Forward Mario Hezonja wanted to return to the Knicks but they never made him an offer in free agency, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Hezonja wound up taking a two-year, minimum salary deal with the Trail Blazers.
“That free agency was ‘call me and I’m coming back (to the Knicks),'” Hezonja said. “I don’t care (that) there’s a lot of perception people make about playing in New York. But I had never had problems with you guys (media). Media was great always great. Everyone from the front office was great to me. Fans are the best in the world. … I loved every single thing about my entire time out there. It didn’t work out in the summer.”
We have more on the New York teams:
- Spencer Dinwiddie has played so well as the Nets’ starting point guard that coach Kenny Atkinson will have a pleasant dilemma when max player Kyrie Irving returns to action, Brian Lewis the New York Post writes. The Nets are 9-3 with Dinwiddie in the lineup, compared to 4-7 before a shoulder injury sidelined Irving. “It’s a good [situation]. It just adds to our depth and adds to our talent, and I just see it as a good thing,” Atkinson said. “Now I’m thinking about what is that going to look like rotation-wise. What does that look like with Spencer: Start or come off the bench? So those are good problems. I’m excited — our staff is excited — about making that work.”
- New Knicks coach Mike Miller focused Monday’s two-hour practice on changing the team’s defensive coverage, Berman writes in a separate piece. Miller is looking for more consistent effort from the struggling squad. “We were working on the things that we need to do and really get a good feel, continue to work with our consistency of how we play possession to possession,’” Miller said. “That’s what our focus is. … Let’s lock in these areas where we’ve shown we can be pretty good. Let’s do it for longer stretches.”
- Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has to adjust a coaching change in the early stages of his career but he’s taking it in stride, Steve Popper of Newsday relays. “This is a business,” Barrett said. “We’re pros. Stuff will happen. We have a whole season to go and move on.”
Looking forward to that first win that usually comes immediately after a coaching change as the players find new energy and motivation… only to lose it again shortly thereafter
Maybe a very good sideways move could help out the Nets log jam with Irving. Not that one is really needed right now.
Nets trade Dinnwiddie, Kurucs to the Heat for Nunn, Leonard.
Can then keep Shumpert and move Chandler. Here the Rockets are looking for a forward for cheap.
I think that the coaching change is going to go well even though he’s an interim coach. It looks like he’s aware of our problem areas including guarding the three and I do believe that the Knicks will start winning more games even though I don’t believe they will become good enough for the playoffs. It doesn’t hurt getting a new lottery pick either. I would only keep Marcus Morris, RJ Barrett, Frank Nitlikina, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. That would be my starting five.
It’s hilarious that two months into a max contract it’s already looking arguable that the Nets are better without Kyrie, as they are with him.
There’s a lot to get used to with Irving, but not with Dins. Dinwiddie will use the bigger situation while Irving will contest it.