Knicks Morning News (2019.04.30)

  • [NYDN] Knicks TV rating dropped 38 percent last season
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 4:19:55 PM)

    Lots of losing and no Kristaps Porzingis meant very little interest in Knicks games.

    Ratings on MSG network dropped a massive 38 percent last season, according to figures released Monday by the Sports Business Journal.

    Only the Cavaliers, who lost LeBron James to the Lakers, fell further than the…

  • [NYTimes] Jimmy Butler and 76ers Hold Off Late Push by Raptors
    (Tuesday, April 30, 2019 3:47:24 AM)

    A cold shooting streak to start the game ultimately sunk Toronto, but the Raptors kept things competitive until the game’s final seconds.

  • [NYTimes] Warriors 104, Rockets 100 | Golden State leads series, 1-0: Warriors Start Hamptons Five, Showing Urgency in Win Over Rockets
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 11:20:30 AM)

    Golden State struggled to close out the underdog Clippers in the first round. With two injured stars, Coach Steve Kerr went right to his best unit against Houston.

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on pending free agent Kevin Durant: Warriors fan Guy Fieri getting desperate
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 2:11:47 PM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ TV ratings tank, and only Kevin Durant can save them
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 7:38:00 PM)

    Just because Knicks fans still packed the Garden with a thumbs-up understanding of the team’s tanking, that didn’t mean people were watching from home. Knicks telecasts on MSG Network went in the tank also this season, seeing a ratings drop of 38 percent over last season, according to Sports Business Journal. The Knicks finished with…

  • [NYPost] Kemba Walker is complicated NBA free-agent case: ‘They’re f–ked’
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 11:45:23 AM)

    Kemba Walker hails from The Bronx and is a three-time All-Star. He makes sense for the needy Knicks, but how much sense/cents? He’s a complicated target, a player who could be eligible for a super-max contract slot if he makes one of three all-NBA teams, but is he worthy of such a contract having never…

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.29)

  • [SNY Knicks] Carmelo Anthony does not rule out reunion with Knicks
    (Sunday, April 28, 2019 3:26:45 PM)

    Could Carmelo Anthony re-join the Knicks if Kevin Durant signs with New York this summer?

  • [NYTimes] Warriors 104, Rockets 100 | Golden State leads series, 1-0: Warriors Start Hamptons Five, Showing Urgency in Win Over Rockets
    (Monday, April 29, 2019 3:48:11 AM)

    Golden State struggled to close out the underdog Clippers in the first round. With two injured stars, Coach Steve Kerr went right to his best unit against Houston.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: A Cloudy Future for the N.B.A.’s ‘Gold Standard’ Following Game 7 Loss
    (Sunday, April 28, 2019 10:41:21 PM)

    Gregg Popovich will coach the San Antonio Spurs for as long as he wants. But at 70, how much longer will he want to keep his Playoff School open?

  • [NYPost] One coach thinks Zion should have company in No. 1 pick debate
    (Sunday, April 28, 2019 7:22:16 PM)

    Flip a coin, says Josh Pastner. The Georgia Tech head coach is torn over who will become the better NBA player of the Duke tandem — Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett. In fact, Pastner said in talks with NBA personnel, some consider Barrett, the 6-foot-7 swingman from Canada, a better NBA prospect than Williamson. Of…

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.28)

  • [NYTimes] Virginia Men’s Basketball Will Not Go to the White House
    (Sunday, April 28, 2019 3:54:35 AM)

    A trip to the White House from a team based in Charlottesville would have been fraught, regardless of the head coach citing scheduling conflicts.

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.27)

  • [Hoops Rumors] Knicks Rumors: Offseason, Durant, Kyrie, Kawhi
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 9:53:55 AM)

    Despite winning just 17 games in 2018/19, the Knicks repeatedly suggested they were happy with the direction the franchise was headed. As Ian Begley of ESPN.com details, head coach David Fizdale said that he had heard praise from people around the NBA for how hard his players were competing, and for how the Knicks were […]

  • [Newsday] Knicks Rumors: Offseason, Durant, Kyrie, Kawhi
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 9:53:55 AM)

    Despite winning just 17 games in 2018/19, the Knicks repeatedly suggested they were happy with the direction the franchise was headed. As Ian Begley of ESPN.com details, head coach David Fizdale said that he had heard praise from people around the NBA for how hard his players were competing, and for how the Knicks were […]

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. Playoffs Hit the Second Round, Where the Real Fun Begins in the East
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 8:54:56 PM)

    After a mostly underwhelming first round, the Eastern Conference semifinals offer two compelling matchups that will have consequences far beyond the playoffs.

  • [NYTimes] John Havlicek, a Dynamo in Two Eras of Celtics Glory, Dies at 79
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 5:42:39 PM)

    “Hondo,” as he was called, was a relentless, clutch and consistently proficient player on eight championship teams in a 16-season Hall of Fame career.

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on pending free agent Kevin Durant: KD’s childhood friend, ex-NFL player says star ‘needs’ the Knicks
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 11:11:47 AM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [NYPost] Kevin Durant’s NFL-playing friend believes all the Knicks hype
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 6:43:55 AM)

    NaVorro Bowman, the former All-Pro 49ers linebacker and Kevin Durant’s childhood friend from the DC area, told The Post his buddy “needs’’ the Knicks. Bowman, who played youth basketball with Durant starting in middle school, added the Warriors star already has “an idea’’ about a destination for next season and hinted the Knicks are the…

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.26)

  • [Hoops Rumors] 2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New York Knicks
    (Thursday, April 25, 2019 6:00:42 PM)

    There was plenty not to like about the Knicks‘ 2018/19 season. They lost an NBA-worst 65 games; they traded a potential franchise player, Kristaps Porzingis, to Dallas in a deal primarily aimed at creating cap flexibility and acquiring far-off assets; and young prospects Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox looked shaky. Still, there’s optimism in New […]

  • [NYTimes] John Havlicek, a Dynamo in Two Eras of Celtics Glory, Dies at 79
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 7:18:41 AM)

    “Hondo,” as he was called, was a relentless, clutch and consistently proficient player on eight championship teams in a 16-season Hall of Fame career.

  • [NYTimes] Finding Lonzo Ball’s Missing $1.5 Million, and Himself
    (Thursday, April 25, 2019 7:30:42 PM)

    The Uganda-born financial whiz who blew the whistle on the possibility of fraud in the basketball star’s accounts traveled a long, emotional journey to success.

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. and Kings Will Investigate Claim Against Luke Walton
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 12:01:11 AM)

    The Kings coach was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit. He has denied any wrongdoing.

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson has found the player he wants to emulate
    (Friday, April 26, 2019 12:45:53 AM)

    Mitchell Robinson has watched some playoff games, including those between the Nets and 76ers. And the Knicks rookie center has decided the Sixers’ Joel Embiid is the center he wants to emulate. “He’s a competitor. He just goes at it,’’ Robinson said at an autograph appearance Thursday at the NBA Store in Manhattan. “He goes…

  • [SNY Knicks] Potential Knicks free-agent target Kevin Durant selling Malibu home
    (Thursday, April 25, 2019 10:02:13 AM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant will have his choice of where he wants to play and live next season when he becomes a free agent this summer. So is it a sign that he is selling his California home?

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.25)

  • [Sports Illustrated] Watch: Enes Kanter Thanks Knicks For Waiving Him After Blazers Win over Thunder
    (Wednesday, April 24, 2019 9:51:09 AM)

    Kanter was waived by the Knicks on Feb. 7 after two seasons in New York. 

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ biggest threat for signing Kevin Durant could be Nets
    (Wednesday, April 24, 2019 11:02:45 PM)

    As Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was battling the 76ers in the playoffs the past two weeks on a national stage, Knicks pilot David Fizdale was conducting his own media tour since his season finale two weeks ago. In interviews with ESPN Radio, the Associated Press, MSG Network and with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on “The Jump,”…

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.24)

  • [NYTimes] 76ers 122, Nets 100: The Nets’ Season Ends, but They’re Just Getting Started
    (Wednesday, April 24, 2019 4:08:05 AM)

    A first-round playoff series loss to Philadelphia is the postscript to a season that saw a young team overachieve and build for its future.

  • [NYTimes] Luke Walton, Coach of the Sacramento Kings, Is Accused of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit
    (Wednesday, April 24, 2019 2:09:31 AM)

    Kelli Tennant, a former sports broadcaster and college athlete, filed a lawsuit alleging that he aggressively groped her in a hotel room. He denied the accusation.

  • [NYTimes] W.N.B.A. Games to Air on CBS Sports Network in New Deal
    (Tuesday, April 23, 2019 3:40:27 PM)

    The league recently unveiled a new logo and color scheme, and made clear that they reflected heightened ambitions. But growth in its TV audience has so far has been modest.

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.23)

  • [SNY Knicks] How David Fizdale feels about expectations for the Knicks entering NBA free agency
    (Monday, April 22, 2019 5:05:11 PM)

    The expectations could not be higher for the Knicks as they enter free agency this summer, having bottomed out during the 2018-19 season. But what if things don’t work out as hoped?

  • [SNY Knicks] Latest on pending free agent Kevin Durant: KD, not media, will break news on where he signs
    (Monday, April 22, 2019 11:26:52 AM)

    Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors…

  • [NYTimes] The Nets’ Joe Tsai Is Fined $35,000 for a Tweet About Officiating
    (Tuesday, April 23, 2019 12:37:35 AM)

    Tsai, a part owner of the team, posted support for General Manager Sean Marks, who was suspended a game without pay and fined $25,000 for entering the referees’ locker room after Saturday’s loss.

  • [NYTimes] W.N.B.A. Games to Air on CBS Sports Network in New Deal
    (Monday, April 22, 2019 10:21:07 PM)

    The league recently unveiled a new logo and color scheme, and made clear that they reflected heightened ambitions. But growth in its TV audience has so far has been modest.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: Trail Blazers Push the Thunder to the Brink
    (Monday, April 22, 2019 3:54:20 PM)

    Eager to atone for last season’s playoff failure, Portland has come together and found its rhythm and taken a 3-1 lead against Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City.

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.22)

  • [Hoops Rumors] Knicks Notes: Draft Picks, Ntilikina, Dotson, Dolan
    (Sunday, April 21, 2019 1:59:26 PM)

    The Knicks will miss out on a valuable pick in this year’s draft because of a trade former team president Phil Jackson made nearly five years ago, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York would own the 31st pick, which is coveted because it offers a chance at a potential first-round […]

  • [NYPost] Potential Nets free-agent target is hoping for future with 76ers
    (Sunday, April 21, 2019 5:27:44 PM)

    Sixers forward Tobias Harris exploded for 53 points in two playoff games in Brooklyn. When Saturday’s Game 4 ended with the Sixers pulling out a 112-108 triumph, the 30 happiest fans inside Barclays Center came via the Long Island Rail Road — Harris’ family. And there was also one other relative not in attendance, but…

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: The Celtics Sweep the Pacers. Now Comes the Hard Part.
    (Sunday, April 21, 2019 11:07:13 PM)

    With a strong performance against Indiana, Boston suddenly looks like the team many predicted would roll through the East. Can the Celtics sustain it against the Bucks?

  • [NYTimes] Nets’ G.M. Sean Marks Suspended for Entering the Referees’ Locker Room
    (Sunday, April 21, 2019 11:35:39 PM)

    Marks was fined $25,000 and will be suspended without pay for Game 5 of the first-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers.

  • Knicks Morning News (2019.04.21)

  • [NYPost] Duke great: Zion Williamson would be a star in NBA playoffs
    (Saturday, April 20, 2019 7:07:55 PM)

    Sixers sharpshooter JJ Redick played a full four seasons at Duke, but has no issues that the Blue Devils’ hyped freshmen trio have chosen to be one-and-doners. And as far as Zion Williamson, Redick believes the dynamic power forward could have starred this season in the NBA at age 18. “I think Zion is the…