(Friday, April 05, 2019 5:36:34 PM)
HOUSTON — Emmanuel Mudiay can’t say he didn’t get a chance in New York.
After becoming David Fizdale’s favorite point guard, the 23-year-old averaged over 27 minutes and started over half the games this season. Sometimes he played well offensively, and most of the time he struggled defensively.
…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 12:33:23 PM)
HOUSTON – Limping toward the finish line, this is what the historically bad Knicks season looks like – nine available bodies, fewer practices and Mario Hezonja starting at point guard.
Hezonja is a 6-foot-8 power forward under normal circumstances, but was thrust into the lead guard role Friday…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 10:37:27 AM)
When the Knicks acquired DeAndre Jordan two months ago as part of the seven-player trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, the veteran center appeared to be destined for the buyout market along with Enes Kanter and Wesley Matthews. However, the Knicks had other plans for Jordan, keeping him in the mix despite cutting back […]
(Friday, April 05, 2019 10:14:46 PM)
The Knicks were mauled by the Rockets on Friday night, losing 120-96 down in Houston.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 7:32:41 PM)
Zion Williamson was in Minneapolis at the Final Four on Friday to accept the AP National Player of the Year Award and he was still generating all the buzz.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 7:05:00 PM)
Steve Mills and Scott Perry address Knicks season-ticket holders with their vision for the future after a ‘difficult’ season.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 6:30:49 PM)
Over two months ago, the Houston Rockets needed all 61 of James Harden’s points to eke past the New York Knicks.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 2:28:18 PM)
Mario Hezonja is being rewarded after scoring a career-high 29 points on Wednesday by getting the start, at point guard, for the Knicks on Friday vs. the Rockets.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 12:42:28 PM)
If the Knicks win the NBA draft lottery and land the No. 1 pick, chances are they’ll draft Zion Williamson, who was named AP Men’s Player of the Year on Friday.
(Friday, April 05, 2019 10:20:11 PM)
HOUSTON — When David Fizdale rested sore-shouldered Emmanuel Mudiay for Friday’s 120-96 blowout loss to the Rockets, the Knicks coach made a comment that he didn’t want to do anything that might affect Mudiay’s career with his first free agency upcoming. “I think about these guys’ careers from the standpoint of, we’re not going to…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 7:08:02 PM)
HOUSTON — Making his first Knicks start at point guard, Mario Hezonja got his first career triple-double and was feisty in the locker room against those who had mocked his emergency role. Hezonja’s milestone didn’t help the Knicks against the Rockets, who still posted an easy 120-96 runaway at Toyota Center on Friday. The Knicks…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 5:36:06 PM)
MINNEAPOLIS — Zion Williamson is willing to play for anyone who drafts him — including the tanking Knicks. “Yes, if they draft me, I would love to play for them,” the almost-certain No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft said on Friday, after he was honored as the Oscar Robertson and Associated Press National…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 1:18:46 PM)
HOUSTON — First LeBron James, now James Harden. It’s gone from the absurd to the surreal as Mario Hezonja starts at point guard Friday vs. the red-hot Rockets and faces the glossy backcourt tag team of Harden and Chris Paul. The 6-9 combo forward has been switched to man the offense and defend Harden because…
(Friday, April 05, 2019 12:43:40 PM)
HOUSTON — Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry sent a letter to season-ticket holders this week, promising “an extremely bright future’’ and to “diligently” use their cap space this summer. The 279-word essay, dated April 3, marked the first time team brass specified publicly the specter of signing “two max free agents” this…
5 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2019.04.06)”
So…we are officially the worst team in the NBA. If you’re 27 years old and started rooting for the Knicks when you were 8, you have seen precisely one playoff series win. We’ve finally succeeded at failing the instant failing was made less lucrative. Our most exciting prospect this century never came back from injury and was traded away for a mediocre sophomore and two likely middle-or-worse first round picks. Our new coach managed to keep the morale of the infantry surprisingly high, but seemed more likely to sell us a flying roadster than fix our broken seat belt. Our two most recent lottery picks were arguably the two worst players in the NBA. We listened intently as our owner stammered through a crib sheet of our dirty secrets like a novice mogul skier.
Yet it was the best damn year imaginable. It’s almost impossible to understate how valuable it is to draft an elite NBA prospect with pick 36 and sign him to the full four years. It’s also almost impossible to understate how good a prospect MitchLob is, despite almost never dribbling, passing or shooting a basketball in a league that puts a premium on those sorts of things. Maybe it’s a little wide-eyed to think we might have our own bizarro Jokic, but not that wide-eyed. Even in a more likely and prosaic case, his value is immense.
Add to that a 14% chance of Zion and a 0% chance at picking worse than 5th. We have a nearly blank salary slate and strange but persistent rumors that Kevin Durant cares about that. We have all of our first round picks plus 2, and a few cheap young guys who still have a puncher’s chance to surprise or generate trade value. It was a great year.
+1
For the record, I’m more optimistic on Knox than most here. He’s had a decent March/April.
My biggest worries:
We empty the cupboard for AD (including Mitch)
If not, we draft a stiff at #4 or 5
Dallas jumps to #1 and picks Zion
KP has a stupendous breakout season next year and goes on to win multiple MVPs and chips
We whiff on KD and Kyrie/Kawhi and sign 2 non-max players to max contracts
In case you haven’t noticed, we can start rooting for wins again!
Since this may be a turning point, I was just going over some of the worst Knicks moments from recent win-now disasters with my son. Remember this one? And this one?