New York Knicks

I’ve heard this logic from many regimes that have attempted to take short cuts to bring the New York Knicks back to prominence. From Scott Laden to Phil Jackson, Knicks’ executives have long told us that New York is too big of a market and too demanding to accept a complete rebuild. I wonder what they would think seeing Knick fans all over social media quickly fall in love with the young players that are in Las Vegas.

What it takes for a proper New York Knicks rebuild:

A proper rebuild does take commitment and patience. At the start of his reign Phil Jackson showed signs of having the fortitude to pull it off. He was quickly enticed into making foolish win now decisions that set back the progress he had made by drafting Kristaps Porzingis. He did manage to hold on to one of  the most valuable things in the NBA, all of the Knicks’ future first round picks.

That brings us to the modern day Knicks’ front office duo of Scott Perry and Steve Mills. They inherited a roster filled with a  bad contracts and disgruntled fading stars (Hi Carmelo). They made noises about building around youth and nurturing the young players that were already on the roster. Fans as a whole were apprehensive after years of incompetence. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but so far they have been true to their word.

The drafting of Kevin Knox over older and more polished prospects showed the front office’s commitment to youth. One of the youngest players in the draft; it would have been easy for the Knicks front office to avoid what many people considered a project player that may not contribute immediately. They did the same again with the second rounder Mitchell Robinson. Robinson did not play organized basketball in over a year after withdrawing from Western Kentucky, but the Knicks brass saw massive upside in the player and decided to take a home run swing in the second round. Time will tell if it was the right decision, but the early returns look promising for the pair of players.

With the departure of Lebron James to the Lakers, a power vacuum has opened up in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks might be well positioned to become one of the teams who joins the fray for Eastern Conference supremacy in the near future. With a core of Kristaps Porzingis (22), Kevin Knox (19 in August) Frank Ntilikina (19), and Mitchell Robinson (20) the Knicks have assembled an intriguing group of young players who are versatile on both defense and offense. With the ability to create space for one (or two with the right trades) max free agents this coming summer, the Knicks might be an interesting destination for the best free agents available for the first time in a decade. With a little bit of luck and hard work, it seems like the Knicks rebuild may last shorter than many fans had anticipated.

The New York Knicks are 1-1 in the summer league, thus far. However, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the young team.   The new draft picks and youngsters on the roster are showing us that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.  This is what we have been waiting for, finally acquiring youth and watching them grow and develop through the organization’s developmental systems.

I know, it’s only been two games, but this is exciting and Knicks fans should be happy with what we have seen so far.

The Knicks’ youngest player:

It all begins with our first round draft pick, Kevin Knox. The 18-year-old Kentucky product, and second-youngest player from this years draft, is averaging 20.5 points and has Knicks fans loving this pick, as of now. Even though he’s shooting just 37 percent from the field and having trouble finding his three-point stroke, but we shouldn’t be concerned about his three-pointers right now. What we should be most concerned with is his gifted athletic ability and natural instincts, mainly offensively.

His first points in the NBA was a coast-to-coast tomahawk dunk that had Knicks twitter in a frenzy. What was so surprising about Knox already was how he looked settled playing against NBA competition, granted it’s only the summer league, but still. Knox displayed his aggressiveness by driving to hoop and being able to take contact and draw fouls. This was something that he did in college, but not to the extent that we have seen in two games. He already is a candidate for Rookie of the Year with what he has shown in two short games.

Then we have my guy, our second-round pick, Mitchell Robinson. A lot of Knicks fan were skeptical about the pick and rightfully so. Robinson hasn’t played a competitive basketball game in over a year and already has shown that he has what it takes to play in the NBA. He well-played in both games, especially defensively.  Against the Hawks, Robinson tallied nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Then, 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks against the Jazz. There’s no doubt that he is a gifted defender, tall and long, and has a knack for the ball around the basket. If Fizdale and the coaching staff are able to continue building him, defensively, and fine tune his offensive game then he will certainly be in the Knicks rotation come this season.

Finally, we have what we hope to be, our future point guard Frank Ntilikina.  Frank has spent the beginning of the summer working on his game and putting on muscle, both which he desperately needed to improve on. In the first game against the Hawks, Frank was a little hesitate to do much on offense, only attempting seven shots and making two. However, his defense appeared to be much better than last season. Frank was able to frustrate Trae Young for a good majority of the game and show that he has what it takes to be an elite defender in the near future.

In the second game against the Jazz, Frank was able to recognized that he needed to be more aggressiveness and stepped up. Ntilikina was driving the lane and being able to finish once he got to the bucket, which he was not so hot at last season. He attempted 14 shots and ended up with 17 points. He’s still only 19, but has started to show that he is capable of what Knicks fans expect.

All-in-all, we should be excited with what he have seen so far. Again, it’s only the summer league, but we need some upside for this team when Porzingis returns to the court. Pairing Porzingis with Knox, Frank, Timmy and even Robinson, gives us hope for the future. It’s not going to be the quickest of turn-arounds, but the potential of our young draft picks should give Knicks fans everywhere a reason to tune in for this upcoming season.

New York Knicks‘ big man, Joakim Noah, had the balls to say he loves being in New York, even after getting into a heated argument with former coach Jeff Hornacek last season to the point where Noah was forced to spend time away from the team.

Noah signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Knicks two years ago in which he’s played in just 53 games. He averaged 5.7 minutes per game in 2017, making him possibly one of the worst signings in the history of the franchise. To be quite honest, the fact that he made it seem as if he wanted to stay in the city that never sleeps, makes me think that he may be going crazy from never sleeping.

What are the New York Knicks going to do with Noah?

General manager Scott Perry has made it very clear that the salary cap killer is very much on the table for a potential trade. Despite the fact that Noah is on the trading block, his confidence in coach Fizdale is much greater than for Hornacek.

When asked during a TMZ interview if he’d worked out with Fizdale, Noah said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But coach Fiz is cool, man.”

After having arthroscopic surgery on his knee in 2016, Noah never returned to be the same player he once was. Age and injury have taken a toll on his body, and at this point in his career he might serve as a better bench player than starter. His contract is the major issue here, as he will surely not take a pay-cut and the only way out of the deal is to trade him, bur even if the Knicks were giving him away for free it would be a hard sell.

Ultimately, his influence on the team is dwindling to an end if it hasn’t already, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Fizdale was able to extract any value Noah might have left in his bones.

Finding a way to extract the offensive prowess from New York Knicks’ 19 year-old point guard, Frank Ntilikina, will be the most difficult task for coach David Fizdale. The young french point guard has struggled with scoring and attacking the rim, especially in his rookie season. That trend continued into the first summer league game for the Knicks.

Ntilikina must work on his offensive production, as he often tried to force passes and backs away from trying to score in favor of dishing the ball to his teammates. He recorded three turnovers. Rookie Kevin Knox stole the show with an impressive dunk to start off the game for the Knicks, but Frank continued to struggle on offense, despite displaying his immense defensive skills.

He reminds me a bit of Iman Shumpert with his athleticism and elite defense, but he never really became a complete player as his offense lacked. For a point guard, that’s unacceptable.

According to the New York Post, coaching Fizdale stated:

“I thought especially late, he attacked the rim, made a couple of good plays to Mitchell. He’s going to be aggressive, but I don’t want to get to a point where he stops being who he is. I know everyone has a vision of what he should be, but there’s things he does well. … I want him to keep those attributes while being aggressive. I liked the way he played [Saturday].’

Ntilikina finished last season averaging just 5.9 points per game and shot 36.4% from the field. In the first summer league game, Frank was assigned to Trae Young, the Oklahoma scoring phenom. In the first half, the french-man put up a good fight, making it extremely difficult for Young. In the second half Young began to take over, as he finished the game with 21 points and three 3-pointers.

Will Frank be the Knicks’ starter at OG?

Ntilikina will have competition for the starting point guard spot with trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay vying for the spot. Burke is the most experienced of the three and finished 2017 as the starter. He averaged 12.8 points, shot 50.3% and 36.2% from the 3-point line. Ultimately, it will come down to Frank’s scoring abilities and if he can manage to increase his numbers from last season. He must have the confidence to pull up and shoot if he wants to lock up the starting spot for the next few years.

While Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson have highlighted the New York Knicks’ draft class, one underlying player has started off the summer with a bang. Former Arizona guard, Allonzo Trier, finished the Knicks’ first summer league game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and four assists.

Trier was given ample time to shine alongside Knox, Robinson, Damyean Doston, and Frank Nitilikina. The former Wildcat played 31 minutes in the 91-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks. While Trier was 0-3 from beyond the arc, he was 5-of-6 from the free throw line and made several impressive jump shots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsuGQRVNvJE

One of the most impressive aspects that Trier displayed on the court was his ability to initiate contact. On one specific play, he forced a defender to jump on a fake shot which drew a foul. This can be seen in the highlight clip above.

Trier also has solid movement on the court, as his off the ball positioning put him in good spots to receive the ball and drive to the basket. His step-back jumper was J.R. Smith-esque, but he seemed smoother in his technique and more articulated. One of the more interesting stats was his rebound total (6). His rebounding skills are highly beneficial, as the Knicks gave up far too many offensive rebounds last season.

Allonzo Trier is absolutely an NBA player and I remain baffled why he didn’t get more buzz. One of the best shooters in the class, plus athleticism, smart player in a dull Zona offensive system. Not just summerscorer.

— Michael Levin (@Michael_Levin) July 7, 2018

It took until the second half of the game for Trier to really liven up and show his true abilities, but once he grew into the game his potential was on full display. The guard went undrafted which was a surprise to most, including Trier himself.

“It was absolutely shocking (I didn’t get drafted),” Trier said (via the New York Daily News). “I definitely believe I belong in this league and I can play and I’m as good as all these guys who were drafted. But that’s done and over with, in the past. I’m looking forward to this opportunity here and taking advantage of it.”

Trier will have to work on his defensive prowess, as it was his primary concern coming out of college. He believes his scoring abilities will be an asset for the Knicks, but he will have to become a complete player to earn a starting spot on the roster.

The New York Knicks are in a peculiar place in the NBA. They are a reborn team with a plethora of youth and talent, but are also locked up in massive contracts held by Joakim Noah and Tim Hardaway Jr. Finding a way to work around their salary cap issues will be a test in itself, but those problems won’t stop the rumors from flowing.

Let’s start with the first Knicks rumor:

Kyrie Irving. Yup, last week it was Kevin Durant and now it’s Irving. ESPN’s Ian Begley believes that the Celtics will have to compete with the Knicks to retain the dynamic point guard. Kyrie grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, meaning he would be close to home. And who doesn’t like stealing the best player from any Boston team anyway!?

Injury concerns are always a serious question when it comes to a player that hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the court. The Knicks will have to consider that factor and play with fire, just as they did with Derrick Rose. While Irving’s proneness to injury isn’t as severe as Rose, it’s still a risk. Joining a team with Kristap Porzingis, Hardaway Jr., Enes Kanter, Mario Hezonja, and rookie Kevin Knox could be persuading enough. The youth is the Knicks’ biggest selling point, and showing that their potential is real with a solid 2018-19 season will be the deciding factor in bringing a a big name to the Mecca.

Checking in on Frank Ntilikina:

Coach Fizdale has made it a priority to push Ntilikina to his max, trying to extract the aggression from the young guard.

“He’s a good basketball player,” Fizdale said, according to Newsday.com. “It’s going to be a process with him of constantly emphasizing aggression and always be in ‘go’ mode and don’t be concerned as much about taking care of everybody and that his aggression will draw defenders to help him take care of everybody.”

The 19 year-old guard struggled last season with unselfishness. He has all the ability in the world, but just can’t seem to drive to the hoop and finish. Often times, he would look for the pass when he had an open lane or would try to hard to get the ball to his teammates, resulting in a turnover. Fizdale will help him become a complete player, making him an offensive threat, but also helping him work on his defense and off the ball traits.

There’s a lot of potential in the frenchman, and if anyone can bring it out, it’s Fiz.

In the first four years of New York Knicks‘ Tim Hardaway Jr.’s professional career, he started a total of 62 games. To put that into perspective, that’s not even en entire basketball season worth of games (82). The Knicks proceeded to sign a glorified reserve player to a four-year, $70.1 million contract.

If you think that’s crazy, Hardaway Jr. finished the 2018 season with a 3-point percentage of .317. He was signed primarily to be an outside shooter that can make those big-time shots… Well, that didn’t happen. His overpriced contract has left the Knicks in a hole, but his value must be extracted in 2018 to make the most of his allocated money.

New York drafted rookies Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson in the first and second rounds respectively. Both are young and looking to develop this upcoming season, which most veteran players would tend to steer clear of, but some seem to believe in the turnaround for the Knicks. The Signing of Mario Hezonja and the retention of Enes Kanter would attest to that.

What will Hardaway’s role on the Knicks be?

Veteran leadership and mentoring will ultimately be Hardaway’s task in the 2018-2019 season. Showing the young players the ropes and helping them adjust to NBA life will earn him his money. His on the court abilities have never been astounding and there’s no reason to believe they will become stellar anytime soon, so using his other attributed and progressive personality should be a great fit for the rookies.

Last season, Tim was asked to play a much more strenuous role than in previous years, as he started in 54 of 57 games on the year. The issue with Hardaway and Frank Ntilikina seem the same – both can’t manage a lot of minutes without becoming overwhelmed and eventually injured. The Knicks seem to be an ever revolving door of injuries and mishaps, but training the new crop of rookies will hopefully change the narrative that has haunted the Knicks for years. Hopefully, Hardaway can at least contribute towards that idea.

The New York Knicks could have themselves the steal of the this years draft and no, I’m not talking about Kevin Knox. I’m talking about the Knicks second round pick, Mitchell Robinson. Robinson, a 7-foot-1 McDonald’s All-American and 5-star recruit, has been said to have ‘freakish athletic ability’ despite not playing basketball at the collegiate level.

Knicks’ Robinon’s journey to the NBA:

Robinson was initially committed to play at Texas A&M before he decommited and enrolled at Western Kentucky.  However, his stint at Western Kentucky was very short lived. Robinson practiced with the team briefly in the summer until he reportedly began to have second thoughts on attending Western Kentucky. Since, he was a no-show to practice, Robinson was suspended for violating the team rules. Then, in August of 2017, Robinson re-enrolled back at Western Kentucky until quickly going back on his commitment. Subsequently, this led to Robinson ‘sitting out’ his entire freshman season for the Hilltoppers to prepare for this year’s NBA Draft.  His suspension remains a tad suspicious.

A little bizarre for the Knicks to ‘take a chance’ on a player that has not played overseas or even at the collegiate level.  Robinson could not even play in the G-League due to being enrolled in summer classes briefly. He even withdrew from participating at the NBA combine the day of. Bizarre, yes. But, Robinson does have the talent to make it in the NBA. Throughout his high school career at Chalmette High School in Louisiana, Robinson average 22.9 points-per-game, 12.6 rebounds, 6.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals in 66 games played. Those are some pretty good stats.

If Fizdale is able to fine tune Robinson’s strengths, he can surely be the steal of the draft for the Knicks.  Robinson’s wingspan measures at 7’4’” with a standing reach of 9’3”. Being tall and lengthy gives Robinson the ability to play above the rim with the threat of a lob or furious dunk at any time. Continuing with being long, he has the ability to be a tremendous shot blocker along with a above averaged rim protector. His explosiveness is a god given gift and also has the ability to shoot the ball as well.

Even though all those strengths seem like this guy can be a stud, there are also some major flaws in his game. First off, he’ll need to add strength if he’ll want to contend in the low-post in the NBA. His footwork will need some work as dunks and lobs can’t be the only factor in his game.

Robinson will need to learn how to move effectively on the defensive side of the ball, since he isn’t the only person that can jump out of the gym, and he’ll need to work on his decision making.  Not playing college basketball could have hurt his draft stock even more if the Knicks did not look at all the positives in his game as compared to the negatives.

For what it’s worth, I can see Robinson being similar to Tyson Chandler or Clint Capela, but with a better shot. He can be a shot blocker like Capela and rebounding specialist like Chandler.

Coach Fizdale will be able to dig deep and get everything out of this 20-year-old man with tremendous upside. If Robinson is able to get his head in the game and let himself be tutored by one of the most relatable and gifted coaches in the NBA, then the Knicks may have added yet another young talent to their young rebuild.