Knicks Notes: Bridges, Towns, Shamet, Clarkson
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, who combined for 60 of the Knicks‘ 111 points in Monday’s Game 3, were the team’s only reliable scorers in the fourth quarter, tallying 18 points between them on 6-of-11 shooting in the final frame. The rest of the team made just 1-of-16 shots and scored two points en route to a 115-111 loss, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes.
It was an especially frustrating night for Mikal Bridges, who has had an excellent postseason but scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 29 minutes of action on Monday and went 0-for-3 from the floor in the fourth quarter. Bridges wasn’t happy with his play at either end of the court, telling reporters after the game that he’s “gotta be better” on Wednesday, according to Howie Kussoy of The New York Post.
“It starts with me defensively. I think I did a bad job defensively,” Bridges said. “They scored a good amount of times when I was in throughout the game. For me, it starts with defense and feeding off of that.”
We have more on the Knicks, who will take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4:
- Karl-Anthony Towns earned rave reviews for his play at both ends of the court in the first two games of the NBA Finals, but he was “mostly a non-factor” on Monday, scoring just 11 points in 38 minutes, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Head coach Mike Brown said there were issues with the Knicks’ offense as a whole rather than anything specifically related to Towns. Still, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets, the star big man has now gone three games without scoring a single fourth-quarter point vs. the Spurs.
- Landry Shamet‘s excellent postseason hit a speed bump in Game 3 as he shot 1-of-8 from the floor and had a team-worst -20 plus/minus mark in his 23 minutes. The veteran wing is confident in his – and the team’s – ability to bounce back and “clean up” some of Monday’s mistakes, as Kussoy relays for The New York Post. “Great process, got some great looks, had a few that were down and out,” Shamet said. “Process over outcome. I’m more upset about some of the things defensively that I’ve been priding myself on. I had a few possessions where I didn’t do my job like I needed to. That’s fixable. Sometimes the gods give you in and outs and the ball doesn’t go in.”
- Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson provided the Knicks with a shot in the arm off the bench in Game 3 after receiving a DNP-CD in Game 2, per Braziller of The New York Post. Clarkson scored 10 points and was a +8 in 13 minutes.
- As dominant as the Knicks were during their 13-game winning streak that stretched from Game 4 of the first round to Game 2 of the Finals, their identity over the past two years has been defined by their resiliency, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who suggests the club will have an opportunity to show off that trait after suffering a setback on Monday. “They’re a great team,” Anunoby said of the Spurs. “They weren’t just going to lay down. All we can do is move and learn from this. We have to take it as adversity and just respond to it.”
Atlantic Rumors: Vucevic, Shamet, Nets, Murray-Boyles
Veteran center Nikola Vucevic is considered highly likely to switch teams this summer after finishing the season with the Celtics, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Vucevic, who was traded from Chicago to Boston in February in the final year of his contract, took on a significant role in Boston’s rotation, averaging 23.4 minutes per night in his first 11 outings with his new team. However, he sustained a fractured finger in his 12th game as a Celtic and wasn’t able to return until the final week of the regular season, resulting in less consistent minutes during the postseason.
Vucevic, 35, averaged just 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game in 16 regular season appearances with the Celtics, shooting 43.9% from the floor and 34.0% on three-pointers. Those shooting numbers were well below his career rates, while his PPG and MPG represented his lowest averages since his rookie year in 2011/12. Vucevic will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Rival suitors are “already starting to circle” in anticipation of pursuing Knicks wing Landry Shamet in free agency, according to Stein. Shamet has received minimum-salary contracts in each of the past two seasons, but he should be in line for a raise this summer after making 39.2% of his three-pointers during the regular season and playing a key reserve role for New York during its run to the NBA Finals. Shamet was out of the rotation in the first round, but he has scored double-digit points in six of the team’s past nine games, dating back to the second round. The Knicks will hold Shamet’s Early Bird rights, giving them the ability to make a strong offer, though re-signing him would push them deeper into tax/apron territory.
- Mexican forward Karim Lopez, who spent the last two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers, told Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that he and Tennessee forward Nate Ament are working out for the Nets on Tuesday. Although both Lopez and Ament are viewed as potential lottery picks, it would be a surprise if either player goes as high as No. 6, which is the pick Brooklyn controls.
- While the Raptors could be active on the trade market this offseason, don’t expect standout rookie Collin Murray-Boyles to go anywhere, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star, who suggests last year’s No. 9 overall pick is virtually untouchable. Smith’s advice for how to react to any trade rumors involving Murray-Boyles? “Stop reading, delete that source from every aspect of your reading/social media network, and take a cleansing shower.”
Knicks Notes: Game 3, Egoless Approach, Brunson, Brown, Shamet
The Knicks won’t just be fighting the Spurs heading into Game 3 of the Finals — they’ll have to fight off complacency, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines.
After winning two road games to put the Spurs in a huge hole, the Knicks can’t afford to ease up despite playing the next two games at home.
“It’s still 0-0 as far as we’re concerned. Being up 2-0 means really nothing,” Josh Hart said. “The Spurs are going to come out on Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we’ve got to be better.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- On a team filled with high-priced players, egos have not been a factor. In fact, pushing those egos aside has put them on the brink of a championship, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. “You work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these,” coach Mike Brown said. “And no matter what run (the Spurs) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another, not just the guys on the floor but the guys on the bench.”
- While the odds are stacked in the Knicks’ favor now, Jalen Brunson is taking nothing for granted, Zach Braziller of the New York Post relays. “In my mind there’s nothing really to celebrate yet,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
- The team can’t wait to have a home game in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. “The Garden is going to be rocking,” Hart said, per Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. “Obviously, in this city we love our Knicks. So we’re going to come out, show love, support. The energy is going to be electric.”
- Former coach Tom Thibodeau was often criticized for riding his starters too long. ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill details how Brown came in with the intent of getting more out of the reserves. Goodwill also details how Brown lobbied the front office to re-sign Landry Shamet. “I thought Landry could be impactful,” Brown said. “He signed late because his agent convinced him to do that. Hopefully, it won’t happen going forward. I said, ‘Hey, I want you here. I’m sorry about the way the circumstances are contractually. I have nothing to do [with] that. I believe you can help us on both ends of the floor.'”
Knicks Notes: Towns, Brunson, Bench, Sprays
Karl-Anthony Towns has arguably been the best player on the floor through two Finals games, and it’s not just Knicks fans who are appreciating his stellar play.
Many Timberwolves fans have been following the former No. 1 overall pick from Minnesota, not with bitterness at the success he’s experiencing far removed from the team that drafted him, but with joy for a player and personality they came to love during his nine years with the Wolves, Jon Krawczynski writes for The Athletic.
Towns, the player, has long been criticized, whether for his defensive limitations, his losing years in Minnesota, or even the way he carries himself. Meanwhile, Towns, the person, has built a reputation as one of the genuinely good people in the league.
“Towns has taught me so much about dealing with the loss of my mom two years ago,” one Wolves fan told Krawczynski. “He also donated $5,000 to my mom’s GoFundMe when she was battling pancreatic cancer. He is a great human. Me and my family will forever root for this man. So happy for him.”
Now, the Minnesota fan base has come together to watch Towns, the player, play the best basketball of his life, and be lauded by many of the same people who once criticized him. His composed, disciplined defense on Victor Wembanyama has been possibly the most important aspect of the Knicks’ play through two games, and he has carried the team through stretches when it needs a go-to scorer.
It hasn’t been easy to reach this level. It’s taken a mid-career transformation to address the inconsistencies in his game that came about at the most important stage of his career, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link).
“Taking all that experience this year, I’ve had to do it on the fly. It wasn’t like game by game. It’s been quarter by quarter. That comes with experience and just knowledge of the game and just time. Time playing the game, time putting shots up, time reading defenses, seeing defenses, offenses,” Towns said. “One game Jalen [Brunson] got hurt, that’s when I have to be a primary scorer. Other games when he’s cooking, I’ve got to be a facilitator, a hub, assist maker, aggressive in play-making. Then there’s games when I need to do both when he’s in and I’m in and be able to do both when his shot is warming up. There’s also days where I got to be a decoy, I got to be the best screener, I got to be the best spacer for our offense. So I think that right now, whatever it takes to win, especially when you’re in the NBA Finals, I’m willing to do.“
We have more Knicks news and notes:
- Brunson had a simple response when asked by a reporter what teams missed when they allowed him to fall to 33rd overall in the 2018 draft: “Everything,” he said with a laugh (Twitter video link via SNY Knicks). The three-time All-NBA guard has struggled to find his scoring rhythm against the Spurs’ elite backcourt defense, shooting just 33.9% from the field and 23.5% from three with a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. But, true to form, he has found ways to contribute in the biggest moments, hitting clutch shots to seal both games and collecting five steals in Game 2.
- Coming into this season, much of the focus on the hiring of Mike Brown revolved around how he could better empower the Knicks’ bench so that the team didn’t break down in the playoffs. As the Knicks look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals, the second unit has provided a constant boost for Brown’s team, Vincent Goodwill writes for ESPN. Landry Shamet, the last player signed to the Knicks roster in the offseason, has become a critical part of the rotation. Mitchell Robinson has been a strong defensive presence against Wembanyama, despite playing through a broken bone in his hand. Jose Alvarado, acquired at the trade deadline, provided a huge boost for the team in Game 1 when Brunson went to the locker room with an apparent knee injury. It took all season to find the right balance, but it’s come together at the right time. “One of the many things I learned from [Gregg Popovich] and [Steve Kerr]. Steve was really good at trying to play a lot of different guys,” Brown said. “Not only that, a guy that hadn’t been in the rotation for a while, one game [a coach] might throw him out there as a starter. That kept guys engaged or on their toes.”
- A key bit of vocabulary needed to understand the Knicks’ success against the Spurs is the word “spray,” according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. Sprays, or kick-outs from inside the paint to shooters outside the three-point line, are a critical part of Brown’s offensive ideology, whether off a Robinson offensive rebound or a Brunson drive to the paint. No play better embodied the concept than a sequence in the second quarter where four different Knicks penetrated off a pass, sprayed to a shooter, and the team ultimately got an open three to beat the shot clock. This movement is critical in terms of getting Wembanyama in motion and not allowing him to set up in a position to provide easy help, but it requires players ready to make quick decisions: either drive, pass, or shoot. “We have to try to keep touching the paint, trying to spray it if Wemby comes,” Brown said. “If you’re open, let it fly.”
Knicks Notes: Bridges, Brunson, Shamet, Coach’s Challenge
Mikal Bridges knows from experience that a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals doesn’t guarantee a championship, writes Brendan Mau of SI.com. Bridges was part of the Phoenix team that won the first two games of the 2021 Finals, then lost four in a row to Milwaukee, so he’s in position to deliver a warning to his teammates.
“0-0 man, f—ing keep playing, sorry … Desperate. That’s it, man,” Bridges said Friday in a post-game appearance on ESPN’s Inside the NBA. “Take this rest. We got two days, take a break, do whatever you gotta do to get ready for this next game, but keep going out there and don’t stop. We got nothing but the offseason, man. Keep pushing. Leave everything on that court.”
Bridges’ defense played a major role in helping the Knicks get two wins in San Antonio, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News notes in a subscriber-only story. So far in the series, he’s holding De’Aaron Fox to 0-of-4 shooting from the field and Stephon Castle to 1-of-7 when serving as their primary defender.
“Just gut. Just fight,” Bridges said during an intense interview with MSG (Twitter video link). “A lot of integrity, poise, staying together. We’re gonna fight to the end. They made a run. They’re a really good team, but we’re gonna fight to the end. I wish we had a better fourth quarter. They’re a really good team. They pushed it, but we’ve gotta be better.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- The team is proving that it can win without great shooting nights from Jalen Brunson, states Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). Brunson is 19-of-56 overall and 4-of-17 from three-point range in the first two games, but he has made clutch shots in the final minutes of both contests to swing the outcome. “He’s a hell of a player,” Fox said. “Even when you make it difficult on good players, they’re talented, so they’re going to end up making shots. He’s done that, especially at the end of the games.”
- Coach Mike Brown singled out the contributions from Landry Shamet, who scored 13 points in 30 minutes off the bench Friday night (Twitter video link from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I’m talking about his whole career because he’s been a journeyman,” Brown said, “but he probably deserved more of an opportunity because what he does out on the floor on both ends is very hard to find in this league, especially at his size, with is mental and physical toughness. We gave him an opportunity and showed him we loved him. He embraced it and he ran with it.”
- The Knicks might have let Friday’s game slip away if not for assistant coach Jordan Brink, reveals Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The team’s director of video services convinced Brown to challenge a call with 2:37 remaining in the game. Officials determined that OG Anunoby was fouled on the play and was sent to the line for three shots.
Knicks Notes: KAT, Reserves, Bridges, Brunson, Hart
Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns delivered another solid performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday, supplying 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes in New York’s thrilling 105-104 victory. He was also a plus-11 in his 34 minutes, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes.
Towns has gotten the better of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama most of the series. The only thing that held him back was foul trouble, which limited his third quarter minutes.
“For me, I’m just happy to be finding ways to win,” Towns said. “I’m just worried about the team result, which is winning. … This team leans on each other. I think that’s why we’ve gotten here. That’s why we had the success we had during the regular season, even when things weren’t going great because at the end of the day when things do get tough, and the trials and tribulations do present themselves, this team doesn’t disband. They don’t go away from each other. We lean into each other even more.”
Towns has been drawing inspiration from his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz, who died in 2020, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- New York’s bench accounted for 27 points and 10 rebounds in Game 2, and Mitchell Robinson defended Wembanyama when the Spurs’ star missed a jumper in the closing seconds that would have won the game. “Our effort, it’s been crazy,” Robinson said, per Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press. “We just came out there just fighting, you know, talking to each other. Communication, that’s been key for us.” Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado also contributed to the second unit’s success. “Somebody is always there,” coach Mike Brown said. “Again, a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, and that’s why you like having a team, because it could be anybody’s night on any given night. Our guys don’t care. They sacrifice for one another and we found a way to get a win.”
- Mikal Bridges played a key role again in the Knicks’ 13th straight playoff win. He had 20 points on 13 shots along with six rebounds and six assists. The Knicks still owe the Nets four first-round picks courtesy of the Bridges trade, but it’ll be worth it for a championship, SNY’s Ian Begley writes. Bridges has excelled in the postseason. “Just that desperation,” he said. “You know, that desperation of trying to be the last team standing and trying to do whatever it takes to help my team win. There’s nothing after June. You don’t play again until October. So just try to give it all that I got and do whatever it takes for this team.”
- Jalen Brunson wound up hitting the game-winning free throw after a Wembanyama turnover, masking his rough shooting night. He went 7-for-25 from the field and also missed the second free throw, which gave San Antonio a chance to win on the final possession, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post notes. “For J.B., you call it rough shooting nights, I see him hitting the free throw to give us the game,” Towns said.
- The Knicks overcame Josh Hart‘s scoreless outing, Braziller notes. Hart only played 18 minutes due to foul trouble, which thwarted his usual all-around impact, Braziller writes.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Hart, Shamet, Robinson
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson got off to a slow start in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scoring just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first quarter while committing a pair of turnovers. He also got banged up during the first half of the contest, briefly heading to the locker room near the end of the first quarter to get checked out after taking a shot to his right knee, then getting his ankle stepped on during the second quarter.
However, Brunson ultimately played his usual role of closer for the Knicks, scoring 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the club secure a 105-95 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the series. The performance helped continue to secure his place among the Knicks’ all-time greats, as Walt Frazier told Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
“He’s got the tenacity of Willis Reed and he’s got my cool,” Frazier said. “… Jalen kept struggling through it, and you could see he was hurting. Kudos to the coach for keeping him out there and thinking Jalen can still get it back.”
As O’Connor writes, the win represented another step toward proving that Brunson can become the rare “small” guard to lead his team to a championship. He’s three victories away from joining stars like Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry in that exclusive group.
“Jalen is absolutely good enough to win it all,” Thomas said prior to Game 1, per O’Connor. “As small players, we tend to get overlooked even though we’re always beating bigger players. In people’s minds there seems to be some height and weight requirement to win a championship. Jalen won (an Illinois) state title in high school. He won two national titles in college, and now he’s in the NBA Finals. He’s just a winner.
“People say, ‘Well, Jalen’s not as good as this one or that one,’ but when you put him between the lines with those guys, his teams win and those guys’ teams lose. What the hell are we doubting Jalen for? People say he doesn’t have the height or body type, but he beats all the people who do have those things.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Wednesday’s contest was a quintessential Josh Hart game, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post, who notes that the versatile forward had a major impact despite only scoring three points on 1-of-5 shooting. In just 27 minutes of action, Hart grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds while adding six assists and four steals. The Knicks outscored the Spurs by 22 points when he was on the floor. “That’s just who he is. He’s always been that way. I can’t explain it,” Brunson said of his longtime Knicks and Villanova teammate. “He just has a knack for doing things like that, and in crucial times as well. It’s a credit to who he is as a player.”
- Only Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns played more minutes than Landry Shamet (33) in Wednesday’s win, as the reserve wing continued an impressive postseason run by scoring 13 points and earning praise from head coach Mike Brown for his defense, per Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. Shamet was out of the rotation early in the postseason but has been a critical contributor in recent weeks as he increases his value ahead of unrestricted free agency.
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who had two points and six rebounds in 13 minutes of action off the bench in Game 1, didn’t seem to be limited despite undergoing surgery to repair a fifth metacarpal fracture less than a week ago, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “I didn’t think he was (limited),” Brown said. “I’ve got to go back and watch the tape. He caught a lob. He was still a vertical threat. … And then defensively, I thought he was pretty good as well, trying to rebound, keeping those guys off the glass.” How Robinson sustained the injury remains a mystery — he declined comment when asked after the game, telling reporters that he’s “here for basketball.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Shamet, Long Layoff
Mitchell Robinson‘s broken pinky finger came at a bad time, but the Knicks won’t use his injury as an excuse if they lose in the NBA Finals, writes Ian O’Connor of The Athletic. Robinson underwent surgery and hopes to be able to play with a brace on his finger when the series begins Wednesday night.
In a discussion with reporters on Friday, coach Mike Brown refused to speculate on Robinson’s availability, saying “it varies” from one player to another when asked how long it takes to recover from a fractured finger. Brown added that he learned years ago that it’s crucial for the head coach to remain calm no matter what affects the team.
“I feel like I’m pretty good at that,” he said. “We all have had curveballs come at you that are bigger than (Robinson’s injury) in life, and trying to even do it when you have those curveballs helps you prepare for something that is really a kid’s game. So that’s what I try to do, no matter what it is.”
League sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Robinson’s injury is a fracture of the fifth metacarpal, which connects the wrist to the pinky finger. Robinson wasn’t a participant in Friday’s practice and it’s not clear if he’s expected to take part in Sunday’s session.
“For me, I’m always going with whoever is available today,” Brown added. “And [Robinson] didn’t practice today. So we’re getting whoever we need ready to go. … I don’t want to know, just let me know if he can play and when he can play. Just like we normally would, we’re getting everyone else ready to go.”
There’s more from New York:
- OG Anunoby won a ring with Toronto in 2019, but he didn’t get to fully enjoy the experience because an emergency appendectomy forced him to miss the entire playoffs, notes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. There were concerns that he might be sidelined for a long time this year after aggravating a hamstring injury in Game 2 against Philadelphia, but he returned to have a huge impact in the conference finals. “He’s locked in and doing all of things we know he’s capable of,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s doing what he does. He’s playing great.”
- Landry Shamet overcame a lot of adversity before earning a spot as an important part of Knicks’ second unit, Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News notes in a subscriber-only story. After joining the team on an Exhibit 9 contract in September of 2024, Shamet suffered a dislocated shoulder during preseason and wound up being waived. He was re-signed in December, but former coach Tom Thibodeau barely used him in the playoffs. Shamet had to earn his way onto the roster again last fall, beating out several players for the last spot. His role has been more consistent under Brown, and now he’s preparing for his first trip to the NBA Finals. “It means everything to be going to the Finals, and we’ve got a lot more to do,” Shamet said. “Really proud of this group and happy to be a part of this group, and we all know what it’s going to require from us moving forward. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
- The Knicks will have been through their second nine-day break by the time the Finals opener tips off, and they’re vowing that it won’t affect their level of play, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The long break seemed to bother the team heading into the conference finals as it fell into a 22-point hole against Cleveland before rallying to win Game 1. “Obviously, rust will be a thing, just having not shot in an NBA game in a while. But we’ll do a better job this time around of preparing for that kind of situation to happen,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Obviously, the coaching staff did an amazing job getting us ready for Game 1, but we just didn’t go out there and shoot well.”
Free Agent Rumors: Duren, Kessler, Reaves, Dosunmu, More
Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Jazz will be two of the top centers on the free agent market this offseason, but both will be restricted and the expectation is that they’ll remain with their current clubs, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Duren looked headed for a potential maximum-salary contract after a regular season breakout that saw him earn a spot on the All-NBA third team and rank second in Most Improved Player voting. An underwhelming postseason showing may have hurt his earning potential a little, according to Bontemps, but scouts and executives consider him likely to get a new deal that approaches $40MM per year.
“If he wants to get a max, they’ll tell him to go get one,” one Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “But he’s Cade (Cunningham)‘s guy, so they’ll have to play it the right way.”
Meanwhile, the Jazz added Jaren Jackson Jr. to their frontcourt during the season, but neither he nor Lauri Markkanen is expected to play the majority of his minutes at center, so Kessler remains an important part of the future in Utah. The belief around the league is that he’ll be able to negotiate a contract worth in the neighborhood of $25-30MM annually, Bontemps says.
“It appears Utah is gearing up to keep him,” an East scout told ESPN. “I don’t see an obvious fit in free agency for someone to try to get him. They’re going to be in an interesting spot next season, and I’m excited to see how they navigate all of it.”
Here are a few more notes and rumors on some of this summer’s top free agents:
- Scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN don’t expect Austin Reaves to get his full max (roughly $239MM over five years) from the Lakers, but they wouldn’t be surprised if he receives $40MM per year. “I’d be pretty surprised if the first year (salary) starts with a three instead of a four,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.” The Nets, one of the few teams with the cap room necessary to make a run at a player like Reaves, is considered a rival suitor to monitor, sources tell Bontemps.
- Sources around the NBA believe guard Ayo Dosunmu will re-sign with the Timberwolves on a deal worth a little more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM), though that may require the team to part with injured guard Donte DiVincenzo to avoid going too deep into tax/apron territory, Bontemps notes.
- Rival scouts and executives would be surprised if the Knicks let unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet get away, especially if they win a title. “You have to bring (Robinson) back,” an East executive said. “If they win the Finals, they’re not losing anybody. And, even if they don’t, I don’t see how they let him walk.” Both players are candidates for two-year deals, since New York projects to operate above the second tax apron for the next couple years anyway, Bontemps observes.
- Trail Blazers center Robert Williams is expected to generate significant interest after his healthiest season in years, given how much teams are valuing size, Bontemps writes, adding that the range for his starting salary may be in the vicinity of $10-15MM. “The injury history will scare a lot of teams off,” a Western Conference executive said. “But when he plays, he’s good. You just can’t expect him to start for you because he won’t be on the court if you play him that many minutes. He’ll be good value if — a huge if — he can stay on the floor.”
- While Peyton Watson‘s recurring hamstring issues this past season are a concern, the expectation is that the Nuggets will find a way to give him a new contract in the $20-25MM range in restricted free agency, per Bontemps. “They could easily just pay him and pay the tax, but we know how the Kroenkes operate,” a West scout said. “That means sending out either (Cameron) Johnson or (Christian) Braun, and I don’t know where that lands. The injury stuff is a concern, but so is how they struggled without him.”
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Shamet, Anunoby, Winning Streak
The Knicks‘ decision to replace Tom Thibodeau as head coach was one of the most controversial moves of last summer, but Mike Brown has the organization on the verge of its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. It wasn’t always a smooth transition, as Karl-Anthony Towns in particular struggled to adjust to the new system, but Towns offered a strong endorsement of Brown after Saturday’s Game 3 win at Cleveland, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“With Mike, he had to learn us and adjust to us,” Towns said. “On the flip side, we had to do the same as well. Now, we are at a point where we are both working seamlessly. We understand each other’s language. He is getting the best from us and we are getting the best from him. I think that speaks to a season, especially a first season with a new coach and a new system and a new philosophy. It’s a testament to the players to do an amazing job coming together and showing that unity that made us special last year. But the coaching staff being receptive to the players and adjusting with us and finding the way to get the most out of us.”
Begley notes that while Thibodeau was notorious for giving heavy minutes to his starters, Brown has made it a priority to develop a reliable second unit. Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado have joined Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson as dependable contributors off the bench during the team’s playoff run.
“Everybody wants to see each other do well genuinely,” Shamet said. “I mean that. If you guys write that in your report, it’s not some locker room banter or BS. It’s like spiritual with this group. You know, we’ve got a lot of guys who are more than capable of being in certain situations, and we cheer each other on. Next man up. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s what we have, and this locker room. So it’s special.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby said it was “cool” to receive Second-Team All-Defensive recognition, but his teammates and coaches see it as more of a slight than an honor, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News writes in a subscriber-only piece. “The versatility he brings to this team — we’re a top-five defensive team. Top-five defensive team, OK?” Brown said. “… The versatility that that guy brings to this team is off the charts, and I hope the voters get it right the next time around. I’m happy he’s Second Team. He deserves something, but it was wrong.”
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has been impressed by the Knicks’ ability to avoid any kind of “letdown” in the playoffs, relays Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The team has won 10 straight games, many in convincing fashion, and is outscoring opponents by an average of 22.5 PPG during that stretch.
- While New Yorkers are ecstatic about the prospect of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, the team remains focused on the need to get one more win, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). Players plan to approach Monday’s Game 4 at Cleveland the same as any other playoff contest. “We don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves, because as soon as we start getting ahead of ourselves, that’s when disaster always occurs, it seems,” Brown said. “And so for us, starting with me, making sure everybody in the organization on down understands it’s about the next game. And really, it’s about the next possession. And I try to block out everything else as best I can and not think about ‘what ifs,’ because I know for me, it would distract me 100% at this time of the year.”