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International Knicks Turn Heads At EuroBasket

September 4th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Austin Kent

A pair of Knicks bigs have turned heads at EuroBasket 2017 and that bodes well for the future of the franchise. Between Kristaps Porzingis‘ offensive showcase with Latvia and Willy Hernangomez‘s dominance in the post with Spain, New York fans ought to be drooling with anticipation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

Squashing any concerns about a knee bruise that kept Porzingis out of some exhibition games with his national team, the 7’3″ Knicks forward has flaunted his length, range and just about everything else that’s made him such a tantalizing, unique NBA package. Through two games so far, Porzingis has averaged 22.5 points per game.

Hernangomez may not have pumped out any similarly viral highlight reel plays through his first two games in the tournament but the 23-year-old has stepped up as a foundational component of his Spanish team. The 18 points and nine boards he dropped in 20 minutes during the club’s opener is reminiscent of his impressive string of performances for the Knicks in the second half of 2016/17.

Even Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Berman writes, has looked impressive through three EuroBasket games averaging 16.0 points per match.

And-Ones: Trade Candidates, Webster, Loyalty

September 3rd, 2017 at 6:44pm CST by Austin Kent

As the dust settles on the Kyrie Irving–Isaiah Thomas swap, Trade Machine junkies will need to find new ways to satisfy their impulses. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recognizes that we’re not likely to see another blockbuster trade before training camp but has a few ideas of who could possibly be involved if we did.

Of course the first name you might recall hearing on the rumor mill is likely Carmelo Anthony‘s. Kyler notes that the Rockets – a suitor most linked to the veteran forward – are only willing to field a package centered around Ryan Anderson. For this reason, and the fact that Anthony has never been a problem in the locker room, the Knicks would benefit from bringing him to training camp and dealing with the situation later.

Another name on Kyler’s list that could be moved is Reggie Jackson. If the Pistons get out to a slow start similar to what they suffered last season, the club could look to move the point guard for a player with a more palatable contract.

There’s more from around the NBA:

While the Pacers may bear the brunt of the Lakers‘ tampering, the Thunder, too, are stakeholders considering that Paul George is under contract in Oklahoma City until next summer. Erik Horne of the Oklahoman spoke with the sports law director at Penn State, Stephen Ross, about the issue. Ross’ perspective is different than some we’ve reported on previously. “To me, the test for player tampering is not the expression of love, it’s, are the players providing information to another player that he wouldn’t otherwise have?,” Ross said. “If a player texts another player, ‘I will sign an extension if you’ll tell me you’re going to come to my team,’ now I think you have a problem.”
After undergoing multiple back surgeries and a hip surgery, Martell Webster is attempting an NBA comeback, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Austin Kent wrote about him working out for the Pelicans last week.
A reality of the current NBA landscape is that, loyal or not, the majority of players and teams aren’t afraid to make calculated business decisions. Such is life, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes.

Cleanthony Early Headed To Greece

September 2nd, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Knick Cleanthony Early has agreed to a deal with AEK Athens, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.

Early, 27, spent part of last season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League after being waived by New York in October. He appeared in 16 games, averaging 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per night.

A second-round pick out of Wichita State in 2014, the 6’8″ small forward spent his first two NBA seasons with the Knicks. He averaged 4.3 points in 56 combined games and was in the G League for much of that time.

Early’s career suffered a setback in December of 2015 when he was shot in the right knee during a robbery.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Stauskas, Nets, Celtics

August 31st, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by marksuleymanov

A report earlier this week suggested that friction between the Knicks‘ young phenom Kristaps Porzingis and head coach Jeff Hornacek caused the Latvian to skip his exit meeting earlier this offseason. However, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that issues between the player and coach were not the source of Porzingis’ issue with the team.

Porzingis was reportedly frustrated with the front office (particularly ex-president Phil Jackson) and the team’s treatment of Carmelo Anthony. Issues between Hornacek and Porzingis suggest that his problems with the team went beyond Jackson and company. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported in July that Porzingis and Hornacek’s relationship “sat on rocky terrain” for most last season, partly because of his loud and critical treatment of the Knicks’ former first-round pick.

“We try to get good relationships with all our guys, not just the star guys,” Hornacek said to Bondy about his relationships with players on the team. “We’re talking to these guys every day. We see them every day. We travel with them. As a group we’re trying to do more things as a team, kind of family-type stuff. We’ll try to grow on that, that way.”

For what it’s worth, the Knicks have insisted that the organization’s future rests on its young assets with the 22-year-old Porzingis at the forefront. With key changes to the front office and the roster, New York enters 2017/18 with cooled expectations but a clearer vision for the future.

Below you can read additional news around the Atlantic Division:

The “Process” of the Sixers rebuilding and trying to be competitive is over, swingman Nik Stauskas says to William Lou of theScore. The Sixers drafted Markelle Fultz first overall, signed J.J. Redick, and are hoping for healthy seasons from Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid If those elements come together, Stauskas feels the team can win.
Jared Sullinger is one of several remaining free agent targets for the Nets, according to SB Nation’s NetsDaily (Twitter link). Brooklyn has two open roster spots and approximately $5MM in cap space, NetsDaily adds.
With the Kyrie Irving trade complete, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes that Boston can now focus on how the current roster shapes up and how the big three of Irving, Gordon Hayward, and first-round pick Jayson Tatum will mesh.
While Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge gave up a king’s ransom for Irving, CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely writes that Ainge was right to complete the deal for the superstar guard.

Knicks Notes: Durant, Ownership, Offseason Recap

August 29th, 2017 at 8:27pm CST by marksuleymanov

Warriors‘ superstar Kevin Durant has explicitly stated he would never play for the Knicks but it does not mean he will not offer the franchise advice. Speaking with The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Durant criticized the Knicks’ front office and lack of leadership from the top of the organization all the way down to the on-court product.

“Everything starts at the top, you have bad leadership, and it’s just going to trickle down to everybody else,” Durant said (via New York Post). “When a GM wants to make a decision, he has to talk to the owner and he’s nowhere to be found and he don’‘t care then you kind of stuck and that causes tension.”

The Knicks’ front office drama with Phil Jackson, James Dolan, and even the current trade saga with Carmelo Anthony has been ridiculed for a long time. Durant, who joined the Warriors in free agency last year, never seriously considered the Knicks and helped deliver the Warriors’ second title in the last three seasons. While Durant later went on to praise New York City and playing in Madison Square Garden, the former MVP will not be a popular face when the team heads to New York next season.

Read about other news tidbits surrounding the Knicks:

The daughter of Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, Mallory Edens, recently told TMZ that she wants to purchase the Knicks. Dolan has not expressed any public desire to sell the team but Edens would want first dibs on the chance to buy the team, citing lack of women in top positions in the NBA.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com recapped the Knicks team based on last year’s performance, expectations for 2017/18 and more.

Derrick Rose Discusses Time With Knicks, More

August 29th, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, new Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose opens up about his time with the Knicks, his motivation going forward, and a handful of other topics.

NBA Draft Rights Held: Atlantic Division

August 28th, 2017 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

When top college prospects like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball are drafted, there’s virtually no doubt that their next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, particularly for international prospects and second-round picks.

When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among the more notable players to fit this bill in recent years.

However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster.

While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs around the NBA currently hold the rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer considered prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.

For instance, earlier this summer, the Pacers and Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Cory Joseph to Indiana. Toronto was happy to move Joseph’s salary and didn’t necessarily need anything in return, but the Pacers had to send something in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Indiana sent Toronto the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Preldzic is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, and at this point appears unlikely to ever come to the NBA, but his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — the Pacers/Raptors swap represented the fourth time since 2010 that Preldzic’s NBA rights have been included in a trade.

Over the next several days, we’ll take a closer look at the players whose draft rights NBA teams currently hold, sorting them by division. These players may eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA teams, but many will end up like Preldzic, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft rights held by Atlantic teams:

Boston Celtics

None

Brooklyn Nets

Christian Drejer, F (2004; No. 51): Retired.
Juan Vaulet, F (2015; No. 39): Playing in Argentina.
Aleksandar Vezenkov, F (2017; No. 57): Playing in Spain.

New York Knicks

Louis Labeyrie, F (2014; No. 57): Playing in France.
Ognjen Jaramaz, G (2017; No. 58): Playing in Serbia.

Philadelphia 76ers

Vasilije Micic, G (2014: No. 52): Playing in Lithuania.
Anzejs Pasecniks, C (2017; No. 25): Playing in Spain.
Jonah Bolden, F (2017; No. 36): Playing in Israel.
Mathias Lessort, F (2017; No. 50): Playing in Serbia.

Toronto Raptors

DeeAndre Hulett, F (2000; No. 46): Retired.
Emir Preldzic, F (2009; No. 57): Playing in Turkey.

Information from Mark Porcaro and Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Thomas: Jackson Didn't Damage Legacy

August 26th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Phil Jackson’s reign as president of the Knicks didn’t turn out the way he hoped, but New York Liberty president Isiah Thomas doesn’t think Jackson harmed his legacy, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. “Believe me, Phil, myself, Donnie Walsh, Larry Brown, Lenny [Wilkins], all of us go back and try to figure out, man what did we do wrong?,’’ Thomas said. “If we can do it all over again, what would we do different? That’s the thing we love in New York. It brings out the best in you as a person because you really get pushed to the wall in terms of trying to figure out how to win and put it together and satisfy the fan base. That’s why we all want to crack that egg.” Thomas also praised Carmelo Anthony for the way he handled a string of negative comments from Jackson.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, Thomas, Celtics

August 26th, 2017 at 10:20am CST by marksuleymanov

In a blog post for MSG.com, Knicks president Steve Mills discussed the team’s future and plan for the upcoming season. Mills mentioned Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, offseason signee Tim Hardaway Jr., and this year’s first-rounder Frank Ntilikina but conspicuous by the absence of his name is Carmelo Anthony.

Mills said in the post that the “plan to become more youthful and athletic is underway” before mentioning the Knicks’ young assets. This comes shortly after the Knicks released promotional content for their season ticket plans with the featured players being Porzingis, Hernangomez, and Ntilikina. Even though Anthony is still a member of New York’s roster, the team appears to be showing through subliminal signs that the team has moved on from their superstar.

Trade talks regarding Anthony to the Rockets are “fairly dormant” and the Cavaliers are possibly interested in his services; however, a trade is not imminent. While it’s possible that Anthony begins the season with the Knicks, he is not expected to remain with the team for the remainder of his contract.

Read below for additional news tidbits around the Atlantic Division:

While Porzingis has been absent from Team Latvia, the Knicks’ big man remains committed to the team for Eurobasket, according to basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter Link).
Speaking to reporters, including ESPN’s Chris Forsberg, from the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens discussed the team trading away Isaiah Thomas. “What [Thomas] did in Boston the last two-and a-half years has been incredible,’ Stevens said. “I said earlier what he’s meant to me, what I think of him, how great he’s been in the locker room, what kind of teammate he’s been.” While the trade is currently complicated by Thomas’ troubled hip, Stevens was complimentary of the player who helped lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald joined CSN New England to discuss the Thomas trade — which is currently in danger of being nixed due to his hip injury — and said that the organization owes thanks to him. Thomas emerged into one of the league’s top players while in Boston and Bulpett also covers the effort that the former last pick of the 2011 draft put in to help the team.

Poll: Where Will Carmelo Anthony Start Season?

August 24th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

For the last month, two stories have consistently remained at the top of the NBA news cycle: When and where will Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony be traded? One of those two lingering offseason questions was answered earlier this week when the Cavaliers granted Irving’s trade request by sending him to Boston. However, there has still been no resolution for the other All-Star on the trade block.

Unlike Irving, who could have been dealt to any of the NBA’s 29 other teams, Anthony has a no-trade clause that allows him to block a move to any club. He has taken full advantage of that clause in his contract, having reportedly expressed a preference to go to Houston. However, trade talks between the Knicks and Rockets are “fairly dormant” — the two teams are at something of impasse, having been unable to find a third or fourth club to help facilitate a deal.

Earlier in the offseason, reports indicated that Anthony would also be willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Cavaliers, but that changed at some point. With the Irving situation resolved and Cleveland having secured a strong return for the star point guard, would Anthony reconsider his stance? There’s speculation that could be the case, though nothing concrete has been reported yet. And even if Anthony is on board, the Cavs could face the same challenges the Rockets have as they try to find a trade package the Knicks would accept.

Within his latest report on the Rockets and Knicks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that the two sides are preparing for the possibility that Anthony will open training camp as a Knick. That likely won’t thrill the veteran forward, but it makes sense for the Knicks to remain patient if they’ve only received low-ball offers to date. If Carmelo gets frustrated by the lack of movement on the trade front, perhaps he’d be willing to expand his list of preferred landing spots, which could help New York find a more viable offer.

What do you think? By the time opening night rolls around in mid-October, will Anthony still be a Knick? Will he end up being traded to Houston or Cleveland, or will he eventually give the Knicks the go-ahead to send him somewhere else? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts.

Where will Carmelo Anthony be playing to start the 2017/18 season?

New York Knicks 50.62% (1,627 votes)

Cleveland Cavaliers 21.50% (691 votes)

Houston Rockets 17.73% (570 votes)

Another team 10.14% (326 votes)

Total Votes: 3,214

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.