(Saturday, December 22, 2018 5:25:00 PM)
Kristaps Porzingis can now turn the page on a miserable 2018.
The Knicks star received an autographed copy of Kobe Bryant’s book, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” and shared the succinct message on his Instagram story Saturday.
“Get healthy…Kick A–!” the title page note reads from the future…
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 8:02:54 PM)
Knicks star F Kristaps Porzingis continues to rehab his way back to the team, and has hopes of returning this season. And he has Kobe Bryant on his side.
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 2:12:22 PM)
Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving are all expected to hit free agency on July 1.
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 10:53:55 PM)
Allonzo Trier facetimed young New York fan Dennis to invite him to a Knicks camp, according to an Instagram post.
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 2:13:56 PM)
A pattern is unfolding even during these productive times for Knicks rookie Kevin Knox. He’s become a ferocious first-half monster before petering out after halftime. Coach David Fizdale wonders if it’s a conditioning issue or if teams are quick to adjust to the former Kentucky 6-foot-9 combo forward’s forays. “It’s him understanding it’s a long…
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 1:32:00 PM)
Voice of the Knicks on MSG and national NBA announcer Mike Breen makes the call for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: If you could go back in history and broadcast or announce one event, what would it be? A: I think, because of my love of basketball, I would probably pick Game…
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 12:18:26 PM)
You know the best way to take your mind off the relentless torrent of bad news that our teams deliver faithfully night after night, day after day? Why, with a little song, of course! Here are a few ditties to help you try to muddle through somehow. If the fates allow. “It’s the Post’s Wonderful…
(Saturday, December 22, 2018 8:32:28 AM)
According to NBA sources, Knicks brass no longer views 2019 as a make-or-break free-agent summer. The 9-25 Knicks feel their plan can still go on even if they do not sign a big fish in July. Adding a potential top-five lottery pick, developing their three rookies — Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier —…
[NYTimes] Wizards 149, Suns 146 | 3 OTs: Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant Star in Wizards’ 3-OT Win (Sunday, December 23, 2018 5:49:34 AM)
Beal had a triple-double, and Bryant made all 14 of his shots from the field and all three of his free throws.
[NYTimes] From LeBron to Zaza, the 2003 N.B.A. Draft Class Survivors Share a Bond (Saturday, December 22, 2018 3:30:36 PM)
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, Zaza Pachulia and Carmelo Anthony would make a pretty good starting five.
53 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.12.23)”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2018/12/22/knicks-voice-mike-breens-dream-began-in-basement-radio-station/amp/
Clyde is a civic treasure but I love Breen too. And he loves the Knocks and always has. Nice little q&a.
Yeah, he’s amazing, their chemistry together makes it even better. I think I tend to notice Mike’s absence less when he’s on national schedule because Kenny is a decent replacement, but when Clyde is out it’s Wally… ugh.
I could probably tolerate Wally’s shameless optimism if we were actually a good team.
Boy, the Ks are really serious about tanking. The losses at home to worse teams than us are really impressive. They may actually pull it off. Top three here we come. Maybe we even get the first pick. I tell you this. They better, because it absolutely sucks to watch and I hope it’s the last season I’ll ever be in a position where I’m hoping for losses. I should clarify. I’m always rooting for them to win. It’s hugely disappointing when they don’t but I realize that it’s the only way ultimately to make the quantum leap to relevance so I accommodate it.
So FINE. Go ahead guys. Lose every game. Let Trey Young dance on your head at the Garden, grrr. Get it right though because I can’t handle this for multiple seasons.
It’s not the optimism the problem: it is the full of nonsense homerism that makes Wally impossible to enjoy.
Clyde is not without faults (sometimes he’s too gimmicky for his own good), it’s just that he’s so fundamentally honest – and impossibly charismatic, yes – that even when he goes over the top he gets a pass.
Clyde is one of those guys that, when he leaves his mortal coil (let’s hope it never happens), the whole world will seem a lot emptier. Craig Sager was a little similar, in his own way.
Yeah Wally could maybe be the 3rd guy for a playoff team but he absolutely does not fit the rebuild
My recaps are jaded, but I guarantee that if they didn’t play Kanter and forced THJ to take a backseat I’d be rooting with all my soul for them to win.
It’s always the same song: wins are not the issue. How you win it’s the issue. If we were 14-19 with Frank-Trier-Dotson-Knox-Mitch playing 30+ mpg each, I think no sane person on this blog would complain.
When the season started, if you told me we’d be 9-25 going into the Xmas day game, I’d have considered that tankeliscious. The only thing upsetting to me is Frank’s regression as a player (not as a PG, never expected much there). I’m fine with playing Kanter (maybe we can unload him before the deadline) and I assume that THjr is part of the future whether we like it or not so why not give him a chance to be the #1 guy so that he’s better prepared to be a #3 or 4 guy?
On the positive side, I have loved watching Knox, Robinson, Trier and Dotson getting big minutes. I also am less perturbed by Mudiay’s solid play of late than most (couldn’t care less if it’s at Frank’s expense, he needs to adult up and deal if he ever wants to be a serious NBA player.) Vonleh has also been fun to watch, although the 3-pt shooting is looking more and more like a mirage.
Coach is doing a great job of spotting Lee and Lance in, and benching Hezonja for the most part.
As to the tank, it looks like we no longer have to worry about KP coming back early and spoiling everything. No reason to stress too much about draft position, whatever the deal, we’re going to have to be incredibly lucky to land Zion and then it’s a crap shoot after that. Better to hope we don’t pass over the next Kawhi or Curry than to pray for a jump up to #1.
The thing I enjoy most about Clyde and Breen is that they genuinely seem to like each other, and that shows in their banter.
Also, lest we forget, Breen is the best play by play guy in the business, and we’re fortunate to have him (instead one of those joke homer guys we hear on NBA TV who call every player by their first name )
Also, let’s remember that Silver fined Dallas and warned the Bulls about sitting obviously healthy vets to purposely lose games. Fiz is doing a nice job of stealthily losing to doormat teams with dignity.
Not to mention that we’ve had some doozies in the booth over the years…Jim Carvales, Gus Johnson, Mike Crispino…Breen makes up for all of them.
I was at a game with my kid as part of a school group. We were down in the bowels of MSG and celebs and even James Dolan walked right by us. Two guys stopped and chatted with the group: Willy Randolph and Mike Breen, who actually passed us and when he saw that we were pointing him out to our kids, he made a U-turn and chatted with us even though he had a game to prepare for. I could tell in that moment that he was a real salt-of-the-earth guy.
I swear to you, there have been hundred of times during these lost seasons where I stopped and wondered about how much worse would it have been if Breen and Clyde weren’t our broadcasters.
Yeah, we’re really super spoiled with Breen. I watch a lot of league pass and most of the play by play guys on other teams are terribly annoying (except Grant Napear for the Kings, he’s awesome).
Wally is our THJ, I kinda like the guy, he seems like a fun dude who loves what he’s doing, he’s just so annoying with the constant homerism, the “i was a baller” talk and the fact that he substitutes for the most charismatic commentator in the league can’t help him either.
I watched that one game with the Celtics announcers. The play by play guy was kind of bland but not bad. However, the “analyst” (who sounded like Jesse Ventura) was awful, like worse than Wally.
BTW, if you haven’t seen them yet, here are the first officially released pictures from the new Deadwood movie that was recently filmed and is set to be shown on HBO in 2019.
https://ew.com/tv/2018/12/19/deadwood-movie-photos/
One of Al Swearengen and one of Seth Bullock!
Fizdale may be experimenting with lineups, but I don’t he’s trying to tank. I think he’s trying to win. Every combination of players just sucks. To me, that’s a gigantic negative.
If you are losing games because key players are injured or because the coach is purposely sitting the best players, then you can look forward to being a lot better the following year when everyone is healthy, you play the best players, and you hopefully get a good player in the draft. When your team legitimately sucks, that just means your rebuild is not progressing well and/or you are many years away from being good.
Granted, the Knicks would have won more games with a healthy KP, but Frank has been terrible, Knox and Robinson are a million miles away from being good two way players, Trier looks like a scorer off the bench that can replace Hardaway (if they are smart enough to move Hardaway), Dotson, and Vonleh look like a solid role players, and Mudiay is a question mark.
This team is terrible and is going to be terrible for a very long time unless someone good is crazy enough to join us as a free agent.
@16 or, we hit big in the Draft (Zion, etc?).
The thing that annoys me about the lineups is that Fizdale keeps playing veterans when not only are they not part of the future they don’t even help us play better. One of our best lineups: Ntilikina/THJ/Dotson/Vonleh/Robinson features 4 players with long-term contracts and 3 players in their 1st or 2nd year. We started 8 games with that lineup and played pretty well and featured the young players and then moved Kanter back into the lineup which is a disaster.
Why not start: Ntilikina/THJ/Dotson/Knox/Robinson with Mudiay, Trier, Lee, and Vonleh off the bench, and be done with it. Lee plays just to try and move him. Kornet plays when there is foul trouble. There is no reason to play Thomas, Kanter, Hezonja, or Burke. None of them make us better, none of them are part of the future, and none of them have contracts past this year.
Are people forgetting that Robinson and Trier are injured?
This is one of the youngest teams in the league and should improve as these guys mature. Perry has said they have a three to five year plan, which is what it realistically will take. We just need to nail this years draft and keep cap flexibility for a ’20 or ’21 free agent and we will have a very solid team going forward.
The Bulls have the worst offense in the league and the Cavs have the worst defense. I’m so excited to see how this pans out.
When he changed that lineup was not one of his best moments. “That lineup wasn’t winning.” You know, unlike his current lineup, which is on fire.
@15
Well, they got two of the key actors to come back, that’s gotta be a good sign!
@15 Cool!
Almost every living actor/character returned for it. I never believed it would happen, but it somehow has.
We’re not in the middle of a rebuild, we are at the very beginning. This could have gone a lot quicker if Phil Jackson wasn’t a moron, but life gives you lemons you try your best to make limoncello.
We are not at the very beginning because of KP. But without him, we are a long way from being good. If KP can come back full strength from the injury we are still in good shape. When healthy he is still one of the best young players in the league. We need to move Lee, cut Kanter and Thomas, trade Burke (I still think we could get a 2nd rd pick for him), trade Hardaway if possible, and play all our 1st and 2nd-year players 30+ minutes a game.
If we do that it should lock in a bottom 5 record and hopefully, we can get Zion, Morant, or Barrett.
Limoncello <3
I’m hopeful about KP but he hasn’t been all that productive and we know nothing about how he’ll be post-injury. Combined with how bad the rest of the squad is very excited to be skipping free agency this summer.
Real long list of idiots at the top. If not for Dolan we could have made combustible lemons and blown life’s house up!
Mudiay’s extension is just around the corner, let’s see if we add Perry to that list
@27
I mean, I get what you’re saying, but if we still need to make 5 moves at least and hope KP returns well, this really looks kinda like the beginning of a rebuild. We do have some good pieces, but there’s still a lot to be done.
oh, boys…check out the score of the ATL-DET game…
never mind, Langston Galloway is unconscious…
The Hawks are so atrocious. They’re up 10 and I’m half-sure they’re going to lose by 5+.
Vince Carter…a 42yo anti-tank weapon…
If we’re talking about lemons
Hawks are giving it all they got.
haha pistons down 1 with 23 seconds left Blake misses two at the line and Dominique says “biggest missed free throws of the night”
We’ll always have Linsanity!
since it’s victory lap weekend here in miloville i humbly point out that I handed you fools this free (entirely hypothetical and inactionable) money on dec 9.
All that said 538’s updated model has the Pistons at 78pct to make the playoffs and the Heat at 25pct. If I could fade those odds I’d do it in a heartbeat.
This is a very winnable game for Phoenix, which is why they’re losing.
Nets are too good for that Suns claptrap. watch kurucs he is what we wanted kuz to be except young. joe Harris makes like four mistakes per season and jarret allen is now making corner 3s. this is a playoff team in the east.
Eddie Johnson is one of the very few legit funny nba broadcasters.
I like Eddie J, he and Termine can get tiresome at times but they’re generally fun to listen to.
It would be awesome if the Suns pulled this one out, but at least either the Bulls or Cavs will win. We could be tied for the 2nd worst record after tonight. Of cours, we’ll spoil everything with a Christmas day win.
The Hawks should immediately waive Vince Carter after that game.
Nets are a solid squad. And they have Jared Dudley! Can’t believe he is still in the league. Good line from Ayton though.
whew…got a little nervous when I read the press release on deadwood…there was no mention of w. earl brown reprising his role of dan dority…
just wouldn’t have felt the same re-visiting the gem saloon without Dan there…
fortunately it looks like dan has taken to the “twitter” and is posting updates on the movie shoot:
I’ve watched the series 2 or 3 times already, but, will probably watch it one more time before the movie comes out…
Happy about the way the tank is going so far. Beyond my wildest expectations. The stretching of Noah makes even less sense now though , since what game changing free agents are we going to attract with this talent challenged squad. If you think Durant is going to be our version of LeBron this year then think again. LeBron joined LA, because he actually lived there, LA does have real young talent, and to extend his overall brand. Why would Durant come to team dysfunctional? For the privilege of playing for Dolan and a team with little talent. Sorry I don’t see it. I am not sold on Perry and the rest of this management team.
I believe Brown was the most invested of the entire cast in the remake happening, so he was a lock to return.
DONCIC OMG WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT
Jordan’s response was what we were all thinking, “Holy fuck.”
That Atlanta trade just looks dumber and dumber…
It never looked anything but dumb, but at the very least, Dallas has now lost enough games where it seems like the odds are that the 2019 pick they’re sending Atlanta will be a lottery pick. That’s…something? But yeah, ooph, that’s got to be one of the most painful draft day trades in recent history. Maybe since the Jamison/Carter swap? Or perhaps the OJ Mayo/Kevin Love deal? It’s early, but Luka might end up being better than either Carter or Love, so it might be more painful than those deals.
EDITED TO ADD: Oh, duh, I forgot that the 1998 Draft (with the Jamison/Carter swap) also had one of the all-time worst Draft Deals, and one that also involved the Mavericks. They got Dirk in a trade with Milwaukee that day (the Bucks drafted Dirk #9 and then traded him along with Pat Garrity) for the #6 pick, Tractor Traylor. Yikes. Dirk’s a future Hall of Famer who is still in the league and Tractor Traylor died seven years ago!
Foye for Roy was epically bad while Roy had two functioning knees.