Knicks Morning News (2018.06.05)

  • [NYPost] Knicks legends wish Phil Jackson had reached out for help
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 7:50:25 PM)

    Former Knicks guard Dick Barnett has something Phil Jackson doesn’t have — his Knicks jersey retired in the Garden rafters. But in reflecting on the Zen Master’s failure as Knicks president, Barnett, who wore No. 12, wondered why Jackson never once consulted with him nor another backcourt legend, Walt Frazier, during his futile 3½-year stint…

  • [NYPost] Knicks president ready to see what Trae Young has to offer
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 5:46:12 PM)

    Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry started their Monday evening at the formal Bill Bradley tribute gala for the Hospital for Special Surgery, then were heading for a late-night dinner with Oklahoma’s electric point guard prospect Trae Young. “He’s an intriguing player, intriguing talent,’’ Mills said Monday on the eve of Young’s…

  • [NYPost] David Fizdale, wife Natasha dine with Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 6:07:36 AM)

    When Fizdale, a former Heat assistant coach, was fired from his job with the Grizzlies last November, Wade sent out supportive Tweets.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks reportedly finalizing deal to make Royal Ivey assistant coach
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 3:15:57 PM)

    The Knicks are reportedly close to finalizing a deal to make Royal Ivey an assistant coach on David Fizdale’s staff next season.

  • [NYDN] Queens jury finds ex-NYPD cop not guilty of 234 child porn charges
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 3:10:00 AM)

    AN EX-COP was acquitted Monday on 234 counts of child pornography possession, his lawyer said.

    Yong-fa Wu, 38, who spent three years on the force, was charged in 2014 with downloading and keeping hundreds of images of minors engaged in sex acts, according to the Queens District Attorney.

    The Department…

  • [NYDN] ‘Sex and the City’ writers have one huge regret on show’s 20th anniversary
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 3:00:00 AM)

    Two decades after “Sex and the City” premiered, the show’s writers remain extremely proud of their creation, with one exception – name-dropping then-businessman Donald Trump and later giving him a cameo.

    “If we could do it over again the main thing we would chose is not to involve Donald Trump,”…

  • [NYDN] ‘Hereditary’ review: Toni Collette leads smart, genuinely shocking horror movie
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 3:00:00 AM)

    Gory, gory, hallelujah.

    Filled with strange spells, pale ghosts and bloody decapitations, “Hereditary” is not a horror movie for the faint of heart. Or maybe weak of stomach.

    But if you like your scares served blood-rare, this classic chiller is guaranteed to scare the hell out of you.

    Or maybe…

  • [NYDN] Desegregate these schools: De Blasio is right to focus on Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and other elite city high schools
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 2:00:00 AM)

    Mayor de Blasio’s long-overdue plan to desegregate the city’s top high schools is disappointingly timid and politically so ill-timed that it almost seems intended to fail.

    But even a botched attempt at progress is worth cheering, and the plan is a welcome opportunity to talk about how to end the…

  • [NYDN] American couple killed during botched burglary at Bahia de los Angeles beach home
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 1:50:00 AM)

    A retired American couple was killed in a flurry of gunfire at their sleepy Gulf of California beach house over the weekend, according to a report Monday.

    The couple was likely shot dead in the home during a botched burglary early Saturday in the coastal community of Bahia de los Angeles, the San…

  • [NYDN] Bill games the elite high school admissions test
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 1:10:00 AM)

    In pursuit of the noble goal that the city’s elite high schools look more like the diverse metropolis they serve, Mayor de Blasio is embracing a zero-sum approach that would leave countless working-class Asian students on the outs.

    The single-test admissions system for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science,…

  • [NYDN] EXCLUSIVE: Cabbies say passengers viciously pummeled them — but Queens DA dropped the ball on their cases
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    Three cab drivers claim they suffered serious injuries at the hands of passengers over the past 18 months, but prosecutors in Queens let their attackers off with a slap on the wrist.

    The drivers — Mohammad Rahman, Toffazal Bhuiyan and Irfan Hyder — say prosecutors with the Queens district attorney’s…

  • [NYDN] EXCLUSIVE: Undocumented Jamaican man’s citizenship dreams thwarted by 1993 weed conviction
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    A hard-working, undocumented Jamaican man’s hopes of becoming a U.S. citizen have gone up in smoke due to a marijuana conviction from 1993.

    Now the immigrant, who the Daily News is only identifying by his first name, Howard, is in talks with the office of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to…

  • [NYDN] EXCLUSIVE: Brooklyn man who says he was beaten by cops after asking for help wins $3M verdict
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 1:00:00 AM)

    A 27-year-old Brooklyn man who says he turned to the police for help only to get badly beaten by a trio of cops in front of his young son has been awarded $3 million by a federal jury, the Daily News has learned.

    Thomas Jennings says that as the son of a police officer — his now-decease dad, Levi,…

  • [NYDN] “The Office” star Hugh Dane, Hank the Security Guard, dead at 75
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 12:05:00 AM)

    Hugh Dane, who portrayed beloved security guard Hank in the NBC show “The Office,” has died at age 75.

    The actor also portrayed characters in memorable films and series such as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Bridesmaids.”

    The Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles posted a notice of his …

  • [NYDN] Readers sound off on Verizon, baseball stats and jobs
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 12:00:00 AM)

    I’ll keep my landline, thanks

    Manhattan: My phone company is Verizon. I have a landline. A cable in the street needed repair, so I was without service for several weeks this spring. The last time this happened I was given a “temporary voice solution,” which is a gadget with an antenna you plug…

  • [NYDN] Chris Cuomo holds Rudy Giuliani’s feet to the fire over White House lies in off-the-rails interview
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 11:30:00 PM)

    CNN host Chris Cuomo grilled Rudy Giuliani Monday on why the White House lied about President Trump’s role in helping craft a misleading statement about his son’s meeting with Russian agents.

    Cuomo explained how a leaked letter written by Trump’s legal team showed they admitted the President had…

  • [NYDN] Brooklyn man convicted for 2010 gang killing
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 11:05:00 PM)

    A Brooklyn man was convicted Monday for pumping bullets into two unsuspecting gang rivals eight years ago.

    Federal jurors found Frank Smith guilty of murder in aid of racketeering and other crimes for his role in a Coney Island gang war that boiled over.

    Smith, a longtime member of the violent,…

  • [NYDN] Video shows man wanted in fatal shooting of 17-year-old Bronx girl
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 11:00:00 PM)

    Police released surveillance video early Tuesday of a man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Bronx teen.

    The man fired multiple shots at a group of people, striking 17-year-old Vlana Roberts, at 8:15 p.m. at the corner of E. 181 St. and Vyse Ave. in West Farms on Saturday, police…

  • [NYDN] Teenage slasher slices 16-year-old boy’s shoulder outside Bronx middle school
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 10:35:00 PM)

    A teenage slasher sliced open a fellow teen’s shoulder as he stepped out of a Bronx middle school Monday, cops said.

    The 16-year-old victim was stepping out of Intermediate School 339 on Webster Ave. near Claremont Parkway in Claremont at about 3:30 p.m., when the attacker, 14, approached him,…

  • [NYDN] Lawyers, White House aides were inconsistent on Trump Tower meeting, letter shows
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 10:00:00 PM)

    WASHINGTON — For months, President Donald Trump’s legal team, the White House press secretary and others in Trump’s orbit said he did not dictate or help draft a June 2017 statement trying to explain the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his eldest son and a Russian lawyer.

    Turns out, that…

  • [NYDN] Mother launches racist tirade at Asian woman who allegedly stole her daughter’s seat on New York subway — WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:30:00 PM)

    A mother on a New York subway was caught on video launching a racist tirade at an Asian woman who allegedly pushed her young daughter out her seat.

    The video posted to YouTube by Jose Amatute on May 30 shows the defensive mother shouting at the woman in front of the passengers on a train.

    “He didn’t…

  • [NYDN] ‘Ocean’s 8’ will premiere a day early at AMC theaters for ‘Girls’ Night Out’
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:30:00 PM)

    Girl squads are invited to the heist early.

    AMC Theatres will debut the all-female “Ocean’s 8” reboot a day ahead of schedule for a special “Girls’ Night Out” event.

    Select theaters will show the movie on Wednesday, along with a collectible pen, notebook and order of popcorn. Locations with a bar…

  • [NYDN] Ex-Brooklyn DA groped and forcibly kissed woman, prosecutors say
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:10:00 PM)

    A former Brooklyn assistant district attorney kissed a woman and then grabbed her breast without her consent, prosecutors said when his trial opened Monday.

    The alleged victim was driving Chrismy Sagaille home from a baby shower in April 2017 when he made the unwanted advance, according to Staten…

  • [NYDN] Music-loving nonprofit places 51 colorful pianos across NYC
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:09:00 PM)

    A group of city green spaces got an acoustic boost courtesy of a music-loving nonprofit.

    Sing for Hope placed 51 colorful pianos in public green spaces throughout the city Monday to encourage visitors to play.

    “We’re all creative artistic beings, but too often in our busy modern lives we do not…

  • [NYDN] NOMINATE A NEW YORKER FOR A HOMETOWN HERO AWARD
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:05:00 PM)

    To make a Hometown Heroes nomination, include a brief description of why he or she deserves an award. Please provide relevant names, dates, locations and contact information for the person making the nomination.

    Email: hometownheroes@nydailynews.com

    Letter: “Daily News Hometown Heroes,” Attention:…

  • [NYDN] 2018 Hometown Heroes Rules
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:05:00 PM)

    OVERVIEW

    The Daily News will present the Hometown Heroes awards to showcase people who display generosity, compassion, dedication, selflessness and ingenuity in the education, transit, medical and service (police, fire and emergency medical response) fields, as well as youth who exhibit these laudable…

  • [NYDN] Daily News expands 2018 Hometown Heroes program
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:05:00 PM)

    Think about it. This city is full of heroes.

    From inspiring teachers who go the extra mile for their students, to fearless police officers who save lives, to dedicated subway workers who get us home on time, New Yorkers of every stripe make miracles happen each day.

    That’s why this year the Daily…

  • [NYDN] Mayor de Blasio urged to boost resources to tackle the rising homeless student population
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    More than a dozen advocacy groups called on Mayor de Blasio to improve services for homeless students on Monday amid mounting pressure for action on a crisis of students in temporary housing.

    A record 111,562 city students were homeless or living in temporary housing in the 2016-17 school year,…

  • [NYDN] SEE IT: Keelan Moxley, viral ‘puck girl’ fan, goes nuts following Brett Connolly’s goal in Capitals’ Game 4 Stanley Cup Final win
    (Monday, June 04, 2018 8:45:00 PM)

    In case you needed any more proof Keelan Moxley is Brett Connolly’s biggest fan, you’ve got it.

    Moxley, attending Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in D.C., was seen screaming her head off and breaking into heart-melting grin after Connolly’s third period goal increased the Capitals’ lead over the…

  • [NYTimes] Not at the Game: Over, Easy: A Basketball Aficionado Foresees the Warriors’ Surge Past the Rockets
    (Tuesday, June 05, 2018 10:23:21 AM)

    Fabulous Flournoy, a Bronx native, has been a player-coach for a professional team in Britain for the past 17 seasons.

  • 74 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.06.05)”

    IMHO, if there’s any one characteristic that defines Mikal Bridges, it’s his efficiency.

    He’s really efficient at shooting, scoring, defending, and even developing (with his significant year-to-year improvements between all 3 years). Mikal has that characteristic in spades over every other player in this draft.

    And he did all of that while limited to the few weekly hours the NCAA permits.

    Interesting that Ian Begley, who seems increasingly well-sourced, says the Knicks are going to work out Wendell Carter even though he “likely won’t be available when the Knicks pick”.

    I like Carter, but I definitely worry about the fit with KP.
    If he’s gone before us, that means we would likely be choosing one of MPJ, Mikal Bridges, and Trae Young.

    As time goes on I am more and more interested in picking Trae. I think someone who can create efficient shots for others is probably the hardest thing to find, and outside of Doncic, Trae is probably the best efficient shot creator in the draft. Yes he is small and will get victimized to some extent on defense (truthfully though, he’s not so much smaller than Kyrie and he’s actually bigger than CP3), but hey, we can’t have everything.

    Why do I have a sense that we are going to come up 1 pick short of our target again? Even if he slips by Orlando it seems quite possible Cleveland might pick him.

    yeah re: Mikal – the idea of a player having room for improvement because of age sort of pre-supposes the idea that those players will improve — which doesn’t always happen. Mikal actually HAS improved every year.

    What’s more important is skill level at this stage of the draft and carter is significantly better than all the non-doncic prospects….

    a guy like carter in previous year’s is an auto top 5 prospect…. guy’s like horford, love and brand are good comps…. if you don’t think those guys… or even slightly worse versions of them… can’t play with kp then what pf ever would?…. hell gasol at almost 40 was playing heavy minutes for a very good team himself…

    there’s really no excuse to not pick him .. and if we had the opportunity to trade up for him we should absolutely do it also….

    Mikal has improved at shooting and significantly so. He hasn’t shown much in the ways of physical development or growth as a shot creator off the dribble, ball handler, playmaker/passer or as a rebounder.

    You compare him to a player like Miles Bridges who went from being a small ball 4 in a well spaced, but poorly structured offense to being tasked to be an off ball wing shooter and secondary playmaker in a poorly spaced and structured offense. His efficiency dropped slightly from 58 –> 57.2 TS% despite having to create more for himself off the dribble and worse driving lanes. His ball handling improved tremendously from his freshman year as did his pull up jump shooting.

    I’m not arguing Miles HAS to be the pick at 9, though I do like him, but he’s an example of somebody who has improved his skills in more ways than Mikal has in less time. Mikal has literally only improved his shooting ability over 4 years at Nova. That’s obviously important, but it also leads me to believe his avenues for success in the NBA are more limited, even if the skills he brings are among the most coveted — high volume, high efficiency 3P shooting on a great diversity of shot types and versatile, switchy perimeter defense.

    I want more of a margin for error with who we pick at 9 than banking on those 2 skills translating without significant drop off from college to the pros and/or development in facets where he hasn’t shown a whole lot. I wouldn’t be upset if we do pick Mikal, but there are guys who seem likely to be available I prefer as prospects for sure.

    Hard to see how we could trade up. We shouldn’t offer Frank unless maybe to move up for Doncic. We don’t have much else. Maybe Hardaway and Burke for a team looking to win now and who need to lose some bad contract money (so Memphis, essentially) but I think they’ll get better offers.

    With Trae, it’s so hard to know. Players with low bust potential AND high ceilings get pretty caked before 9 so Trae (high ceiling, low floor) versus Mikal (high floor, low ceiling) is a nice summary of the kind of choice we face…

    I can’t help but look at Mikal Bridges and think “useful Lance Thomas” as his ceiling, and that’s not what I want considering what’s on the board. I guess there’s a chance he turns into Reggie Miller with better defense, but I’d be let down if he was the pick because I don’t think he provides any positional versatility on offense. He can’t dribble so he can’t play the two, and he can’t rebound so he can’t play the four. He’s strictly a small forward and that annoys me a little bit.

    WCJ would be a grade A miracle drop and his fit with KP would be the absolute last thing I’d worry about. Trae Young would be a grade A- miracle drop.

    Sexton looks a lot like a DSJ slash Mitchell level prospect so if he goes in the 8-13 range the gap between the two drafts at that segment might not be was wide as believed?

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    The good news is that we are going to get an opportunity to select a very good player out of this draft. Given that there’s no strong consensus outside the top few, we could easily wind up with one of the best players in the draft despite selecting 9th.

    I like Carter, but I definitely worry about the fit with KP.

    I like the fit with KP a lot.

    I don’t know if it’s wise to expect KP to become a better rebounder, so I believe he needs a real center next to him. And that’s going to be the hardest component to find, because most centers are giving up one thing or another. Kanter, for instance, gives up defense! And even a great center like Clint Capela (who I actually love; how good he is was never the point of that discussion) is a suboptimal fit next to KP because Capela can’t do much if you need to move him away from the basket to give KP space down low.

    The ideal center for KP needs to rebound, needs to be versatile enough to guard perimeter players on switches, should be able to interchange with KP on offense, and should be able to space the floor. Basically Al Horford. And that’s the kind of versatile, complete player Carter looks like he can become.

    Frankly, Horford is the real unicorn. Not a lot of guys like him. That’s why I’d be more excited to land Carter than any other player who has the potential to fall to us.

    In order to land him, it seems we need Chicago to pass on him for a Bridges. But they probably will see him as the perfect fit for Markannen.

    I don’t even want to think about Carter or Trae’s potential fit with the Knicks because if either of them fell we’d be so god damn lucky from a pure value perspective that I just know it won’t happen.

    My guess is we’ll be choosing between the two Bridges, Zhaire Smith, Sexton, Knox, Williams, Brown, etc. My personal first choice from that group would probably be Robert Williams but since I’m fairly certain that won’t happen (as much as this group tries to claim they’ll go BPA they might as well have broadcast to the world that they’re taking a wing) I lean towards Mikal when it comes to players we’re actually considering.

    There are intriguing aspects of Miles’ statistical profile and tape, but I can’t get over the minuscule steal rate from an allegedly plus defender. Mikal’s age isn’t ideal but I think he showed signs early on (2.1 STL/40, .716 2P%, 79% FT as a freshman) and was actually a popular second round sleeper choice on this board when he was briefly considering declaring after his freshman year.

    Sexton looks a lot like a DSJ slash Mitchell level prospect so if he goes in the 8-13 range the gap between the two drafts at that segment might not be was wide as believed?

    Fair, if Sexton goes #9, then that’s not that impressive over last year. To be fair, though, last year was also a strong draft. The Jazz were lucky to have a draft as deep as last year, as in other drafts, Mitchell goes Top 8 easily.

    I think Carter is a real possibility. Porter and Trae, not so much. So I will get my hopes up for Carter. 🙂 Sure would be nice for them to picking #8, but hey, this is the Knicks.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    I think the perfect fit with KP is Shawn Marion.

    Can we clone him and bring him back?

    I still see KP playing C eventually. He’ll never get a LOT of offensive rebounds because he’ll be on the perimeter a lot, but he should do better on the defensive side of the ball if he’s playing C and spending less time on the perimeter chasing PFs. It will also help if he gets stronger. Still, putting him with a PF that excels at rebounding is my favorite scenario. Miles Bridges might be a decent small ball PF to team with him and his rebounding skills might also be helpful if he’s playing SF.

    I actually think Williams is the best potential fit next to KP, but picking him 9th is going for less value than a few other prospects at 9.

    I would for sure wait and see if anyone of the top 8 drops to us but then would consider trading back.

    I honestly don’t know who to take at 9 if no one from the top 8 drops and we can’t trade back. I guess Mikal is the safest pick and he should easily be a rotation player right away, but I prefer taking a risk on the upside of Smith or Miles maybe?

    My guess is it will be Mikal.

    I actually think Williams is the best potential fit next to KP, but picking him 9th is going for less value than a few other prospects at 9.

    That’s why I don’t see how Porter can drop to #9. Even if a team in the top 8 doesn’t want Porter themselves, they have to know that they can trade him easily, because Porter at #7 or #8 is insanely good value. Unless his injury is worse than expected, of course.

    That’s why I don’t see how Porter can drop to #9. Even if a team in the top 8 doesn’t want Porter themselves, they have to know that they can trade him easily, because Porter at #7 or #8 is insanely good value. Unless his injury is worse than expected, of course.

    Right, which is why I’m maybe in favor of taking Sexton at 9 because he probably has the most perceived value of the guys left (unless there’s a contender that really wants to add Mikal to put them over the top.)

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    That’s why I don’t see how Porter can drop to #9.

    I saw an article yesterday predicting he’s going to fall out of the top 10.

    I have very mixed feelings on him. It’s difficult to figure out which of these 19 year old kids are going to develop into good players and which won’t as it is, but at least you have a year of college stats to evaluate and have seen them compete against other high level talent. With Porter, it’s a much bigger guess even before to get to the injury risk. Mudiay was great high school player. Unless in a private workout you can actually differentiate skills well, he’s a super high risk.

    I think Carter is a real possibility.

    I think he is, too. There’s enough high ceiling prospects to keep him out of the top 5. Then if you look at the next three picks:

    6 – Orlando – just took Isaac and is looking for an impact scorer, Young makes so much sense.
    7 – Chicago – this is where the danger is, but it’s quite possible there’s a better player available for them
    8 – Cleveland – with Love there and such a glaring need for more perimeter players, it seems like they would look somewhere else.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Chicago like Carter. Reports have him being their #1 target. So unless it’s misinformation he won’t get past them.

    I think Carter probably goes before #9, but he’s at least a possibility.

    All I know is that Ainge will find a way to move up to 4 and snatch Doncic.

    The rumor a few weeks ago was that Chicago promised Chandler Hutchinson they would pick him at 22. If that’s the case then Wendell seems like an inevitability at 8.

    The rumor a few weeks ago was that Chicago promised Chandler Hutchinson they would pick him at 22. If that’s the case then Wendell seems like an inevitability at 8.

    That does make sense, yeah. Man, this Porter stuff is just fascinating. Maybe he really is seriously injured still. If so, he might fall out of the lottery entirely!

    Orlando is 100% going to take Trae Young. They need a PG and some buzz for a team that has been sucking wind for years. And if for some crazy reason they don’t take him, Cleveland’s GM LeBron James definitely will.

    I have very mixed feelings on him. It’s difficult to figure out which of these 19 year old kids are going to develop into good players and which won’t as it is, but at least you have a year of college stats to evaluate and have seen them compete against other high level talent. With Porter, it’s a much bigger guess even before to get to the injury risk. Mudiay was great high school player. Unless in a private workout you can actually differentiate skills well, he’s a super high risk.

    But Mudiay is the perfect example – we also had no idea what to expect from the guy because of the China thing and he still went top seven. If you look at the top high school player in the country (which, okay, Porter technically wasn’t, but only due to a technicality – I’m still counting him as one), going back as far as I could see (which admittedly was only 2010), none of them made it past #7 (which is where Mudiay went – Nerlens Noel also lasted to #6, and that was also injury related like Porter).

    The problem, of course, is that Porter might be career-altering injured, which would throw it all for a loop. In that case, sure, I could see him falling out of the lottery entirely if he isn’t right, health-wise.

    The rumor a few weeks ago was that Chicago promised Chandler Hutchinson they would pick him at 22. If that’s the case then Wendell seems like an inevitability at 7.

    It seems like a center is inevitable at 7, not necessarily Carter.

    If Michael Porter rises into top 6, it would probably be at the expense of either Bamba or Jackson. And if one of them is available at 7, Chicago could pass on Carter.

    And if Chicago passes on them, then that would be mean found gold for the Knicks to get either Bamba or Jackson at #9.

    I think the key for us will be for a team above the Knicks to take either Mikal or, to a lesser extent, Sexton. Does that seem likely at all?

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    But Mudiay is the perfect example – we also had no idea what to expect from the guy because of the China thing and he still went top seven.

    I’m wasn’t making a prediction on where he’s going to end up being selected. I don’t the know the thinking of any of the front offices.

    I was commenting on risk and the report I saw that he may drop out of the top 10.

    I’d say Trae Young is a higher than average risk because his game collapsed in the 2nd half of the season and I feel fairly certain he’s going to be a negative defender (maybe neutral at best). But he’s a lower risk than Porter. At least we know Young is healthy and capable of playing at a high level against college competition. We just don’t know which Trae Young is the real one, the first half, 2nd half, or somewhere in between. We don’t know much at all about Porter other than he was very good in high school and got hurt.

    I think the key for us will be for a team above the Knicks to take either Mikal or, to a lesser extent, Sexton. Does that seem likely at all?

    It all depends on Porter. If he’s healthy, he goes in the top 8 and then someone good has to drop to the Knicks. They just have to. If he’s not healthy, then the good guys might all be gone.

    And if Chicago passes on them, then that would be mean found gold for the Knicks to get either Bamba or Jackson at #9.

    Yeah, we really want Porter to be healthy and to go in the top 6.

    EDIT: Unless, of course, you really want Porter, i.e. you are Glass Half Rebuilt 🙂

    I think the key for us will be for a team above the Knicks to take either Mikal or, to a lesser extent, Sexton. Does that seem likely at all?

    I could definitely see Cleveland taking Mikal Bridges. Sexton would be a surprise.

    I guess I’m including Porter in that top 8. I imagine he’s healthy enough but using his status to drop to the team he wants to play for. I think Dallas and Chicago are in play, and maybe Cleveland, depending on LeBron.

    There is so much high end talent in this draft, though, and that’s why Porter Jr will slip to us. All of Ayton, Doncic, Bamba, Bagley, Carter Jr, Young, and Jackson Jr make sense ahead of him and I can see a team talking themselves into one of the Bridges or Sexton ahead of him. He starts to make sense at 4 to Memphis but do you really take him over Bagley who was ranked ahead of him and just dominated the ACC? Dallas just took a risk on DSJr’s knees and now this season they’ll take a risk on MPJr’s back? Probably, but probably not. Porter Jr doesn’t make sense in Orlando with Gordon and Isaac already there. Chicago is a scary proposition, but I think they’ll take whose left between Carter Jr and Jackson Jr since they need a big and Markannen already plays where Porter Jr would fit. Cleveland does odd shit in the draft all the time when there is no clear cut answer, but a guy like Mikal Bridges fit their win now situation regardless of if LeBron stays or goes.

    Ayton
    Doncic
    Bamba
    Bagley
    Carter Jr
    Young
    Jackson Jr
    Mikal Bridges
    Michael Porter Jr

    I think we’re taking whoever is left between Porter Jr and Mikal Bridges. If both are on the board at 8, I don’t think Cleveland lets Bridges get to Philly so they’ll probably be his floor. If you really sit down and watch the film of all the top guys, you’ll see why there’s a good chance Porter Jr falls. Ayton is a bizzaro D12, Doncic is Doncic, Bamba is Gobert 2.0, Bagley is a more relentless Chris Bosh, Carter Jr is Horford/Embiid esque, Jackson Jr is a 3 balling Capella, Young is an athletic Steve Nash type, and Mikal Bridges might be a two way Reggie Miller. Michael Porter Jr just didn’t play enough to justify being selected ahead of those guys unless he goes out and crushes every workout.

    You know who was the #1 high school player in 2016? Harry Giles, the #20 overall pick to Sacramento in the 2017 draft.

    Ayton is a bizzaro D12, Doncic is Doncic, Bamba is Gobert 2.0, Bagley is a more relentless Chris Bosh, Carter Jr is Horford/Embiid esque, Jackson Jr is a 3 balling Capella, Young is an athletic Steve Nash type, and Mikal Bridges might be a two way Reggie Miller.

    Wow, this is the best draft ever.

    I thought Josh Jackson was #1 in 2016. Huh, looking into it, I didn’t know there were so many different ranking sites for this stuff. So yeah, Giles was ranked #1 by a bunch of sites. I was using the Sporting News, who had Jackson #1. I guess that might impact the other years I looked at, too. 🙂

    I’ve mentioned before that MPJ “falling” to us represents something of a nightmare scenario in my opinion. Sometimes former top prospects really are just cooked a la Harry Giles, and everything I’ve seen from Porter leads me to believe that very well may be the case with him. Even before the injury there were reasons to be skeptical (no clear position and tunnel vision to be specific), and now it just seems like a totally unnecessary risk.

    Put it this way–if we passed on him and he became a star, I’d still be totally comfortable with the process involved.

    I generally agree that if the Knicks are in a position to draft him, then they probably shouldn’t, as the only way he falls past all eight teams (plus any team that could trade for a top eight pick) ahead of the Knicks is if he looks cooked.

    I may be alone on this but Im not very high on Carter. Bigs that can’t switch to the perimeter and who are a liability in the PnR have a limited value, no mater how skilled they are in other ways.

    Carter is borderline unplayable against teams like Houston or Golden State.

    I don’t know how the Suns hire Doncic’s Eurobasket coach and then take Ayton.

    Well, Giles had torn ligaments on both knees and he played 300 quite unimpressive minutes at Duke. Most teams knew he would need at least one more year of recovery and monitoring on his situation, it was a lot more serious than Porter’s.

    If Porter is not healthy at all I can see him dropping outside of the top 10, but it doesn’t seem to be the case so far.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    Did Porter play at the combine?

    @37 yes this draft is the best of the decade and the best since 2003. Ayton, Bamba, Bagley, Doncic, Young, Jackson Jr, Carter Jr, and Mikal Bridges all have the film and stats to prove it. Of the NCAA prospects I listed, the lowest WS/40 is Trae Young’s at a .201, and Doncic just won the FIBA Europe and Euroleague championships with an MVP to go along with it.

    I’m not the biggest fans of Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr, but they were productive and are two of the longest athletes in this draft despite limited ability to create offense for themselves. This group is seriously talented and it’s set up for a guy like Michael Porter Jr to slip to us whether he’s healthy or not. We’re not in a year when a .120 WS/40 prospect like Lonnie Walker is top 5 based off highlight reels.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    @45

    You aren’t including Mile Bridges in the same company as those others?

    I’m speaking consensus top 9 there. Personally I think Miles Bridges is an excellent prospect as he’s a three level scorer, a dynamic athlete, a good defender, and a plus rebounder. I have apprehensions concerning his height and wingspan relative to his position, but he’s taller and longer than PJ Tucker so I go back and forward on that front. If the Knicks took him at 9 I’d need to see him develop that handle more because he’s really a 2/3 more than he’s a 3/4.

    He reminds a lot of a young Carmelo Anthony. He isn’t half the shot creator that Melo was at Syracuse but he’s similarly explosive off the dribble and can score on all three levels the same way. The big difference is Melo is a legit 6’8” while Bridges is a 6’6” guy. People see Vince, but again, Vince could dribble. He’s an interesting prospect but I like him. I’ve been flip flopping between him and Mikal Bridges as the 9th best prospect for the past week or so.

    What’s crazy is that Kevin Knox could also turn out to be a total stud. This is a hell of a draft.

    I think Miles Bridges is a 3 that can play some 4 when you go small ball. I’d be fine taking him at 9. He could maybe be an uber-athletic version of 1st year Landry Fields, lol.

    I just don’t know if I see it with Knox. He can’t seem to rebound well enough to play pf (low motor?) and he’s not quick enough at sf. I want to like him, but he just seems like an Al Harrington without the good outside shot.

    I don’t think Knox will pan out, either, so I don’t want the Knicks to draft him, but he could work out.

    I don’t know how the Suns hire Doncic’s Eurobasket coach and then take Ayton.

    Same way you hire Mike D’Antoni and then sign Chris Duhon to run the point. (Some organizations are just perpetually bad at sticking to a plan).

    DeAndre Ayton went to the University of Arizona. I think he’s a lock to go 1st overall considering talent and need. Doncic could be the guy, but with the questions about his coming out this year I’d be surprised.

    In his defense Kevin Knox is younger than pretty much everyone in the draft except Jaren Jackson and he did improve a lot as the season went on. I don’t want the Knicks to take him unless they trade back but he might wind up surprising some people.

    this is not one of the best drafts ever.. this has a lot of similarity to 2015 with one surefire all star(doncic/towns)… and a mix of overrated(Ayton, bagley/okafor, mudiay) and solid lotto picks(carter, jackson, bamba, young, bridges / stein, russell, turner, kp, winslow) … it’s just that it’s not as deep…. that would make it about an average to above average draft….

    it could also be one of those drafts where someone much later… SGA, brown, Williams.. even a guy like khyri Thomas or ponds outperform all the guys picked ahead of them…. i’m willing to bet that one of those guys will be a retroactive top 5 pick….

    it has a long way to go before it’s better than the 08 or 09 drafts…. and it’ll be a challenge to get as many useful players as the 2013 one also…

    In his defense Kevin Knox is younger than pretty much everyone in the draft except Jaren Jackson and he did improve a lot as the season went on. I don’t want the Knicks to take him unless they trade back but he might wind up surprising some people.

    Agreed on all fronts.

    knox is my least favorite player in the draft… he could possibly be something like devin booker… but that’s not exactly a great outcome… and that’s if he’s successful…

    a SF with as poor numbers in reb, stls and blocks… has a very high degree of failure…. it just means that he’s not very athletic… and it’s the reason why he was basically just a jumpshooter in college…. if you’re not excessively good at shooting… you better be dominating at other areas on the court…

    he is a high volume low efficiency liability on defense… that’s who he is now… and there’s a LOT of projection to get to where ppl think he’ll end up… and that simply doesn’t happen without the aid of a humongous growth spurt and that’s probably not coming for him….

    and carter’s ability on the pnr is an unknown… he might not be superb but it hasn’t exactly been proven to be bad…. it’s ‘projection’ based on his build and perceived foot speed…. that’s mainly due to how often duke played zone but college doesn’t exactly give you lots of opportunities to see bigs defend the pnr against quality ballhandlers…. that’s why most college bigs suck against the pnr when they jump to the pro’s… it takes everyone at least a few years to play it competently…

    so carter might be bad against the pnr…. but it’s quite possible he’ll be sufficient.. and his offense projects to be good to the point where he could make offenses pay on the other end either on the low block or at the top of the key or just be a catch and shoot guy…. if you can make a top defense work with gasol or with favors as your pf’s then you can do it with carter…

    and besides.. we shouldn’t be basing our decisions on whether or not we can keep up with the warriors or rockets or even Toronto…. by the time we theoretically could compete with them.. if at all… the landscape will probably change… and we should probably focus on being better than Miami or the wizards before even thinking about championship….

    There’s nobody on this team who can set a decent screen, so Carter would be pretty helpful in that regard. KP’s screens are pitiful.

    One thing I’ll say for Mikal is that at least he’s already pretty “coached up” so we don’t have to rely on our coaches to mold him (and not screw him up.)

    I like TGHF’s thinking on Porter. If he’s there at 9, we should take him. If he’s not there, I would take Knox, Miles, or Mikal. in that order. If Young is still there, I would look to trade back.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    KP posted some pictures of him working out and shooting. He’s recovering rapidly and already looks more muscular in his upper body.

    KP’s recovery rate encourages me and also pisses me off because it means he’s gonna play this season and ruin the tank.

    Stratomatic "Porzingis, Ntilikina, and one of the Bridges are going to lead us to the promised land"says:

    KP’s recovery rate encourages me and also pisses me off because it means he’s gonna play this season and ruin the tank.

    Now I think we should keep Lee for his veteran leadership and try for the 8th seed. hahaha

    Seriously, I want him to come back this year with maybe about 20 games left. That will be long enough to see what he looks like, but since they’ll go very slow with him it won’t be enough time for him to have a major impact on wins. If he looks good by the end of the year, free agents will be willing to come the following year as long as they also see some progress with the other young players. If he doesn’t play at all, any chance of bringing in a legit star with available cap space the following year is pretty much shot.

    It’s a whole different injury, but Gordon Hayward had videos of him shooting in January and he didn’t come back at all. Granted it might have been precautionary to just keep him out until next season but well, I hope the Knicks take it very very slowly with KP.

    I think he’s going to try to return before the end of the year because of the contract and that just scares me.

    On the other hand KP returning and looking bad coming of a torn knee could help us in contract negotiation.

    I wish I knew more about college basketball. The draft seems such a fascinating subject. And many mistakes are made by many teams. Look at 2016. KAT went first and ended up justifying that pick. But Okafor and Russell, both of whom were highly touted, went next and are now barely in the league. We had hardly heard of Porzingis and he turned out to be a great pick at number four. In the next draft, Fultz was a consensus top two pick and actually picked number one and hardly played. In both drafts, after number 9 it was basically a crap shoot for the next ten players or so. And the players get so hyped it’s hard to trust anything you read about them. For this draft, I have read all the posts here, and all that I am really sure of is that the draft is at least nine players deep and there is no standout top pick this year the way there was with Towns. I trust the Knicks scouting staff, but I am not sure I trust our top management when it comes to evaluating picks. They don’t have a great track record from their days in Orlando and Sacramento and they seem to put more of a premium on points and less on defense than I would like. It is nerve wracking.

    In the next draft, Fultz was a consensus top two pick and actually picked number one and hardly played.

    Fultz was two years after the Towns draft. And he barely played because he was injured for most of the year. You wouldn’t knock Ben Simmons’ first year after he was drafted because he didn’t play at all, right?

    You are correct about the draft years. I was remembering the 2015 draft and thinking it was the 2016 one. I think 2016 wasn’t a memorable draft for me because the Knicks had no first round pick, so I skipped it mentally.

    As for Fultz, I am not sure Simmons, or Embiid for that matter, is a good analogy. It’s taking a rosy view of Fultz that he had a injury and it took a while to recover. Some people think he just lost his shot. I don’t know which is true. If it was an injury and he’s recovered, I would agree with you that it’s too early too knock his pick. Actually, a lot about that draft is too early to tell. We still argue about Ntilikina and we’ve seen him play for a year.

    It’s rough because Fultz actually showed some of the skills that made him get drafted so high when he did play towards the end of the season. The driving ability and his passing are certainly still there. But if he really just cannot shoot at all it will be so tough, Simmons can get away with it more because of his size and supreme handle, but I can’t see a 6’4″ guard who’s never been much of a defender succeeding without being able to shoot at least a little bit. Wade didn’t shoot 3s but he could hit jumpers and he was an absolute beast driving and finishing.

    About KP, well, if he comes back playing bad it’s our problem too, since his reputation will likely still command a huge contract for a guy who would have improved marginally at best in 4 years in thr league and now has a big red flag in terms of injury history… I would much rather see him play well and get a max than sucking and getting a 4 year 100 million deal anyway.

    I just saw an interesting factoid:

    Trae Young was the most double teamed point guard in NCAA history last season. He was double teamed on 43.7% of his touches past half court. #2 on that list was Steph Curry at 31.4%. If he somehow falls to 9 I think you have no choice but to pick him. I don’t see how he gets past Orlando or Cleveland, but if somehow he’s there that would be a miracle.

    I like what I see in Knox. The guy is a legit 6′ 9″ with very long arms. He doesn’t seem to be super athletic but does have some finishes at the rim. I hate to curse the guy but he sort of reminds me of “Greek Freek” when I watch film on him.
    I gotta feeling this kid is going to become a very nice player (but what the hell do I know..LOL). Considering that we are going nowhere for a couple of years, I think we can afford to draft a kid with his potential and develop him.

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