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Knicks Morning News (2023.07.19)

  • Having Talked Trash to Patrick Ewing for Nearly 40 Years, Michael … – The Sportsrush
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, July 19, 2023 5:43:42 AM

    Having Talked Trash to Patrick Ewing for Nearly 40 Years, Michael …  The Sportsrush

  • Heat’s Duncan Robinson hilariously hounded by Knicks fan – ClutchPoints
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, July 19, 2023 3:25:31 AM

    Heat’s Duncan Robinson hilariously hounded by Knicks fan  ClutchPoints

  • Which Kings stars have played for the Knicks and Sixers? NBA HoopGrids answers for July 19 – Sportskeeda
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, July 19, 2023 2:23:00 AM

    Which Kings stars have played for the Knicks and Sixers? NBA HoopGrids answers for July 19  Sportskeeda

  • Knicks Trade Idea: Deal for Raptors’ OG Anunoby? – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 9:15:03 PM

    Knicks Trade Idea: Deal for Raptors’ OG Anunoby?  Sports Illustrated

  • Former Knicks center signs with young, exciting team in free agency – Daily Knicks
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 5:00:59 PM

    Former Knicks center signs with young, exciting team in free agency  Daily Knicks

  • Can Knicks Compete with 76ers’ James Harden Proposal? – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 4:32:47 PM

    Can Knicks Compete with 76ers’ James Harden Proposal?  Sports Illustrated

  • “Want to Spit on Everyone”: Blasting Hatred for Knicks and Veteran NBA Coach, 30YO Star Claims to Have Shared Locker Room Frustration With Derrick Rose – EssentiallySports
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 4:23:00 PM

    “Want to Spit on Everyone”: Blasting Hatred for Knicks and Veteran NBA Coach, 30YO Star Claims to Have Shared Locker Room Frustration With Derrick Rose  EssentiallySports

  • Knicks land former Golden State lottery pick in crazy mock trade – Empire Sports Media
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 3:35:35 PM

    Knicks land former Golden State lottery pick in crazy mock trade  Empire Sports Media

  • Draymond Green rips Knicks fans: ‘F–king delusional and miserable’ – New York Post
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 2:47:00 PM

    Draymond Green rips Knicks fans: ‘F–king delusional and miserable’  New York Post

  • Knicks draft pick Rokas Jokubaitis to remain with Barcelona next season – Posting and Toasting
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 2:06:25 PM

    Knicks draft pick Rokas Jokubaitis to remain with Barcelona next season  Posting and Toasting

  • Evan Fournier sounds off on desire to be traded, non-existent … – WCBS 880
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 12:39:00 PM

    Evan Fournier sounds off on desire to be traded, non-existent …  WCBS 880

  • ‘Uncool Times!’ Evan Fournier Rips Knicks & Tom Thibodeau … – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 11:50:01 AM

    ‘Uncool Times!’ Evan Fournier Rips Knicks & Tom Thibodeau …  Sports Illustrated

  • Draymond Green Calls Out ‘F—— Delusional and Miserable’ Knicks Fans – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 11:35:06 AM

    Draymond Green Calls Out ‘F—— Delusional and Miserable’ Knicks Fans  Sports Illustrated

  • Evan Fournier vents all his Knicks frustrations in bombshell interview – New York Post
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 10:34:00 AM

    Evan Fournier vents all his Knicks frustrations in bombshell interview  New York Post Knicks’ Evan Fournier has no relationship with Tom Thibodeau, is ready to leave New York  Yahoo SportsKnicks News: New York loses trade target, Jericho Sims’ reported outlook for 2023-24  Daily Knicks

  • Is RJ Barrett a rising stock or a falling one? – The Strickland
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 10:31:31 AM

    Is RJ Barrett a rising stock or a falling one?  The Strickland

  • “We would have won a championship with us” – When Xavier McDaniel spoke about his bitter departure from the New York Knicks – Basketball Network
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 9:45:17 AM

    “We would have won a championship with us” – When Xavier McDaniel spoke about his bitter departure from the New York Knicks  Basketball Network

  • 3 Knicks players who impressed the most at Summer League – Daily Knicks
    [news.google.com] — Tuesday, July 18, 2023 8:00:25 AM

    3 Knicks players who impressed the most at Summer League  Daily KnicksKnicks: 2 biggest things learned from 2023 NBA Summer League  ClutchPointsKnicks: 3 summer league standouts that could crack G-League roster  Empire Sports Media

    • 49 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2023.07.19)”

    Ol’ Butter Stumps to the Kings puts Quetta on the ropes. I imagine that creates a bit of angst in some distant dark corners of KB…

    Lol Alan, I was thinking the same thing! Although I’ve also been impressed with the volume of posting given the lack of Knicks news. Paraphrasing what I posted yesterday re: PT possibilities if this is the rotation roster going into the season (which I doubt):

    240 minutes of total playing time:

    Randle (34), Brunson (34), Mitch and iHart (48 combined) IQ (28) for a total of 144 minutes (I’m guessing that these 5 will be virtually unchanged from last year)

    Then Grimes and DDV (38 combined) and RJ and JHart (58 combined) would get you to 240.

    The premise here is that these two pairings will have variable playing time at first…then things will stabilize.

    The two players that I think are most likely to get squeezed are RJ and Grimes. I have a feeling that Thibs is going to like having the Brunson-Hart-DDV connection on the floor to end games. However, if they show significant development in their minutes, it could be the reverse.

    You can’t have a lot of Hart and RJ on the floor together, unless RJ becomes a vastly more consistent shooter from distance, and/or Hart becomes more willing to shoot 3s when open. (And also for his efficiency late last season to not be a mirage.) A lineup with those two plus Mitch or iHart is going to be incredibly challenged, spacing-wise, and put a huge burden on Brunson and either Grimes or DDV. So unless Thibs abandons all his defensive principles and does lineups with Julius at center, Hart at PF and RJ at SF, I doubt we’ll see both those guys together in a lot of closing minutes.

    I thiink we got 30 posts out of Evan’s lack of sangfroid. Summer is always a little quiet.

    I can remember a time we averaged 2-3 posts per day in the summer. Thinks are positively hopping by comparison.

    I will have an announcement about a new project around 1 p.m., though I suspect it will not be the tempo of this particular group. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong?

    Roster didn’t change much there’s not a lot to talk about at this point

    Alan, last year after JHart was acquired, he averaged 30 minutes and RJ averaged around 33. That means that at a minimum they shared the court for 15 minutes on average. I don’t expect that to change much. In fact, without Obi backing up at the 4 it might actually increase.

    The question for me is, when will they share minutes? The most obvious answer is mostly when Julius is not on the floor and they are playing the 3 and 4 in some configuration. Yesterday I posted the following configuration would be in when Julius got his first rest at the end of the first:

    C: iHart
    PF: RJ
    SF: JHart
    SG: DDV
    PG: IQ

    That’s not a bad lineup to throw out there against other teams’ benches, and I think Thibs would give it every opportunity to fail before going away from it.

    Ol’ Butter Stumps to the Kings puts Queta on the ropes. I imagine that creates a bit of angst in some distant dark corners of KB…

    If he stays, yeah. But if they let him go, not really, no. Never thought the Kings were a good team for him. Maybe Portland, because they don’t have a clear backup behind Nurkic.

    I used to hang out with Chris Carmack a little bit back in the day. We had some mutual friends. Nice guy. He used to come see my weird indie bands play sometimes.

    Kudos Alan, never heard of The O.C. Which is not unusual since I live in England. Googling it makes me want to view it which I can easily get (and pay for, which I would never do without a reason…such as a book published on it).

    I think you may have nailed this business model.

    Supposedly, Frank is in advanced talks to play in the Euroleague.

    Crvena Zvezda?

    You won’t have him to kick around anymore. 🙂

    Re: Frank

    It’s about time!

    I wish him the best, I always liked the kid and I believe he’s much more apt for the very tactical and team-first oriented euro style.

    On the other hand, Red Star (it’s simpler to write 😉 ) had a busy summer, signing guards Shabazz Napier, Milos Teodosic and Yago Dos Santos to complement their backcourt star Nemanja Nedovic, plus a couple of 6’7″ wings in Rokas Giedraitis and Adam Hanga.

    All this players are euro-veterans and, maybe with the exception of Dos Santos, on paper are higher in the pecking order than Frank, so if he’ll sign with Zvezda (no official update in the last couple of days) he’ll have his work cut out to get minutes…

    Anyway, best of luck Deer Eyes, maybe I’ll finally have a chance to watch you live, and don’t be shy or the thunderous serbian fans will eat you…

    P.S. Former “ghost” Knicks’ draftee Leandro Bolmaro will play Euroleague for Munich. Basketball euro market’s very busy this days 😀

    Just like I always said. Frank will do a fine job playing 14 minutes per game as a reserve guard for Limoges. Water seeks its own level and all that.

    Congrats on the new book Alan!

    Admittedly, The OC has never struck me as a show I’d like but perhaps I’m judging a book by its ppg instead of its BPM

    hi max…I hope the day is moving along smoothly for you…

    that’s interesting what you said about the Serbian fans…

    how much does it usually cost to attend a game?

    have you had the chance to go to euro-league games in different countries?

    Alan,
    I loved your books about The Sopranos, the greatest american TV shows and the TV Revolution (of this one I have the italian edition) at the same time I’ve never watched an episode of the OC, but KUDOS all the same! 🙂

    Congrats Alan! I’ve finally worked my way through The Bear so excited to read your work on that front. It never disappoints.

    I don’t think Frank has the talent to be a big minute player in the more competitive European domestic leagues. No chance that guy can be a difference maker in the ACB, for example. Hopefully he settles in somewhere that’s more his speed. If it’s Greece, KYN can keep the Frank Ntilikina content alive and well here!

    strat: “Frank will be back…he’ll be back and he’ll be millions…”

    Hi Geo!

    How’s goin’ my friend?

    I’m good, living confined in the air conditioning because outside the heat and humidity are unsustainable 🙂

    As usual prices for single games vary according to the importance of the game, but you can have good (or very good) seats for 30-50 euros basically for every game.

    To give you some examples, in the “All-Inclusive” season tickets for Olimpia Milano next season (32 RS games between Italian League and Euroleague plus playoffs already included for both) “first rows bench side” go for around 1.500 euros, the “opposite side” first row for 2.300 euros (no players standing around 🙂 ) and good “lodge” seats (one “level of rows” higher) go for around 700 euros.

    “Curves” (the kingdom of “ultras”) are even cheaper.

    Sorry I can’t give you informations about other countries, I’ve never been to EL games outside of Italy.

    Congrats on the book, Alan. I have to say i don’t know what The OC is, but i’ll check it out.

    and don’t be shy or the thunderous serbian fans will eat you…

    Yeah, i think this can be a problem. Shouldn’t he go to one of the western european leagues (Germany, France, Italy or Spain)? I think Serbia, or Greece and Turkey for that matter, are not the best option for Frank. The pressure from the fans is huge in these countries.

    Shouldn’t he go to one of the western european leagues (Germany, France, Italy or Spain)? I think Serbia, or Greece and Turkey for that matter, are not the best option for Frank. The pressure from the fans is huge in these countries.

    I agree Cyber, I have the same feeling (and France or Germany would probably be the best for him).

    Can you imagine Frank in a Red Star-Partizan Belgrade’s derby? (or Istanbul’s Efes-Fenerbahce or Athens’ Pana-Olympiakos?).

    I can’t, but life’s full of surprises… 🙂

    Since it’s such a slow day, I’m going to step into the breech and defend Evan Fournier. No, not really, he’s a shitty defender who, like Okafor but for slightly different reasons, might have been really good 15-20 years ago but not in today’s NBA where guys like Thybulle actually have rotation value.

    But I’ll throw something into the “he’s cooked” debate. I actually don’t think so. I think there are a number of players who can microwave off the bench, IQ being one for example, Grimes showed some signs as well. And then there are guys who need to get into a rhythm, for whatever reason. Miles might be one, and it’ll be interesting, if he gets more playing time, to see if Obi is one as well (or if he just kinda sucks).

    I think Evian’s decline is directly related to the decrease in his playing time over the last few seasons. The less he plays, the worse he plays, because he’s not on the floor long enough to get his rhythm.

    Complete eye-test malarky, but even back when he was playing regularly he almost always seemed to suck more when first coming into the game.

    Okay, that’s all I got. Feel free to rip this particular hypothesis to ribbons.

    Knight looks worse on paper than Roby. And Minnesota didn’t want to keep him even on minimal dollars. I think Roby didn’t impress Knicks’ brass in summer league

    Feel free to rip this particular hypothesis to ribbons.

    I’m with you (and rhythm is usually more important for shooters).

    It’s boring time so I’ll add another not-so-popular take 🙂 :

    Fournier is a bad defender mostly because of athletic declining and limitations. He, just like JB, almost always tries.

    But Strat’s right about the fact that you can survive with one lousy defender but it’s hard to do it when there are more, so someone has to pay.

    Two of our “Big-3” are bad defenders because they don’t give a damn 80% of the time. And both are subject to a double standard, because one is rarely punished for those faults (RJ) and the other one is never held accountable for them (Julius).

    If those two were treated like Fournier, Obi, Kemba or Rivers, I would have more respect for Thibs….

    P.S.
    Reddish was intentionally omitted 😉

    The Knicks are signing 6’10” PF/C Nathan Knight to a 2-way contract.

    I’m wondering if this is a pay boost thing and he’ll end up on the Westchester team

    If it’s permanent then we’ve got 1 big league spot and 1 two-way left

    Knight didn’t even play in Summer League for thr Timberwolves. I’m wondering if there is some sort of back story we don’t know.

    “The Knicks are signing 6’10” PF/C Nathan Knight to a 2-way contract.”

    This is actually a good development! He goes by Nate and is a decent prospect in the Jericho Sims mode, maybe with a bit more offensive fluidity. Averaged 17 and 9 per 36 in 837 NBA minutes. Four year college player out of Wiliam & Mary, was dominant his junior and senior years, both PoTY and DPoTY in the CAA (no, not that one!). Here’s some Minny highlights…and a fun interview article from just after he graduated…sounds like a terrific kid, into analytics!

    Minny had a surplus of bigs, so maybe he shook loose due to roster considerations…he’s more of a C than a PF, long (7’2″ wingspan) and very fluid but not all that athletic. He might not have the quickness to guard wings, but definitely worth a long look as a big end of bench body. I like him better than Roby, but whatever…

    If anyone cares, here’s some stuff on Knight. You may take longer reading it than Knight spends time on the Knicks.

    Here’s Vecenie on him before his draft:

    Very skilled for how big he is. Legit center size at 6-10 with a 7-2 wingspan. Was largely a post scorer, but showcased real potential as a pick-and-pop guy as a senior. Think that’ll be more his role at the next level. Smooth lefty stroke. Easy mechanics and good footwork getting into pick-and-pop. Very fluid as an athlete, but not really a downhill rolling threat. Good finisher inside, but doesn’t have crazy lift and I wonder if he’ll be quite as effective as an interior scorer when he moves up levels to the NBA from the CAA. Better in dunker spot as a two-foot load leaper than he is as a roller. Having said that, does have some short-roll ability due to his passing. Didn’t showcase it as much as a senior, but has legit vision and passing acumen for a big. Can maybe even occasionally put the ball on the deck once to draw defenders before hitting the kickout or high-low. Again, that lack of vertical pop comes up as a rim protector, but he’s good at using his length as an impediment. In pick-and-roll, William & Mary largely ran a drop, and Knight was successful in it at playing the gap and also contesting pull-ups. Generally a savvy defender who knows what he’s doing. Not particularly fleet of foot, though, and can get burned in switches. If the jumper becomes consistent, has a real chance to establish himself as an NBA player. Would buy him potentially getting drafted.

    Jeremy Woo at the draft:

    After an excellent, stat-stuffing career at William and Mary, Knight has some intriguing talent but isn’t exactly an eye-test guy, with an average build that’s been a hang-up for NBA scouts. Knight has terrific natural touch in the paint and has developed three-point range, but given he was so post-up dependent in a small conference, it’s hard to know how well he’ll translate into a role when he’s not an offensive focal point. He’s a good but not great athlete and doesn’t really play much above the rim. But given his statistical profile, Knight is an interesting candidate for a two-way deal.

    Here’s a season review link for the 2021-22 season by a TWolves blog:

    https://www.canishoopus.com/2022/5/26/23142384/2021-22-minnesota-timberwolves-season-review-nathan-knight

    They seemed to like him quite a bit. He dominated his g-league games. He fouled and dunked a lot in garbage time.

    They included this link of him dropping 20 on the Celts: https://youtu.be/zCKiCyW2F90

    Regarding Knight, I was about to comment that I like the idea of having a guy who even has the capability to get 20 in an NBA game even once (meaning: potential), but then I looked and saw that Roby had 30/8/4 on 11-for-13 shooting in March 2022. So now I don’t know what to think anymore.

    Knight signing means we only have a single two-way slot left. So either Keels or Duane Washington Jr is getting that 15th roster spot, or one of them won’t be under contract to the big club anymore.

    I don’t see any need to waste a 2-way spot on DWJ. At least we drafted Keels and he’s only 19 years old. Keels, Martin and Knight is a fine use of those spots…unless someone better drops off of a roster I would keep it that way.

    I also wonder about Sims, not much has been said about it but he had a pretty serious shoulder injury and recovery from that kind of surgery is not all that predictable. Not that we have to worry about it affecting his shot lol. I still don’t know how he hurt it, they said it was in an April 7 game vs. NO…was it a fall, a dunk, or something else?

    “Regarding Knight, I was about to comment that I like the idea of having a guy who even has the capability to get 20 in an NBA game even once (meaning: potential), but then I looked and saw that Roby had 30/8/4 on 11-for-13 shooting in March 2022. So now I don’t know what to think anymore.”

    Both are equally whatever, just differently so. Roby is a bit better suited for the backup PF role right now, but Knight is definitely worth a long look as a versatile (i.e. tweener) backup big.

    From the links above, Knight looks better than I originally thought

    at least we are doing: “something” about the backup four…

    sims has some natural get up off the ground abilities…can’t shoot though…

    I need to check his stats, but, it doesn’t feel like he hurts the team when he’s out there…

    you know, I remember now he had some trouble on defense, besides the fact he can’t shoot the ball…

    hopefully everyone starts the season healthy – anyone know when julius is expected to be okay to play?

    Here’s the reaction on the Minny blog Canis Hoopus.

    The author Charlie Walton had this to say:

    As New York’s roster currently sits, the team isn’t in need of another forward/center as they already have Mitchell Robinson, Jericho Sims, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Isaiah Roby. However, Knight fits Head Coach Tom Thibodeau’s playstyle — high intensity, physical, run-and-gun offense, and the ability to play with force on the defensive end. If Knight can scratch some consistent playing time with the big league club, he will need to cut down on his fouls, or Thibs will run the risk of losing his voice completely.

    I had, and still do have, some very high expectations for Nate. The Syracuse, New York native has a chance to do some great things with a big market. Hopefully, the cards will align correctly and give him the ability to prove his worth.

    Per Alan, make sure to click the link!

    One interesting fact about Knight…even though this will be his third 2-way deal, he has played only 2 games in the G-League, both in 2021-22.

    In one game he had 33 and 12 (5 ORebs) with 4 blocks but 1-6 from 3 and 7TOs on a 39.5% usage.

    In the other, he had 31 and 13, went 4-9 from 3 on a 36.3 usage

    In both games he had high usage and high efficiency.

    Seems like he’s been relatively efficient (.620 TS%)at high usage in college (34.7 as a senior, 31.2 over 4 years), G-League (see above), and in his limited NBA minutes (.582 TS% on a 20.3 USG%).

    What’s interesting is that he upped his 3PAr to .219 as a senior and while he only hit 30.5% of them it does seem like there’s possibility for development there…he did hit 36% last year in a tiny sample.

    At the very least, I look forward to seeing him in training camp/preseason. He is from Syracuse after all…and I just learned that he’s very tight with a friend of my kid who plays hoops at her college. Not quite the Obi-level home town connection, but alas…

    Here is my news, btw: I’ve written another book, this time an oral history of The O.C., which was a very important show to me as I exited my 20s, and also the subject of the very first book I wrote (kinda).

    I would have bought it anyway but The OC!? Fuck yeah!

    I imagine that’s a hard show to jump into now. You really had to be there. “Welcome to the OC, bitch! This is how we do it in Orange County” was everywhere. It was a moment.

    Until Oliver transferred to Harbor and ruined it.

    I showed my teens the OC during the pandemic and they loved it. Cool that it has become multigenerational, given how trendy it was (I was actually surprised at how well it held up for what it was).

    I have a friend who loved the show so much that he named his first born son after one of the characters.

    Speaking of that friend and of the OC, I drove with that friend down to the OC today to watch the Yankees play baseball. I haven’t watched a baseball game since the OC originally aired, and I realize that a lot changes over 20 years, but, holy shit, the Yankees are bad! Their cleanup hitter was batting below .200… What happened to George Steinbrenner buying the bests free agents every off season? This was like watching a Dolan owned sports team play, yeesh.

    Also, the team the Yankees were playing, who call themselves the LA Angels, even though it takes three hours to drive there from LA, have a Japanese guy who is, apparently, the best hitter and the best pitcher in the game. What?!

    Anyway, long story short: a) yay Alan, b) Yankees are bad. I can see why you New Yorkers are spending so much time talking about Evan Fournier’s feelings this summer.

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