New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Anthony, Hornacek, Fox

May 13th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Team president Phil Jackson hasn’t changed his mind about Carmelo Anthony leaving the Knicks, but coach Jeff Hornacek sounds less certain, relays Jeff Arnold of The New York Times. Hornacek appears to be leaving the door open for a return by Anthony, who has two seasons left on his current contract and a no-trade clause to block any deal he doesn’t like. “Carmelo is a great player — he did a lot of great things for us,” Hornacek said. “He won us games. He hit some big shots for us; he was a guy that we could go to. If he’s back, he’ll be a guy that we go to again. If he’s not, then that’s when other guys are going to have to become the guy that maybe you can go to or give us big buckets.”

There’s more tonight out of New York:

Despite their differences, Jackson recently sent a text message to Anthony expressing support regarding his separation from his wife, La La, Arnold writes in the same story. Jackson notes that it’s a “tough time” for Anthony as his personal life has become the topic of tabloid headlines.
Jackson realizes the Knicks’ immediate future isn’t bright, which is part of the reason he wants Anthony to leave, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today. Addressing reporters at the draft combine, Jackson noted that Anthony hopes to compete for a title and New York can’t give him that opportunity. “We’d just like him to have success somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’re not going to be there. Hopefully we’ll be maybe a playoff team next year. It would be tough to consider us possible champions.” The Knicks are coming off a 31-51 season and haven’t had a winning team since 2012/13.
Jackson recently met with commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the state of the franchise, according to a post from Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Jackson indicated that Silver believes the Knicks are headed in the right direction. “You guys seem to want to knock us around a little bit, then make us look like we don’t know what we’re doing,” Jackson said to reporters, “but [Silver is] comfortable that we do. …. To have a positive base to work from is really important. And our fan core is positive and we’d like to give them hope because they’ve been disappointed.”
Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox interviewed with the Knicks during the combine and said he would love to play in New York, relays Adam Zagoria of Fanrag Sports. Fox is projected as a top five pick, so the Knicks might need some lottery luck to acquire him. “I don’t know too much about the triangle,” he said. “Everyone says it’s hard to learn, but if I go in there I’ll have to learn quickly. And [Kristaps] Porzingis, he’s amazing, watching the NBA this year. I really paid attention to the NBA this year knowing I’m about to go into this business; I had to stop watching it as a casual fan and start thinking of it as a business aspect. He’s great and if I get to play with him, I feel like we can do something special.”

Jackson Reiterates Feelings About Melo

May 12th, 2017 at 10:52pm CST by Austin Kent

Speaking with reporters at the NBA Draft Combine, Knicks president Phil Jackson reiterated that he thinks Carmelo Anthony should waive his no-trade clause and accept the reality of playing elsewhere, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

“He has a no-trade contract. I think I expressed what I felt [in April]. I can’t express it any better,” Jackson said of the Knicks forward.

Jackson did note that he’s been in touch with Anthony through text messages, referencing the news reports that the Knicks star and his wife may be headed toward divorce.

In 74 games for the Knicks this season, Anthony averaged 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game but the club won just 31 contests in a year marred by off-court melodrama.

In an attempt to stop things in their tracks, Knicks president Phil Jackson opted not to address the situation unfolding with a beleaguered Kristaps Porzingis, an ESPN report mentions. The second-year man has voiced his displeasure with the organization but has also declared that he’d like to remain with the franchise.

Knicks Looking For System Players

May 11th, 2017 at 8:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Coach Jeff Hornacek firmly believes Kristaps Porzingis will be on the Knicks next season, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. “There’s no doubt in my mind,” Hornacek said of Porzingis’ place on the team. Porzingis’ brother recently said that the big man wants to remain in New York.
The Knicks are at the combine in Chicago with an eye on finding players who fit into their system, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Phil Jackson, who met with several point guard prospects, recently said that the team is “interested in skill players that know how to play together in team form.”

Brother: Porzingis Wants To Stay In New York

May 11th, 2017 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

Janis Porzingis, the brother of Kristaps Porzingis, reiterated to Ian Begley of ESPN.com that the Knicks big man wants to remain New York, despite the seemingly rocky nature of the relationship between the team and the player as of late. As Begley details, Janis also issued something of a warning to teams that might be interested in trading for his brother.

“Kris wants to stay in New York; he feels at home there. There is no question about it. The only thing he wants is for the Knicks to create an environment where he can develop and grow as a player and win,” Janis Porzingis told Begley. “If he were traded, he would play out his contract and head into free agency, where he can choose his own destiny.”

While family members’ statements on behalf of NBA players should generally be taken with a grain of salt, it’s worth noting that Janis isn’t just Kristaps’ brother — he’s also a certified agent who works for ASM Sports, the home of Kristaps’ agent Andy Miller. As such, Janis’ comments carry some extra weight, and his statement about the Knicks echoes what Kristaps said about the team last month, when he insisted that he loves New York and wants to remain with the Knicks.

As for Janis’ comments about a hypothetical trade, any team interested in Porzingis would have to consider the possibility of him bolting at the end of his contract. But since Porzingis remains on his rookie deal, he’d only be eligible for restricted free agency when it expires in 2019, giving New York – or another team – plenty of leverage to hang onto him. In any case, the Knicks aren’t expected to seriously explore trading Porzingis at this point.

Although the 2016/17 season came to an end for his Knicks nearly a month ago, Porzingis has continued to dominate NBA headlines in recent weeks. After skipping his exit meeting with the organization, Porzingis made plans to spend his summer in his native Latvia. That prompted teams to inquire with the Knicks about Porzingis’ availability, and the 21-year-old created a stir when a Clippers-themed message was posted and deleted to his Twitter account; he later claimed he was hacked.

Draft Notes: Fultz, Swanigan, Allen, Ball

May 10th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Markelle Fultz will interview with several teams at the combine, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. The projected No.1 pick will meet with the Celtics, Suns, Lakers, Sixers, Kings, and Knicks.

You can find the odds that each of those teams has at landing the top pick here. The Kings are a notable inclusion to Fultz’s meetings, as they will hand their selection over to the Sixers via a pick swap should they land the No. 1 slot.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

The Knicks will meet with Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News passes along via Twitter. The big man is the 29th best prospect, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Jarrett Allen will meet with the Sixers are Thursday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Givony pegs Allen as the 11th best prospect in the draft.
Will Lonzo Ball‘s father cause teams to pass on the UCLA product? ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla doesn’t believe so, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. “I doubt that will happen. I really do. The kid seems to be a great kid, an absolute delight to deal with and he was a great teammate. So that’s not going to be a big issue,” Fraschilla said.

Monk, Fox, Ntilikina Among Knicks' Draft Targets

May 10th, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks will have several members of their front office, including GM Steve Mills, in attendance at the combine in Chicago this week, though many of the top prospects on their board won’t be there, says Ian Begley of ESPN.com. According to Begley, outside of consensus top prospects like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson, the Knicks’ front office has also become fond of guards Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Frank Ntilikina.

Bobby Marks Previews Knicks' Offseason

May 9th, 2017 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Bobby Marks of The Vertical previews the upcoming offseason for the Knicks, observing that resolving the Carmelo Anthony situation will be the top priority for the franchise.

Porzingis Calls Hack, Player Hates Crying Face Emoji

May 7th, 2017 at 6:28pm CST by Austin Kent

After a cryptic tweet referencing the Clippers was published from his account, Kristaps Porzingis claims that he was hacked. The Knicks big man tweeted his explanation on Sunday.

Porzingis Claims Twitter Account Hacked

May 7th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers need more than just another successful draft to become contenders, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey examines the way other teams have been constructed and notes that there is usually a mixture of draft picks, trades and free agency signings. Philadelphia enters the May 16th lottery with the fourth-worst record and about a one in three chance of landing a top three pick. The Sixers will also receive the Lakers’ selection if it falls out of the top three.

Porzingis Has Message For Clippers In Tweet

May 6th, 2017 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis sent out an unexplained tweet today that he quickly deleted, according to Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.

The social media message read simply, “LA Clippers” and was accompanied by three smiling faces.

The Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs last week and are believed to have interest in Porzingis’ teammate, Carmelo Anthony, whom the Knicks would like to trade this summer.

There has been no publicly stated connection between Porzingis and the Clippers, although there was a report that several teams contacted New York’s front office about his availability last month after he skipped an exit meeting as a form of protest. He left for Latvia and announced his intention to play for the national team without consulting anyone from the Knicks.

Still, there’s little reason to believe that Porzingis is being shopped around, especially if New York gets rid of Anthony. The 7’3″ forward/center is still seen as part of the Knicks’ foundation and is under team control on his rookie contract for two more seasons.