Nets Thrilled At Progress Despite Losing Record
- 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.”
New York Notes: Hornacek, Hicks, Crabbe
The Knicks will conclude their fourth consecutive 45+ loss season next month and the future of the team remains unclear. Outside of Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis — who is recovering from a torn ACL — it appears there are no locks for the roster or coaching staff after this season.
As Marc Stein of the New York Times writes in his newsletter (via CBS Sports), it’s likely that head coach Jeff Hornacek does not return next season despite having one year left on his deal. The organization has moved swiftly to distance itself from almost anything related to former president Phil Jackson, which could include Hornacek.
“It’s difficult to fault Hornacek for much of the chaos that has engulfed the Knicks during his two seasons in charge,” Stein writes. “But there’s no avoiding the fact he was a Phil Jackson selection, which could well doom him now that the organization seems intent on cutting every non-Porzingian tie to the Phil era as possible.”
The Knicks have gone 57-96 under Hornacek since last season, but injuries, poor roster creation, and a rebuilding effort hindered both the head coach and the team from being competitive. Early possible candidates to replace Hornacek are Mark Jackson and David Blatt, Stein notes.
Check out more notes coming out of New York:
- Whether or not Hornacek is the head coach next season, he feels the Knicks should seek depth at small forward, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Sources tell Bondy that the Knicks have scouted both Miles Bridges and Mikal Bridges as possible draft targets, which would echo Hornacek’s suggestion. “I think if you look around at the top teams that are in the league they have multiple guys that are in the 6’7″, 6’8″ range with length. We had a lot of guys that are in the 6’5″ ish range,” Hornacek said. “I think the longer guys you get, it gives you more opportunities to switch on defense, which if you look at the league today, the best teams are switching all the time.”
- With the Knicks eliminated from playoff contention, the goal for the rest of the season will be auditioning young talent, which includes 23-year-old Isaiah Hicks. In nine games, Hicks is averaging just 4.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG, but he has impressed with his basketball IQ and athleticism, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Hicks is on a two-way deal and the Knicks will have to decide whether they want to re-sign him.
- The Nets‘ record has hovered near the bottom of the league in recent seasons, but the organization has bought into the mantra of building a positive culture with promising talent. Allen Crabbe, who is finishing up a strong first season in Brooklyn, said he is willing to recruit free agents this offseason, Bryan Fonseca and Net Income of NetsDaily relay. “Oh yeah. Whatever I can do, just getting guys on board and looking at the vision that Sean Marks and coach (Kenny) Atkinson have for this organization moving forward, I think guys will buy in,” Crabbe said.
Russell Working On Defense; Carroll's First Season A Success
- In his first season with the Nets, veteran forward DeMarre Carroll has done everything asked of him and more, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Carroll has started at power forward and even played center, all while keeping an upbeat attitude through the team’s rebuilding. “I’m feeling good,” said Carroll. “This is the best I’ve felt in my career. I feel like playing with these young guys is rejuvenating me and making me feel even younger. I’ve just got to keep trying to show these guys by example, rather than doing the talking.”
- In another article for the New York Post, Lewis reports that Nets guard D’Angelo Russell is finally learning to work on his defense. Always a gifted scorer, Russell will continue to improve defensively as he gets older, bigger, and stronger, per head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Isaiah Whitehead Assigned To Long Island
- The Nets have assigned Isaiah Whitehead to the Long Island Nets of the G League, according to the G League’s official transaction log. In 27 G League games this season, Whitehead, 23, is averaging 20.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.7 APG.
New York Notes: Kanter, Hornacek, Dinwiddie, Offseason
Enes Kanter has been vocal about his love for New York City and playing for the Knicks. The team is weeks away from concluding another dismal season without a playoff appearance but Kanter does not want the team to sacrifice wins in favor of auditioning young talent.
Kanter spoke to reporters, including ESPN’s Ian Begley, after practice on Friday and said the team needs to focus on winning games.
“Let me tell you something, man: They can develop guys in the G League. This is not the time to develop young guys, or whatever, because we’re trying to win games here,” Kanter said. “This team is paying us a lot of money, everybody, and all the fans are paying a lot money to watch the games and they’re paying a lot of money for tickets, so they’re not just coming here watching, ‘Oh, this guy’s getting better. This guy’s developing.’ No, we’re trying to win games here, man.”
Kanter can become a free agent at the end of the season, but has stressed that he wants to remain with the Knicks.
Check out more news coming out of the Big Apple:
- There are 13 games left this season for the Knicks and they could be the final games the team plays with Jeff Hornacek as head coach. Hornacek, who is under contract for next season, indicated that he will meet with management after the season to discuss the future, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. “At the end of the season I’m sure we’ll sit down with (president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry) and figure out what we’re doing,” Hornacek said. “As a coach you’d like to know if you’re going to be here next year. But our job right now is take the guys that we have on this team and try to get them better.”
- The Nets‘ D’Angelo Russell/Spencer Dinwiddie backcourt combo seems to be a thing of the past, as Dinwiddie will be on the bench for Friday’s contest against the Sixers. Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily writes that Dinwiddie’s recent struggles have forced the 2018 Skills Challenge winner to the bench. “Man, look. I’ve just got to do better, man,” Dinwiddie said. “When we lost games this year, I lost my defensive match-ups or haven’t played enough offensively or something else. For us to win games I’ve got to do better. Like right now, we’re struggling, and the drives and the aggressiveness are one of the reasons, so I’ve got to do better.”
- Bobby Marks of ESPN Insider (subscription required and recommended) examines the Nets‘ possible offseason strategy which could include offloading Jeremy Lin, exploring an extension with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and being conservative with cap space.
Nets Recall Isaiah Whitehead From G League
- The Nets have recalled Isaiah Whitehead from the G League, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Whitehead, who has seen far more action in the NBAGL this season than in the NBA, racked up 27 points on Sunday in his most recent game with the Long Island Nets.
New York Notes: Okafor, Lee, LeVert
Jahlil Okafor hasn’t found much success on the court since being traded to the Nets, but coach Kenny Atkinson believes the big man is simply a “victim of circumstance,” as Brian Lewis of the New York Post relays.
“Sometimes it’s just circumstances,” Atkinson said. “I’d say his approach, his buy-in to what we’re doing, has been phenomenal. His buy-in to our performance team and getting his body, improving his body has been phenomenal. So, very pleased.”
Atkinson had shortened his rotation before giving the Duke product some run against the Sixers on Sunday. Okafor, who will be a free agent after the season, had four points in his five minutes of action and he may see more court time during the last month of the season.
“He has some days where he gets a little down, which is normal,” the coach added. “But he picks it right back up and has really busted his tail. So hopefully in these last games we can find opportunities for him to get there. I’d like to see more, so hopefully we get to that point.”
Here’s more from the Big Apple:
- Courtney Lee, who was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season, isn’t happy with the Knicks‘ effort on the court lately. “Effort is the key to everything,” Lee exclaimed (via Fred Kerber of the New York Post). “It takes no talent to run from the paint out to contest a 3-point shot, that’s just all effort. We have to get everybody’s effort. Everybody’s got to be locked in.” The shooting guard is under contract with New York through the 2019/20 season.
- Nets GM Sean Marks always believed former No. 20 overall pick Caris LeVert would develop into a reliable playmaker despite criticism from naysayers who argued that the team made a mistake by taking the Michigan product that high, as Bryan Fonseca of SB Nation relays. LeVert, whom the team gave up Thaddeus Young in order to acquire, is averaging 5.3 assists per contest this season.
Nets' Rebuild Has Some Similarities To Sixers' Process
- They have a long way to go to get to where the Sixers are, but the Nets‘ rebuild has some noticeable similarities to Philadelphia’s “process,” opines Greg Joyce of The New York Post. The 76ers were able to find under-the-radar gems like Robert Covington and T.J. McConnell during their rebuild, and Brooklyn has done the same, identifying guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris as undervalued players.
Players Too Hungry To Quit On Season
- The Nets have won just three of their last 19 games but most of them have been competitive. Coach Kenny Atkinson says his players haven’t quit on the season, mainly because many of them lack long-term security. “For the most part with our guys there’s no relax in those type of guys,” he told Tom Dowd of NBA.com. “None of us have done anything in this league, except for [Timofey Mozgov] won a championship, DeMarre [Carroll] has been to a conference final, then the rest of us, me included, we’re trying to make it.”
NBA Teams With 2017/18 Cap Room Still Available
At this point in the NBA league year, most of the discussion about cap room focuses on how much teams will have in July. While 2018/19 cap space will be extremely valuable for teams looking to make a splash in free agency or on the trade market, there aren’t many reasons teams need ’17/18 cap room at this point — free agency is all but over, the trade deadline is behind us, and even the deadline for renegotiating contracts has passed.
Still, 2017/18 cap room isn’t entirely useless, even this late in the season. The current league year runs through June 30, so if a team wants to complete a trade before, during, or right after this year’s draft, having cap room available to accommodate a salary could come in handy.
Additionally, teams with cap room have fewer restrictions when it comes to signing free agents — if a club wants to take a flier on a prospect during the final few weeks of the ’17/18 regular season, it could use cap space to sign that player to a lightly-guaranteed contract that stretches across three or four seasons.
Here are the teams that still have cap space available for the 2017/18 season, along with their estimated total room:
- Dallas Mavericks: $14,240,776
- Chicago Bulls: $11,325,670
- Note: The Bulls are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
- Phoenix Suns: $6,749,365
- Indiana Pacers: $5,423,615
- Orlando Magic: $3,669,889
- Sacramento Kings: $3,465,472
- Brooklyn Nets: $3,128,440
- Note: The Nets are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders, along with our own data, was used in the creation of this post.