Briefing: April 30
Local TV ratings. Lance Thomas fishing. Would a Melo Reunion work?
Good Morning,
Mitchell Robinson surprised everyone. While the Knicks should be credited for drafting Robinson in the second round of the 2018 draft, even they were surprised by his growth this season. Steve Mills tells Chris Iseman, "I’ve never been around a young man that grew more in a nine-month period than this kid did."
Watch Mitch try to become Damyean Dotson’s favorite teammate.
Knicks local TV ratings dropped 38% this past season, which was the second largest decline in the NBA. However, their average rating of 0.9 is still nearly double the Nets average rating of 0.46, who drew the lowest local TV rating in the league despite a 22% increase in 2018-19. [Read more]
Durant can help: “If Kevin Durant lands here, it’s already being speculated among industry insiders he’d host his own show on MSG Network.” [Marc Berman]
Graphic via Sports Business Journal
Frank Ntilikina is rehabbing in Los Angeles. You can watch him try an interesting workout here. Some more news about Frank:
Don’t mess with Lance Thomas in the open water. Thomas posted pictures to his Instagram account showing off his first big catches of the offseason (Durant is next).
Would a Melo reunion work?
Full disclosure before we get into what I know is a sensitive topic for many: I am not a Melo guy.
I think I was, at one point, but then that changed somewhere between 2013 and 2017. I'm big enough to now admit it wasn't all his fault, and a lot of it had to do with how the situation around him played out, but...well...it is what it is.
That said, much like Tony Stark, I do indeed have a heart. The idea of a Melo retirement tour - a topic that has been making the rounds ever since Anthony himself left the door open to the possibility a few days ago - warms that heart.
What could be better than a Knicks version of what Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat fans everywhere (including, annoyingly, in New York) got to experience this season? The idea of it is positively delightful, especially since the cards may be lining up for a seemingly perfect situation for this to play out: Melo comes to a newly minted contender and plays a pivotal supporting role during the team's first significant playoff run since he was in his prime. Gumdrops and candy canes rain from the heavens. Everyone gets laid.
Yeah...about that...
The problem is simple: there's only one way this can go right, and a ton of ways it can go terribly, horribly wrong.
Yes, if Anthony comes here and he's good enough to help a winning team and he's cool with his role all year, it's a win.
But what if he's not good, something that even the biggest Melo supporter would admit is a definite possibility? One of two things happens: you either have a bad player getting meaningful minutes on a team with a ton of pressure to win, or a bad player who's been benched and probably won't be too happy with that situation.
Either way, this would become a major distraction. Unlike Wade, who was universally loved by every teal-wearing nincompoop in South Florida, Melo is perhaps the most divisive player to ever don blue and orange. After the first game that he went 3-for-12 and the Knicks lost by 3, a civil war would erupt within the fan base.
If New York has the summer it hopes for, the spotlight of the entire league will be focused on them. A messy drama won't be a great look, especially since Melo himself has never been one to fall on the sword and publicly acknowledge that he'd be happy to do whatever the coach thinks is best for the team.
With D-Wade, it never came to this, partly because he was good enough that it didn't need to, but also because this year was the ideal situation for a retirement tour. There were virtually no stakes with a Miami team that was in the no man's land of mediocrity all season long. Wade was neither an important figure in a pivotal playoff run, nor was he blocking the path of development for younger players. Everybody won.
Regardless of what happens this summer, the Knicks won't be in that situation. There will be a downside to playing a diminished version of Carmelo Anthony, whether the team is on pace for 60 wins or 16. And unlike Miami, the media will be circling, ready to exploit a potentially combustible situation.
If you're thinking "well if it went that badly, they could just cut him," you really think that would go over well? Melo supporters in New York were up in arms for weeks over what they felt was a full-on scapegoat situation...in Houston. Imagine if it happened in our own backyard. "Ugly" doesn't begin to describe what that would look like.
Lastly, if you think I'm discounting the possibility that he's actually good, well...you got me. I'm usually Mr. Glass-Half-Full, and every word of this has been about dealing with the potential that Anthony comes here and is bad.
To that I ask, finally: is it worth the risk? Is it worth finding out whether a guy who was relentlessly (and successfully) targeted by teams on defense at the beginning of last season is going to suddenly be passable at the age of 35? Or whether a (barely) 40% shooter over the last two seasons who failed to hit one out of every three deep balls in ten games with the Rockets is going to reclaim his shooting touch? Wouldn't it be safer to go in another direction?
I'll leave that for you to decide. Just know that, despite my feelings about the man and the player, nothing about this is personal. It's strictly business.
~ Jonathan Macri
Remember when…
April 30, 2000: Allan Houston scores 23 points and Larry Johnson hits a late three to lead the Knicks to an 87-80 victory in Toronto and a first round sweep of the Raptors.
April 30, 1998: Knicks stave off elimination, forcing a decisive Game 5, with a 90-85 win over Miami at the Garden in the Eastern Conference First Round. Allan Houston and Larry Johnson pace the attack with 18 points apiece. The game is marred by a fight between Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson with :01.4 left that resulted in both players earning two-game suspensions. (Vivek Dadhania with more)
April 30, 1972: Knicks lose in Los Angeles 106-92, tying the NBA Finals at 1-1.
NBA Buzz
Jokic’s 37 points leads Nuggets past Portland. [Read more]
76ers reset their defense to steal home court from Raptors. [Read more]
Rockets claim they were robbed in 2018 Game 7 vs Warriors. [Read more]
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!