(Thursday, April 12, 2018 9:41:50 PM)
GREENBURGH, N.Y.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 9:32:00 PM)
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Enes Kanter loves New York. So much so that he is leaning toward opting out of his contract in hopes of getting a new long-term deal with the Knicks.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 8:59:23 PM)
Mark Jackson
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 8:29:34 PM)
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Tim Hardaway Jr. would just like to have one coach long enough to get to know him.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 8:25:07 PM)
They say patience is a virtue, and that’s how the Knicks are handling their rebuild.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 1:23:41 PM)
The Jets’ Todd Bowles became the dean of New York-area head coaches and managers this week when the Rangers fired Alain Vigneault after five seasons.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 8:16:00 AM)
CLEVELAND — The Knicks are looking for a new coach again.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 11:47:35 PM)
Ian Begley and Justine Ward discuss the Knicks’ dismissal of Jeff Hornacek and which coaches could be on the list to succeed him at MSG.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 5:00:57 PM)
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 4:15:59 PM)
When Kristaps Porzingis next plays for the Knicks, he will do so for his fourth coach.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 3:15:09 PM)
Along with hiring their next head coach, the Knicks also have several major decisions to make with regard to the upcoming NBA Draft.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 1:58:53 PM)
Soon after the news broke early Thursday morning that the organization had fired Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks’ brass began getting phone calls from people interested in the head coaching job.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 12:30:47 PM)
Mills said the new coach needs the understand that “the three of us are in this together.”
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 10:45:07 AM)
ESPN’s Ian Begley told SNY that Van Gundy will be an “interesting” name to watch, and Frank Isola of the NY Daily News told SNY he believes Van Gundy “still has an attachment to The Garden and to the Knicks.”
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 10:25:21 AM)
With Jeff Hornacek relieved of his duties following the Knicks’ final game of the season Wednesday night, the search for a new head coach is on for team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry.
[NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: Knicks Coaching Job Criteria: The Best Qualified for Losing (Friday, April 13, 2018 1:32:11 AM)
With its franchise player out, absorbing losses while trying to rebuild will be important for the new Knicks coach, along with a thick skin.
[NYTimes] Knicks Fire Coach Jeff Hornacek (Thursday, April 12, 2018 9:26:16 PM)
He was brought on two years ago with hopes of making the team a playoff contender. Instead, he presided over two losing seasons.
[NYTimes] Diamond DeShields’s Path to the W.N.B.A. Took Her From Tennessee to Turkey (Thursday, April 12, 2018 11:52:47 PM)
DeShields, expected to be a top-10 pick in the W.N.B.A. draft on Thursday, skipped her final year with the Lady Vols to play professionally overseas.
[NYTimes] New Coach? New Players? Prayers? How to Fix the Knicks (and Nets) (Thursday, April 12, 2018 4:35:28 PM)
The New York Times asked a handful of interested parties how to restore the luster of New York basketball. And get it started in Brooklyn.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 6:32:08 PM)
Here are some of the pros and cons of candidates to be the Knicks’ new head coach: Mark Jackson Pro: Many Knicks fans would adore the move, a storybook return of a local hero to save a dead franchise. Con: Steve Mills and Scott Perry harped on wanting a coach to work as a team…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 5:03:31 PM)
Tim Hardaway Jr. looked closer to 36 years old than 26 on Thursday, as he contemplated the fifth head-coaching change in his five-year NBA career. “It would be great to have a coach for more than two years,” Hardaway mused a few hours after the Knicks officially announced the firing of Jeff Hornacek. “It’s been…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 4:03:34 PM)
Before getting fired, Jeff Hornacek gave a clue on how the Knicks might handle locking up Kristaps Porzingis long term when he raved about the franchise’s bright future. Hornacek said the benefit of 2019 free agency, when the Knicks have cap space, is they still can re-sign Porzingis and creatively go over the salary cap,…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 3:15:44 PM)
Here is the worst cop-out in all of professional basketball: “How much difference does a coach really make in the NBA? If you have the talent, you win. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter how pretty your X’s and O’s look, you won’t.” Look, talent matters. And if you’re going to win a championship, talent…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 1:04:45 PM)
Enes Kanter wants a new contract, not a new home. Prior to his exit meeting with Knicks management Thursday, the big man said he is leaning towards opting out of the one year remaining on his contract — worth $18.6 million — and hopes to return to New York on a long-term deal. “I was…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 11:50:49 AM)
At least one player has no issue with Jeff Hornacek’s firing. Joakim Noah has been in exile from the Knicks since having a heated verbal altercation with the former coach on Jan. 25, but the exit of Hornacek could open the door for reconciliation between the former All-Star and the franchise. Noah, who has played…
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 8:59:13 AM)
In a conference room at Westchester Airport, the ax fell. Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry laid out to Jeff Hornacek his shortcomings that led to his firing in the early morning Thursday after landing from Cleveland. They believed Hornacek didn’t establish a defensive culture, a strong enough connection or communication with…
[NYDN] 8 intriguing Knicks coaching candidates after firing of Hornacek (Thursday, April 12, 2018 4:23:58 PM)
An even year in this decade usually means the Knicks have a head coaching spot to fill.
[NYDN] Responsibility finally falls on Steve Mills after firing Hornacek (Thursday, April 12, 2018 2:48:23 PM)
This is Mills’ show, for better or worse.
[NYDN] Knicks brass discusses Jeff Hornacek firing, coaching search (Thursday, April 12, 2018 2:24:55 PM)
Knicks team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressed the media Thursday after the firing of coach Jeff Hornacek.
[NYDN] Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy obvious picks for Knicks’ next coach (Thursday, April 12, 2018 2:21:05 PM)
While 16 teams prepare for the postseason, the Knicks are preparing for what they do often but not necessarily well; search for a new coach.
[NYDN] Enes Kanter leaning toward opting out of Knicks contract (Thursday, April 12, 2018 12:05:03 PM)
Enes Kanter said he’s leaning toward opting out of his contract with a goal of signing long term.
[NYDN] INTERACTIVE: 2018 Knicks Keep ‘Em Dump ‘Em (Thursday, April 12, 2018 10:37:45 AM)
Who should stay and who needs to go? Vote on which New York Knicks players and staff to keep and which to dump.
[NYDN] Knicks to reach out to Villanova’s Jay Wright about coaching job (Thursday, April 12, 2018 6:02:51 AM)
The Knicks intend to contact Villanova’s Jay Wright about their head coaching vacancy, the Daily News has learned.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 6:10:02 PM)
Citing a lack of accountability and consistency for the firing of Jeff Hornacek, Knicks management said the team’s new coach will need to understand today’s player and game. David Fizdale, David Blatt, Mark Jackson and Jerry Stackhouse are candidates.
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 3:45:49 PM)
The Knicks are looking for a new coach and getting younger. So what should fans expect from a franchise notorious for short-term thinking?
(Thursday, April 12, 2018 3:07:02 PM)
Three head coaches lost their jobs during the season, and more moves are expected this offseason. We’re keeping track of every change on the sidelines around the NBA.
89 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2018.04.13)”
I actively encourage you to take a look at the results from this poll:
http://interactive.nydailynews.com/poll/keep-em-dump-em/knicks-2018/
everyone loves kanters fire… i do too, regardless of his shortcomings… i want him back (at the right price)… everyone else i could agree with actually… the polls favored the young guys, except for baker… keep working, ron…
Re: Kanter…
He may think he can maintain his current salary, but I don’t think the market is going to agree with him if he opts out.
He is productive. And he’s young. At what price point would you want him? If we could sign him for 3 years, $33mm, I would not be angry. He’d be kinda good in that Andrew Bogut role as Center who starts but really is like the 6th or 7th man because he gets pulled for small lineups with KP at the 5.
I’d rather have O’Quinn for that role, though.
IMHO the right price for Kanter is maybe 2 years $16MM. you just can’t pay more than that for a big that cannot be on the floor in playoff games, and whose presence relegates your most promising young player to playing out of position (KP at the 4). And he’s certainly not part of the big future plan, which I assume starts with forging into the FA market after Lee/Noah/Lance come off the books.
I’d SO MUCH rather give that contract to KOQ.
I cannot for the life of me fathom that Kanter’s agent will allow him to opt out.
Kanter is Perry’s big move. If he dumps him I’d start believing he’s a capable GM who wants to win more than look good. I doubt it’ll happen.
Unbelievable that 10% of people want to keep Dolan. Breaks my heart.
@6 Probably Trump supporters.
Russian hack, though Kim Dotcom says he’s has proof it was not the Russians. 🙂
serious question – would people here rather have Dolan or some cheapskate like Sarver?
Have to start wondering a little bit about how much Dolan really had to do with the Melo trade overpay – I mean Donnie Walsh has said over and over again that it was his own trade and that Dolan didn’t meddle.
(I do notice that Grunwald has never said anything about the Bargnani trade or the decision to let Lin go – maybe it’s the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all)
Does anyone have a source for projections of individual player points scored in the 2018 playoffs?
My buddy is in a fantasy league. I told him to draft Harden #1 but not sure I gave him good advice.
It is inexplicable that thousands of people want to keep Dolan. What is the possible justification?
Steve Clifford fired too. It’s time for Willy to BREAK OUT!
Does Cliford being fired mean his comments on Willy can be considered the comments of an incompetent
I’m working under the assumption that Kanter’s announcement was just wishful thinking. He seems to like NY and wants to be here long term. But it would be professional malpractice for his agent to let him opt out without a guaranteed offer from someone.
On the 2019 open market, Kanter could reasonably expect to get about a 3 year, $24m deal. That means he would need a 4 year, $43m deal ($24+19) today to make the same money. Since he’s getting extra financial security by signing today instead of 2019, let’s bump it down to $38m.
Is any team going to offer him 4 years and $38m today? I hope not. He’s clearly an offense-only backup.
Those poll results were pleasantly surprising, leaving aside the 10% that are actively malicious nutjobs.
I’d be okay with Kanter for 3 or 4 at around 7 mil per, but only in the sense of ‘that’s not actually terrible.’ He’s too one dimensional, and he’s benched with minor injuries a lot. I don’t want a second string center who plays through injuries, I want one who stays healthy.
It means Kupchak ain’t got no time to play around.
And that doesn’t even take into account the possibility that he plays more minutes next year (with KP out), has higher per-game numbers, and secures a larger long-term deal after the “improvement” he shows (by playing more minutes, and therefore scoring more points).
If there were ever a team to be a frontcourt player in a contract year, it’s the 2018-19 Knicks. No KP, probably no KOQ, no Willy (lol), no Noah, and the Knicks have very little cap space to find anyone reasonable to “eat up” the minutes. If I were Kanter I’d opt in and ask for as many minutes per game as they can give.
I’d probably draft based on projected number of rounds played. It’s hard to see Harden going down anytime before the Conference Finals. Durant and DeRozan are in the same boat.
I think the major problem with Dolan has been his inability to recognize and hire smart basketball people and then stick with the long term plan. They will all make some mistakes, but if you can’t recognize who is good and who is bad you won’t have confidence and you’ll wind up tossing smart guys out too soon.
Kanter is not opting out. no way.
I think one of either Noah or O’Quinn will be back along with Kanter (after he opts in).
If they lose O’Quinn and stretch Noah in the off season, then trading Hernangomez looks even worse. They would have gone from creating turmoil at the C position because of a glut that destroyed some of the player value to a shortage at C instead. lmao (unless of course you really like Kornet)
James Dolan is a douchey rich guy who very desperately wants to be cool, and to have cool friends. This is how you end up with Isiah Thomas and Phil Jackson running things, and it’s how you end up with Chris Smith on your roster and CAA as the de facto GM of your team.
JD&TSS got to open up for The Eagles doe, so it all kinda worked.
So after thinking about this I think the only coach I am very hard NO on is Mark Jackson. I would even be ok with Doc Rivers IF we didn’t have to trade something to the Clippers for him (unless they want Kanter for Doc LOL).
I prefer a young up and coming coach. Stackhouse is one I would really love to see or Miller from the G-League. But I could live with Doc. Former Knick and I think most of his issues with the Clippers were as a GM, not a coach. And overall he has like 16 years of experience and has a winning record. I think he’s really only had two bad seasons as a coach. You could say he’s just had great players but also he has coached and worked with A LOT of great players. And his first gig in Orlando was with a younger on the rise team. You could do a lot worse than Rivers (again not as a coach/GM and not if we have to trade something for him).
Mark Jackson for me is really the only one I’m truly scared of us hiring. If they want a big name (which I could totally see them doing) then I would prefer Van Gundy but could live with Doc.
So two NBA coaches this year refused to give Willy consistent rotation minutes, and both were fired quickly at the end of the season.
Coincidence, or cause-effect relationships? So, NBA coaches, bench Willy at your peril!
🙂
I’m opposed to Doc only because the personality that the Clippers (and to a degree the Celtics) took on under him was so whiny and unlikable. But I’d still take him over Jackson every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I generally agree with THCJ that coaches probably don’t make THAT much of a difference if you look at the league as a whole. That said, really good coaches and really bad coaches make a difference, and probably more so in the playoffs when targeted game plans seem to be more relevant, and in-game adjustments are more important. Beyond that, probably a lot of the value of coaches is in development of players and handling of egos.
In that sense — I am even more for JVG. The dude has already shown he is a high quality coach that can win playoff series he is not supposed to win. His players were rabid in terms of their loyalty to him. I’m not sure about player development, but that is probably more of a FO and assistant coach thing.
I don’t know, I’m not 100% against Rivers as a coach, it’s just two things for me: the Clippers would have to be compensated, which sucks, and there’s no way you bring Doc to coach a team in a process of rebuilding right? So bringing him would most certainly mean a focus on winning now, which would be very misguided in my opinion.
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?
And in terms of having a defensive identity–
2000 Rockets under Tomjanovich- 17th in DRtg
2001 Rockets under Tomjanovich – 29th
2002 Rockets under Tomjanovich – 14th
2003 Rockets under JVG – 5th
2004 Rockets under JVG – 4th
2005 Rockets under JVG – 6th
2006 Rockets under JVG – 3rd
The WORST the Knicks finished in defense under Van Gundy was 6th (granted they were 1st in defense the year before he was HC). He certainly had some defensive talent in NY, but the defensive talent in Houston was pretty questionable (McGrady + Yao, but otherwise pretty poor individual defenders)
@28 link
You’re younger than I thought you would look!
🙂
Bruno that is the fear BUT he did coach a younger Orlando team. I know they had TMac and Hill but they were at the beginning of their ascent to stardom (both unfortunately cut short by injuries). I think we forget about his Orlando days where he first made a name for himself as a coach. And when he went do Boston he did have two or three seasons before the big trade that brought them Garnett and Allen. They weren’t great during those years but a lot of those players ended up being the bench guys for that great Boston run. And I feel like this year he did way better than people thought he would without CP3.
And maybe he would want the challenge of a rebuild. Its not like the Dantoni two years that were basically a punt. We are actively trying to get better and improve these next few years, we just don’t expect to compete right away until after next season when Zinger is fully back.
Again, I would not want Doc as my first choice. Just don’t think its automatically an LOLKnicks move like Jackson obviously would be. And unlike some on here, I think Jackson should have the chance to redeem himself with another coaching gig because he did do ok record wise with GS and maybe he’s learned his lesson (people do change). I just don’t want The Knicks to be that team to give him a shot.
Rivers at the very least commands respect. Same with JVG. There are probably riskier and sexier choices but I would at least have faith with those two that they would get the players to play hard, buy in on defense and they would know what they are doing as far as rotations and play calling.
Back in my “working musician” day (singular), the artist I worked for had a hired-gun bassist for a 20-date tour who would do literally anything to stay associated with the artist. Quit his job to go on a short tour, was deemed too bad at bass to continue into the next one (he struggled with the 4-chord Disney piano pop we were peddling), so he was demoted to merch guy, which he accepted. He has tried in vain to parlay his association with the (inexplicably rich, inexplicably famous) artist into a YouTube career. Every time I see a new cover of “A Whole New World” pop up on his Twitter, with his dead eyes looking vaguely toward the webcam, I inch closer to brain death. He has no idea how utterly banal his “art” is, and how little entertainment value his performance yields. It just doesn’t register to him.
In his “blues career,” I see Dolan as that level of pathetic, only with a net worth in the 10 digits. If he had a net worth like the rest of us, he’d be the 10th-percentile blues singer traveling to all of the open mics and karaoke nights in the tristate to live out his artistic delusions. It’s no surprise that he carries that cluelessness into big-asset management.
Do you know who the Rockets acquired in 2003? Take a guess! A clue is that he’s 7’6″, built like a fucking dump truck, and made five All-NBA teams.
If you’re going to pin good defensive improvement on JVG, please at least give some credit to the guys who actually touch the ball during the game.
They actually acquired Yao in 2002 (last year of Tomjanovich). But point taken.
Dolan’s only crime is the salary cap. Without it, LeBron, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant would be in New York, the Knicks would have like 7 rings instead of 2 and people would consider Dolan a great, if controversial, owner. Steinbrenner II.
This made me go back and look at the trade again and see who was selected with the picks we surrendered. The good news is it was no one we could have used. Just Dario Saric and Jamal Murray.
Heat over Philly is the best bet in the first round imho. Miami to win the east is probably a decent bet given the odds.
Yeah but they’ll never take that first round playoff win over the Celtics away from us
Dolan explicitly said in his interview last year that Phil was the first guy that he gave total control to. Since that jibes precisely with how these things were reported at the time, I’m going with that.
@36
Add in Jakob Poeltl, drafted with the Bargnani pick… this is too annoying to remember. It would have been him or Murray but getting none of them for that bs…
I think that’s likely true. Of course, it’s not like the salary cap wasn’t there when he took over, ya know?
Actually, when you think about it, it was his disinterest in the salary cap when he took over that got them into this mess in the first place (the notion that they couldn’t let Ewing go unless it was for veteran “star” players, thus not allowing the team to even have the possibility of a rebuild until, like, 2004. They, of course, decided against doing it then, either, but still, they wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to do it before then due to all of the cap-sucking moves that they made as soon as Dolan took over).
I’m opposed to Doc because whoever the coach is, he’s going to have some input into the decision making process in terms of free agents, trades, draft picks etc.. Given I don’t have any confidence in our current management, I’d WAY rather have a coach I thought was going to be a positive influence.
I believe that he used to get involved, but it’s hard to know beyond that.
The people that used to work for him are going to be reluctant to say anything negative because if they still want jobs in the future, it won’t help their cause to be known as someone that bad mouths their ex-bosses. On the flip, a lot of basketball writers hate the organization/Dolan or seem to have a relationship where they are just a mouthpiece. So a lot of it is biased.
Think about how shitty the Knicks were in the early 2000s, and yet didn’t have a chance to get involved in the legendary 2003 Draft because they were too busy trying to prop up a mediocre veteran team? All so that they could pick ninth in that draft and miss out on the four Hall of Famers that went in the first five picks! Hmmm..sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?
I’d prefer a coach I have never heard of and who I won’t notice.
Honestly, nothing is going to matter for two years anyway.
And BC, stop opening old wounds.
Although we are not going to kick that to the curb. That’s like 83% of Knickerblogger content.
It wasn’t the approach that was the problem. It was the competency of the people making the decisions. Those old Knicks teams would have become the Orlando Magic or Sacramento Kings if they tried it another way. They would have screwed up just enough picks, pissed off one of their best young talents, or given up just a bit too soon on a future star to ever climb out of the hole.
in the grand scheme of things coaches add fairly little … or at least it’s very very hard to prove that they provide some sort of edge…. on the other hand coaches can be a huge detriment…. so it’s important to just avoid bad coaches….
as long as they aren’t a distraction… and actively help the young folks reach their potential then that’s really all that’s required of the next coach… hornacek in isolation probably was ok also but he’s more suited for a veteran team as are most of the names connected to the knicks are…
we need the coach to get the most out of kp, frank, hardaway and whoever we draft…. if they all take a step forward then we are in rather good shape.. if not we are going to be really really bad for awhile…
Besides the fact that he would cost a first rounder (which is just a non-starter), there is no way that Doc Rivers, at this point in his career, wants to rebuild a team. Otherwise, he’d just stay in Los Angeles. So if he came here…yikes (and sadly, I could almost see it happening).
I could see the Knicks giving up a pick for a big-name coach. I could also see myself self-immolating in front of Penn Station if this happens.
Even this Knicks management team knows that you can’t trade a lottery pick for a coach.
Mills consulting Bob Myers has to mean that Jackson is out of the running.
The stories at the time said Walsh had Denver backed into a corner, with Ujiri’s only leverage being Melo’s willingness to consider a trade to New Jersey (to ensure he got maximum $$$$). Then Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke called Dolan personally, told him that it would be humiliating to trade Melo for so little, and so Dolan stepped in and sweetened the pot in order to get the deal done. That story makes sense given the other contextual clues:
1) Walsh was always known as a savvy negotiator, not someone who suddenly gives away the farm for shits and giggles.
2) Dolan’s eagerness to sell out the Knicks to CAA in exchange for his pathetic rockstar fantasies.
3) D’Antoni loves fast PGs, and would have been opposed to swapping Felton for an old, plodding Billups.
4) Dolan wanted Melo badly because he is King of the Starfuckers.
This is probably right. Orlando was a long time ago. Since then Doc has won a championship and coached only veteran teams. There are stories that he’s already half checked out in LA. Why would he want to come here for a 3-year rebuild, all while getting hammered by the NY media for a “disappointing” 27-win season?
He’d either want to compete right away, or he’d want a massive payday. As we know, massive paydays are not sufficient motivation for guys to do their job the right way (see: Jackson, Phil).
The threads are big, man.
What’s crazy is that if it weren’t for the fact that he’s still under contract to Los Angeles (and thus would require a first rounder to get him to come here), I think they’d do precisely that. Sign him to a big contract and then he’d instantly try to make as many win now moves as he could. It’s the perfect type of move for Mills. Everyone would applaud him for bringing in a star coach and when it became a trainwreck, he’d just use Doc as a scapegoat.
Saved by their own lack of tradeable assets!
I’d love to get JVG. That way you don’t have to look like assholes later when you need to fire your coach because you’re ready to contend.
Shit, it just occurred to me – what if the Clippers would trade Doc for a first round pick swap?
Fuck, I think I could see that being feasible. That would suck.
Now you done it, Brian
Don’t worry, I’ve already figured out how they could fuck it up – do a first round swap with Los Angeles. This management isn’t dumb enough to trade a lottery pick for Doc, but I could see them being dumb enough to fall back four places for Doc.
Coaches make a big difference. More than they admit. Of course, you need the talent to work with. But, a good team with poor leadership has problems.
More importantly, per The Captains Class, great teams need a great leader on the field/court. Even if KP comes back better than ever, the knicks will still will have a big whole to fill in that role.
I know I’ll hear flack about this, but to some extent, Enes probably plays that role on the knicks more than anyone else. I’m not saying they should re-sign him to a big contract, but this team needs a leader.
They have Lance Thomas, the greatest leader ever known.
Lance is more of a lead by example type (2 points, 1 rebound, 24 minutes).
Well the bulls got the 6th pick but we avoided the known franchise crippling effects of trading Lee and KOQ without “winning” the deal so it’s a wash
The Bulls are destined to get a bad player with that pick, though, because they didn’t tank the right way, right?
Seriously, though, how dumb are the Kings? They had the #6 pick locked up until they also won on the final game of the season. The Knicks and the Kings, they really do go together well.
@63 AND 64
Yeah, but the Knicks and Kings won their last games! They have a one game winning streak heading into next season, meaning all kinds of momentum. That’s great for enhancing a winning culture! We also played Jarrett Jack a lot in that last game, and he’s gonna be a great coach one day. So, yeah.
Plus, they got rid of that sourpuss Willy Hernangomez and his huge salary. And, it’s not the pick that counts, it is who you select, so the Knicks surely will get a much better player at 9/10 than the Bulls will get at 6 or so. Look at Donovan Mitchell!
I don’t necessarily think that Miami will win, but I agree they’re the best bet in the first round. The fact that Simmons doesn’t shoot is ready to be exploited.
but I think Boston is actually a better value bet to win the east. If philly beats Miami they’re going to struggle against the Celtic D
Stackhouse would be an interesting hire plus need better support staff. East is big
I’m assuming that if Stackhouse was a Masai hire, he is an analytics guy. I’ll take it. Anyone but Doc or Jackson.
It would be hilarious if one of the most inefficient players in his day became an efficient head coach.
Well. we’ve been a pretty dumb franchise the last 10 years, but consider that the Kings have had a top 10 pick every single year since 2010. That’s 8 top 10 picks. And look where they are today.
That is some epic level management ineptitude.
Dude made $84M in his career, posted a BPM >0.7 just once in his career; he was negative in 12 of 18 seasons. Unreal the effect that brand recognition has on roster management. He was washed by age 31… and still played ’til he was 38. Makes me wonder how many good young players missed a roster because of every NBA team having at least one guy like this.
He was the poster boy of the inefficiency of 1990s offenses. The king of the long, contested two. But he took enough of them to get him those pointz! So Jordan traded Rip Hamilton for him, which is so hilariously stupid.
The key to their ineptitude is how many top five picks they’ve had in that period. Only four, because they’ve always been just good enough to not get to the top of the draft. Their only pick higher than #5 (which they’ve picked at three times) was Boogie. See what the difference a single pick can make? I’m not even a big Boogie guy, but he’s definitely a step above their other guys.
Stackhouse wouldn’t be a bad hire, but I’d really prefer one of the top assistants. I know I don’t really like Doc Rivers as a coach and I’d hate Mark Jackson. Ime Udoka is probably the guy I’d want most if Jay Wright has no intentions of leaving Villanova for the Knicks’ job.
As far as draft picks go, I’ve always believed in the Knicks’ front office’s ability to find useful basketball players. We have a better hit rate than a lot of teams in the NBA if you consider where we drafted guys and how productive they’ve been in comparison to other picks historically. Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina, Dame Dotson, Willy Hernangomez, Tim Hardaway Jr (he was drafted like 24th), Jerian Grant, and Iman Shumpert all are players in this league or look like they will eventually be players in this league. Whoever the Knicks pick is very likely to play a decade in the NBA in my mind because of the Knicks’ track record. My early favorite for our pick is Chandler Hutchison. He’s the same age as Mikal Bridges and is comparable in size/length/weight (6’7″ with a 7’1″ wingspan and around 200 pounds), but he’s much further along offensively. I like his ability to facilitate, cut to the basket, and pass the ball from the small forward spot. He’s the exact type of player this offense needs if it’s going to develop into something unstoppable, and he has the length and smarts to be a plus defender.
Stackhouse taking Hornacek’s job would mean the basketball gods need to work on their foreshadowing subtlety.
https://youtu.be/nZSXYMoEoeQ
I don’t know anything about Hutchinson, is he already a plus defender? Players learn offense but defense seems much tougher to teach.
Mikal Bridges’ DBPM: 4.4
Chandler Hutchison’s DBPM: 4.3
Mikal Bridges’ Defensive Win Shares (in 1286 minutes): 2.4
Chandler Hutchison’s Defensive Win Shares (in 961 minutes): 2.2
Mikal Bridges’ steal percentage: 2.7%
Chandler Hutchison’s steal percentage: 2.7%
Chandler Hutchison has been a much better rebounder than Bridges and that probably helps him, but that’s exactly what the Knicks need is a strong rebounding wing player. I also think Hutchison had the harder job (albeit in a much weaker conference) being the go-to guy on his team, but his assist rate would probably be closer to 6 or 7 per 40 if he wasn’t victimized by wide open bricks by his teammates. In the Mountain West Conference, Hutchison, a small forward, led the conference in points per game, usage, Defensive Win Shares, DREB% and Defensive Rating. He was also 3rd in points produced, 4th in assist percentage, and 3rd in BPM. He shot 52% from 2pt range and 35.9% from 3. He got to the line 9.3 times/40. Turn on his tape and you see a guy who was the Boise State Men’s Basketball Program the past two years. In terms of wings in this draft, you have Luka Doncic ahead of him and that’s pretty much it. His first step is lightning which is why he’s always at the foul line. I don’t see a reason to take Mikal Bridges, whose ceiling is superstar role player a la Robert Covington, over my boy Hutchison who could develop into a two way all star. I think there’s a bad tendency to look for “the next *insert surprise rookie here,* but Hutchison is in that Kuzma/D. Mitchell category of guys who grew into their bodies late and developed a complete game along the way. I have him in my top 10 on my big board.
just watched a youtube video of Stackhouse talking about his NBA fights. This is the guy.
Interesting.
Budenholzer is interviewing for the Suns’ job? That’s a guy we should running down!
The Suns might give him de facto GM duties. I don’t see him leaving unless a team offers him that (unless it is to a good team).
The Atlanta job is a shit job, though. They’re at least 3 years away from making the playoffs, and they’d probably fire him before that happens. In New York, he’d already have a lot to work with in Burke, Ntilikina, the 2018 1st, Hardaway Jr (who played his best ball under Budenholzer), and then he’d have the free pass to tank another season. Phoenix is young and promising but they’re in the West and have a Devin Booker problem brewing. I’d hope the Knicks at least show interest in him. We’d pay really well and according to Phil Weber we have the best accommodations in the league.
he’s from AZ, and he asked permission to interview for that job. I think it’s Phoenix or nowhere.
Doc Rivers isn’t worth compensation, and he has no idea how to be a GM, but he does seem to be a good coach.
So the Bucks will keep their pick after all, the Suns are only getting their own pick + Miami’s pick (16th overall). That makes it so that only the Clippers have two mid first rounders for a potential trade down.
Fizdale said he’s interviewing with Phoenix and New York next week. Cool, I guess.
I have no idea whether I like Fizdale or not.
He had an ok year with Memphis then got fired right away for whatever was the real reason, fighting with Gasol or anything else, he was an assistant with those terrible early 2000s Hawks teams then spent 8 years with the Heat, which is actually a good sign as I trust Riley and Spoelstra’s judgment.
So yeah I have no idea what to think. It’s obviously a better prospect than Jackson or paying compensation for Rivers or the pipe dream of Van Gundy wanting to get back into coaching, but I don’t know much about his approach to coaching to be excited about it too.
Listening to JVG on Michael Kay — he really wants this job.
C’mon Perry — make the right choice.
I think I’d be cool with either Fizdale or JVG.