New York Knickerbockers

[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.

[Guiness]

Thibodeau raves about ‘great’ new Knicks, sidesteps Phil snub

By Marc Berman

July 19, 2016 | 8:15pm

LAS VEGAS — If Timberwolves chief Tom Thibodeau sounds envious about the Knicks’ additions of two of his favorite players, he’s not.

While heaping major praise on the damage ex-Bulls Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah can do in New York despite their injury-riddled résumés, Thibodeau deflected any notion of being bitter that president Phil Jackson never dialed his number.

Instead, Thibodeau, the U.S Olympic team’s assistant coach, jumped at the T’wolves job to become the franchise’s president of basketball operations/head coach — a dual position that was not available in New York.

 

He has former Knicks general manager Scott Layden and a lot of young talent to build something special in the Twin Cities, where he got his first assistant’s job in 1989 under legendary coach Bill Musselman.

“I’m not going there,’’ Thibodeau said at UNLV after Tuesday’s Olympic training-camp practice. “I’m fine. I got the job I wanted. I’m happy. I wish them well.”

 

Thibodeau, a Knicks assistant from 1996-2003, was a lot more comfortable discussing the Rose-Noah additions, believing they’re going to make a smooth adjustment.

 

“I think they’re both great,’’ Thibodeau said. “They’ve already proven themselves. I think it’s good for them. I think it will work out. They got a good team. The way [Carmelo Anthony] plays, [Kristaps] Porzingis, Courtney Lee, they’re going to be good.

“Mentally, [Rose and Noah] are experienced. When you have veterans like that, it adds a lot to your team. They know how to play. They’ve been in big games. They’re unselfish and play to win. That’s a big plus.’’

After the 2014-15 season, Thibodeau was let go by the Bulls because of a rift with management, but not before making Chicago a perennial Eastern Conference power. The Post has reported Jackson didn’t make a run at Thibodeau, concerned about his bitter breakup with the Bulls. Jackson has said he needed to be “simpatico’’ with the next coach and didn’t know Thibodeau. Jackson settled for Jeff Hornacek, whom he didn’t know either until they hit it off during a mid-May interview.

Judging by social media, Thibodeau was the choice of Knicks fans.

 

“It’s a great basketball city,’’ Thibodeau said when asked if he was flattered by the furor. “I enjoyed my time there — seven years, a great environment. It’s a great fan base.’’

 

Part of Thibodeau’s Chicago run came amid Rose’s two major knee surgeries, making it more impressive. Thibodeau said he sees Rose on the road back after logging 66 games last season.

 

“The games tell you [he is on the right track],’’ Thibodeau said. “He played in a lot of games. It’s the first time he was healthy. It’s been a long time. It’s a big plus.’’

 

Thibodeau said Rose or Noah don’t need his advice on handling the New York pressure-cooker.

 

“They’re tough guys,’’ Thibodeau said. “They’ve been through a lot. … Those guys are well beyond [my advice]. You got to remember: Derrick’s from Chicago. Joakim is from New York. They can handle it.’’

 

Thibodeau almost teamed up with Anthony in Chicago during 2014’s free agency. Anthony and Thibodeau share the same agent at CAA. During Jackson’s coaching search last spring, Anthony admitted he was surprised Jackson didn’t set up an interview, figuring Thibodeau would have interest.

 

Now Anthony and Thibodeau are together for a solid month on this Olympic journey.

“He’s been great, terrific,’’ Thibodeau said of Anthony. “He set the tone in the first meeting. In practice, he’s playing unselfishly, practicing hard, talking to people, moving the ball, rebounding. He’s doing a lot of good stuff for us.

 

“That’s the best type of leadership you can have. The way he concentrates in meetings and practices. It goes a long way for the younger guys who haven’t been through it, setting an example.’’

 

While Anthony has become the team leader of the Olympic squad, Noah will give Anthony a leadership boost in New York.

“What’s not to like?’’ Thibodeau said of Noah. “Unselfish and plays to win. Great player. Makes other people better, can really pass, plays great defense, great rebounder, plays for the team. He’ll be terrific.”

 

Thibodeau fashioned a 255-139 record in five straight playoff seasons in Chicago. Asked if he wondered how much more the Bulls could’ve achieved if Rose was healthy, Thibodeau demurred.

 

“That’s all part of the NBA,’’ he said. “You got to be mentally tough to go through those things. It’s not succumbing to those excuses but finding a way to get it done. That was probably the thing I’m most proud of — all the guys from Chicago, we found a way to win.’’

[francissimon]

Is it just me or is anyone else feeling the bandwagon for the Knicks getting bigger as the season is about to start? Sana Hindi maging parang GSW level yung bandwagon.

[Guiness]

Is it just me or is anyone else feeling the bandwagon for the Knicks getting bigger as the season is about to start? Sana Hindi maging parang GSW level yung bandwagon.

 

are there any knicks fans in this forum? or are you speaking for the fans in general? i for one have been a fan for a long time even if they were not winning. i'm optimistic about their chances now because they got some good pieces. not great like kevin durant type players but good enough to compete. but im not totally sold on them winning the championship the cavs will still be the favorites to win not to mention chicago, indiana, boston, toronto are pretty good teams in the east.

 

i will tell you now, new yorkers themselves who are knicks fans aren't all that thrilled with the moves. you know why? like myself, they are concerned with the health of these players they signed. Derrick Rose is not his MVP self anymore and i don't expect him to be that player that he was when he became MVP. To me, he's not totally healthy and one injury will sideline him for a lot of games. that goes for joakim noah too, he's what 31 yrs old? he's also coming off shoulder surgery another health concern, brandon jennings is another one who missed time because of injury. Even Melo has injury issues that slow him down. I'm labeling this team as Medical Bill Knicks. Because injuries will f.uck up their season.

 

I don't know if anyone will be on the Knicks bandwagon as bandwagon fans tend to gravitate towards front running teams like the Warriors or Cavs. These fans don't have any allegiance or fan loyalty towards their own teams as they only root for any team that wins.

[Guiness]

The good, the bad, the ugly from the New York Knicks' offseason

Ian Begley

ESPN Staff Writer

"What is success for us as the New York Knicks? I think that's kind of the question that we have to ask ourselves as a whole organization. Not just winning another 15-16 games that we did this year, playing for the eighth seed. Is that success? Or being a top seed in the Eastern Conference, being a top team in the NBA ... is that success?

 

"I think we have to put things in kind of perspective and figure out what success means to this organization right now."

Those were Carmelo Anthony’s thoughts after he met with Knicks president Phil Jackson in mid-April, a meeting that turned out to be pivotal to the Knicks' future.

 

The sit-down with Jackson came shortly after the final game of another frustrating season for Anthony. The Knicks missed the playoffs for the third straight year and had lost 115 games over the last two seasons. The losing was eating at Anthony, and one concern he brought up during the meeting was the direction of the franchise. More specifically, he wanted to know if Jackson planned to build a team that would compete while Anthony was still in his prime.

 

"How do we take advantage of kind of this window that I have? I think that's the main question," Anthony said that day. "How can we take advantage of this window? How can we take advantage of this situation that we have that's in front of us?"

 

At the time, many around the league assumed that the Knicks would eschew Anthony's timeline and build around rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis (a strategy Jackson had discussed internally, according to sources).

 

Instead, Jackson built a team that's ready to win now, and it's clear that Anthony's voice was heard in that mid-April meeting.

 

Jackson said that his conversation with Anthony -- and the hiring of coach Jeff Hornacek -- played a role in the Knicks' acquisition of often-injured former MVP Derrick Rose. The club subsequently signed veterans Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee, putting together a team that has the potential to make some noise in the playoffs.

 

There will be plenty of debate in New York over whether the Knicks should have built slowly around Porzingis. Instead, Jackson opted for a quicker route to relevancy, one that has burned previous Knicks regimes. But the club believes that it has also put Porzingis in the best position to develop, and Porzingis has no issue with their approach this offseason.

 

Only time will tell whether Jackson has made the right moves. But now that the contracts have been signed, it's worth taking a look at what may work -- and may not work -- given the Knicks' current roster. Below, we look at some potential pluses and minuses of New York's additions:

 

Potential pluses

 

More penetration: The Knicks ranked last in the NBA in both drives per game (15.5) and points per game off of drives (10.4) last season. That was just one factor that contributed to their sub-par performance on offense. Can they improve on the offensive end this season? That's anyone's guess. Though it's reasonable to expect the penetration numbers to increase thanks to Rose, who averaged nearly nine drives per game and scored 6.9 points per game on drives last year.

 

In an ideal world for the Knicks, Rose's penetration leads to easier looks at the basket for both Anthony and Porzingis and also leads to more pick-and-rolls for New York, something Hornacek has discussed with Rose.

 

Quicker pace: Hornacek also wants to pick up the pace and, again, adding Rose should help in this area. The Chicago Bulls played a bit faster with Rose on the floor -- 99 possessions per 48 minutes with Rose on the court, 97 when he was off of it. Jennings could help here as well. The Orlando Magic averaged 101 possessions per 48 minutes when Jennings was on the floor last season, nearly six more than the Knicks averaged as a team per 48 minutes last season.

 

It obviously takes more than one player to transform a team's pace, but having Jennings and Rose in uniform should allow the Knicks to, at the very least, get into their halfcourt offense quicker.

 

Stronger pick-and-roll defense: The Knicks hope that Noah can help them contain the ball handler on pick-and-roll plays, an issue they struggled with last season. Noah, when healthy, is viewed around the league as a player mobile enough to switch onto perimeter players on pick-and-rolls if needed. In an injury-filled campaign last season, Noah ranked in the 37th percentile league-wide in defending the roll man, per Synergy Sports. That's an average mark for big men, one the Knicks probably hope will improve this season. Another reason to assume that the pick-and-roll defense will improve is the presence of Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 big man showed the mobility to defend the play well in his rookie season.

 

Potential minuses

 

Touches for Porzingis: We're not breaking new ground when we say Anthony and Rose like to have the ball in their hands. Both players used more than 27 percent of their teams' possessions when on the floor last season. If both players maintain those rates, it would surely lead to fewer touches for Porzingis. The Knicks' long-term future hinges on Porzingis' development, so a diminished role for big man in Year 2 may not be the best long-term strategy. Nonetheless, it's worth pointing out here that Rose's usage last season (27.3) was the lowest since his second season in the league. Anthony's usage rate (29.7) was the lowest since his rookie season. If that trend continues, maybe Porzingis' opportunities with the ball will remain unchanged.

 

Inconsistent shooting: The Knicks didn't rely on the 3-point shot heavily last season, but that may change thanks to their new coach. Under Hornacek, the Phoenix Suns ranked 11th in 3-point rate -- the percentage of shots attempted from beyond the arc -- last season. New York ranked 22nd, while sporting the the 10th-worst overall shooting percentage in the league.

Based on recent history, it doesn't seem as if New York has the personnel to improve either percentage significantly in 2016-17.

Rose shot 28 and 29 percent from 3-point land in the last two seasons and Anthony shot 34 percent from behind the arc last season -- a six percent drop-off from the 2013-14 season. Porzingis hit 33 percent of his 3-point shots in his rookie season. This is one of the many areas where new shooting guard Lee, a career 38 percent 3-point shooter, can help.

 

Depth issues: A quick refresher on the recent injury history of some of the Knicks' new signees: Rose has played 39 percent of his games since 2012-13 due to multiple injuries, including major knee surgeries. Noah was limited to 29 games last season with left shoulder injuries, including season-ending surgery to repair a shoulder dislocation. Jennings suffered a torn left Achilles in January 2015 and missed nearly 12 months.

 

Given these injury concerns, the Knicks' depth may be tested. Outside of Jennings, Lance Thomas and Kyle O'Quinn, the New York bench doesn't have much experience. The club may have to rely on someone from the quintet of Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Marshall Plumlee, Willy Hernangomez and Maurice Ndour for regular minutes. None of those five have played regular NBA minutes in the past.

Edited August 3, 2016 by hahnz

[Guiness]

Making Phil Jackson’s triangle work: Knicks preach one word

By Fred Kerber

October 27, 2016 | 8:44pm

Here’s some free, unsolicited advice in case you are sitting around, holding your breath waiting for the Knicks to resemble the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen Bulls or the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal Lakers in running the triangle offense:

Exhale.

 

There’s a new coach, Jeff Hornacek, who hasn’t coached it before. There is a former MVP, Derrick Rose, who hasn’t played it before and missed most of preseason because of his sexual assault civil trial. There are more new players, 10, than rings won by Michael Jordan. There is a franchise face, Carmelo Anthony, experiencing another team makeover. And after one decidedly ugly game, the starting unit has been together, including preseason, for one game.

 

So that wretched four-letter word — time — emerges. The Knicks simply are not going to quickly master the preferred offensive system of team president Phil Jackson.

 

“Phil’s been great trying to emphasize, ‘Yes, you want to win games, but you want to get better as the year goes on,’” Hornacek said Thursday. “If you back out of something just because it’s not working offensively or defensively, you can’t all of a sudden start changing things because it may not work right now. The point is to try to get better at that particular thing. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Just don’t hold your breath waiting.

The Knicks didn’t really even employ the triangle that much early in the 117-88 season-opening stinker in Cleveland. Hornacek said the Knicks never really “got into our triangle aspects. … A lot of times we’d get into it after three or four passes. We took a lot of shots where it was one or no passes.”

Ball movement was a whole different mess.

 

The Knicks, who hope their home opener against Memphis on Saturday is a 180 from the dud against the Cavaliers, are a work in progress. Rose, after Tuesday, noted he’s not yet comfortable in the system, better at pick and roll. He knows this will take time.

“You live and learn,” Rose said after practice, which was attended by Jackson. “I felt we had times where we looked great, times where we looked [crappy]. It comes with just playing, learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses, learning the offense a little bit more.”

Whether you run the triangle, pick and rolls or four-corner stalls, the ball must move better than against the Cavaliers.

 

Yup, ball movement was a big part of crappy.

“Everybody knows it was terrible. We had more turnovers (18) than assists (17),” Rose said. “We should do what the game tells us. If it tells us to shoot the ball when we’re open, shoot. Two people on you, draw attention for your teammates.

“We just need to play. The game will tell you what to do.”

The defense? Suffice to say it was almost as good as the offense.

 

“We’re still trying to figure things out, still trying to find our identity as a team,” said Anthony, who has seen change, system implementation, 70 different teammates and knows of patience — but doesn’t know when this team will blend.

“Honestly, I have no idea. If it looks this way after, 15-20 games, then I’ll be sitting here singing a different tune.

“I’ve been here for a while now. From Derrick’s comments, it’s just more of him getting a feel for it. This is totally new for him and the new guys on this team. I don’t think he was bashing the system or what we’re running. It’s more him personally trying to get a feel,” Anthony said.

 

“It can get frustrating. Especially a guy like him who is used to having the ball in his hands and offenses running through him and it’s all spaced out and pick-and-rolls and utilizing … his strengths.”

So it will take time. The Knicks aren’t scrapping the triangle. They’re going to work on it whenever possible: in games, in practice, on the subway.

 

“We’ve got to find that mix,” Hornacek said. “We can’t do it all of one, or all of the other [but] no matter what we run, we have to execute it.”

[J.A.S.O.N]

better luck next season guys

[peewee1010]

should get an allan houston type player to spread the floor and another defensive big.

[TheListOfJon]

allan houston is rolling over his empty grave

[Boy Bakal]

I used to love the Knicks when they went straight to the NBA finals without Patrick Ewing - only to lose to the San Antonio Spurs. It was a magical run.

[Mad Damian]

who did the knicks sign this free agency?