Briefing: May 21
Does Frank want to be traded?
Good Morning,
Stefan Bondy reports that Frank Ntilikina switched agents due to a desire to be traded. This report was later refuted by Marc Berman and Ian Begley.
What do we know about him changing agents?
As highlighted by the French Knicks Pod back in May, Ntilikina signed with Comsport to represent him for the 2019-20 season after leaving CAA back in March (as first reported by Mike Vorkunov).
Comsport is led by Bouna Ndiaye who represents several French players, including Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum.
Ntilikina was seen working out with Gobert a few weeks ago.
What is Frank’s new agent saying about the trade rumors?
Bouna Ndiaye: “I can just tell you that the fact he was not traded has nothing to do with this change of agent. Frank is extremely happy to be part of the Knicks.” [Marc Berman]
What this means
by Jonathan Macri
Yesterday was as momentous an occasion as I've had in a while. After much deep thought and meditation on the subject, I was finally able to answer one of life's seemingly unanswerable questions: what makes Knick fans angrier than offering a defense of Emmanuel Mudiay?
The answer: defending Stefan Bondy!
You read the recap of what happened above. Let’s pick the topic back up where Bondy sent another tweet about his report later in the day giving credit to the French Knicks Pod for originally having the news. This gave many the impression that he was recycling an old story, and that the trade part of the new story was bogus. This feeling only increased after FKP retweeted him, reaffirming that Frank never desired to be traded.
I thought it best to point out, simply, that anytime a game of telephone is involved in the behind the scenes world of the NBA, the truth likely lies somewhere in between two reports that are diametrically opposed. I also gave a modicum of credit to Bondy, saying that I didn't completely discount his report. This was my way of saying that, while reporters may do a lot of unscrupulous things, flat out making up sources isn't one of them.
The response was swift: I was a bigger idiot than Bondy. And you know what? I can't blame people for feeling that way. The only thing worse than someone who trolls Knick fans is someone that defends those who troll Knick fans, and my sentiment certainly gave that appearance.
So no, I don't blame anyone for being mad, but I do think this is a good opportunity to pick up on a point I made in the newsletter yesterday about the news you hear, especially around this time of year. Everyone has a motivation for getting some piece of info or messaging out there.
After this little dustup, Marc Berman reported a direct quote from Ntilikina's new agent, who stated in no uncertain terms that Frank was happy being a Knick and didn't want to be moved. Then, as JB discovered in the wee hours of the night, Ntilikina himself retweeted a Twitter user's comment reaffirming his agent's statement.
Case closed, right? In one respect, yes: we can now be sure that Ntilikina and his team don't want any appearance of discord between himself and the Knicks. This could certainly be due to the fact that he’s genuinely happy and wants to remain in New York. It could also be because he knows that reports of his discontent would only lessen his trade value, making it less likely the Knicks move him (It's also just a bad look). I know I personally want to believe the former, but I’m also smart enough to not rule out the latter.
The point is this: while I have zero doubt in my mind that a source incredibly close to Frank told the French Knicks Pod that his agent switch had nothing to do with his wanting to be moved, that, in and of itself, doesn't mean it's true. Likewise, the fact that Stefan Bondy clearly enjoys getting under the skin of Knicks fans and probably has an axe to grind with the organization after it disallowed him from several team Q&A sessions doesn't automatically mean his source is completely lacking in credibility. We can assume, posit, intuit, and do our best to make an educated guess that he dug until he found someone that told him what he wanted to hear, but know for sure? We simply can't.
All that said, I only have so many tweets in me before my hands turn to stone and eventually dust, so much to the delight of many fans, my foray into the Bondy-defending business will only be an occasional voyage (I also defended him when the Knicks banned him from a press conference).
But fair is fair.
Remember when…
May 21, 2000: After three straight tough Game 7 losses, the Knicks break through and defeat the Miami Heat, 83-82, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Latrell Sprewell chases down a Clarence Weatherspoon miss with :2.1 remaining to seal the deal. [Vivek Dadhania with more]
May 21, 1995: Knicks attempt to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Playoff history (down 3-1 in series) falls short by inches, as Patrick Ewing misses on a short runner in the closing seconds to enable the Pacers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 97-95 Game Seven victory at a stunned Madison Square Garden.
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!