Briefing: May 6
Let the Durant buzz continue. Debut of MSG 150. And more!
Good Morning,
Happy Birthday, Damyean Dotson!
We start your day with Adrian Wojnarowski saying on ESPN’s Get Up, “I think the Warriors are bracing for possibly a seismic change within that organization.”
Warriors focus right now: “Even internally in Golden State, there’s a sense of ‘let’s try to put aside what’s coming in July, we have a chance to do something very rare in sports, to three-peat, let’s try to keep our focus there, win a title, and then let July play out the way it’s going to.'”
Adam Sandler hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time (hard to believe), and made sure to make a plea for Kevin Durant to come to the Knicks, singing “Just wait ‘til Durant comes to the Knicks,” adding, “Please, Kevin! And bring Kyrie.”
Opera Man: Sandler was a crew member on SNL from 1991-1995, when he originally portrayed the character “Opera Man” several times.
Even the Rangers are excited about Durant coming to the Knicks:
And Jared Dudley has a thought:
Vegas likes the Knicks in 2020
The Knicks have the fourth highest odds in the Eastern Conference to win the 2020 NBA championship, trailing only the Bucks (9-2), Celtics (7-1), and 76ers (10-1).
Says who? The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas opened their 2020 NBA championship odds on Saturday.
“Jeff Sherman, who oversees NBA odds at the SuperBook, believes the Knicks are the favorites to land Durant this summer and created their title odds accordingly. Sherman said the Knicks would be somewhere in the range of 300-1 if they aren’t able to land Durant or another of the high-profile stars who could be on the move this offseason.” [ESPN]
What this means: Everyone thinks Durant is going to the Knicks, so why not set the odds based on those expectations? This way, early bettors must juggle the optimism of Durant and company joining the Knicks with the reality of the current roster in deciding whether they enter the pot before free agency begins in July.
Debut of MSG 150
Tune in to the debut of MSG 150 at 8:00 PM on Monday. The show will run 8-10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursdays for 10 weeks and feature guest analysts Swin Cash, John Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and former MLB player Fernando Perez.
In an excerpt of the debut show obtained by the New York Post, Scott Perry explains on the draft:
“Where we are at right now, talent is important. If it’s very close, then you may lean towards the position of need, but if there is a clear delineation between the talent, I think you always err on the side of talent.”
Steve Mills relays a conversation the front office had with Robinson on the debut of MSG 150 on MSG Networks. An excerpt was provided in advance to the New York Post.
“Mitchell Robinson is one of our favorite guys in terms of how we’ve seen him grow as a young man, but he said the funniest thing to us in the exit interview,” Mills said. “We said, ‘What do you feel about the environment?’ And he said, ‘This feels like a family.’ He said, ‘You guys around here, it seems like you’ve known each other for 80 years.’ And I’m like 80? Where does that number come from?’ But that’s what he feels about the organization and the people who work here. That’s part of what we are trying to build.”
Macri’s Thoughts
Well, I didn't see that coming.
If you're a Thrones fan like me, you're waking up today still trying to process the events that unfolded last night, where the episode took everything we thought we knew and turned it on its head as only this show could. It'll be over for good two weeks from now, and while we have no idea how it'll end, one thing's for certain: the damn thing has kept us all on our toes.
Right around the same time Daenerys, Jon Snow & co. wrap things up, the Knicks will begin a month-and-a-half-long journey of their own that promises to contain every bit of intrigue as the race for the Iron Throne.
The lottery is nine days away. In an excerpt from MSG 150’s debut show published by Marc Berman in the NY Post article, we have a hint that the Knicks will once again be going for the best talent available in the draft, although they consider power forward their position of greatest need. As far as plot twists go, this was about as surprising as Jon and Dany finally hooking up.
(C'mon...you wouldn't get with your aunt if she looked like that? Bull. Plus, they're both short.)
More interesting to me in reading through the excerpts was a line from Knicks rookie Mitchell Robinson. According to Mitch, the Knicks - the NBA's version of Reek for much of the last 20 years - feel like a family to him.
For most organizations, a rookie saying something like this about his team isn't newsworthy, and perhaps the fact that it was conveyed by team president Steve Mills means we should take the sentiment with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, this is the same franchise that just two years ago had Woj calling it a toxic destination for free agents and managed to alienate it's best player this century (Melo) and the guy who stood to carry them into the future (KP).
That a 21-year-old budding star has this type of praise for what they've built in essentially one year is as big a stunner as anything any Lannister has pulled to date. It's the latest reminder that, unlike years' past, not everything rests on what happens on May 14 or July 1. It shows that for once, there's a belief in place that the Knicks have it in them to simply operate like any good organization should: pounce on opportunities when they appear, but don't be afraid to stay patient in furtherance of the greater good. Because there is good work being done here.
Scott Perry (who to me is like a strange brew comprised of one part Varys, on part the Hound) confirmed during is MSG 150 appearance that the Knicks are going into the summer with any number of contingency plans in case their dream scenario doesn't come true. Ironically enough, operating in this way - not putting all their eggs in one basket - is the type of thing that would make this situation all the more appealing to Kevin Durant in the first place.
He, of course, will be the star of the season finale of this Knicks summer journey. Whether he's the hero or the villain will be anyone's guess (Jamie, anyone?).
The good news is that unlike Game of Thrones, regardless of what he and the rest of this summer's free agent class decides, this appears to be just the beginning of a journey that - for once - might not only last a while, but be somewhat enjoyable to be a part of.
Warriors plan to create West Coast MSG?
Rumors circulated last week about a potential show on MSG Networks for Kevin Durant. Of course, these are just rumors, and who knows if the CBA would allow for such arrangement, should the Knicks use the prospect as a recruiting tool to Kevin Durant, who is interested in building his brand off the court.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are moving towards content creation, themselves, in what could become a “West Coast MSG,” as Patrick Murray of Forbes calls it:
“Think a West Coast Madison Square Garden-style sports and entertainment mega-company, complete with its own broadcasting platform, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley and you might be getting close.“
Warriors COO Rick Welts: “We’re spending a lot of time thinking about now that we’re in the live entertainment business are there things that we can create ourselves that we have ownership of that we then can scale way beyond what’s happening at Chase Center.”
Why this matters: As existing television rights deals expire, tech-driven teams are eager to move toward a system in which they own more of their content. Steve Balmer has talked about this concept for the Clippers. We are still some years away, but the business opportunities tied to a NBA franchise are only going to increase in the future. And that prospect is not limited to the New York market. Something to consider in hoping the business side of the game is what draws Durant to the Big Apple.
Anything else?
Frank Ntilikina has apparently 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 last week.
MUST READ: Tommy Beer released a piece on Sunday that does a great job outlining why the Knicks’ confidence in attracting free agents this summer is justifiable.
A new world order: “As proof of the change in perception in and around NYC, consider that just three years ago, when Durant became an unrestricted free agent for the first time, KD didn’t even extend an invitation to Knicks president Phil Jackson to helicopter out to the Hamptons. Whereas today, many of the NBA’s most plugged-in reporters and league personnel alike, consider it all but a fait accompli that Durant will sign with New York three months from now.”
Clyde is the best…
Remember when…
May 6, 2012: Knicks stave off elimination, recording first playoff victory in 11 years, with 89-87 victory over Miami in Game Four of the First Round of the Playoffs at the Garden. Carmelo Anthony leads the way with 41 points and Amar’e Stoudemire, playing with a lacerated left hand that sidelined him for Game 3, records 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Garden celebrates its first playoff win since Apr. 29, 2001 after a Dwayne Wade triple comes up short at the buzzer.
May 6, 1990: Knicks complete one of the most stunning reversals in NBA history, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to win their First Round series with the Celtics, with an emotional 121-114 victory at Boston. Knicks become the third team in NBA history to rally from down 2-0 to win a series. Patrick Ewing leads the way with 31 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. [Vivek Dadhania with more]
May 6, 1986: Red Holzman enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
May 6, 1973: Knicks take a 2-1 series lead in NBA Finals with an 87-83 win over the Lakers at the Garden. Willis Reed leads the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Earl Monroe posts 21 points and six assists.
May 6, 1965: Knicks select Princeton forward Bill Bradley with a territorial selection in the NBA Draft. He would join the team two years later, making his debut on Dec. 9, 1967.
NBA Buzz
Kawhi in rare air after 39 points, 14 boards in win. [Read more]
Murray, Jokic triple double key in Denver victory. [Read more]
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!