Medical Update On Jeremy Lin
- In an update on Jeremy Lin, who suffered a season-ending ruptured patella tendon in the right knee on opening night, he is recently started cycling, Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily relays. Lin, 29, has been stationed in Vancouver to do his rehab with periodic visits to Brooklyn. He has until June 29 to decide whether he will exercise his option for a third season in Brooklyn but after a season-ending surgery, it’s hard to envision Lin forfeting guaranteed money.
- If it were solely based on talent, Caris LeVert would likely be a starter for the Nets. While he is currently coming off the bench, LeVert has made himself the leader of Brooklyn’s second unit, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “He’s making it his group,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “You do need someone to lead a unit, and they’ve got nice chemistry going.”
- The Nets have struggled when playing back-to-back games this season and it’s something the team needs to fix, Lewis writes in a separate story.
New York Notes: Hornacek, Baker, Point Guards, Allen, Russell, Okafor
The Knicks entered last season with high expectations but a midseason collapse partnered with a veteran team was the root of the team’s demise. With a younger team in place this season, head coach Jeff Hornacek does not expect the current Knicks to quit on the season if things get tough, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.
Ball-dominant players such as Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose were not conducive to the Knicks’ offensive strategy. Free agency acquisitions Courtney Lee (who has been solid this season) and Joakim Noah did not perform to expectations. This season, however, Hornacek has a different vibe.
“Usually when you have an older team — veteran guys — and the losses start piling up guys have a tendency to go, ‘Okay, the season (is over),'” Hornacek said. “These guys are going to fight until the end of the season no matter what our record is. A lot of young guys, they know we’re working not just for this year, but for the next couple of years to get better at certain things. So there won’t be any quit in these guys.”
After back-to-back losses, the Knicks are 17-16, good for an eighth-place tie in the Eastern Conference with the Heat. Injuries to Tim Hardaway Jr., Kristaps Porzingis, and Enes Kanter have hindered the team at times this season. Yet, Hornacek feels the current crop is hungry and willing to compete, even through difficult circumstances.
Check out other news from the New York NBA scene below:
- The Knicks‘ uncertain point guard situation was exploited in the team’s Christmas loss to the Sixers on Monday, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Veteran Jarrett Jack went 0-for-5 from the field while rookie Frank Ntilikina struggled on both sides of the ball. Conversely, Sixers backup point guard T.J. McConnell provided Philadelphia with a major boost.
- Knicks point guard Ron Baker has taken an unconventional path to the NBA, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. Baker was not heavily recruited out of high school and needed several productive seasons at Wichita State to get on several NBA teams’ radars. Then, Baker went undrafted and had to impress the Knicks in the summer league to earn an NBA opportunity.
- Nets rookie center Jarrett Allen is trying to model his game after Rockets big man Clint Capela, Net Income at NetsDaily highlights.
- As both D’Angelo Russell (knee surgery) and Jahlil Okafor (conditioning) work to enter the Nets’ rotation, general manager Sean Marks’ remarks from last Wednesday put both men on track to return shortly after the New Year. Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets that Russell’s 7-to-8 weeks’ timetable after November 17 surgery puts him on track to return anywhere from January 5-12; Okafor was said to be about two weeks away, putting him on schedule to enter the rotation on the Nets’ upcoming homestand.
Crabbe Not Living Up To 3-Point Reputation
- Allen Crabbe hasn’t provided the 3-point shooting the Nets expected when they traded for him, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn acquired Crabbe from Portland this summer, finally securing a player the organization signed to a four-year, $83MM offer sheet in 2016. A career 42% shooter from long distance, Crabbe has dipped to 36% since joining the Nets. “It happens. For me the biggest focus is stop settling so much,” Crabbe said. “I know I said the ‘shooters shoot’ quote, and we do. But me trying to find easier ones as well would help the confidence.”
Ex-College Teammates Stauskas, LeVert Reunited
- The trade that brought Okafor to the Nets reunited former college teammates Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert, writes Tom Dowd of NBA.com. They were part of a talented freshman class that helped Michigan reach the NCAA title game in 2012/13. The former college roommates now have adjoining lockers at Barclays Center. “First class organization,” Stauskas said. “I love it here. I think the thing that I enjoy most is how seriously they take skill development. They’re huge on getting better every day, especially taking care of your body.”
Nets Sticking To Plan With Okafor
The Nets led the Wizards by 40 points at one point in Friday’s win in Brooklyn but recently acquired big man Jahlil Okafor never left the bench. Okafor only played in two games with the Sixers before he was traded to the Nets. The team will not deviate from their plan of using Okafor until he’s in optimal physical shape, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
Status Updates For Jahlil Okafor, D'Angelo Russell
The Nets roster boasts two of the top-three 2015 draft picks but neither are currently in the lineup, nor are they expected to be in the near future. Brian Lewis of the New York Post confirms that while D’Angelo Russell is five weeks into his recovery from arthroscopic surgery last month, he’s still a couple of weeks away.
Jahlil Okafor, on the other hand, is out for a different reason. Prior to his acquisition on December 7, Okafor was seldom used by the Sixers, seeing action in just two games for Philly. The big man played for the Nets last week but has been held out since.
“I’d hate to put an exact date on [when Okafor will play again]. Depending on how he feels, we’re going day-to-day,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. “I’d assume he’s still probably a week-and-a-half or two weeks away from where he feels comfortable out there and be able to play at the pace in which coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff want to play at.”
How The Nets' Front Office Has Reshaped Organization
There’s no denying that the Nets were in a pickle when Sean Marks took over from Billy King as general manager of the franchise. In the time since, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes, the former Spurs‘ staffer has changed the culture of the franchise by consistently and patiently strategizing ways to improve.
Another transformative figure within the Nets organization is head coach Kenny Atkinson. O’Connor details Atkinson’s hands-on approach and willingness to get in the foxhole with his players.
The results speak for themselves. While the Nets don’t exactly strike fear in their opponents yet, they’ve managed to amass a solid cache of promising young players despite the previous regime having unloaded a bounty of picks in one of the worst trades in sports history.
Jahlil Okafor Will Not Play Much Until Conditioning Improves
- Jahlil Okafor got his wish when he was traded to the Nets, ending a troubled tenure with the Sixers. However, the big man is not in NBA game shape and head coach Kenny Atkinson said Okafor would not see regular action until his conditioning improves, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “That’s why I’m happy I’m here with the actual NBA coaching staff that’s taking care of me every day,” Okafor said of leaving the Sixers. “When I was in Philly I was figuring it out on my own. I had my own trainer [Rick Lewis] that I’ve been working with since eighth grade working me out. But it’s a different level when you’re actually working with an NBA staff.”
- In a lengthy, in-depth feature, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer examines the Nets‘ rebuild after a disastrous 2012 trade involving future Hall-of-Famers and valuable draft picks that changed the future of the team.
Okafor's Conditioning Needs Improvement
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post is reporting that the Nets want newly-acquired big man Jahlil Okafor to get into better basketball shape before he takes the court again for the team. Okafor played almost as many minutes in his Nets’ debut (23) than he had all season (25). While there is no timetable for Okafor’s return to the line-up, there is a strategic plan in place for that eventuality, per head coach Kenny Atkinson. “We need to integrate him more into the system. It’s going to take some time. I’m not going to give you a date but it’s a strategic plan, just like we’ve done with all our guys, integrating guys into the team. It’s going to take some time.”
Nets Sign Milton Doyle To Two-Way Deal
DECEMBER 18, 7:29pm: Brian Lewis of the New York Post has tweeted that Doyle’s two-way contract is for this season only.
DECEMBER 18, 11:12am: After officially waiving two-way player Yakuba Ouattara on Sunday, the Nets have moved quickly to replace him. As expected, Brooklyn has signed Milton Doyle to a two-way contract, the club announced today in a press release.
Doyle, 24, initially joined the Nets in August as a training camp invitee after graduating from Loyola, where he averaged 15.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.8 SPG in his senior year. The 6’4″ guard didn’t earn a spot on Brooklyn’s regular season roster, but after waiving him in October, the Nets made him an affiliate player for their G League squad, the Long Island Nets.
In 17 G League games so far this season, Doyle has averaged a team-high 21.3 PPG to go along with 5.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.6 SPG. He’s also launching a ton of threes, attempting 8.8 per games and making 3.4, good for a .383 3PT%.
Signing a two-way contract won’t change Doyle’s situation significantly — he’ll remain with the Long Island Nets, but he’ll earn a little more money and could see some playing time with the NBA club in Brooklyn. Our full breakdown of how two-way contracts work can be found right here.