Knicks Notes: Burke, O’Quinn, Kanter, Baker
In his second start with the Knicks on Monday night, Trey Burke did something no Knicks point guard has done in nearly 13 years. The former lottery pick posted 42 points and 12 assists, the first Knick to post at least 40 points and 10 assists in one game since Stephon Marbury on March 29, 2005.
Burke has played well for New York since he was plucked from the G League, averaging 11.1 PPG and 3.7 APG. The 25-year-old, whose deal with the Knicks includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2018/19, feels he has been provided with an opportunity to showcase his ability this year in a way that has not been available since his rookie campaign, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“I think this is the first time since my rookie season where I’m in a situation where I can play extended minutes, I can play through mistakes,” Burke said. “I don’t make one or two mistakes and I’m snatched out of the game.”
Marc Berman of the New York Post relays that Burke, who changed his hairstyle to braids, resembles his hero, Allen Iverson, both aesthetically and on the court. Burke admits he patterns himself after the Hall-of-Famer but knows he has more work to do.
“I got a long way to go,” Burke said. “I know that. AI is a goal. Pound for pound, one of the greatest to ever play. I want to get there one day. I believe it.”
Check out more Knicks notes below:
- Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn was caught on camera yelling at head coach Jeff Hornacek during the team’s matchup against the Wolves last Friday. Hornacek has downplayed the incident and O’Quinn said he overreacted, per ESPN. “I’d be the first one to say that my wrong reaction was the wrong one,” O’Quinn said. “I shouldn’t have come back. Just because somebody is yelling at me, I shouldn’t yell back. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
- With a player option decision and possible foray into free agency looming, Knicks center Enes Kanter will hire new representation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. The agent in question, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, is highly regarded and Kanter said he wants to make more money off the court, which has been an issue due to his highly publicized international conflict with his native Turkey.
- As we relayed last week, Knicks point guard Ron Baker is out of his sling and is progressing with his rehab.
Celtics To Sign Xavier Silas To 10-Day Deal
The Celtics will sign G League guard Xavier Silas to a 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Silas, 30, has not played in the NBA since the 2011/12 season, when he made a two-game cameo with the Sixers. The 6’5″ guard has played 40-plus games for the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns the last two years. In 43 games this season, he averaged 18.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG.
Boston was granted a roster hardship exception to sign another player due to a high volume of injuries. To qualify for the exemption, a team must have at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and are deemed likely to be out for an additional two weeks.
The team is currently without Gordon Hayward (dislocated left ankle), Daniel Theis (torn left meniscus), Marcus Smart (right thumb), and Kyrie Irving (left knee).
The Celtics had agreed to a 10-day deal with Sean Kilpatrick, but he received a better offer from the Bulls, with whom he signed a 10-day deal earlier today.
Isaiah Thomas To Have Hip Evaluated
Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas is en route to New York to have his ailing hip evaluated, tweets Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell.
Thomas was ruled out of the Lakers’ last two games on Saturday and Monday due to the hip. He was sidelined for a portion of last year’s postseason due to a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear in his hip. The injury carried over into 2017/18; after he was traded to the Cavaliers, Thomas did not debut until January 2.
Thomas struggled in 15 games with the Cavaliers, averaging 14.7 PPG and 4.5 APG as the team struggled to mesh. The Cavs went in a different direction at the deadline and traded Thomas to the Lakers.
Thomas has played well in 17 games with Los Angeles, averaging 15.6 APG and 5.0 APG.
It has been a tough past year for Thomas, who finished fifth in NBA Most Valuable Player voting last spring. He is currently on his third team in less than a year, and has not been healthy for most this season. Thomas, who is set to hit free agency after this season, made his desire for a max contract clear in 2017, but that outcome seems very unlikely now.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/26/18
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Lakers‘ rookie big man Thomas Bryant has been recalled from the South Bay Lakers, the team announced today. Bryant, 20, has averaged 19.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 37 G League games this season.
- The Pacers assigned center Ike Anigbogu to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s G League affiliate, the team announced. Anigbogu has appeared in 10 games with Indiana, averaging 1.3 PPG and 0.9 RPG.
Michael Porter Jr. Declares For NBA Draft
Missouri freshman power forward Michael Porter Jr. has declared for the 2018 NBA Draft, per an announcement from his Instagram.
“Man, it’s been a crazy year but I feel so blessed to be in the position I’m at,” Porter said in the video. “I want to thank Mizzou nation, my coaches and my teammates for the incredible support I’ve received ever since I committed to the university. I wish I could have been on the floor with my brothers every single night. But I’m so thankful to have been part of such a special group. A special thank you goes out to my family, y’all have been there for me through it all and I just want to let you know how much you mean to me. With that being said, after talking it over with my coaches and my family, I would like to announce that I’m declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft.”
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets that Porter will soon hire an agent. Porter is widely expected to be a high lottery selection; some consider him a possible first overall pick, but his back injury could adversely affect his stock.
The 19-year-old entered his freshman year with a lot of hype, but suffered a serious back injury just two minutes into the season. The procedure –a microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs — sidelined Porter until the SEC tournament. He played in two games this month, both losses.
In total, Porter appeared in three games with the Tigers, averaging 10.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG.
Markelle Fultz To Be Active For Monday’s Game
Sixers point guard and 2017 first overall pick Markelle Fultz will be available off the bench tonight, head coach Brett Brown told reporters, including Gina Mizell of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
Fultz, 19, is available to play for the first time since October 23, missing 68 games in that span.
“He’s put in a lot of work,” Brown said, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m thrilled to be able to offer him the opportunity to come join his teammates at this exciting time of the year.”
Fultz will not have a specific minutes restriction, but the team will monitor his play and the situation of the game, tweets ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
Fultz’s first NBA season has been hampered by injury and shrouded in mystery. Just four games into the year, the No. 1 pick was sidelined with a scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder. The ailment forced Fultz to alter his shooting motion, which was causing him discomfort.
In those four games, Fultz posted averages of 6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG.
At the time of injury, Fultz was shooting just 33% from the field and did not attempt a single three-pointer. That was out of character for the young guard, whose field goal percentage (47.6%) and three-point shooting (41.3%) was solid as a freshman at Washington.
The Sixers issued a statement in early December that Fultz’s shoulder injury had healed and he was not in pain. However, confusion about his status lingered as he did not play and multiple videos of him shooting showed a hitch in his release.
Fultz will back up Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons at point guard.
76ers Release James Young
The 76ers have released two-way guard James Young, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Young appeared in six games with Philadelphia, averaging 2.8 PPG in 10.2 minutes per contest. As part of his two-way deal, Young suited up for 39 G League games, averaging 20.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 33.4 minutes per game.
The 22-year-old is a former first-round pick (17th overall) of the Celtics from 2014.
Injuries forced Young to shuttle between the Celtics and the G League during his first three professional seasons as he logged between 29 and 31 NBA games in each of those seasons.
Atlantic Notes: Irving, Baker, Miller, Nets Progress
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving underwent a procedure on his left knee on Saturday and is expected to be sidelined for three to six weeks. Irving’s knee was found to be structurally sound aside from the soreness, a good sign given his troubles with the knee in recent years.
A source tells Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald that doctors were happy with Irving’s kneecap, which had been an issue for him since the 2015 postseason.
“Now it’s a matter of how long it takes the soft tissue to heal,” the source told Murphy. “They’ve known that the knee is sound. The ligaments, cartilage and tendons are all fine.”
Within the confines of the timetable, Irving could be back anywhere from the first round to the end of the second round of the postseason. However, Irving is considered an integral part of the Celtics’ present and future and the team wants him healthy.
In 60 games, Irving averaged 24.4 PPG and 5.1 APG while playing improved defense.
Check out more Atlantic Division notes:
- Oft-injured Knicks point guard Ron Baker underwent surgery on his torn right labrum in February and just recently ditched his sling. Baker spoke to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News about his future rehab steps. “Just depends on what staff thinks is best for me,” Baker said. “I’ll see when I get healthy in June. Because not touching a ball for four months and just jumping right into things obviously would be shaky. So obviously summer is going to be a big deal for me.”
- The Raptors have to make a decision on whether or not sign him Nigel Hayes for the remainder of the season. However, given Malcolm Miller‘s usage during OG Anunoby‘s injury versus Hayes’ garbage time minutes, Miller is the more likely candidate for the 15th roster spot, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Miller is currently on a two-way deal.
- Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said that despite the team’s lackluster record, the season is not over just because the postseason isn’t in the cards, Bryan Fonseca and Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily relay. “Anytime we get (a win) it’s a good thing,” Atkinson said. “It boosts our morale; it confirms what we’re doing.”
Kerr: Stephen Curry To Miss First Round Of Playoffs
The Warriors will be without two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry for the first round of the playoffs, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link).
“There’s no way he’s playing in the first round, there’s no way,” Kerr said. “He’s being reevaluated in three weeks. We have to be ready to play without him and then see how he’s coming along. Good thing is we’ve been through this, we went through it last year with [Kevin Durant].”
Curry returned to the court on Friday after he missed six games with an ankle injury. However, in the third quarter, teammate JaVale McGee landed on Curry’s left leg after a block attempt, forcing him to exit the game. He was initially diagnosed with a left MCL sprain and an MRI revealed a grade 2 left MCL sprain. The prognosis was for Curry to be reevaluated in three weeks.
Curry spoke to reporters after Kerr and said he hopes to be back in time for the first round despite Kerr’s prognosis (Twitter link).
“Hopefully I prove what coach said wrong and put myself in position to get back as soon as possible,” Curry said.
In 51 games this season, Curry has averaged 26.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG.
Southwest Notes: Aldridge, Gay, Gordon, Finney-Smith
A Spurs team that has been without Kawhi Leonard for most of the season has nonetheless been able to remain in playoff contention. LaMarcus Aldridge has been largely responsible for that — once labeled a bust of a free agent signing, Aldridge has stepped up as a clutch leader for San Antonio, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes.
“He’s basically carried us and everybody else him with his talent and everybody else with their heart,” head coach Gregg Popovich said. “The game goes along, goes along, and then you realize that his heart is as big or bigger than anybody’s.”
Aldridge, in his third season with the Spurs, is also in the midst of his best season since departing from Portland. In 66 games, he’s averaging 23.1 PPG 8.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG. Without Aldridge’s production, the Spurs — who recently fell out of playoff contention — would likely not still be in the hunt. His coaches and teammates recognize and appreciate his productivity in a time of need.
“We are not the most talented team in the league,” veteran Manu Ginobili said. “He is the one with the real resources.”
Check out more Southwest Division notes:
- Rudy Gay escaped from the Kings to join the Spurs and chase a championship. San Antonio is in the postseason picture and Gay, who has played in just one playoff series in his career, wants to help the team, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I don’t know how they do it, to be honest,” veteran Tony Parker said of players who annually miss the postseason. “I’ve been in eight conference finals, so it’s kind of weird all those guys. But [Rudy Gay] got a great opportunity now with us and we will try to make the most out of it.”
- Injuries to both Chris Paul and James Harden have given Eric Gordon an opportunity to be the Rockets‘ fill-in starting point guard. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays that Gordon likes the opportunity the injuries created for him. “I like it that way,” Gordon said. “It expands my game more. To me, it’s tougher to determine what I’m going to do when I have the ball in my hands more. If you’re a good playmaker and a good scorer and you have the ball in your hands more, you have a chance to do good things. I do pretty well when I’m the backup point guard.”
- Dorian Finney-Smith served as a starting shooting guard for the Mavericks in order to get both him and Doug McDermott into the lineup, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes.“If you don’t start [Finney-Smith] at 2 or McDermott at 2, then somebody’s going to get really screwed on minutes,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “And we need to see both of those guys play because they’re both good players.