — good cuts, smart passes, ball doesn’t stick in his hands. Evidence of this is that even though he hardly ever plays with the Knicks 2 highest scorers (THJ/KP) or most efficient offensive player (Kanter), the team’s offense is significantly better with him on the floor than off (107.5 on, 104 off). His on-court ORtg is 2nd best on the team to THJ (107.6). Some of this is that he’s generally playing against backups, but it’s hard to ask more of the 4th guard on your team.
I strongly think Ron should play more. I would break down the minutes like this:
PG: Jack 10 min, Frank 25 min, Burke 8 min, Baker 5 min
SG: Lee 25 min, THJ 10 min, Baker 13 min
SF: THJ 22 min, McDermott 20 min, Lee 6 min, Lance zero minutes
So Jack plays 10 min
Frank plays 25 min
Burke plays 8 min
Baker plays 18 min
Lee plays 31 min
THJ plays 32 min
McDermott plays 20 min
@5 this is not really accurate. He played in only 5 games in Oct-Nov (51 minutes) and went 2-3 from 3pt range. Then in Dec, he had one game when he went 3-4 from 3. Other than that, he’s been pretty consistently mediocre from 3. However, considering how much he touches the ball and how rarely he shoots, he hardly commits any turnovers anymore. He also leads the team by far in steal rate. In his 18 Dec-Jan games (191 minutes) he has 28 assists, 18 steals and only 8 turnovers (zero in 6 January games (93 minutes!)) It’s pretty disingenuous to call him a bad player based solely on TS% when that is such a small part of his game.
by the way I think Kemba Walker would be fun but the cost would be too high and his timeline is not even close to what ours should be.
Well, most of those Charlotte guys are better than what we have to offer, so it makes trades to contenders that much harder. O’Quinn at least has a friendly contract.
I see Baker as a marginal rotation player. He’s a good defender, makes hustle plays like diving for loose balls, is pretty good play maker from SG position, but he’s not a real PG and doesn’t score and space the floor enough to be considered a real SG. I think you can use him in select lineups, against certain matchups, or maybe when the team comes out dull like against Memphis and you want some energy, but we should be aspiring to better than Baker as a backup or he’s going to have to expand his offense a little to earn the job.
If there’s a loose ball, of the ten guys on the floor, my money’s on Ron Baker getting hands on it.
He’s overpaid, but he brings it.
My biggest gripe with Ron Baker is that he’s always fixing his hair.
The Hornets are a mess.
I’m fine with Ron as the fifth guard, and I don’t care that he’s overpaid, but it just hurts our flexibility to have him locked into that contract when fifth guards are relatively easy and cheap on the market.
@Knicksfilmroom just put up a theoretical trade framework for Kemba —
KOQ+Kanter+NYK 2018 1st for Kemba + Marvin Williams
Let’s say Charlotte is willing to give top 5 protection on that pick.
Do we consider that maybe?
Marvin Williams goes until the 2019-20 season (same as Lee/Noah)
He’s been shockingly efficient this year TS 64 although only strangely on 14 usage
Dunno. I think it’d be fun but the wrong way to build.
lol no, absolutely not, no
I bet the front office is on the phone with MJ as we speak smdh
Wrong way to build for future, but Kemba/Lee/THJ/Williams/KP would be a freaking fun group to watch. We’d never get a rebound but it’d be fun.
I would maybe do Lee/O’Quinn for Williams and make him guard centers. No picks involved.
Giving up our 2018 pick for Kemba Walker would be Knicksy to the power of 10.
It sounds like they’re essentially using Kemba as sweetener to pawn off at least one of Dwight/Batum/Williams/MKG.
I mean, if they want to salary dump Kemba and anyone but Batum (that contract is too shitty) for literally nothing (salary and protected 2nd rounder) I would do it. He’s still somewhat young and his contract is both cheap and short. I’d hang up the second they asked for so much as a protected first though.
I wouldn’t even consider that Charlotte trade.
I want to move Kanter, but I’m not taking back Marvin Willians at 31 for 3 years when Kanter is 25 and signed for only 2 years.
I think we are going to trade O’Quinn and may not get back a much as I think is fair, but even if it’s only a 2nd round pick I’m not giving him away.
I’m not anxious to bring in Kemba and certainly not for our 1st round pick when we are starting to tank and already have Frank. Maybe we won’t get a player as good as Kemba in the draft, but I’ll take my chances filling a need and not having to worry about signing Kemba back at a huge salary.
Chris Herring reads Knickerblogger.net.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/kristaps-porzingis-is-doing-his-best-carmelo-anthony-impression/
I can make trades work in the trade machine that look sort of fair, but the intrinsic problem is that we want to trade a center and they already have Howard.
I’ve been a Batum fan for a long time, but he’s not having a very good year and that contract has disaster written all over it.
Hell no to any Kemba trades. Maybe if he were 3 years younger.
MKG would be a nice pickup for cheap on the other hand.
Good point #23, we would need at least a 2nd rounder back, and that won’t happen. Plus the center glut needs more thinning. We clearly got left holding the flaming hot bag of centers.
It’s good to note here how all these bad contracts, some even not that egregious, have to be sweetened with something. Who’s our sweetener? I fear it’s Willy.
I’d like to see Dwight in a Knicks uniform if only to see what it looks like when a team wins more games and hates each other at the same time.
I’m okay if we trade for picks or young players otherwise I don’t buy it.
Why help solve other teams’ problems when we’re already full of it?
It’s unrealistic to think that we could fleece anyone in trades
and if the trades are balanced the costs we must absorb in terms of picks and/or contracts are probably too high.
Nearly every team has a Noah-like albatross it wants to shed, but we’re not obliged to accept…
Picks or youngsters, otherwise is better to stay put, lose a ton and scout the G-League.
This is the of thing I have been talking about. It’s one of the things I think Phil may have done wrong when he was cleaning house of JR, Felton, Shumpert, and Chandler to rebuild.
Our team isn’t going to really be coming into it’s own for another 2-3 years. KP will be approaching his peak and Frank will still be a kid at that point. When you have few bad contracts and good older players while in our position, you don’t HAVE TO give away anything to move them. You can sit on them until their contracts expire or get short enough to move them. They’ll all be coming off the books at around the same time we are becoming a serious team. That will open the cap space we’ll need to either bring in another star or fill out some other needs. There is no reason to panic or do crazy things just because we have Noah, Lee, Thomas, KOQ, Kanter, Beasley, or other players on the team than may not be around long term. If we get a good deal, great. Other than that out motto should be “Primum non nocere” – “First do no harm”. I would not give up anything good to get rid of any of those guys when the team is still years away from being really good.
I think it is too early to trade for a player like Kemba, but I dont think it is crazy because it is insanely difficult to get a good PG in free agency. PGs usually have short careers and the good ones are usually locked for the 8 first years to the franchise that drafted them. This might be like the time we passed on Kyle Lowry; after that, we did not have the opportunity to sign a quality PG and were stuck with Calderon and nobody behind him (and Rose after that…). Of course, signing Kyle Lowry might have made the Knicks worse as of now, since we would not have drafted Porzingis, and we would still have needed to improve the team to have a chance at a championship.
EDIT: Obviously, the answer is to draft a good PG, but those are also hard to come by. And right now I feel that Ntilikina will end up being more of a combo guard (a good one, but not a pure PG).
Yeah, because whatever would we do without Porzingis’s -0.7 BPM keeping this team afloat? We’d be winning games, and no one wants that!
Didn’t we have this “trade a few guys + a #1 for Kemba and Marvin Williams” conversation about a month ago?
NO to trading a first round pick for Kemba Walker.
Double no thank you to obtaining Dwight Howard, period – Immature Loser
Ron Baker has attempted 30 3 point field goals this season. If you are trying to break that up into discrete segments to gain insight into his value as a player you are wasting your time.
@38
Numbers don’t lie, bruh! Now DRed, we need numbers to fill up our spreadsheets and condemn the Ron Bakers of the world.
🙂
Setting Ron Baker aside (seriously, we’re talking about a 5th guard who gets mostly spot duty), isn’t anyone worried about all the reports now that Hornacek is coaching for his job with the specter of Mark Jackson lurking? I hope all that is just bs, but if not expect continued doses of Jack, LT, and Beas at the expense of the young guys. And that would be a big mistake, far worse than Ron Baker’s presence on the roster.
Numbers only lie if they’re suggesting that a 7’3″ demigod with a wet stroke could ever be less than a true-blue franchise player.
Definitely going to do the Knicksy thing and bring Mark Jackson in. I would be pissed if I was Dolan still paying for my last 2 coaches while hiring a third idiot.
@38 is that directed at me or at Silky? FWIW, I totally agree with you. The reality is, he’s a defensive specialist who probably shouldn’t be left wide open from 3.
if we had a starting level SF on the roster i would totally be on board with grabbing kemba… we are two pieces away and getting one undermines getting the other….
@40
Actually, numbers only lie when they don’t support the poster’s opinion (me, you, anybody).
🙂
As for KP, now he is a much bigger issue than poor Ron. KP’s a starter, logs tons of minutes, takes lots of shots, is supposedly the franchise centerpiece, and will cost a lot more to retain in the future. So yeah, his numbers are much more of a concern.
I’m very concerned with his 3 year trend of starting fast and fading. His inefficiency in scoring is troubling. Maybe he’ll improve, maybe not. I have no idea if he’s truly a “franchise player” or not, but if I were running the Knicks, I would not assume that he is at this time.
Whatever. Mills and co. need to assure Hornacek that his job is safe (maybe they have…maybe not), deal off OQ, Lee, and Beasley if possible. Play the kids more to better evaluate what they have moving forward, esp. Willy. Move Jack and LT to fringe minutes if they can’t be dealt. Etc.
Oh, and no trading 1st round picks for Kemba Walker.
🙂
Wasn’t Blatt Mill’s roommate at Princeton or something. At least Blatt is smart experienced and successful
Not sure I see the value in MKG either. Yes he’s a better rebounder and defender than Lance. But he’s making $13m (vs Lance’s $7m) and doesn’t move the needle much. He can’t shoot AT ALL beyond 16 feet. Doesn’t even attempt 3s anymore. How far can you go with a starting SF who can’t stretch defenses?
And although he’s still only 24, this is his 6th season already. I don’t see much room for growth there.
yeah have to figure if it’s not Hornacek it will be Blatt.
I’m generally ok with Hornacek I think. Better to have a little bit of continuity/stability unless the coach is really bad. I think Hornacek has been adequate even with his weird lineup stuff. You just can’t have another head coach for KP —
Mark Jackson managed to hold one of the greatest teams of all time to total mediocrity. His final season in GS, they were 12th in ORtg. 12th! As soon as his dumb ass was out the door they completely destroyed the entire league as one of the funnest teams ever.
Apparently sermons about the Lord are not an adequate substitute for knowledge of basketball.
People I would rather have as coach than Mark Jackson:
1. Samuel L Jackson
2. Janet Jackson
3. Phil Jackson
4. The great grandson of Shoeless Joe Jackson
5. Jackson Browne
6. Jeff Hornacek
@49
You forgot about…
Action Jackson! (the old 70’s GI Joe like toy hero)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXiNR_XwhQM
Reggie Jackson (Mr. October…not good for an NBA coach)
KP is already running on empty. Jackson Browne would not right the ship
I’d like to see Hornaceck with a PG that isn’t bottom 5 at his position for once.
enes is starting to scare me with all his “knick for life” talk…no way is that dude opting out…
he must be traded…
if horny goes – which, based on his odd rotations alone, wouldn’t bother me one bit if he’s let go at the end of the season – i’d much rather have blatt than jackson…
here’s to hoping that neither jack or lance are in the starting lineup tonight…
no one is trading for Kanter, certainly not with $18MM due him next season too. You’d have to attach assets to get rid of him, or take back an equally bad contract.
well actually… maybe Vlade? Although I don’t think the Knicks and Kings are allowed to trade for a year, right?
I’d sooner let the Reggie Jackson who plays for the Pistons coach the Knicks than Mark Jackson.
So we all know that it will happen. It’s just such a Knicksy move. Jackson is still sadly a “name” and Dolan loooooooves names (hence allowing Phil to be a shitty GM for as long as he did).
Hornacek should bench Kanter and start Willy. It would serve 2 purposes.
1. Get Willy the minutes he needs and give us a better idea of what we have
2. Get Kanter pissed off. Maybe he’d consider leaving for a long contract for a little less per year
a little diabolical – but, 100% the right move…
“People I would rather have as coach than Mark Jackson:
1. Samuel L Jackson
2. Janet Jackson
3. Phil Jackson
4. The great grandson of Shoeless Joe Jackson
5. Jackson Browne
6. Jeff Hornacek”
“KP is already running on empty. Jackson Browne would not right the ship”
You Guys – Too Funny
Yeah I have to agree, changing coaches again might not be a great move for continuity. Hornacek has been up and down but not a complete tire fire. I would say give him more time for now.
Hand Down Man Down!!!!!
There are many and much worse contracts than Kanter’s.
I mean, the Knicks have at least two contracts worse than Kanter’s already.
“What Mark Jackson knows is that Mark Jackson will be the next Knicks head coach”
*Chandler Parsons moonwalks onto the stage*
There are many bad contracts, but that doesn’t mean that someone will give you a good contract or an asset for Kanter. There are already too many bigs across the league, and dudes that absolutely can’t play defense are not in demand, especially when they’re owed $18MM/year.
re: mkg…. being able to shoot 3s is a good thing to have… but i’m not sure if it’s a requisite…. the grizzlies were able to go pretty far with tony allen playing heavy minutes and he was a nonfactor from the perimeter…. thabo wasn’t exactly that great for okc either….
mkg is a middling sf starter type but he is a viable starter in my eyes…. he brings things to the table that are valuable but he also happens to take things away… but in aggregate he’s a plus….
i don’t necessarily think mark jackson would be a bad coach…. he was a big part in the development of that team and i think the main reason why klay is such a good defender when he wasn’t at all in college…. kerr’s success was basically because lee went down and they had to play draymond which coincided with his breakout….
i don’t want mark jackson to be the coach though more because of his personality… word was that he butted heads with everyone including his own staff… if you can’t work with ppl then you’re not going to succeed doing anything….
Agreed. Make him a player-coach. I’ll take the baseball-playing Reggie Jackson too. And is Bo available?
You just know Dolan and the marketing department are salivating over the “triumphant homecoming” of Mark Jackson. (Followed by the inevitable firing in disgrace 2.5 years later after the team wins 30 games every year while the locker room devolves into backbiting and chaos.)
This franchise is nothing if not predictable.
Stonewall Jackson?
Andrew Jackson?
No, it has to go 30 one year, 32 the next so he gets brought back for Year 3, then gets fired when they’re on pace to get 25, but Kurt Rambis takes over and an easy back of the season schedule allows them to get to 33 and so Rambis gets signed to a 4-year extension.
I think the reports of Mark Jackson are just speculation by the media at this point, much like when the media speculated that the Knicks were going to keep Kurt Fucking Rambis as head coach after the Fisher firing. I can’t see it being anybody but David Blatt if Hornacek gets fired.
I’ll be pretty bothered if it’s Jackson, though. Dude is an asshole that no one really likes, which is an easy way to fuck up being a good coach.
Sometimes there’s such an outcry over an anticipated terrible move that sports teams change course at the last minute to avoid a fan revolt. I suspect this was the case when Hornacek was hired over Rambis. Rambis was probably the favorite, the media reported it, fans threw a fit, and Phil was pressured to go in another direction (with Rambo staying on as an assistant, of course).
If it’s true that Mills urged Phil to interview Mark Jackson, that’s a bad sign. We already know Mills isn’t the brightest basketball mind (see: his entire Knick tenure).
Yeah, that appeared to be precisely what happened with the Rambis situation, at least according to Phil’s mouthpiece, Charley Rosen.
Do you think Rambis is another Dolan mole like Herb, who’s got a job for life no matter how many coaches come and go?
What about Kanter and Noah for Batum and MKG? Even taking on Noah, Charlotte would shed a lot of salary.
Batum’s contract runs a year longer than Noah’s, it’s an absolutely awful contract. The last year is for Batum’s age 32 season in 2020-2021 at a cool $27M.
I would make that trade. Batum was good as recently as last year; not sure why his numbers fell of a cliff this. He plays a position of need, whereas Noah plays no position. He may also be able to mentor Frank a little.
And yeah, it would be fun to watch MKG, Frank, and the Zingus play D. We give up a lot without Kanter’s O, but I think Strat is right that he gives up more than he provides.
Most of all, we clear up the logjam at C, allowing us to keep KOQ, probably the most productive player on the team.
The point is, we’d exchange bad contacts, but would be more balanced. Most important in that equation is being able to do the smart thing and keep KOQ and free Willy.
As well, we wouldn’t be left with Lance effing Thomas at SF when we traded Lee for a second round pick.
We are talking about trades with Charlotte, because they are in the news as a team that wants to make trades. But they don’t need a center. Milwaukee does, and wants to improve to compete this year. What are possibilities for trades with them?
We have enough of our own headaches. I don’t want any of Charlotte’s. I’ve long been a Batum fan, but I wouldn’t touch that contract with Danny Ainge’s money.
If we can move any our vets for shorter contracts and any kind of picks or young rotation players I’m all for it. Other than that I would literally rather stand pat, watch all these guys slowly come off the cap, and slowly replace them with younger players on fair deals. Phil gave us the Noah contract and Mills gave us questionable contracts for Baker and Hardaway. We can’t afford a single additional mistake beyond 2 years.
Charlotte is looking to unload players for picks and to shed salary.
Batum plays the least-important position in the modern NBA, is too old, is overpaid and appears to be in the midst of a predictable decline (his best season was four years ago). Why are we even talking about Nic Batum?
Exactly. This makes them an unlikely trade partner for us. They are more likely to trade with Milwaukee or Cleveland.
Porzingis on making All-star squad:
“I would hope so,” he said on Friday, according to reports. “In my mind, I deserve it. All I got to do is play good and win games and the results will take care of itself.”
Delusional, mellenial, shit. Ugh!