Knicks Notes: Brogdon, Brown, Hart, Brunson
Malcolm Brogdon got first-half minutes Saturday in Abu Dhabi as part of the competition for a Knicks‘ roster spot, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Coach Mike Brown is giving all three veterans with non-guaranteed contracts a chance to be on the floor with rotation players. Landry Shamet got his opportunity on Thursday, and Garrison Mathews is expected to be in that role during Friday’s game against Minnesota.
“Trying to see different guys we’ve signed with different combinations,” Brown said. “And putting them in at different — I may throw a guy in for three minutes. And if I throw him in for three minutes, part of that is I may use him that way in the regular season or I may use him that way if he makes the team in the regular season. So how does he respond? So I’m experimenting right now.”
Brogdon posted five points, four rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes as New York wrapped up a sweep of Philadelphia in their two overseas games. Playing in the second half, Shamet went scoreless in nine minutes and Mathews finished with six points while shooting 1-of-5 from the field.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Josh Hart was held out of action today after suffering a back injury that a team representative is calling “spasms,” Bondy adds in the same piece. Hart fell to the court in pain in the second quarter of Thursday’s game and was holding his lower back as he walked to the locker room. “It’s preseason and we’re going to err on the side of caution,” the representative told Bondy. “We’ll see where he is when (we get home).”
- The Knicks were more successful in implementing Brown’s up-tempo offense in their second game under their new head coach, Bondy states in a separate story. Brown wants his team to push the ball in transition, and Jalen Brunson said the guards ran to the corners every time Philadelphia missed a shot. “Pace doesn’t necessarily mean fast,” Brunson said. “Obviously we want to get the ball across half-court in a certain time frame. But it’s about playing smart, seeing what the defense does and just reading that. We weren’t really trying to leak out, but we were trying to sprint to corners and we were getting behind the defense and we were able to get layups. So as long as we come away with a stop, that allows us to run.”
- Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News assesses the players who saw court time in Abu Dhabi and examines how their games are changing with Brown in charge.
New York Notes: M. Brown, Brogdon, Hart, KAT, C. Thomas, Powell
Knicks head coach Mike Brown made it clear on Tuesday that his philosophy regarding his minutes distribution for starters and rotation players won’t look the same as what the team got accustomed to under former coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).
“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games,” Brown said. “There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early. It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes.’ Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”
As Bondy observes, Thibodeau’s approach often felt like the exact opposite of the one laid out by Brown. The former Knicks coach frequently faced criticism due to the perception that he overextended his top players, particularly by leaving them on the court late in games in which the team held a big lead.
Brown, who worked as a Warriors assistant from 2016-22, pointed to the 2015/16 Golden State team that chased – and achieved – a regular season record of 73 wins but seemed to run out of gas at the end of that season. That prompted the Warriors to more closely monitor their stars’ workloads in subsequent years.
“It kind of caught up to them [in 2016]. And from that point on, that’s when [head coach Steve Kerr] was like, ‘I’m not going to chase it anymore,'” Brown said. “If we get it, we get it, but I got to make sure for Steph [Curry], if we want him to only play 35 minutes or average 35 minutes a game, then that’s what he’s going to average.”
Three Knicks players – Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby – placed among the NBA’s top six in minutes per game last season, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns also in the top 25.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon doesn’t just expect to make the Knicks‘ regular season roster — he believes he’ll earn a spot in the rotation as well, he tells Bondy (subscription required). “I view myself as having a skill set and being a versatile enough player to crack any rotation in the league,” Brogdon told Bondy. “So I expect to do that here as well.” A report from The Athletic indicated that New York is leaning toward keeping both Brogdon and Landry Shamet for the regular season, which would require the team to trade a player.
- Hart referred to it as “stupidity” to blame Towns for the Knicks‘ Eastern Conference Finals loss to Indiana last spring, according to Bondy (subscription required). As Bondy notes, Towns received some criticism due to his defense, but Hart doesn’t view that criticism as warranted. “I thought [Towns] played well in the playoffs. I mean, hey, I think the only one who should get blamed is me,” Hart said. “I had a terrible — I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. With Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left.”
- Nets guard Cam Thomas reported to camp looking leaner this fall, but he said the work he did on his body this offseason wasn’t related to his recurring hamstring issues last season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). “No, it’s just something I want to do. Just me being me,” Thomas said. “Not really related to the hammies. … If I have the weight on or not, I’ll still be doing the same thing. It doesn’t really change how you play, really. At the end of the day, it’s how you look and how you feel. I feel good. Feel good, look good and you play good.”
- Rookie wing Drake Powell, one of the Nets‘ five first-round picks, has been cleared for full-contact work earlier this week, Lewis writes in a separate story. Powell, selected with the No. 22 pick, missed Summer League due to a left knee injury that surfaced during the pre-draft process.
New York Notes: Brown, Shamet, Clowney, MPJ, Muoka
New Knicks head coach Mike Brown wants to empower his players to let loose from long range, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
As Winfield notes, only one expected rotation player — center Mitchell Robinson — won’t be able to connect on at least an NBA-average three-point conversion rate, provided both Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are on the club’s standard roster come the regular season.
“I mean if we get 40 [threes] I’m cool with it,” Brown said following a team practice on Friday. “We’ve got a couple of guys that we’ll allow to dance with it and let it go, and they know who they are. But if we play like we’re capable of — with pace, especially spacing, and the paint touches — we should generate a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.”
There’s more out of New York:
- During his media day session, Brown spoke positively about Landry Shamet‘s two-way upside. Shamet was rostered with the Knicks last year, but for now is signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 training camp deal. “Offensively, his pace in the full court, he does a great job sprinting the floor, and he’ll sprint to the corner every single possession,” Brown said when asked about Shamet by Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link via New York Basketball). “And when you do that with the ability he has to shoot the ball from deep, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and also flattens the defense, because you gotta go with him. And if the defense gets flattened by a shooter, that means the driving lanes [expand].… And then defensively, he’s not afraid, he’ll stick his nose in it and guard whoever he has to guard.”
- Nets big man Noah Clowney took the offseason to bulk up, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 6’9″ big man has packed on added muscle to improve his abilities as a driver, but is hoping not to sacrifice any of his explosiveness. “Yeah, [Clowney] looks great,” coach Jordi Fernández said of the change. “Credit to him and the work he’s put in the whole summer. He looks like a grown man at just 21… His ability to shoot, his size and getting better at playing off two feet in the paint, limiting turnovers and fishing better at the rim. So those things are important for him.”
- After dealing with major health issues earlier in his career, new Nets wing Michael Porter Jr. admitted he can’t necessarily count on a lengthy stint in the NBA. “Because of the injuries and stuff, I don’t know how much longer I really want to play,” Porter told Justin Laboy on the Respectfully The Justin Laboy Podcast (YouTube video link; hat tip to Lewis for the transcription). “Like, I want to play as long as I can, but people don’t understand the things I’ve got to go through on a daily basis just to get out on the court and play with the best athletes in the world.” Porter had already undergone three back surgeries by the end of his first three pro seasons and has since dealt with lingering nerve damage even as other health issues pop up. He is owed $78MM across the next two seasons. “I decided all I’m going to do is take it a year at a time,” Porter said. “So I’m committed to basketball and putting my all into it for the next year and then after that, I’m gonna reevaluate.”
- The Nets‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Long Island Nets, obtained center David Muoka‘s returning player rights from the Windy City Bulls, Lewis tweets. Long Island surrendered a 2025 G League first-round draft pick and a 2026 second to Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate. Muoka was signed and waived earlier this month by Brooklyn and is now on track to join Long Island for the NBAGL season.
Knicks Notes: Bridges, Brunson, Anunoby, Brown
Although it doesn’t match the sacrifice that Jalen Brunson made by giving up a potential $113MM in his latest contract, it’s still significant that Knicks forward Mikal Bridges accepted $150MM in the four-year extension he signed this summer when he was eligible for roughly $6MM more, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required).
There was speculation that Bridges, who was set to become a free agent in 2026, might not be eager to sign up for a long-term commitment in New York after a difficult first season with the team. But he said at media day that he wants his future to be with the Knicks and he never considered any other options.
“Because I love it here,” he added. “Love the fans, love the culture, love the staff and everybody, front office, everything, teammates. That’s probably the biggest thing. I know, throughout last year, last year was tough throughout the season and playoffs helped a little bit but I think I just appreciate the fans and everybody. I think a lot of people thought I might be upset because everybody was getting on me too hard, but I think I was more mad at myself because everything they want was what I want so it’s not like a ‘why ‘y’all getting on me?’ Some things get a little too crazy, but that’s just life [and] how it is.”
There’s more from New York:
- Brunson dropped a few pounds over the summer in anticipation of playing at a faster pace under new head coach Mike Brown, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required). “It was important for me to be a little lighter just throughout the course of the season,” said Brunson, who refused to divulge his new weight. “Not even being lighter, I’m not that much lighter, definitely more toned and like that. But it’s just important for me to get my body in the best shape possible I can and go from there.”
- When he was coaching the Nigerian national team, Brown tried to recruit OG Anunoby for the Tokyo Olympics, Braziller adds in the same piece. Anunoby declined the offer, partially due to COVID concerns, but he’s looking forward to finally playing for Brown. “I was excited (when the Knicks hired Brown),” Anunoby said. “I’ve known Mike for some years now. I was excited when I found out he was the coach. We talked pretty quickly, just about everything, not even basketball, but life stuff.”
- Brown is happy to see his players adapting to a new offensive system so quickly, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required). While former coach Tom Thibodeau preferred a slower approach, Brown is installing the up-tempo, quick-decision attack he used in Sacramento. “Their attentiveness has been great,” Brown said after Friday’s practice. “Today was the first time where we really had a chance to bump heads and scrimmage. So when you go against a different color jersey instead of just going through it 5-on-0 or against the coaches, it’s a little different. But our guys did a good job. It’ll be even more different when we go against Philly in Abu Dhabi. I like our progress so far — but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, McBride, Brown, Anunoby
As he enters the final year of his contract, which will pay him a little under $13MM, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson says he doesn’t care if he starts or not in 2025/26, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
“Nah. It don’t matter to me at all,” Robinson said on Thursday. “I started before. I came off the bench before. I did great in both. So it’s whatever.”
As Winfield notes, Robinson saw his role reduced after finally returning from ankle surgery last season, but then was moved back into the starting lineup for the last four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. New head coach Mike Brown called Robinson a “monster on the glass” but said he has yet to decide if the 7’0″ big man will start or come off the bench.
“Ideally, it would be great to have everybody’s role defined before the first game,” Brown said. “Now, they can change throughout the course of the season, but hopefully going into Game 1, we as coaches — and (new assistant) Billy Lange — get to a point where we have everybody’s role defined. And not only that, but they embrace it so that everybody knows specifically what they need to do.
“We’ve got a lot of guys and we’re a new staff. So if we get a little behind, maybe it doesn’t happen until after the first or second game. I don’t know. But ideally, I’d like to have all that done before game one.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Robinson, who said he added muscle and lost weight over the offseason after starting an organic farm in Nashville, isn’t sure if he’ll be cleared to play back-to-backs to open the season, according to Winfield. One of the NBA’s premier offensive rebounders, Robinson added that he isn’t concerned about potentially being involved in trade rumors ahead of 2026 free agency — he will remain extension-eligible throughout the season. “I’m gonna come out here and play hard still regardless, whether it’s my last (year) or my first (year), just come out here and play hard,” Robinson said. “But at the same time I’m gonna let my agent handle that part of it. I’m just gonna play basketball.”
- Guard Miles McBride has been floated as a possible trade candidate because New York reportedly wants to keep Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, both of whom are signed to non-guaranteed training camp deals. McBride expressed appreciation for former coach Tom Thibodeau but is looking forward to playing under Brown, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Honestly it was crazy. It was unexpected. All my four years were with Thibs. He did a great job with me and team,” McBride said. “… Coming in with Mike, I’m excited. … He’s been communicating with a lot of guys, allowing people to talk.”
- Forward OG Anunoby just missed out on making the All-Defensive Second Team last season, finishing with the most votes among players who didn’t make the cut. He has loftier goals for ’25/26, as Steve Popper of Newsday writes (subscription required). “For sure, defense, that’s what wins games, championships,” Anunoby said. “So it’s very important to me. Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Defense, those are always my goals.” Brown praised Anunoby’s defensive work, Popper adds. “First-team All-Defense,” Brown said. “He is more than capable. Really it’s up to him. That’s how good he is on that end of the floor. He’s a first-team — and I’ve been around those guys. Bruce Bowen. Tim Duncan. I’ve been around a few of them, and he’s right there.”
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Clarkson, Yabusele, Longabardi, Ingram
The Knicks brought in several veterans to compete for the last minimum contract they can offer, barring a trade. New coach Mike Brown believes that will lead to a spirited training camp, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
“A competitive spirit. I’m big on that. … For us, every day is about competition,” Brown said after the first day of training camp. “Whether you’re a coach [or] you’re a player, we want to compete. We want to grow as a unit in that area, and it’s no different for everybody else individually. Whether you’re here on a guaranteed deal [or] you’re here on a non-guaranteed deal, you’re competing your butt off. And at the end of the day, we have a lot of time to make a decision on what’s gonna happen.
“But at the end of the day, we’ll figure out who we need to fit and who needs to fit, but it’s gonna be a process. There’s no one ahead of anyone right now. Everybody’s coming in trying to compete for a spot. All the guys we have we feel are competitors, so we’ll see at the end of the day who rises to the top.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, a pair of Knicks offseason additions on guaranteed contracts, are expected to have major rotation roles. Brown heaped both players with praise. “He’s a professional scorer,” Brown said of Clarkson, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. “Especially one coming off the bench, it means he knows how to play the game. He’s not just scoring. That’s what I like about him — he’s a capable passer. I like the mindset that he has. You want guys who aren’t afraid of the moment, who are willing to take the shot and go get it.” As for Yabusele, Brown noted how well he played for the Sixers last season after several seasons overseas. “When you get drafted and don’t make it, it can do a lot of things to you mentally,” Brown said. “It can make you say things like, ‘Screw the NBA. I don’t want to come back,’ or it can make you say, ‘You know what? I’m an NBA player and I’m going to do what I need to do to get back and be there as long as I want to be there.’ Seeing that process tells you a lot about him as a person. That’s a vastly competitive spirit and competitive nature that I’m looking for when it comes to being a New York Knick.”
- Speaking of the Sixers, they are promoting Mike Longabardi as an assistant coach, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Longabardi was previously the G League head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s affiliate. He has also been an assistant for the Celtics and Cavaliers
- There isn’t much preseason buzz regarding the Raptors, but Michael Grange of Sporsnet identifies five reasons for optimism, with Brandon Ingram suiting up this season at the top of the list. Ingram didn’t play after Toronto acquired at the trade deadline due to an ankle injury. Roster continuity is another reason to be bullish, Grange writes — they’re bringing back all but one of their players who saw at least 1,000 minutes of action.
Knicks Emphasized Collaboration During Coaching Search
Collaboration will be a point of emphasis as Mike Brown prepares for his first season as head coach of the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).
Sources tell Bondy that the need to work together across the organization was stressed during the interview process after former coach Tom Thibodeau’s style was considered “too unilateral.” Brown will be expected to consult with ownership, the front office, the medical staff and player development experts, along with his assistant coaches and players, and to give serious consideration to their input.
“I had great conversations with (team owner) Mr. (James) Dolan and (president) Leon (Rose),” Brown said during his introductory press conference. “I want to form a partnership with them. It’s impossible to do this alone.”
Bondy notes that Brown has to walk a fine line of taking suggestions from multiple parties while still showing that he’s in charge of the team, rather than a “puppet” of the front office. That challenge will begin when the team opens training camp this week.
Brown will also be tasked with upgrading the offense by replacing Thibodeau’s reliance on isolations with a style that emphasizes ball movement and pace. His players have received some exposure to the new system already, and the reaction has been positive.
“I’ve talked to (Brown) a lot, and I think the big thing is just going to be a lot of player movement,” reserve guard Miles McBride said recently. “He’s giving us the foundation, and we’re just going to work off of it. So I’m really excited to see all our creativity with each other that we’ve been working on these last couple months. Really excited to see where it takes us.”
Brown is also expected to have less reliance on his starters than his predecessor, giving more players a chance to log significant minutes. Bondy theorizes that would have happened anyway after the offseason additions of Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson and Malcolm Brogdon, but Brown is naturally more inclined than Thibodeau to use a larger rotation.
Bondy notes that the Knicks’ starting five easily led the NBA in combined minutes last season, but he sees the potential for a 10-man rotation under Brown.
Knicks Notes: McBride, Brown, Towns, FAs, Anunoby
The Knicks ranked fifth in the NBA last season with a 117.3 offensive rating, but the team’s efficiency dropped over the course of the year, as Stefan Bondy writes for The New York Post. After scoring 119.9 points per 100 possessions prior to the All-Star break, New York ranked 22nd with just 112.3 points per 100 possessions after the break, and the club’s 112.7 offensive rating in the playoffs was the worst of the four conference finalists.
Knicks reserve guard Miles McBride is optimistic that new head coach Mike Brown will help revitalize an offense that slowed down over the season’s final few months.
“Last year, we might’ve gotten a little bit stagnant, and the last couple years,” McBride told Bondy. “And I feel like what [Brown’s] been preaching is just being able to play with pace, and it’s not just the guy with the ball. And everybody is a possibility [to score] and able to take it off the dribble, of course.”
Describing the team as “really hungry” after coming within two wins of an NBA Finals appearance in 2024/25, McBride went into more detail on why his conversations with Brown so far have made him excited about what the Knicks’ offense will look like going forward.
“I’ve talked to [Brown] a lot, and I think the big thing is just going to be a lot of player movement,” McBride said. “He’s giving us the foundation, and we’re just going to work off of it. So I’m really excited to see all our creativity with each other that we’ve been working on these last couple months. Really excited to see where it takes us.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Speaking to D.J. Siddiqi of Games Hub a few weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, Jalen Brunson referred to the former Timberwolves big man as a “phenomenal” addition for the Knicks both on and off the court. “The things that he’s been able to do in a short period of time being a Knick has been amazing,” Brunson said. “Having him as a teammate has been really fun. I think that gets overlooked how good of a teammate he is. Obviously, he’s a great player and what he does on the court. But the teammate he is and what he brings to the locker room for us is special. So I’m really happy to have him.”
- Veteran free agents Dennis Smith Jr. and Alex Len played well in informal scrimmages on Monday, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), who confirms that Trey Jemison remains on New York’s radar and says the team is finalizing its decisions on who to invite to training camp. Begley also reported the Knicks’ interest in re-signing Matt Ryan before word broke this morning that the two sides had a deal in place.
- How will the Knicks’ coaching change affect OG Anunoby? Fred Katz of The Athletic digs into that question, exploring whether the athletic forward will benefit from Brown’s stated desire to play at a faster pace and whether Anunoby could take on more offensive responsibilities.
Knicks Notes: Shamet, Mathews, PGs, Beasley, Jemison
With 12 players on standard contracts, the Knicks only have enough room below their second-apron hard cap to carry one more player on a veteran’s minimum contract and one on a rookie minimum contract into the regular season. However, the team will have the ability to fill out its 21-man offseason roster because training camp deals that include Exhibit 9 language don’t count against the cap or the apron until the start of the regular season.
The Knicks agreed on Thursday to non-guaranteed deals with guards Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews, who are expected to compete for that 13th spot on the roster. According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Mathews considered at least one other offer before opting to sign with the Knicks and engage in a training camp battle with Shamet.
While Mathews will receive consideration for a regular season spot, Shamet should have the upper hand in that competition, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who notes that the 28-year-old wing earned “significant respect” within the organization last season for the way he recovered from a preseason shoulder injury and became a contributor in the second half and postseason. Shamet is also close with Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, who signed a four-year extension with the team last month, Bondy adds.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Despite being right up against their hard cap, the Knicks remain on the lookout for a backup point guard, Bondy writes, observing that Malcolm Brogdon is among the notable options still on the market. It’s unclear if the club will bring a point guard or two to camp to compete with Shamet and Mathews, or if the front office is looking for a way to open up enough room below the second apron to carry another veteran into the season.
- While Malik Beasley is among the players that have been on the Knicks’ radar, his legal situation made the team hesitant to sign him, Begley reports. Beasley is being investigated by the NBA due to gambling-related concerns and remains a subject in a federal probe into the same issue.
- The Knicks are considering players outside the organization for their open two-way contract slots, according to Begley, who identifies free agent big man Trey Jemison as one of the players who has drawn interest from the club.
- It appears as if Mike Brown‘s coaching staff for his first season in New York is set. Bondy indicates that Chris Jent, Brendan O’Connor, and Rick Brunson will Brown’s assistants on the front bench, while Darren Erman will move to the back bench.
And-Ones: Top Newcomers, Realignment, McGrady, St. Bonnie’s
With most of the NBA’s offseason action now in the books, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton of ESPN identify the 14 NBA “newcomers” whose changes of scenery will have the greatest impact in 2025/26.
There are no surprises at the top of the list, which features new Rockets forward Kevin Durant at No. 1, Magic guard Desmond Bane at No. 2, and Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson at No. 3. However, Herring and Pelton deviate a little from expectations at No. 4 by including a head coach: Mike Brown of the Knicks. As Herring writes, it’s possible no coach in the league will face more “title-or-bust pressure” than Brown in his first year on the job.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton rounds out the top five on the 14-man list, which – outside of Brown – is made up exclusively of players.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- What might NBA realignment look like if the league were to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle? Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a closer look at that topic, exploring scenarios in which either the Timberwolves, Pelicans, or Grizzlies move to the Eastern Conference and considering how the league might shuffle its divisions around in each hypothetical case.
- Former NBA star Tracy McGrady has signed a new endorsement deal to reunite with Adidas, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two parties are expected to work with longtime sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro to revive the ABCD (Academic Betterment and Career Development) Camp. As Charania explains in a follow-up tweet, the ABCD Camp was a youth basketball camp that ran for over two decades from 1984-2006 and featured several future stars, including McGrady himself.
- The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program will host its first ever pro day on Saturday, October 11 at the NBPA training facility in Manhattan, according to a press release from the school. “The first Bonnies Pro Day is a tremendous opportunity for NBA and G League front office executives to scout our players in a competitive practice and workout environment,” former ESPN reporter and current St. Bonnie’s general manager Adrian Wojnarowski said in a statement.