Knicks Morning News (2018.06.09)

  • [NYTimes] Kyrie Irving Doesn’t Know if the Earth Is Round or Flat. He Does Want to Discuss It.
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 1:26:37 AM)

    In his most extensive comments to date, the Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving questioned again whether the Earth is round: “You know that for sure? Like, I don’t know.”

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. Finals: How the Warriors Swept the Cavs for a Third Title in Four Years
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 6:39:15 AM)

    Kevin Durant was named the finals’ M.V.P. again, after the Warriors won their second straight championship over LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: With Promises Kept, LeBron James Has Choices to Make
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:18:36 AM)

    If James wants to beat the Warriors, he may need to take a page out of Kevin Durant’s playbook and find a team that makes the game seem unfair.

  • [NYTimes] The ‘Game of Zones’ Guys Knew You Wanted a Bryan Colangelo Episode
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:53:08 AM)

    The animated show combining elements of “Game of Thrones” with story lines borrowed from N.B.A. Twitter is very funny, even if its creators can’t tell you why.

  • [NYTimes] The Left Side of Steve Kerr’s Brain
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 5:22:18 PM)

    Sammy Gelfand is the numbers guy behind the Golden State Warriors’ success. Some pretty good players help, too.

  • [NYTimes] Sports of The Times: LeBron James Delivered. Now Does He Exit?
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:28:31 AM)

    Down in the N.B.A. finals, three games to none, LeBron James appears set to leave Cleveland — again. And Northeast Ohio is O.K. with that.

  • [NYTimes] Kevin Durant Pulls Warriors Closer to Another N.B.A. Title
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:15:51 AM)

    Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled, but Durant dominated with 43 points. The Warriors now hold a 3-0 lead over LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

  • [NYTimes] Why Do the Warriors Dominate the 3rd Quarter? Consider Their Halftime Drill
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:19:15 AM)

    The Warriors outscored opponents by 130 points in the 3rd quarter this postseason. How they spend intermission may explain why.

  • [NYDN] Crooks blast Washington Heights bodega worker in stomach, take off in getaway car
    (Saturday, June 09, 2018 12:55:00 AM)

    Two crooks blasted a Hudson Heights bodega worker in the stomach during a bungled holdup before taking off in a white sedan late Friday, police and witnesses said.

    The gunmen shot the 38-year-old employee of Frasko Gourmet Deli on Amsterdam Ave. near W. 181st St. around 10:15 p.m., according to…

  • [NYDN] Task force nabs Staten Island murder suspect on lam in Delaware
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 10:15:00 PM)

    An ex-con who skipped town after a Staten Island gang shooting that left one man dead and another wounded was busted Friday, authorities said.

    Wilbur Butler, 39, was nabbed in New Castle, Del., by U.S. Marshals and detectives from the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

    Butler is…

  • [NYDN] Lil’ Kim, facing big debt, files for bankruptcy
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 10:10:00 PM)

    Lil’ Kim has some super-sized debts – and they’ve landed her in bankruptcy court.

    The platinum-selling rapper filed for Chapter 13 protection in New Jersey last month after her bank foreclosed on her gated mansion in Alpine and Uncle Sam said she owes $1.47 million in back taxes.

    Court documents…

  • [NYDN] Bronx man arrested for fatally stabbing 18-year-old boy during Memorial Day weekend brawl
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 9:30:00 PM)

    A Bronx man has been busted for stabbing a teenager to death during a street fight on Memorial Day weekend, police said

    Roshawn Pine, 23, was arrested Friday for the murder of Damion Gilbert on DeKalb Ave. near E. 212th St. in Norwood on May 29, cops said.

    The 18-year-old’s final moments were captured…

  • [NYDN] SEE IT: Knicks’ Enes Kanter, others start recruiting LeBron James to sign with their teams following NBA Finals
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 9:00:00 PM)

    They didn’t waste any time.

    It took about a minute for NBA players to send out Tweets campaigning for LeBron James to join their teams following the Warriors’ sweep of the Cavaliers to claim their third championship in four years.

    Among them: The Knicks’ Enes Kanter, who has trolled and feuded…

  • [NYDN] Subway Series: Yoenis Cespedes takes positive step in rehab: ‘I’m eager to get back,’ plus Yankees notes
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 8:35:00 PM)

    Looks like it might be Yoenis Cespedes to the rescue soon. But even the Mets’ oft-injured slugger thinks he might not be able to help his mates in Queens.

    And while that might be true, it’s really not what angry and depressed Mets fans want to hear right now after opening the Subway Series with…

  • [NYDN] LeBron James’ future with Cavs, hand injury under spotlight following Warriors third NBA championship in four years
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 8:30:00 PM)

    CLEVELAND — The debate over the Golden State Warriors’ place in NBA history can officially begin. As for the speculation regarding LeBron James’ future, well that really started last summer.

    And now it will intensify following an uninspiring performance in what could very well be LeBron’s last…

  • [NYDN] Brett Gardner again shows he is Yankees’ leader on team full of youngsters
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 8:10:00 PM)

    The Yankees may be filled with Baby Bombers, but it was the 34-year-old veteran who came through in the clutch on Friday night.

    Brett Gardner’s two-out, two-run home run in the eighth inning off Jacob deGrom capped a 2-for-3 performance and gave the Yankees their sixth win in the last seven games.

  • [NYDN] Fantasy baseball: Revisiting the 2018 draft
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 7:40:00 PM)

    Trends and NoteWorthy: Revisiting the 2018 Fantasy Draft

    Note: This article appears courtesy of RotoExperts.com and the FNTSY Sports Network.

    While doing research for my 2018 Fantasy Baseball Biggest Busts and Best Values columns that will appear in the next two weeks, I had to look at season stats,…

  • [NYDN] Harper: Mets’ misery continues with another lost Jacob deGrom start, more injury news
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 7:20:00 PM)

    It’s hard to imagine how baseball life could be much more depressing for the Mets right now.

    Their abysmal offense hangs over every game, making defeat seem inevitable even on nights like this one, when their first hitter of the game went deep, when their ace was in typical brilliant form.

    Somehow,…

  • [NYDN] Botte: Masahiro Tanaka injury is latest reminder NL needs to adopt the designated hitter
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 7:05:00 PM)

    It appears as if Masahiro Tanaka has been Chien-Ming Wanged. Quick, someone get Hank Steinbrenner on the phone.

    It’s been practically 10 years to the day since Wang suffered a season-ending foot injury running the bases in Houston in June 2008, prompting a public tirade from the Baby Boss about…

  • [NYDN] Brett Gardner hits go-ahead home run off of Jacob deGrom to lift Yankees over Mets in Subway Series opener
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 6:40:00 PM)

    Jacob deGrom and Masahiro Tanaka were embroiled in a pitcher’s duel Friday night at Citi Field and neither went home happy.

    The Mets’ bats let down their starting pitcher once again, as deGrom tossed 7.2 innings allowing just one unearned run before Brett Gardner blasted a change-up over the right…

  • [NYDN] Argentina vs. Israel: Not so friendly
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 6:18:00 PM)

    There will no exhibition game soccer game Saturday in Jerusalem between Israel and Argentina — which has the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, and one of its top teams.

    The red card is on the visiting team. And it’s not the only black mark on Argentina’s relationship with Jews.

    The match, Argentina’s…

  • [NYDN] Their deaths, our lives: Learning from the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 6:10:00 PM)

    He was a chef, a storyteller and a father. She was a designer, a businesswoman and a mother.

    Both were beloved New Yorkers at the pinnacles of their fields. Both traveled in elite circles and had access to the finest mental health care. And both ended their lives by their own hand, evidence they…

  • [NYDN] Of allies and lies: Trump ices out Canada and bends over backward for Russia
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 6:05:00 PM)

    Canada bad; Russia good. So said Donald Trump on his way to the G7 Summit of major industrial countries in Quebec.

    Perhaps because they are both cold and huge and have hockey, the President has confused America’s closest friend in the world, a robust democracy, with a destabilizing, repressive…

  • [NYDN] Sickos convicted of targeting prostitutes online to rape, torture and rob in NYC
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 6:00:00 PM)

    Three men were convicted Friday of scouring the web to find prostitutes to rape, torture and rob.

    Fernando Sandel, 29, Isaias Rivera, 34, and Joey Cruz, 29, found their first victim on Backpage.com. They trapped her in a Midtown hotel room, bound her ankles and wrists with zip ties, pepper sprayed…

  • [NYDN] Masahiro Tanaka leaves Subway Series game early after injuring himself while running bases
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 5:50:00 PM)

    The injury bug at Citi Field may be contagious.

    Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka left Friday’s game in the sixth inning after running the bases despite throwing just 75 pitches and allowing one hit — a home run — and striking out eight through his first five innings of work.

    Tanaka felt tightness…

  • [NYDN] SEE IT: Michael Irvin on Donald Trump asking for NFL players’ pardon recommendations: ‘Are you joking?’
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 5:20:00 PM)

    The Playmaker thinks the president is sidestepping several issues.

    Former Cowboys’ wide receiver Michael Irvin appeared stunned when he caught wind of Donald Trump’s latest ploy: to have NFL players who feel the justice system is unfair recommend names of people for POTUS to pardon.

    “And that should…

  • [NYDN] Prosecutor says she believes woman who accused ex-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens of misconduct — but won’t prosecute him
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 4:40:00 PM)

    ST. LOUIS — A special prosecutor investigating former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Friday that she believed a woman’s claim that Greitens took an unauthorized and compromising photo during an extramarital affair but that but there wasn’t enough evidence to merit a criminal charge.

    Jackson County…

  • [NYDN] NYPD beekeeper helps lower Manhattan hive buzz off to a new location
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 4:35:00 PM)

    A massive swarm of bees caused quite a buzz in Lower Manhattan Friday, stopping traffic for several minutes as cops coaxed the hive down from a traffic light.

    NYPD Officer Darren Mays said he got a call around 2 p.m. about a band of buzzers that had set up shop on a traffic signal at the intersection…

  • [NYDN] Judge sentences Brooklyn stepdad to 16 years in prison for shaking 2-year-old to death: ‘You were that child’s worst nightmare’
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 4:00:00 PM)

    A judge ripped into a Brooklyn baby killer Friday before sentencing him to 16 years in prison for shaking the death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter.

    Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Deborah Dowling said David Adams, 28, should never have been allowed to spend time with slain Thiaya Spruill-Smith —…

  • [NYDN] Tony Awards to come at you ‘from a very musical angle,’ says the TV show’s writer
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 4:00:00 PM)

    The sounds of music will take center stage at the Tony Awards on Sunday — even more than usual.

    Part of that owes to the fact that singer-songwriters Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban co-emcee the 72nd Tonys, which airs Sunday on CBS at 8 p.m.

    Another composer-lyricist you may have heard of — Bruce…

  • [NYDN] Mets ace Noah Syndergaard won’t start Sunday vs. Yankees in Subway Series
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 3:25:00 PM)

    Noah Syndergaard experienced “swelling” and “discomfort” in his injured finger, Mickey Callaway said, and now the Mets righthander will not start in Sunday’s series finale against Yankees at Citi Field.

    Syndergaard played catch earlier this week, after which he dealt with this setback, according…

  • [NYDN] State will appoint NYCHA monitor next week if a federal settlement isn’t reached
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 3:05:00 PM)

    If Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Housing Authority don’t reach a settlement with the federal government in the next seven days, the state will go ahead and name an independent monitor for the beleaguered public housing system, Gov. Cuomo’s office said Friday.

    Cuomo signed an executive order…

  • [NYDN] Manhattan DMV office ‘mired in corrupt practices’ after clerks dismissed tickets for cash, state probe reveals
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 3:00:00 PM)

    A Department of Motor Vehicles office in Manhattan was “mired in corrupt practices,” with clerks accepting cash and other perks to fix tickets and refer clients to attorneys, state investigators revealed Friday.

    Investigators from state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott’s office found “systemic…

  • [NYPost] Bill Bradley knows one Knicks do-over Phil Jackson would like
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 10:42:17 PM)

    Phil Jackson was a no-show Monday, when the Hospital for Special Surgery honored Bill Bradley at its annual tribute gala, but the former Knicks president was not far from the Knicks legend’s thoughts. Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Dick Barnett and Walt Frazier, part of the Knicks’ 1970s glory days, were on hand at the Museum…

  • [NYPost] Duke star: The appeal of falling to Knicks at No. 9
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 11:34:32 AM)

    If Wendell Carter Jr. winds up a Knick, it would mean he fell further in the NBA draft than anticipated. And yet the one-and-done former Duke star smiled when asked about the possibility of winding up in blue and orange — after all, when he worked out for the Knicks on Friday, it wasn’t just for…

  • [NYPost] Celtics ‘scared’ of Kyrie Irving’s future with Knicks lurking
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 10:35:06 AM)

    The Celtics are concerned about Kyrie Irving’s long-term future in Boston, in part because of his desire to flee for a division rival, according to one NBA insider. Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports said on his podcast the Celtics are “scared” Irving could leave next summer, and the Knicks are viewed as a potential destination….

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks Draft target Wendell Carter Jr. would love to play with Porzingis
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 1:45:20 PM)

    Wendell Carter Jr. may not last until the Knicks pick at No. 9 in the Draft, but the one-and-done forward from Duke wanted to work out for the franchise anyway.

  • [NY Newsday] Wendell Carter Jr., an athletic center from Duke, could see himself playing alongside Kristaps Porzingis
    (Friday, June 08, 2018 7:30:17 PM)

    Can you imagine the Knicks with a frontcourt that includes Kristaps Porzingis and Wendell Carter Jr.? The 6-10 freshman from Duke certainly can.