New York Knickerbockers

[Guiness]

New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony Searching for Answers

 

Carmelo Anthony acknowledged that he’s stuck in a rough patch. He’s looking to his peers, including NBA superstars LeBron James and Chris Paul, for answers on how to get out of it.

When the New York Knicks traded to acquire perennial All-Star and revered scorer Carmelo Anthony, the general population believed that the sky was the limit. He and Amar’e Stoudemire were expected to save the organization, and the arrival of NBA champion Tyson Chandler only fueled the hype.

 

Five years later, Anthony is closing in on a third consecutive season without a postseason appearance.

Anthony is averaging a career-best 4.2 assists per game, and has committed to playing at a high level defensively. Unfortunately, his selfless and team-oriented approach hasn’t translated to many wins, as New York trails the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference by 6.5 games.

 

According to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News, Anthony acknowledged that he’s not necessarily envious of friends LeBron James and Chris Paul, but is seeking answer for how he can reach their level of success.

The question is, will Anthony find answers soon enough that he can save the Knicks in 2015-16?

 

“I don’t think envy is kind of the right word,” Anthony said Friday morning. “I do look at my peers and say, ‘Damn, what am I doing wrong? I should be there.’ There was one point in time where they were looking at me like that. Made (the playoffs) 10, 11 years straight.

“Right now it’s kind of a rough patch for me. I’m trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”

 

New York is 25-37 with 20 games remaining on the schedule and 6.5 games separating it from the No. 8 seed. Since Anthony led the team to an improbable record of 22-22, it’s lost 15 of its past 18 games and fallen further and further out of the postseason picture.

One simply can’t help but wonder when Anthony and the Knicks will find the answers they’re searching for.

[Guiness]

Detroit Pistons tap out early in 103-89 submission to New York Knicks

 

NEW YORK -- Marcus Morris sat at his locker with a towel covering his head. Stan Van Gundy blasted the Detroit Pistons for a lethargic effort with words like "ridiculous," "embarrassing" and "terrible."

On a night when two mixed martial arts submissions grabbed sports headlines, the Pistons tapped out much earlier Saturday evening.

Some losses are excusable.

Some, like the Pistons' 102-89 loss to the New York Knicks, are more the type a team reflects on ruefully when it finishes just out of the NBA playoffs.

 

That's where the Pistons (31-31) would be if the season ended today, though they have 20 games to do something about it.

A big one of those is tonight against Portland, followed by a critical four-game road trip, after the Pistons slipped percentage points behind the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

 

Seasons ending in mid-April are the norm for the Pistons this decade and if they continue to play like they did here, they will make it seven in a row.

 

"It's a tough loss for us right now. We needed this one," said Steve Blake, one of few Pistons to play well with a season-high 13 points. "We didn't bring the energy that we needed. We needed the 100-percent focus to get this win but it didn't happen. We've got to move on to the next one. We've got a big game tomorrow. We've got to get back on track."

The Knicks (26-38) proved that even an offense perceived as archaic, like the triangle, can shred a defense when executed ideally.

That chore is a lot easier when a team defends like the Pistons, who have allowed their last two opponents to shoot better than 50 percent from the field, including a Knicks team missing rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis with a leg contusion.

No matter. The Knicks ran Arron Afflalo into the post against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a physical mismatch, then Robin Lopez against Andre Drummond, and finally their centerpiece Carmelo Anthony against whoever was available to try.

All three had 20-plus-point nights.

 

"They dominated us. Our starters on the perimeter were obviously horrendous," Van Gundy said.

The players he referred to were point guard Reggie Jackson, shooting guard Caldwell-Pope and small forward Morris, who were a combined 8 of 37 from the field and 1 of 13 on 3-pointers.

 

It started with ex-Piston Afflalo cooking Caldwell-Pope on early post moves.

"I was shooting a lot of shots close to the basket," Afflalo said. "That is my bread and butter. Whenever I can get good looks and have a good rhythm I will be good."

Morris, the one player who might have done something about the defensive malaise, particularly against Anthony, got two quick fouls early in both halves and was ineffective and limited.

New York's 20-point scorers were a combined 29 of 43 on field goals.

"I think they were trying to get the ball in the sweet spot of the triangle," Jackson said. "So I think they did a good job of that. But we talked about all the concepts they had this morning, we just didn't execute them at all. And then even when we started to do it later in the second half, they were already hot, so it was difficult to slow them down."

 

Tobias Harris credited the Knicks for their post and isolation moves, which was appropriate. The Knicks passed efficiently but not particularly creatively. They only assisted 19 of 42 field goals, though that was a better percentage than Detroit's 13 assists on 36 field goals in a ball-movement regression for the visitors.

Morris' foul trouble left Anthony to target Harris, which he did with efficient execution.

"In the triangle offense, they get into the post and they've got good iso players so they went to their stuff," Harris said. "Obviously, in the beginning, Afflalo had it going a little bit and they kept feeding him, and 'Melo got it going a little bit and they got it to him. So yeah, they did a pretty good job of that."

The Pistons shot 39.1 percent to New York's 53.2.

That offensive deficiency could have been a contributing factor to the poor defense, Harris acknowledged.

"It shouldn't be but the nature of the game now, yeah," Harris said. "But as a team that can't be our mindset that we're going to miss some shots and now we're going to give a half-effort on defense. We still have to come back on defense and play as hard as we can."

Shot selection also was a problem.

The Pistons were 6 of 26 on 3-pointers, several of them ill-advised either because of location or shot-clock situation.

Asked about that, a wry smile creased the corner of Jackson's mouth.

"We had some quick ones, some tough ones, that didn't go in," he said. "Some poor shots -- we felt like we took quite a few on our attempts. We really just felt like there was a lid on the basket tonight and things like that. But you definitely have to defend to give yourself a chance."

 

For all their offensive woes, there is little question the Pistons' bigger problem was defense.

The triangle may be outdated and the New York media may run a daily slash-and-burn attack on Knicks president Phil Jackson for still adhering to it and building a team around it, but with the right offensive threats and execution, it can work.

 

"It's a lot of just reads, a read-and-react kind of offense to an extent," Blake said. "But there's ways to manipulate it to get the ball to the guys you want to have it. Obviously Kobe (Bryant) was the master at that. You could see the Knicks are starting to figure that out and they did that well tonight and they took advantage of it."

 

Reggie Bullock only recently has become part of the Pistons' rotation after spending most of the season buried in the bench.

Bullock easily grasped the problems on a night the bench outplayed the starters at three of five positions. Only Andre Drummond (21 points, 16 rebounds) and Harris (18 points, eight rebounds) were productive among the starters, though they had plenty of defensive problems.

 

"It's pretty much everybody on their team was trying to post on our smaller guards," Bullock said. "The matchups that they saw, they just kept milking them. They just kept making shots. We weren't tough enough defensively and they kept knocking shots down over us."

 

The closest the Pistons got in the second half was 81-77 after a Bullock 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter.

Kyle O'Quinn made a 20-foot jumper, then Caldwell-Pope lost the ball on a driving layup attempt and it sailed over the rim, then five consecutive points by Afflalo pushed the lead back to 88-77.

"We got it to six and then Pope lost the ball going for the layup," Van Gundy said. "We got a few stops and got out in transition but that was it. We made one run in the entire game. I'm not impressed."

[Guiness]

What's Phil Jackson's free agent strategy and can Melo help?

 

Will Carmelo Anthony's presence help the Knicks in free agency?

It should. Having a star player on hand to push a franchise's selling points can only enhance the pitch.

But the most important guy in the room for the Knicks this summer will be Phil Jackson. It will ultimately be on Jackson to convince an elite free agent to come to New York. And it won't be an easy sell.

 

The Knicks will likely miss the playoffs this season, which would mark the third straight year without a playoff game for the franchise. Entering Tuesday's game against the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks are 12 games under .500. That makes them a combined 60 games under .500 since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.

So Jackson will be asking 2016 free agents to take a leap of faith -- and a pay cut -- to join him in New York.

How will the Zen Master make his pitch?

 

 

If last summer is any indication, Jackson will try to accomplish the following:

1. Get to know the player a bit by discussing some off-court topics

2. Reveal some details about his vision for the Knicks

3. Get into a conversation on the club's triangle offense.

That's how it went for Greg Monroe, DeAndre Jordan and Robin Lopez in July.

"For the longest time, nothing really basketball-related was discussed," Lopez said of his 2015 dinner meeting with Jackson and the Knicks in Los Angeles. "We talked a little bit about culture. He discussed some books he'd been reading, I talked about some movies I'd watched. ... It was nice and it was a little intimidating, because it was Phil Jackson."

The conversation with Lopez then turned to the triangle offense. Jackson, GM Steve Mills and then-head coach Derek Fisher showed Lopez about 10-15 slides of the offense.

"He knew I had an idea of what to expect because I played against the Lakers when I was in Phoenix," Lopez said. "I think this was just to kind of give me a refresher."

 

"Phil was great, it was one of my best meetings. He's such a smart man, such a deep thinker, that you want to be a part of that. He's won, he proven it.... He made it tough to say no."

DeAndre Jordan on Phil Jackson

 

Jordan received a similar pitch during his meeting with the Knicks.

"They showed me some things, how I'd fit in in that offense and what I would do to excel as a player and what we'd do to excel as a team," he said. "The message [from Jackson] was just for me to be an all-around player and improve my game as much as I could."

Jordan came away impressed with the presentation.

"Phil was great; it was one of my best meetings," he said. "He's such a smart man, such a deep thinker, that you want to be a part of that. He's won, he proven it. ... He made it tough to say no."

But he did. So did Monroe and Aldridge and any other big names in the free agent class of 2015.

Jackson landed Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Kyle O'Quinn and Kevin Seraphin in free agency last summer. At the time, it was considered a solid but unspectacular haul.

Jackson's biggest addition came in late June, of course, when he selected Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick of the draft.

The Knicks president will have no such luxury in his second true foray into free agency. The club is sending its first-round pick to Toronto to complete the 2013 Andrea Bargnani trade.

So this summer's free agency is a pivotal one for Jackson.

 

 

The Knicks will have at least $18 million to spend this offseason on a class that includes Kevin Durant and Al Horford. They will have to spend wisely, because other teams will have more space to use thanks to the rising salary cap.

The big question is whether the Knicks, under Jackson, have a chance at landing one of the elite players on the market.

Along those lines, one name to keep in mind this summer is Dwight Howard.

Some of Howard's friends have let it be known recently that the center would be interested in coming to New York as a free agent if he opts out of his current contract, league sources say.

Whether Jackson and the Knicks would be interested in a player like Howard is another question entirely.

Whoever the Knicks decide to meet with this summer shouldn't expect any theatrics from Jackson.

"He was real laid back," Monroe said of Jackson during his Washington, D.C., meeting with the Knicks. "He was just talking to me as a person, mostly. It was pretty normal. He was just trying to get to know me a little bit. He told me some stuff about him, how he got to this point."

Jackson arrived at this point, of course, by winning 11 titles as an NBA head coach. If he wants to guide the Knicks in that direction, he'll have to make an impact this summer in free agency.

As nice as it is to have Carmelo Anthony at the table, it will ultimately be up to Jackson to attract some talent to New York.

[Guiness]

Phil Jackson may suggest only coaching Knicks home games next season, per report

 

There has reportedly been "talk" of a radical scenario where Jackson is on the bench at home and someone else (likely Kurt Rambis) coaches the team on the road.

 

The New York Knicks are expected to be in the market for a new head coach in the offseason, although the possibility remains that Knicks president Phil Jackson tabs current interim Kurt Rambis to be the long-term coach. However, a more radical option may be on the table. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reports that there's "talk" of a scenario that involves Jackson coaching home games and Rambis coaching road games next season.

Jackson reportedly suggested this same setup when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, but late owner Jerry Buss "flatly rejected" the idea. Would Knicks owner James Dolan be willing to accept something like this as a compromise to get one of the best coaches ever on the sidelines, even if it's for only half the games? Jackson and Rambis share many of the same philosophies, but having two coaches would be a bit of a circus for this rebuilding team.

Going the traditional route would be better and remains the more likely choice, and Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton will be one of the hottest names on the coaching market. Walton, who played for Jackson in Los Angeles, "will get a long look" this summer, but there will be competition for his services and there are still no guarantees he leaves his cushy gig by the Bay right away.

And while Walton seems like a much safer bet than Derek Fisher was, Jackson could have some apprehension when it comes to hiring another one of his recent former players given how Fisher's tenure played out. Jackson wanted to give Fisher more autonomy to make his own decisions, but that led to a communication breakdown between the two men:

 

Jackson's first Knicks head coach, Derek Fisher, was supposed to be the vessel who articulated Jackson's vision to the Knicks' players.

Instead, Fisher was more like a glass wall. Jackson could see the team, but nothing was getting through.

Jackson would text Fisher observations and suggestions, and Fisher would respond in one-word answers. When the Knicks held a coaches' retreat at The Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey at the end of summer, a meeting that sources said was meant for bonding and philosophical discussion about the team, Fisher was unable to attend.

That freedom Jackson gave Fisher may also have played a role in the secret getaway to Los Angeles in early October that turned disastrous due to the Matt Barnes incident. Jackson has admitted fault in not having enough communication with Fisher, and he's made it a point to be more involved with Rambis, a longtime confidant and associate head coach.

It's that trusting relationship that could lead to Rambis staying on for the long-term despite a horrible head coaching record, but if Jackson prefers to take matters into his own hands, perhaps he does indeed try to convince Dolan to go along with the dual head coaching scenario.

And if that failed miserably? There's always that opt-out clause in Jackson's contract after next season that could give him an escape to either Los Angeles with fiancée Jeanie Buss or even retirement. While returning to the sidelines or the Lakers seems unlikely at this point, nothing can ever be ruled out.

[Guiness]

Knicks introduce Jeff Hornacek as head coach

 

The NBA's New York Knicks announced Thursday that Jeff Hornacek would take over as head coach.

The former Cyclone stand out had previous assistant coaching and head coaching experience. He was an assistant for the Utah Jazz from 2011-2013.

Hornacek played for the Jazz from 1994-2000. His numbered was later retired by the team.

 

After his assistant coaching stint, the Phoenix Suns hired him as their head coach in 2013. He was the runner-up in the Coach of the Year voting in his first year, losing to longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Hornacek was fired as the Suns coach February 1, 2016.

On Friday, the Knicks franchise officially introduced the former Iowa State guard as its coach.

 

 

Hornacek played for the Cyclones from 1981-1986. He redshirted his first season at Iowa State, but eventually he became an All Big 8 player.

He was drafted with the 46 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 1986 NBA Draft.

[Guiness]

Can Jeff Hornacek help the Knicks in free agency?

 

 

There’s an Eastern Conference guard out there who was linked to the New York Knicks this season. When the idea of coming to New York was discussed with this guard, he made it clear that he wasn’t interested in playing in the club’s triangle offense, according to sources.

 

"He didn’t think it would work for him," one source said.

That could be dismissed as one player’s opinion, of course. But he’s probably not the only one who feels this way about the triangle.

Some in the Knicks' organization feared that the negative perception of their offense hurt them in free agency.

Does that perception change now that Jeff Hornacek is here?

"He’s got a creative offensive mind," one Eastern Conference executive said. "And he’s a good communicator. He should help them."

Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect Hornacek to cure all the perception issues surrounding the Knicks. He can’t change the fact that the club is coming off of a 32-win season.

But Hornacek did say a few things during his introductory interviews that might alter the way players think about the Knicks’ offense:

• He plans to use the triangle offense as a way to space his team in half-court sets, just as other coaches have. But he will blend elements of the offense he ran with the Suns into his approach with the Knicks.

• He might tweak the offense by implementing more pick-and-roll and 3-point shooting.

• Ideally, he’d like to increase the Knicks’ overall pace.

• He has also received assurances from team president Phil Jackson that he can use any of the plays he ran in Phoenix out of the triangle alignment.

One of the most important things Hornacek said Friday, though, wasn’t about the intricacies of the triangle or how he might tweak it.

It was about how he plans to talk to his players about the offense. He discussed his approach in an interview on ESPN 98.7 FM’s "The Michael Kay Show":

 

"I think it’s just maybe a different way to explain [it] to them and maybe show them a little bit more how it isn’t very different than other setups," Hornacek said. "That’s part of the plan I have to come here; when I meet with the players, I’m going to show [them] all this stuff and explain it the way I look at it and how [the triangle] isn’t a lot different, and that we can do a lot of different things.

"There are still a lot of aspects of the triangle that you’re going to use. It’s great to use actually. It’s really not that complicated, I don’t believe. And I think the way we explain to the players, they’ll understand that and -- mixed in with a lot of the stuff [we] did with Phoenix -- I think they’ll enjoy it."

 

'Enjoy' probably isn’t a word that some of the Knicks would use to describe their experience on offense over the past two seasons. The club ranked in the bottom five in points per possession during that span and won a total of 49 games. According to sources with knowledge of the dynamic, several Knicks aren’t enamored with the triangle and are excited about the prospect of Hornacek tweaking the offense.

 

Both Carmelo Anthony and Jose Calderon echoed those thoughts in recent interviews. (It's worth noting that the triangle remains a focus for the Knicks during their workouts with college players.)

 

None of this is to suggest that the triangle offense can’t work in today’s NBA. The biggest issue for the Knicks over the past two years has been a talent gap, not a faulty offensive approach.

 

But there was a negative perception of the triangle around the NBA last season -- both inside the Knicks’ locker room and in the minds of other players. That’s a problem, and it’s one Jeff Hornacek might be able to fix.

[Mad Damian]

Jeff made a decision he's going to regret taking the Knicks job.

[Guiness]

A Rose in the Garden? Knicks reportedly talking Derrick Rose trade

By Dan Devine June 17, 2016 5:29 PM Ball Don't Lie

 

The point guard position was a bit of a weak spot for the New York Knicks last season. Well, that'd be a charitable way to put it, anyway. Another would be: the Knicks' point guards got totally and completely outproduced on a nightly basis last season, with starter Jose Calderon unable to break down opponents off the dribble or stay in front of them on defense, and young backups Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant unable to consistently hit jumpers or facilitate in the Knicks' triangle half-court offense. The Knicks added former Memphis and Philadelphia live wire Tony Wroten last year, but he'll be coming off a torn ACL and has yet to establish himself as a consistent top-flight answer.

 

 

Despite Chauncey Billups' insistence that no top triggerman will want to work in the triangle, and president of basketball operations Phil Jackson's insistence that he won't chase one, with new head coach Jeff Hornacek looking at add some punch to an attack that ranked 26th among 30 NBA teams in points scored per possession last season, New York finds itself in need of a point guard.

"If we can find a middle guy to bridge [Calderon and Grant], it would be good," Hornacek said earlier this month, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "There’s a lot of guys out there. I’m sure Phil and Steve [Mills, general manager] are looking at everything.’’

It appears some in the organization would like to start with perhaps the most famous name that might be available, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York:

Begley's report comes on the heels of a note from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that claimed the Bulls are "actively open to moving Rose" this summer:The Bulls' interest in trading Rose, 27, is unknown at this point. The Knicks do not have many strong trade chips outside of Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and future first-round draft picks.The Knicks have had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose, league sources tell ESPN.The New York Knicks are looking to upgrade their backcourt, and one player on their radar is Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

Rose is entering the final year of his deal and has commented numerous times on the ballooning salary cap and his next contract, much to the dismay of the Bulls front office and a large number of Bulls fans. Add that to an on-again, off-again intensity and there is a sense that both sides would welcome a change, especially with Rose entering a free agent year.

At this point, it’s unclear which teams (if anyone) has made a real offer for Rose, especially given his $21.3 million salary. But it was said a few times that the name being talked about most among teams and scouts in Italy was not [All-Star Jimmy] Butler, but rather Rose and there is a sense that a team that misses on a starting-caliber point guard in free agency may turn to the Bulls.

It also comes after the Bulls on Friday made a trade with the Detroit Pistons, adding to their backcourt mix by picking up young guard Spencer Dinwiddie in exchange for young big man Cameron Bairstow.

On one hand, giving up anything of value for to pay $21.3 million for a player who has missed 196 games over the last four years due to various injuries, who averaged a relatively pedestrian 16.4 points and 4.7 assists in 31.8 minutes per game, who shot under 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range, who didn't exactly cover himself in glory on the defensive end, and in whose minutes Chicago generally performed worse than when he was on the bench, doesn't seem to make very much sense. On the other, "relatively pedestrian" probably still would've made Rose the Knicks' best on-ball option last season, and likely by leaps and bounds.

With only one year left on his deal, you can see the argument for taking a flyer on the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player as a means of bridging the gap to the summer of 2017, when a Knicks club flush with cap space — especially in an environment where the cap just seems set to keep going up and up over the next couple of seasons — might be able to go big-game hunting for the long-hoped-for point guard of the future to pair with rising star Kristaps Porzingis. With the Memphis Grizzlies' Mike Conley standing as the pick of the free-agent litter and relatively few appealing options beneath him — it seems extraordinarily unlikely that Jeremy Lin's coming back for Round 2 in the Garden; I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Deron Williams wants no part of a return to Gotham; a Rajon Rondo marriage doesn't seem like a "good look" for either party — the Knicks' best chance at landing a better present-day option without sacrificing future flexibility might be to pursue a high-priced veteran on an expiring contract. Rose is just that.

From the Bulls' perspective, moving on from Rose would mean closing the book on an era that produced some of the best regular-season basketball in the franchise's post-Michael Jordan age, but that always ended short of a return to the promised land, thanks in large part to the injuries that derailed Rose's rise to the ranks of the league's most unguardable thunderbolts, and turned him, even at just 27 years old, into a never-quite-right whisper of a rumor of what once was and might have been. Luol Deng's long gone. Tom Thibodeau is, too. Joakim Noah will likely be next. Whatever the next competitive iteration of the Bulls is, it likely won't feature Derrick Rose ... so if you can move him while there's still some value to be derived from his status and contract, and maybe pick up a future pick for your trouble, there's some sense to that. Then again, as Seth Rosenthal of Knicks blog Posting and Toasting notes, the Knicks might be the ones demanding draft consideration if they're doing Chicago the solid of taking $21.3 million in salary off their hands.

It is worth noting, as Bulls radio play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky does, that "internal discussions" don't necessarily amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world:

I'd like to report I've had internal discussions over what to have for dinner tonight .Whatever .

— chuck swirsky (@ctsbulls) June 17, 2016

... but rumblings about the Bulls' summertime plans starting to grow louder, the Knicks likely searching for an upgrade at the point, and New York forever so, so thirsty for the next big name who just might fix everything!, it's at the very least a situation that bears watching as we move through next Thursday's NBA draft to the beginning of free agency in July.

[*badass*]

a triumvirate of carmelo, porzingis and rose? pwede but honestly, i don't think the trio would make the knicks instant contenders.

[bughaw1]

Wow...ang lakas bigla. Nice addition si rose.

[rooster69ph]

Malakas sila pag a healthy DRose. Ang problema these past years laging injured.

[bangad]

ayos, potential contender sa ECF ang knicks provided drose and melo both healthy. jeff teague nasa pacers na

[Guiness]

it's final Derrick Rose is a NEW YORK KNICK

 

Hometown Bulls send Derrick Rose to Knicks in multiplayer swap

ESPN.com news services

12:21 PM CT

 

The Knicks acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls on Wednesday, hoping the former NBA MVP can be their answer at point guard.

New York traded center Robin Lopez, guard Jose Calderon and guard Jerian Grant to Chicago, which shipped guard Justin Holiday, Rose and a 2017 second-round pick back to the Knicks.

A Chicago native, Rose was drafted by the Bulls with the No. 1 overall pick out of Memphis in 2008. A source close to Rose said he was very emotional about leaving Chicago because of all his great memories there but that he wanted the big stage of New York.

 

Once Rose got word the Bulls were looking to trade him, the source said, he hoped it would be to the Knicks.

"His first choice was New York," the source said. "He wants the spotlight."

Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called the trade a "hard one" to make.

"Everyone knows him as the local kid who became MVP for his hometown team, but not everyone got to know him like I did," Reinsdorf said in a statement. "While he is a terrific basketball player, he is an even better person with a tremendous heart."

ESPN reported last week that the Knicks had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose. Both Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek and general manager Steve Mills had said that the team was interested in upgrading its point-guard position in the offseason.

End of An Era for Rose in Chicago

• 1st overall pick in 2008 NBA draft

• 2008-09 Rookie of the Year

• 2010-11 NBA MVP

• 1 conference finals appearance (lost to Heat in 2011)

• Signed 5-yr/$94M extension in Dec. 2011

• Tore ACL in 2012 first round vs. 76ers

• Missed entire 2012-13 season; played 10 games in 2013-14

• Played in 39 percent of possible games since 2012-13 season

-- ESPN Stats & Information

 

Rose has battled injuries since he was named NBA MVP in the 2010-11 season. However, he did show improvement in 2016, averaging 17.7 points (including 8.4 in the paint), 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 55.3 percent shooting on drives to the basket during the new year. That should help the Knicks, whose starting point guards averaged a league-low 7.6 points per game in 2015-16 and shot just 44.7 percent on drives to the hoop.

 

"This is an exciting day for New York and our fans," Hornacek said in a statement. "Derrick is one of the top point guards in the NBA who is playoff-battle-tested. He adds a whole new dynamic to our roster and immediately elevates our backcourt."

Rose, 27, is owed $21.3 million in the final year of his contract. He will be a free agent after the 2016-17 season.

A six-year veteran, Rose seemed like the perfect fit for Chicago after it drafted him.

 

He led the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference in the 2010-11 regular season, leading the franchise to success it hadn't enjoyed since the Michael Jordan era. But he wrecked his knee for the first time in the playoffs the following year, and since then, he hasn't had the speed that once made him one of the league's most dazzling young stars and a seemingly perennial All-Star.

Rose In Decline

A look at Derrick Rose's performance in the four years after he was drafted and since shows numbers that have dropped off.

1st 4 Yrs Since PPG 21.0 16.9 FG pct 46.4 41.2 APG 6.8 4.8 Pct games played 89.4 38.7 -- ESPN Stats & Information

 

Rose hasn't been back to the All-Star Game since 2012 and has often had trouble just playing in the real games. He sat out all of the 2012-13 season, made it back for 10 games in 2013-14 and appeared in a little more than half the Bulls' games in 2014-15.

But he did play in 66 games last season, his most in five years, and averaged 16.4 points.

A source said Knicks star Carmelo Anthony reached out to Rose's camp in the days leading up to the trade but the sides were unable to connect.

 

Lopez, an eight-year veteran, started all 82 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.57 blocks.

Calderon, another NBA veteran, started 72 games in 2015-16, posting averages of 7.6 points and 4.2 assists.

Grant was selected 19th overall out of Notre Dame in the 2015 NBA draft. He played in 76 games as a rookie, averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 assists, which ranked eighth among first-year players.

 

Lopez ($13.5 million), Calderon ($7.7M) and Grant ($1.6M) are owed a total of $22.8 million next season. Trading all three players cleared up more than $13 million in guaranteed money from the Knicks' books for the summer of 2017.

 

The Knicks will need to replace Lopez this offseason, and some members of the organization would like to target Bulls center Joakim Noah, sources say. Noah is close with Rose and also has a good relationship with Anthony.

Another potential option for New York is free-agent center Dwight Howard. The Knicks are one of several teams that Howard would consider in free agency, league sources say, but their interest in Howard is unclear at this point.

The club will have at least $30 million to spend in free agency.

 

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said the club was eager to add Lopez, who he said adds "toughness" to Chicago's roster.

"As we said at the end of last season, we are committed to exploring every option to improve this team," Forman said. "This trade is a significant step in that process. Our goal is to get younger and more athletic, and this trade moves us in that direction and allows us to start changing the structure of our team. In Robin Lopez, we are acquiring a starting center who is a good defender, good rebounder, and brings a toughness to our team. Jose Calderon is a proven veteran who can run an offense and knock down threes. Jerian Grant was high on our draft board last year as someone with a great skill set and positional size. All three players are great teammates and have tremendous work ethic, and we are excited to welcome them to the Chicago Bulls organization."

The Knicks will have a news conference Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Chicago Tribune first reported the deal.

 

Information from ESPN's Chris Broussard, Ian Begley, Marc Stein and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[Guiness]

Dwight Howard Interested In Signing With Knicks


Jun 22, 2016 2:44 PM

Dwight Howard has interest in signing with the New York Knicks.

The Knicks are expected to have at least $30 million in cap space this summer.

Last offseason, the Knicks signed Robin Lopez to a four-year contract and he had a productive season.

The Knicks' top priorities this offseason have been their backcourt and it is unclear what level of interest they would have in signing Howard.


NBA Rumors: With Derrick Rose On Board, Knicks After Joakim Noah


The New York Knicks just traded their old starting center for their new starting point guard, so it seems they’re in the market for a big man. Considering the relationship (and wins) Derrick Rose had with former Chicago Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, he would seem to be a natural fit to join the former MVP at Madison Square Garden. Accordingly, the Knicks seem to be interested. “With Derrick Rose on board, some in the Knicks organization want to make a run at Bulls center — and soon to be free agent — Joakim Noah, sources say,”

ESPN New York’s Ian Begley wrote Wednesday. “Noah is close with Rose and has a good relationship with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. He also grew up in New York. The Knicks sent center Robin Lopez to Chicago in the Rose deal and are in need of a big man. They will have at least $30 million to spend in free agency this summer. … It is unclear what kind of offer Noah is looking for. Other outlets have reported that the Knicks are interested in Noah.

The trade for Rose on Wednesday only bolstered that interest for some in the organization.” Letting Noah protect the basket and provide a tinge of inside scoring while Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony and Rose stretch the floor makes for a lethal combination and a much better team than the Knicks previously had.

[Guiness]

Knicks president Phil Jackson told Derrick Rose that he’s going after Kevin Durant next

Frank Isola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Updated: Friday, June 24, 2016, 1:31 AM

Derrick Rose was never big on playing free agent pitchman for the Chicago Bulls, whether the target was LeBron James all the way back in 2010 or Carmelo Anthony two summers ago.

But Phil Jackson believes that by acquiring the former MVP point guard for one starter, a rookie and a veteran with an expiring contract, the Knicks enhanced their bid to land the biggest free agent on the market, Kevin Durant.

 

According to a source, Jackson told Rose of his plan to pursue Durant starting on July 1st. That in and of itself may be the worst-kept secret in the NBA, along with the notion that Golden State, San Antonio, Miami and both Los Angeles clubs are also planning to recruit Durant.

The difference now, however, is that the Knicks are not only selling Durant on Madison Square Garden and Madison Ave., but also a roster that features a triangle we can all understand: Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Rose, who turns 28 in October.

 

Jax takes calculated gamble but Rose has more to lose than Knicks

It’s a long-shot, of course. Staying in Oklahoma City or even signing with the Warriors or Spurs is a better basketball option for Durant. That’s assuming Durant is true to his word that when he signs next month it will strictly be a “basketball decision.”

 

But the Knicks acquisition of Rose does harken back to the Knicks old way of conducting business: Get the big name, make a splash.

Or have you already forgotten Steve Francis, Baron Davis and to some extent, Amare Stoudemire?

Three different front offices, same business model.

 

It also marks a dramatic philosophical 180 for Jackson, the Knicks president who in March went to great lengths to tell reporters that he doesn’t really want or need a ball dominant point guard.

 

And we’re not kidding about great length. Phil’s answer to the point guard question rambled on for just over four minutes and included names like Kyle Macy, Steve Colter and Sam Vincent. Google them if you’d like.

 

“Chasing a point guard, where it becomes just an obsession, isn’t necessary,” Phil said three months ago in L.A. “It’s not necessary. We can play the game without that.”

 

So why Rose, a classic scoring point guard who excels in pick and rolls and isolation?

 

This is all about adding a star to add a bigger star, Durant. This has been the Knicks way for years. And other than Amare helping the Knicks land Carmelo and Carmelo helping to land Jason Kidd, this plan has backfired.

 

But when the prize is Durant and Jackson’s legacy is on the line, the allure of a championship run is too enticing to reject.

The key will be whether Phil has a Plan B. If not Durant, what next? You want to believe Phil has thought this one through, unlike his clumsy coaching search that produced a guy in Jeff Horn ack who doesn’t run the triangle and didn’t have a history with Phil. (Up until a month ago, those were Phil’s prerequisites for the job.)

So if you’re counting, that makes two dramatic philosophical changes in five weeks. Phil can make you dizzy.

 

“We have priorities, backups, secondaries, fall backs,” Jackson said on Thursday.

 

The Knicks have plenty of open roster spots and starting jobs available: center and shooting guard. And considering Rose’s medical history, the Knicks would be wise to invest in a pretty good backup point guard. Sadly, Jose Calderon would have been perfect.

Joakim Noah is the type of hard working, selfless player that you’d like. But Noah, like Rose, is breaking down. It’s risky to have two question marks in your starting lineup.

The alternative would be Dwight Howard. Laugh all you want, but you tell me Dwight isn’t the quintessential Knick — big name, big splash.

 

And like Stevie Francis before him, Dwight also has stops in Orlando and Houston on his resume. Admit it, you feel it happening all over again.

 

Phil Jackson turns 71 in September and has zero playoffs on his resume as an executive. His claim to fame as a Knicks president includes the worst season in franchise history and Porzingis.

One is pretty awful. The other is very promising. But Phil can’t wait around forever for Porzingis to become the hybrid of Durant and Dirk Nowitzki.

We all know the only thing bigger than Phil’s bank account is his ego. He wants to make the playoffs before he rides off into the sunset. A healthy Derrick Rose helps. Landing Durant is a game changer.

 

That’s what Phil Jackson sees. Hey, knock yourself out. Make it happen.

But he’d better have a good back-up plan.

Edited June 24, 2016 by hahnz

[azraelmd]

About f$&@ing time for my favorite team....

 

Rose

Alfalo

Melo

Porzingis

Dwight!

[Guiness]

About f$&@ing time for my favorite team....

 

Rose

Alfalo

Melo

Porzingis

Dwight!

 

i wouldn't break out the bubbly just yet. Derrick Rose is the only move they have done up to this point. As far as Afflalo is concerned, he declined the player option for this season so he's a free agent right now. Now sure if the Knicks will give him an offer. They only have 5 players under contract, they gotta fill out the rest of their roster. Dwight Howard did say that he considers the Knicks as an option to play for, although from what i read, the Knicks aren't saying anything as far as showing any interest in his services so i'm not sure if they are going to make him an offer but he is available so he can be considered an option. With the departure of Lopez they are looking to get a big man in free agency, There's a bunch of free agents that the Knicks are interested in based on reports. Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah. Of course, the big name free agent that's available is Kevin Durant and it has been reported that Phil is planning to speak with him to get him to possibly sign with the Knicks. It would be a Hail Mary miracle if he decides to sign with the Knicks, because there are a lot of teams that are in better situations as far as contending for championships than where the Knicks are right now, Of course OKC is at the top of that list, the Spurs, Warriors, Miami, Lakers among those teams that are interested.

 

So i'm just waiting right now on what kind of moves Phil Jackson is going to make to get the team back in contention

[Guiness]

Derrick Rose Intoduced as a Knick in Press Conference

Ian Begley ESPN Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- Derrick Rose isn't sure why he was traded, but he said he is grateful that the Chicago Bulls sent him to the New York Knicks.

"I would like to tell them, 'Thank you,'" Rose said of the Bulls at Friday's news conference introducing him as the newest member of the Knicks.

 

Rose, a Chicago native, elaborated on why he'd thank the Bulls for trading him to New York.

 

"Getting me another start," said Rose, who played seven seasons in Chicago, missing the 2012-13 season due to injury. "I'm grateful to be where I'm at. I could have been anywhere. Not saying all the other teams are bad places, but to be in this market, to be in the city [with] the legacy, the history of basketball. ... I'm grateful. I'm grateful to be here. I feel like they're going to appreciate me a little bit more."

 

The Knicks sent center Robin Lopez and guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon to Chicago on Wednesday in exchange for guard Justin Holiday, Rose and a 2017 second-round pick.

Rose is entering the final year of his contract, which is worth $21.3 million. He said he's hopeful that he can re-sign with the Knicks after the 2016-17 season.

 

"I hope so. With all of the attention and all of the congratulations I got, I hope I'll be able to play the rest of my career here," Rose said. "But like I said, this is a business. I'll guess we'll have to see how this one year goes. But I'm putting my all into this. I'm working my butt off as far as my work ethic, and we'll have to see."

 

Rose alienated some around the league when he said before the 2015-16 season that he was preparing for free agency in 2017. On Friday, he downplayed the idea that he'd be motivated by free agency in the coming season.

 

"This time I'm just being patient, taking all this in," he said. "I feel like something special is going to happen. I really don't know when. But I feel like something special is going to happen with all the hard work I did."

 

In a first-person essay written on The Cycle, Rose said he had no ill will toward the Bulls for the trade, but would use it as motivation. He wrote that the trade was "a blessing."

"I understand that this is a business and the Bulls have their plans, their own ideas with what direction they want to go with the team, but I'm gonna use this as motivation," Rose wrote. "I was with them for eight years and they let me go. There's no hard feelings, no grudges. They're trying to do what's best for the team. I totally understand that. But I don't think I would be wrong for using this as motivation."

 

Rose, who has played in just 39 percent of possible games since the start of the 2012-13 season, said at his news conference that he's feeling healthy entering the offseason. He said he hopes to continue to regain his rhythm, something he said started to return during the 2015-16 season.

 

"I felt like my body held up," he said. "This summer is all about conditioning and catching that rhythm. ... As far as putting expectations or trying to see how many games I'll play, there's no point in doing that. I don't want to jinx myself."

 

Rose added that he might get involved in recruiting free agents to New York, something he shied away from while in Chicago.

One player he'd like to play with is longtime Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, who will be a free agent this summer.

"Oh, I want him," Rose said. "He knows that I want to play with him."

The Knicks will have approximately $30 million to spend in free agency this summer. They hope to find a center in the offseason to fill the void left by Lopez, and Noah will certainly be an option.

Sources say the Knicks will be one of the teams Noah considers in free agency.

Rose also addressed on Friday the difficulty associated with being traded from his hometown. Rose led the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference in 2010-2011, when he won the league's MVP award.

 

At the time, the former No. 1 pick seemed destined to be the face of the franchise for years to come. But Rose suffered an ACL tear in the playoffs the following season and has had trouble staying healthy over long stretches since that injury.

"It was just an emotional time for me. Chicago was more than just a home. It groomed me into the man that I am today. All my family and friends are back there. It's one of the reasons why I changed my number to 25," Rose, who wore No. 1 with the Bulls, said of his new number. "I'm playing in New York, but I'm bringing something from Chicago with me out here."

Rose added that he's incredibly motivated to return to the playoffs and share the court with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, whom he praised as a skilled, unselfish young talent.

 

"That's somebody I would die to play with, and now I got two of those guys and whoever the front office puts around us," Rose said. "I know they're going to do the right thing. So it's exciting here. It should be exciting here next year."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU76Ij465H4

[guayaboso]

hopefully they get a healthy version, definetely his best years are behind him but if he can be the PG that can squeeZe the greatness from KP6, thats be awesome. hope NYK can get a solid and consistent bench, the bench from last year was promising especially in defense, but everything went to the drain on their consistency. Hopefully coach Jeff can male this team run, mmade more suited to the players' strengths and KP6 develops into a monster of a player in his second year.

[Guiness]

Joakim Noah’s Knicks momentum keeps building

By Marc Berman

June 27, 2016

 

 

The positive feelings between Joakim Noah and the Knicks are mutual.

According to an NBA source, the Knicks have “a very high interest” in signing Noah to play center in a frontcourt that would feature Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Another NBA source said Noah is eager for at least a sitdown with the Knicks.

The Knicks traded last season’s starting center, Robin Lopez, in the deal that brought back Derrick Rose.

 

As The Post reported, Noah, a New York City product, was in town over the weekend and went clubbing with Rose on Thursday night. Rose confirmed at his press conference Friday he was already in the process of recruiting Noah.

 

A report the Wizards were planning to offer Noah the max was shot down, but they should have interest. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday money isn’t the No. 1 priority for Noah. The newspaper cited three factors: a chance to win, a chance to start and finish games and joining a club that would get behind his Noah’s Arc Foundation. The report stated it would be “naive” to think Noah would just go for the highest offer.

 

That’s good news for the Knicks. They have approximately $30 million in cap space — factoring in three cap holds for their own choice free agents — and still need to spend on a starting shooting guard.

 

The Knicks also could face opposition from Minnesota, where former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau runs the show. The Bulls are not believed to be in the picture, though they have requested a meeting with Noah.

 

“Oh, I want him. He knows that. I think his family knows that. I think everybody knows that,” Rose said at his press conference.

“Even last night, I was talking to him about it. He’s in a position where he got injured twice last year, it was his contract year and he has to figure out what he wants to do. I can’t get mad with the decision he makes soon. He knows I would want to play with him.”

The Knicks don’t have a meeting set up with Kevin Durant, who will be with Carmelo Anthony at a press conference Monday to announce the US Olympic Team. Durant has spent the past several days in New York, where his Roc Nation agency is based.

 

The Vertical reported six teams — Warriors, Heat, Celtics, Clippers, Spurs and Thunder — will meet with Durant on July 1. Durant won’t even meet with the Wizards, his hometown team. On Sunday, the Oklahoman listed the top eight contenders for Durant and the Knicks were missing from the list.

[Guiness]

Sources: Knicks strong favorites to sign free agent Joakim Noah

• Marc Stein Ian Begley 1:43 PM CT

The New York Knicks have emerged as strong favorites to sign free-agent big man Joakim Noah, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that multiple teams interested in Noah have all but conceded already that the Knicks are his runaway preferred destination in free agency.

No deals can be officially signed until July 7, but teams and free agents can start coming to verbal agreements on contracts ‎starting Friday at 12:01 a.m.

 

Noah, a former All-Star center, is scheduled to meet with Knicks president Phil Jackson at the beginning of free agency on Friday, according to sources.

 

There is significant interest on both sides. Noah, a native New Yorker, had expressed strong interest in signing with the Knicks in recent days, sources say. He is close with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, his former teammate in Chicago, who said last week that he'd like Noah to join him in New York.

 

The Knicks are eager to land a center this offseason. They have prioritized the position in free agency after trading Robin Lopez, last year's starting center, to Chicago in the Rose trade.

 

Noah, 31, is coming off a 2015-16 season filled with injury. He suffered two significant shoulder injuries that limited him to just 29 games last season, missing nearly a month with a left shoulder tear and undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder dislocation in January.

 

Noah spent a portion of his summer at The Peak Performance Project in Santa Barbara, California. He has been outspoken in years' past about how much he loves Chicago, and there is still some hope within his camp that he will stay with the Bulls, but the likely option is that Noah will take a big-money deal from a team and look for a new start.

 

"I'm very focused on free agency," Noah said in June, according to international website Sportando. "I spent the last 10 years in Chicago. There were good moments and bad moments, but now I have an incredible opportunity for a player, being recruited by a team. I definitely want to live that kind of experience. It's new for me, but it's something very intriguing for a player."

 

The Knicks have roughly $30 million to spend in free agency and hope to fit Noah into that space while keeping enough room to add a starting shooting guard. Courtney Lee and Eric Gordon are among the guards the Knicks have a level of interest in, sources say.

Some members of the organization expressed optimism earlier in the week about getting an audience with free agent Kevin Durant. But if the club comes to terms quickly with Noah, it's unlikely that it will have the requisite cap space to sign Durant to a max contract. The Knicks are currently not among the teams that have secured a meeting with Durant.

 

[Guiness]

Joakim Noah Will Reportedly Sign With The Knicks For $18 Million

It looks like Joakim Noah is heading home to NY.

The NBA's free agency period will officially being tomorrow, July 1st, but there are already some deals in place, one of which appears to be Joakim Noah signing with the New York Knicks.

 

According to multiple outlets, many potential suitors for Noah believe it's a certainty that he'll be reunited with Derrick Rose in his hometown of NYC, at a price of $18 million per year.

 

Under the new salary cap, free agents are going to be getting a lot more money than they're probably worth, so the $18 million a year really isn't as outrageous as it sounds. That said, the 31-year old center is coming off a year where he only played in 29 games, and the year before that he averaged just 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

 

But let's be real, the Knicks aren't signing Noah to score the ball- they need a guy to be tenacious on the glass and protect the rim with the ferocity of a pizza rat. And, considering Noah is coming off roughly 10 months of rest, it's not entirely ridiculous to think he can do just that. Again, we're being optimistic here.

 

Some people have already written him off but Knicks fans need to be hopeful that he still has some gas left in the tank. $18 million worth of gas.

[Guiness]

Brandon Jennings Agrees to Join Knicks

By VICTOR MATHER

JULY 4, 2016

 

 

Point guard Brandon Jennings said he had agreed to join the Knicks, where he will back up the newly acquired Derrick Rose.

“Can’t wait to play in the Mecca!! Excited to be joining such a historic franchise @NYKNICKS!!!” Jennings posted on Twitter on Monday.

After a sterling high school career in Compton, Calif., and at prep school in Virginia, Jennings opted to pass on the one-and-done college experience, instead playing for Lottomatica Roma in Italy. He became the first American to play professionally in Europe directly out of high school.

“Going to college was something that I didn’t want to do,” Jennings said at the time. Although Jennings’s move was predicted to start a flood of talented high schoolers to Europe, few have followed him.

Drafted No. 10 by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009, the 6-foot-1 Jennings came out of the gate fast in the N.B.A., scoring 55 points in just his seventh regular-season game.

He averaged between 15.5 and 19.1 points in his four seasons with the Bucks and still seemed to have the makings of a star when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2013.

But a torn Achilles’ in January 2015 kept him out for nearly a year, and soon after his return, the Pistons traded him to the Orlando Magic. Since his return from injury, his playing time has been limited, and he has averaged only 6.9 points a game.

“It’s been a challenging year,” he told The Orlando Sentinel soon after arriving to the Magic. “Coming off the bench, of course, has been challenging for me. It’s the first time I’ve done it in my career.”

The Knicks have remade their team in the off-season, putting together a package of players to acquire Rose from the Bulls and landing the free-agent center Joakim Noah, also from Chicago, and shooting guard Courtney Lee.

Jennings, 26, will sign a one-year deal, according to multiple news media reports.

[Guiness]

Knicks Full Introduce Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee & Brandon Jennings

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYsr5tPk-oA

[Guiness]

Inside Knicks’ ‘high-energy’ workout as bonding gets started

By Marc Berman

July 16, 2016 | 6:49pm

While president Phil Jackson is holed up at his Montana lakehouse, the bonding of his new Knicks began in a private gym in Los Angeles on Thursday.

 

Supervised by personal trainer Rob McClanaghan, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Kristaps Porzingis and Sasha Vujacic mixed it up during a spirited 90-minute workout. McClanaghan has been Rose’s offseason trainer since the former Bulls point guard matriculated to the University of Memphis in 2007.

 

McClanaghan has also trained Jennings for five years, though the two Knicks point guards had never worked out together until Thursday. Rose also never even had met Porzingis or Vujacic, two of the five Knicks players back from last season. The club will have at least nine new faces on the roster next season. Camaraderie wasn’t built in a day, but Thursday got it started.

“Everyone really came together,’’ McClanaghan told The Post in a phone interview from L.A. “All have a similar mindset — let’s just win here and do whatever it takes and sacrifice.

 

“The workout was high-energy, guys having fun, talking a lot of trash — even me. Derrick loved being on the court with Porzingis.’’

The four Knicks worked on a series of halfcourt drills. McClanaghan ended the session with a shooting contest.

“Then it got competitive and they came together,’’ McClanaghan said.

 

Porzingis was in L.A. for the ESPYs, prompting Rose’s invitation. Rose and McClanaghan have worked out in L.A. for several years.

Porzingis is back in New York now, but Vujacic, the former Laker, plans to work out with Rose and Jennings periodically into August. Coincidentally, McClanaghan is also the personal trainer of new Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee, who is getting to L.A. on Aug. 1 with plans on working with Rose and Jennings.

 

Rose has been in L.A. working with McClanaghan the last six weeks, since before the June 22 Knicks blockbuster.

“It’s the earliest we’ve started,’’ McClanaghan said. “Because it’s the first time he wasn’t in the playoffs.’’

 

Or injured. Rose’s two knee surgeries (ACL and torn meniscus) cost him a lot of offseason gym time — which is why this offseason is so huge in terms of working on actual basketball. McClanaghan has worked on all aspects of Rose’s game — pull-up jumpers being one of the areas of emphasis. Off the court, it’s been weight training and yoga.

 

“I’m not worried — he put in his work and time in,’’ McClanaghan said. “He listens to his body, which is important. Now he’s ready to make the extra jump out there. It’s been a solid six weeks. With the commitment and work he’s put in, he’s ready to have a great year. He’s excited about a fresh start.”

 

Last season was a good step as Rose played 66 games after a rough start with a freak eye injury. It was a big development from the previous three seasons. He missed the entire 2012-13 season after undergoing ACL surgery from the prior spring; he missed 72 games in 2013-14 because of a torn meniscus; and he sat out 31 games in 2014-15 because of ankle, hamstring and knee issues.

On the first day of training camp last September, Taj Gibson cracked Rose in the eye and he missed training camp with blurred vision.

“He was ready to go and it put a damper on things right away,’’ McClanaghan admitted.

 

Jennings, whom Jackson has challenged to win Sixth Man of the Year, will back up Rose and may come with more question marks than Rose. Regaining complete explosiveness after an Achilles tendon rupture is considered more arduous than ACL tears. Jennings sustained the rupture in January 2015 and didn’t play another game until nearly a year later — in late December last season.

“Last summer we couldn’t do anything,’’ said McClanaghan, who is based in Rhode Island during the season. “He’s getting back to old form. Brandon is the hardest worker when he shows up — no one works harder and I’m not just saying that.”

There’s more work to be done with Rose and Jennings before training camp, but McClanaghan feels good vibes.

“Everyone has their own great motivation, everyone wants to be together and win,’’ McClanaghan said.