Briefing: April 15
Kanter's big playoff game, Fizdale's end of season thoughts, Ewing at the lottery, and more!
Good Morning,
Patrick Ewing will represent the Knicks at the draft lottery on May 14. Ewing had hinted earlier last week on his radio show, “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.” We now know what the secret was about.
Steve Mills: "Patrick is a huge part of our team's history and we're thrilled to have number 33 represent the franchise at this year's draft lottery. Patrick's connection to the lottery is well documented, and we're proud to have one of the all-time Knicks greats sit on the dais on behalf of the team, the city and the fans."
Dallas lost their lottery tie-breaker with Memphis and New Orleans, which places them 9th in the pre-lottery order. The Knicks are owed two first round picks from Dallas from the Kristaps Porzingis trade. The picks convey two and four years, respectively, after Dallas conveys a first round pick to Atlanta. Dallas’ 2019 first round pick to Atlanta is Top-5 protected. Based on Dallas’ lottery odds, there is a 73.7% chance their pick conveys to Atlanta this season, and thus, the Knicks would receive a 2021 first round pick and 2023 (protected) first round pick.
Knicks will draft 55th in the second round of the 2019 draft. Tie-breakers were decided on Friday in New York, setting the final order for the upcoming draft. The 55th pick comes to New York via Houston as part of the Pablo Prigioni trade in 2015.
The Knicks’ 31st pick is owed to Brooklyn (via Philadelphia) due to a trade made in 2014 that sent Travis Outlaw to Philly in order to save the Knicks $4.7M in luxury tax and clear a roster spot for Travis Wear.
John MacLeod passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Before coaching the Knicks, MacLeod had an interesting connection to the franchise through major life moments: the day after he got married, he coached against the Knicks; on the night his daughter was born, he coached against the Knicks; and the day his son was born, he coached against the Knicks. He then actually coached the Knicks in 1990-91, when he took over for Stu Jackson for 67 games before Pat Riley was eventually hired.
Allonzo Trier unpopular with veteran teammates?
While Allonzo Trier got along well with his rookie teammates, Marc Berman reports some veterans on the roster were less than thrilled with his “Iso” play, adding he was often chosen last in pick-up games since he didn’t pass.
What this means: Anyone who watched the Knicks this past season knows Trier isn’t named “Iso Zo” for nothing. There were a few public flare-ups in games with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke. However, it’s hard to take this criticism too serious, considering several vets on the Knicks roster are known for hogging the ball, themselves. It’s also relevant to consider the fact that Trier was an undrafted rookie trying to play himself into an NBA contract. Basketball growing pains are acceptable “drama” to me.
There is one NBA veteran who we know has a strong relationship with Trier. On Kevin Durant, Trier says he is “like a brother” to him, and when asked how he will track Durant’s decision in free agency: “I don’t have to watch social media. I’ll speak to him directly.” [Marc Berman]
Fizdale end of season thoughts
David Fizdale drove to Yankee Stadium on Friday to give Knicks fans his end of season thoughts on The Michael Kay Show. Below are the highlights. Listen to the full interview here.
DeAndre Jordan could have played for a playoff team: “He was fantastic for us...Obviously, him mentoring Mitchell Robinson was a big, big deal...DJ had a chance to play for a bunch of playoff teams, and we gave him chance to do that, but DJ wanted to stay...He sees a mini him in Mitchell.”
Fizdale was surprised by Porzingis trade: “I was surprised — I was. I really felt everything was going smoothly. He and I communicated a lot. He was very engaged in our process and film sessions and practices — which was tough for him [being injured]. I was really surprised at it. That’s the NBA. Your plans aren’t going to go exactly how you want him. But I marveled Steve and Scott kept the ship moving and came out of it with a great deal.’’
On Ntilikina: "His versatility is something I really enjoy...The kid is a tireless worker...Obviously, he brings a defensive prowess to the game that we really value...Hopefully we can get these injuries behind him for next season."
Final message to Knicks fans: “Get ready, Knicks fans, we’re getting better. It’ll be a whole better season next year.”
Kanter’s playoff moment
Enes Kanter posted 20 points and 18 rebounds in yesterday’s playoff win in Portland.
Jonathan Macri gives his thoughts:
As Enes Kanter put the finishing touches on 20 point, 18 rebound performance in Portland's Game 1 victory over Oklahoma City, you could forgive me for being less than thrilled.
Was it because I was annoyed that the Knicks couldn't get anything for Kanter at the deadline before releasing him?
Of course not. The Knicks weren't in a position to take back salary in a Kanter trade, and no team in the league, except for possibly the Kings, had enough unwanted expiring money to make a deal work. New York's talks with Sacramento died, and as should have been a surprise to no one, there were no other takers.
Was it because Kanter ended up facing off against the Western Conference opponent least equipped to take advantage of his deficiencies, what with a starting lineup that contained a traditional big man and one legitimate shooting threat (Paul George, who was 4-of-15 from deep while the rest of his teammates combined to go 1-for-18)?
No, because that would be petty of me. I can be a dick sometimes, but pettiness is where I draw the line. Usually.
The same can't be said of Kanter, who made sure to mention the Knicks in his postgame interview, saying he "was on the worst team in the league and I wasn’t playing because they thought I was too old." This was a classic Kanter quote, and another piece of evidence that this is a man who takes the rest of us for idiots while he fancies himself to be the smartest guy in the room.
Kanter finally lost his place in the rotation and eventually his roster spot with the Knicks because he made them worse. You wouldn't know this unless you watched every one of their games closely, and of course I wouldn't blame anyone for not subjecting themselves to that.
(You also, umm...could look at the numbers. Kanter ended up with a -9.6 net rating for the Knicks - nearly a point worse than their overall figure of -8.8 - while his replacements Luke Kornet and Mitchell Robinson finished with a -3.2 and -6.2, respectively)
Anyone who watched Kanter in New York this season saw a guy who made sure he ended up with the one thing that has always mattered to him - his numbers - while actively eschewing the little things that are the difference between wins and losses. I watched him do this night after night after night, and while he was far from the only one at fault for the Knicks' ineptitude this year, as anyone who's followed me on Twitter knows, he is the one who caught my ire the most.
The reason is the same that Sunday's performance got under my skin so very much: I was always hard on Kanter not because of what he couldn't do, but because of what he could, and so often chose not to.
When Kanter puts his full self into a game, and selflessly acts for the betterment of his team, he can help you win games. We saw that version of Kanter yesterday, just like we saw it at times this year. I knew he had that in him, and was hopeful before this year started that David Fizdale could unlock it on a regular basis. Fiz gave him every conceivable opportunity, but that extra effort rarely appeared. Instead, we usually got the dude who is often derided by his fellow players in a league where almost everyone has each other's backs.
But Kanter knew the world was watching on Sunday, so he turned it on. Without him, Portland almost certainly doesn't win that game. It's why, despite what I've repeatedly said in the past, maybe some team does talk themselves into handing him a long-term contract in the offseason. All it takes is one, after all.
Good luck with that.
Remember when…
April 15, 1988: Mark Jackson records a triple-double, scoring 25 points and recording 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 106-97 loss to the Washington Bullets at the Garden.
April 15, 1975: Red Holzman steps down after five years as general manager and is replaced by former GM Eddie Donovan.
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!