Briefing: April 12
Ewing at the lottery, Derrick Rose reaction to Knicks trade, Mudiay gets his jersey, and more!
Good Morning,
Fans got to see a raw glimpse of Derrick Rose learning he was traded from his hometown team to the Knicks. The footage was from “Pooh: The Derrick Rose Story” which premiered last night and will re-air several times.
Watch the emotional moment Derrick Rose learned about his trade to the Knicks.
Mitchell Robinson wants to be a modern big man. "Now I see what I learned in the game, today’s game, there ain’t no center really. Everybody’s out there shooting threes. Big men shooting threes. Putting it on the floor. I’ve got to add that to my game." [Chris Iseman]
Jeff Van Gundy believes young Knicks players will develop better in winning culture. As a guest on The Michael Kay Show, Van Gundy talks about the importance of the Knicks signing free agents this summer to start building a winning culture for their younger players. He says it’s challenging to develop winning habits when you‘re losing every night. [Listen Here]
Emmanuel Mudiay finally got his D-Wade jersey. Mudiay posted on Instagram a framed and signed jersey he received from Wade. Of course, the internet had fun with Mudiay when he asked for Wade’s jersey after their final match-up and Wade responded, “I’ve already given it away.”
MUST READ: What was the point of this 2018-19 season
by Mike Vorkunov:
That’s the only question worth pondering today. Because those Knicks — and it’s past tense now, mercifully so for all their fans who watched — were as interesting and confusing and hopeful as one of the NBA’s annual walking dead can be.
This was supposed to be a developmental year, but how much progress was made? This was a year the team would use to prune the roster, so now who will go? In the end, it became a table-setter for this summer, so who will come?
Could Patrick Ewing represent the Knicks at the lottery?
On his Center Court show on SiriusXM, Ewing said he is asked “all the time” whether Durant or Zion will end up with the Knicks, and then added this nugget:
“There's a secret that's going to come out in a couple of weeks, but I'm not going to say it yet...They'll see when it happens.” [via Hoyas247]
What this means: Well, either Ewing knows the Warriors are about to lose in the first round and Durant is going to announce early that he is leaving Golden State, or, based on the more realistic timing of when he says this “secret” will come out, we are going to find out he is representing the Knicks at the lottery. Or, this is all nonsense and nothing will happen.
But let’s have fun with it anyway…
Jonathan Macri explores some other possibilities:
Below are several candidates suggested by you, our Twitter followers, that we’ll assess from 1 to 5 on four criteria: karma, absurdity/comedy, fan endorsement/approval, and how realistic the choice is of happening. Note: if multiple people suggested it, dibs to who did first.
Desus and Mero (Suggested by @NYSportsGuys5)
From what I hear, Desus and Mero are awesome and I would probably love them.
Sadly, I have a small child, and before her, I was still practicing law, so my television consumption has been pretty pathetic for several years. I’ve only seen these guys in spurts. They seem cool. If anyone wants to buy my broke ass a subscription to Showtime, PayPal me $11 a month at paypal.me/jcmacrinba and I promise I’ll order it and make it a priority to watch.
Until then, I got nothin’.
Karma: 2 Absurdity: 3 Fan endorsement: 4 Realistic: 1 Total: 10
Phil Jackson (Suggested by @Markbristow22)
Following the KP trade, there was a burbling undercurrent on Knicks Twitter of “see, Phil wasn’t that crazy after all!”
It was a little too sliding doors-y for me to buy. Still, no one person has been linked with as many great Knicks througout history: he played with Willis and Walt, he’s a big part of why Patrick doesn’t have a ring, and he was indirectly responsible for KP’s entrance into and exit from the franchise.
There’s also the fact that we haven’t seen or heard from him in years, and based on the totality of his Knicks tenure, he might be senile. His last tweet in June was about the science of meditation. Seeing him amble around the stage, maybe mistakenly sit down at the Bulls’ or Lakers’ table, and generally not be connected with reality would be humorous enough to lessen the blow of not getting Zion.
Karma: 3 Absurdity: 5 Fan endorsement: 2 Realistic: 1 Total: 11
David Stern (Suggested by @TheRealFern_FR3)
Maybe it’s just me, but I think having Stern in that seat would be positively brilliant theater, and it has nothing to do with the frozen envelope.
Would Stern openly loath having to be the one to gift the number one overall pick to an owner he probably would have liked to see gone years ago? Or would he be thrilled to be the man who finally delivers the prize, as he recently seemed to include himself as a member of the starved fan base?
I have no idea, but just seeing Stern in all his rumpled glory would make this fun.
Karma: 4 Absurdity: 4 Fan endorsement: 2 Realistic: 1 Total: 11
Frank Isola
Just checking to make sure you’re still paying attention.
Pablo Prigioni (Suggested by @Brenhart31)
As Zach Lowe recently noted on his podcast, Pablo Prigioni might be the most favoritest of all the Knicks fan favorites over the last two decades.
That’s not why he should get the nod. If ever the numerical symmetry of the former 35-year-old rookie who averaged 3.5 points while appearing in 53 of the team’s wins should be put to good use, it’s during the summer when a player who wears number 35 is deciding whether to come to New York.
Also, how fitting would it be if a guy who always seemed to get just a bit too much credit from fans became the savior of the franchise for merely sitting and watching a small cardboard placard get pulled out of a novelty envelope?
Sadly, he works for the Nets, so I don’t know that this one is happening.
Karma: 4 Absurdity: 3 Fan endorsement: 4 Realistic: 1 Total: 12
SEE THE REST OF THE LIST
Remember when…
April 12, 2018: Less than 24 hours removed from their final game of the season, the Knicks fire Jeff Hornacek. Hornacek went 60-104 as head coach of the Knicks. (Vivek Dadhania with more)
April 12, 1998: Allan Houston beat the Heat at the buzzer in Miami, but the refs wrongly rule that time had expired, so the Knicks lose. Little did we know then, only one year later, he would make a similar shot, which counted, and became one of the biggest in team history
April 12, 1978: Bob McAdoo scores 41 points in the opening game of the playoffs, as the Knicks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-114 in Cleveland.
April 12, 1954: Knicks forward Harry Gallatin is selected to the All-NBA team by sportswriters and broadcasters from the different NBA cities.
NBA Buzz
Cavs not bringing back Drew for second season. (Read more)
Grizzlies clean house. (Reaction from Memphis)
Vlade/Kings fire fire Joerger after 39-win season. (Read more)
Thanks for reading, talk to you on Monday!