Briefing: April 2
Knicks beat Bulls, Kornet goes off, Mudiay's contract status explained
Good Morning,
The Knicks beat the Horri-Bulls for their 15th win of the season.
Knicks led by as many as 28 points, their largest lead of the season.
Damyean Dotson went 6-6 from downtown, and added 6 assists and 6 rebounds.
Dennis Smith Jr. missed the game due to a sore lower back.
Worried about the tank? Don’t be. With Phoenix also winning last night, the Knicks could win two of their remaining five games and they would still clinch the worst record in the NBA, even if the Suns finish 0-4.
Mitchell Robinson tied David Robinson for second all-time among rookies with his 25th consecutive games with at least two blocks. Robinson put up 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks on his birthday. He became the third Knicks rookie (Kristaps Porzingis and Patrick Ewing, the other two) to post a box score like that.
Luke Kornet established a new career high with 24 points. Kornet shot 8-11 from the field, including 5-7 from downtown. He also added 3 blocked shots. His interior defense can be sneaky good at times.
Out of nowhere: Just six years ago, after his senior season at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Kornet had zero scholarship offers. Newspapers had trouble spelling his name, often writing it as Luke Coronet in high school box scores. [Bill Jones]
Kadeem Allen was possibly lost for the season. He left the game in the first half after banging his head and suffering what is believed to be a concussion.
John Starks recovering from injury? During the telecast, Clyde said that Starks might have hurt himself “falling off some ice or something.” Hopefully, the ex-Knick is ok.
Tickle fight: The MSG cameras caught DeAndre Jordan and Mitchell Robinson teasing each other on the Knicks bench. (Watch)
Great April Fools story…
Mudiay’s Contract Status
Emmanuel Mudiay is eligible to become a restricted free agent this offseason. If the Knicks want to keep Mudiay as a RFA, they will need to extend him a qualifying offer to reserve the right-of-first-refusal against potential suitors. His QO amount is tied to whether or not he meets “starter criteria” this season.
Mudiay started in his 41st game last night and thus reached starter criteria. Since he was drafted within the first 14 picks of his draft class, had he failed to reach starter criteria, his qualifying offer would have been equivalent to the 15th pick in the same draft class.
What’s the difference: By reaching starter criteria, Mudiay’s qualifying offer is $5.75M; had he not reached starter criteria, his qualifying offer would have been $4.48M.
What’s his cap hold: Mudiay’s cap hold remains at $12.9M, which is 300% of his 2018-19 salary since he will be a Bird free agent who was earning below league average and coming off his rookie scale contract. His cap hold is the higher amount of his qualifying offer or the free agent amount calculated above, and thus $12.9M.
Explain some more: Cap holds and qualifying offers can be a bit confusing.
A cap hold is the amount of salary used in calculating how much cap space a team has up to the point the team renounces the cap hold (losing the player’s associated Bird rights) or signs the player to a new contract, at which time, the new salary is used in team salary calculations. If the Knicks want to maintain Mudiay’s Bird rights, allowing them to exceed the cap to re-sign him, they would need to carry his $12.9M cap hold until they officially re-sign him.
A qualifying offer is the minimum amount a team must offer to reserve the right-of-first-refusal on restricted free agents (as Mudiay will be this summer). The Knicks have until June 29 to extend a qualifying offer to Mudiay. If they fail to do so, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. If they extend a QO and Mudiay accepts the offer (and doesn’t sign an offer sheet with another team), he would play on a one-year contract for that amount.
In summary: Since the Knicks will be shopping for two max free agents this summer, it is unlikely they will extend a qualifying offer to Mudiay. They need every cent of cap space they can get and Mudiay’s cap hold becomes too costly to keep on the books. Even if he chooses to play on the qualifying offer amount, it would still put the team in a tight position to offer two max deals, given their current roster. Of course, the Knicks could sign Mudiay to a contract, independent of the qualifying offer, that puts his 2019-20 salary below his cap hold and QO amount; unless the Knicks end up with extra cap space to burn, I see this the most likely scenario if they want to keep him.
Latest on Porzingis
Read a summary of key details in yesterday’s newsletter.
Porzingis’ attorney released this statement to ESPN:
We have been contacted by (New York County) the District Attorney's office and we are cooperating fully with their investigation. We have agreed to provide the District Attorney's Office with the materials that we previously provided to the federal authorities in support of our extortion complaint. We are confident that, after the District Attorney reviews these materials, they will recognize that the complaint made in this case is completely meritless.
Lead up to trade: Adrian Wojnarowski discussed on Outside the Lines whether the allegations against Porzingis could have led to the trade that sent him to Dallas:
Woj didn’t think so, reiterating that Porzingis made it clear in his final meeting with the Knicks that he didn’t want to be there, he wouldn’t re-sign as a free agent, news that came as no surprise to the Knicks who moved quickly on the deal with Dallas.
“The Mavericks were notified of the FBI investigation of the extortion claim before the trade, sources say, but didn’t know about a sexual assault allegation, a team source asserted.” [The Athletic]
Knicks players react to news, via Marc Berman:
“I don’t think any of the players knew anything about it,’’ one NBA source connected to the team told The Post. “They were shocked as much as anybody else.’’
Hezonja: “I haven’t talked to him since a couple of days after he got traded. Of course I feel bad for him.”
Dotson: “It’s still KP. I can’t comment on it. I have a certain feelings and love for him, so I don’t want to comment on it.”
Remember when…
April 2, 2013: Carmelo Anthony records a career-high-tying 50 points in leading New York to its ninth straight victory – a 102-90 win at Miami.
April 2, 2010: David Lee posts first career triple double with 37 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, but Knicks lose 128-117 at Golden State. Lee becomes first NBA player since Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1976 to record at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists.
April 2, 2008: Knicks name Donnie Walsh, President, Basketball Operations.
April 2, 1972: Knicks tie Eastern Conference Semifinals at one game apiece, defeating Bullets 110-88 at the Garden.
April 2, 1970: In Game 5 of the Eastern Division Semifinals, Willis Reed grabs 36 rebounds (a Knicks playoff record) en route to 101-80 win over the Washington Bullets, giving the Knicks a 3-2 series lead.
April 2, 1969: Knicks complete first four-game playoff sweep with 115-108 win over Bullets at the Garden.
NBA Buzz
Nets plan to extend Kenny Atkinson and his coaching staff. (Read more)
LeBron will skip World Cup, leaves window to play in ‘20 Olympics open. (Read more)
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!