Briefing: April 18

Dolan suggested Patrick, the Mills + Perry media tour, Fizdale 1-on-1, and more!

Apr 18, 2019

Good Morning,

James Dolan, making things happen! Steve Mills tells Marc Berman how the Knicks decided on Patrick Ewing as their lottery representative:

“Actually Jim Dolan called me up and asked, ‘Who’s attending the lottery?’ I said Scott [Perry, general manager], and I haven’t talked about it that much. He said, ‘I’m just making a suggestion. You can say no if you want to. But what about Patrick?’

Steve Mills and Scott Perry conducted their end-of-season media tour yesterday. They appeared in-studio for The Michael Kay Show [listen to the full interview here] and they provided direct access to a variety of beat reporters.

The biggest fear of many Knicks fans is not that the team will strikeout in free agency; they fear most what the team will do if they don’t land the likes of Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. Steve Mills touched on that with Marc Berman:

“We’re sticking to our plan. We’re not going to sign the wrong players just because we have room and the fans have great expectations. They should have expectations we make the right decisions. It gives us the opportunities to eventually explore trades and take guys into [that] room.”

Everybody wants to come back. Steve Mills noted “in exit interviews, every single player expressed a desire to return — one even for less money.” [Marc Berman]

Who would take less money? The obvious choice is DeAndre Jordan, since his market value is surely less than the massive contract he is coming off. We know that he had a chance to negotiate a buyout with the Knicks to join a playoff team this season, and decided against it. If his good friend Kevin Durant jumps aboard, perhaps DJ would play for a lot less.

The Porzingis trade. Steve Mills reiterated that the Knicks did not trade Porzingis for cap space; they traded him because he didn’t want to be in New York. Scott Perry explained the process leading up to the trade on The Michael Kay Show:

“We spent a lot of time preparing for a variety of scenarios. That’s our job as front office executives. We had a template of what we wanted to obtain if we had to trade a player like [Porzingis]”

Times are a-changin: Steve Mills said on The Michael Kay Show that college players didn’t want to meet with the Knicks during pre-draft workouts a few years ago, and that was really the turning point for him that they needed to do things differently.

The intel they are getting from players and agents around the league is that the organization is viewed in a much more positive light these days.

What about Frank Ntilikina? Scott Perry shared with Chris Iseman what the team hopes he works on to improve over the summer

"I think the one thing that he wants to work on, that we want him to work on, is to continue to grow as a perimeter shooter. Being able to make open three-point shots. That’s where the game is headed. And I think he will attack that this summer with a lot of vigor."

Jonathan Macri gives his thoughts on the Perry + Mills media tour:

Scott Perry and Steve Mills went on the Michael Kay Show yesterday and largely said a whole lot of nothing. There was a cool story about a 3-on-3 tournament and Mills throwing some not-so-low-key shade at Phil Jackson by telling a story about a draft prospect who didn't want to meet with the team just before he took over, but other than that, it was more of the same talking points we've heard for nearly a year now.

And yet, one word got me thinking: flexibility. "Flexibility" is the term they used last summer when they had nearly one max cap slot, and it's the word they're using now that they have (nearly, depending on where they land in the draft) two of those babies heading into July.

I find it interesting for the simple reason that having true financial flexibility in arguably one of the two most desirable NBA cities on the map is something that I haven't seen anyone making a big deal over. Yes, everyone has pointed out it's enough space to sign KD and his running mate of choice - which would of course be totes fab - but most people follow that up with how much of a disaster it would be if they got no one.

That's what I don't totally get. Yes, it calls into question the opportunity cost of making the Porzingis trade when they did, but it also ignores the realities of the league we currently inhabit.

The days of players spending all or most of their careers with one team are not only gone, but long gone. Five of the six likely All-NBA forwards this year have changed teams in the last 3 seasons. On top of them, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, and yes, KP, have all forced or tried to force their way off of teams in that span (and with the obvious exception of Porzingis, all apparently listed the Knicks as a destination of choice).

Here' the point (made very well by Tommy Beer earlier this week): as long as New York's brass maintains that flexibility, they will be in prime position to land a star at some point, even if it isn't July 1. Looking at the recent history of the NBA, it truly is a matter of when, not if.

That is why this Steve Mills' quote from Mark Berman's NY Post article yesterday was doubly encouraging for me: "We’re not going to sign the wrong players just because we have room and the fans have great expectations. They should have expectations we make the right decisions"

Could they go back on their word? Sure, it's possible...but then why make such an effort to get this message out there? Every Knick fan should be hopeful they stick to this plan, because right now, the team is as well positioned as any in the league to jump on the chance to not only sign a star, but trade for one if the opportunity presents itself.

And it will. It's just a matter of time.

Fizdale 1-on-1 with Alan Hahn

David Fizdale sat down for an in-depth interview to review the season and look ahead with Alan Hahn via MSG Networks.

Some highlights…

Fizdale plans on being with the young players “all the time” this summer. He says they already mapped out the summer schedules for all of the returning players. He plans on visiting their hometowns, getting in the gym, and doing everything he can do to help them improve their games.
Fizdale says he will play a big role in attracting free agents. He wants to present his coaching vision to the players.
Fizdale learned a lot this season. The coach says he might have learned more this season than any.
Fizdale misses being hated. When asked about being hated like he was on the Heat, he answered, “I can't wait. I miss being hated..and once we get this thing right, everybody's gonna hate us, because it's New York. They already hate us anyway.”

Interesting Read: Jerrod Mustaf Is a Community Hero. Has Anyone Ever Googled Him? By Jon Wertheim

Jerrod Mustaf was drafted by the Knicks with the 17th overall pick in 1990. He was only 20, the youngest player in the draft. This is a powerful story on Mustaf who has become a community hero while forever linked to the murder of his girlfriend. [Read More]

MUST LISTEN: Craig (aka AXE) and Barry speak with Marc Berman from the New York Post about Dolan’s involvement in selecting Ewing to represent the Knicks at the upcoming lottery, why some vets believe Trier was cancerous to the lockeroom, and the Knicks upcoming free agency. They also discuss the latest in the KD and Kyrie rumors and your voicemails! [Listen Here]

Mitchell Robinson will be signing autographs at the NBA Store in Manhattan on April 25 between 4:30 - 5:30 PM EST.

Remember when…

April 18, 2008: Isiah Thomas relieved of head coaching duties after two seasons in which he amassed a record of 56-118. [Vivek Dadhania with more]

April 18, 2007: Eddy Curry tips in a shot with 00.6 remaining to give the Knicks a 94-93 season-ending win at Charlotte.

April 18, 1982: Red Holzman coaches his final game with the Knicks, falling to the Celtics 119-99 at Boston Garden.

April 18, 1951: Knicks force a Game Seven of the NBA Finals, defeating Rochester 80-73 at the Amory. It was the Knicks third straight win, as they had fallen in a 3-0 series hole.

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