The Knicks have 15 players with guaranteed salaries for the 2020/21 season, which means that – on paper – their roster for the regular season appears set. However, if the team wants to hang onto veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whose deal isn’t guaranteed, one of those 15 others will have to be traded or released.
“You know who (Kidd-Gilchrist) is and he’s trying to find a way onto the roster,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said over the weekend, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “Michael’s always been a terrific competitor. Health comes first, we want him healthy and then we’ll go from there.”
It’s not clear yet whether the Knicks are committed to getting Kidd-Gilchrist – who has missed the first two preseason games with an illness – onto the regular season roster. But if he makes the team, Omari Spellman appears to be a candidate to be waived to make room, sources tell Bondy.
Spellman was dealt to New York last month along with Jacob Evans and a second-round pick in exchange for Ed Davis. That trade appeared to be mostly about the future draft pick for the Knicks, who have already cut Evans.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic liked the Sixers‘ offseason moves, which created better fits on the roster while giving the team more long-term cap flexibility. However, he still wants to see proof that the team can be more than the sum of its parts rather than less, as it was last season.
- With a left knee contusion sidelining Caris LeVert for the Nets‘ preseason opener on Sunday, Spencer Dinwiddie got the start in his place. Head coach Steve Nash isn’t sure whether or not that arrangement might become permanent, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “Caris is a starter. Will he start for us? I’m not sure,” Nash said. “He’s so good with the ball in his hands. There’s a case to be made that he plays that (Manu) Ginobili role, where he’s clearly a starter. Manu played in All-Star games, started on the bench, ran the second unit and closed games.”
- Kyrie Irving‘s return and Kevin Durant‘s debut for the Nets on Sunday couldn’t have gone much better, says Lewis in a separate New York Post story. While Durant didn’t quite look like peak KD, he score 15 points in 24 minutes and said after the game that he felt healthy, calling it a “good first step.”
Steve Nash’s doublespeak is confusing. He’s a starter but he’s not a starter just like Ginobli. Ginobili’s a starter but he didn’t start.
I read this to mean that Nash is trying to please his players and not hurt their feelings. At some point this is going to backfire when he has to make certain decisions. Will he stand by what’s right and what needs to be done or will he cave to the player and not offend them? We shall see how this plays out. I would expect Nash to stand on the truth and do the right thing and not cave.
Fingers crossed that he has a successful year, and hoping everyone stays healthy. They’ll probably make the playoffs and gel and come together as a team.
I think he just means that since Caris is a player who needs the ball in his hands, they may be more successful saving his usage for the bench minutes. Caris shouldn’t take this badly, Nash is essentially calling him the third best player on the team, but since he doesn’t play off ball he will be most impactful on the bench. I am sure that Caris is not insulted by Nash saying that when KD and Kyrie are on the floor, he wants the ball in their hands.
That team is a potential powder keg with the personalities on it. Atkinson was fired just for playing Allen as a starter over Jordan just because he is friends with Kyrie and Durant. Coaching this team is going to be as much workplace politics and ego managing as it is X’s and O’s for Nash to succeed.
It’s all about respect and being “their guy.” Atkinson simply wasn’t the coach they wanted, so they probably made life a little more difficult, and expressed they wanted someone else.
They wanted someone, they could treat more as a peer, rather than a boss. Typically though, a boss that is your friend, doesn’t turn out to he a good boss..
We shall see how it all turns out, but I think Nash is up for the task. He’s a very smart man, and I think he can get this to work..
It wasn’t him contradicting himself. He plainly meant, Caris is good enough to be an NBA starter, but his best role on this team might be to lead the second unit..
LeVert was becoming their go to guy. He plays off the ball too cause Dinwiddie plays PG. So he will start with Kyrie. They didn’t sign him to sit Him. LeVert shot 37% from three. And 71% from FT line. He’s a descent shooter, more a scorer. But he knows he’s the third option. He’ll be getting better looks this yr. Everyone on Nets knows who’s team this is. Both got signed while being hurt (Ky n KD). They all know this is about contention. I don’t see issues there. Building chemistry is another thing. Building chemistry and a solid rotation. Will be Nash’s biggest challenge. If it goes to slow it could force them to make a move. Cause their window is now. You got two divas here. But they want to win. So as long they are winning. They should be ok. Nets don’t get scrutiny from the media. Like the Knicks get. They are much kinder to them. But Kyrie and KD better not get on their bad side.