Tag Archives: Knicks news

BREAKING: Knicks, Mavericks agree on huge trade

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The Knicks and Mavericks have agreed on a large-scale trade, according to reports.

The Knicks will reportedly send Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas, who will ship Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, and both the 34th and 51st selections in Thursday night’s NBA Draft to New York.

This seems like a really good trade for the Knicks. First, let’s be fair and address what they lost.

Tyson Chandler was our anchor in the middle for 2 years, before having a rough season in 2013-2014. Injuries and apparent lethargy made him seem like a shell of his former self. Dallas is hoping Chandler can bounce back and be the dominant force on defense and on the boards like he was in years past. Even if Tyson does return to his old form, Dallas didn’t get him for cheap.

The Knicks also sent out Raymond Felton in this deal. The Knicks had been trying to dump Felton’s contract, so many will view this as another “plus” in the trade for New York despite the fact that they are losing a player. However, Felton was good in 2012-2013 before his disastrous campaign in 2013-2014, and at his worst, he is still a solid backup point guard. Still, the fans and management had turned on him, and he had to go. The writing was on the wall for Raymond.

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Now, let’s look at what Phil Jackson and the Knicks are receiving in this swap.

Jose Calderon is a solid point guard, an immediate upgrade over Felton. Calderon is also a good shooter, making him a good fit in Jackson’s triangle offense. Calderon is not a good defender, but should be an upgrade over Felton on that end of the floor.

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Dalembert is a very good defender and a solid rebounder, but very weak on the offensive end. In many ways, he is a poor man’s Chandler. His inclusion in the deal will help the Knicks replace Tyson, if Dalembert can stay healthy.

Ellington is a good shooter and plays solid defense on opposing guards. He is a throw-in, but should be a good fit in Jackson’s system.

Shane Larkin was the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft, and the point guard, as you may recall, was one of the Knicks’ biggest targets until he was drafted 6 picks before New York came on the board. Larkin is a promising player who should be able to contribute on offense, although his small stature will hurt him on defense, where a penchant for racking up steals is his only area of strength.

And then, of course, the Knicks get the 34th and 51st picks in the draft on Thursday night. The Knicks could look to package the two picks for a 1st rounder, package 1 of the picks with the $1.4 Million they are legally allowed to trade (after having sent $1.8M to Toronto in the Andrea Bargnani trade) and upgrade that pick, or package both picks with the money to move up as far as they can. Of course, they could also use the $1.4M to purchase a third pick, or trade picks (and/or cash) for players. The Knicks now have some flexibility despite trading their original picks away.

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Now, for the salary cap. This trade clears room for the Knicks right now, but they are still over the cap. Even when a team is over the cap, being as close to the cap as possible allows teams to pull off more types of transactions (such as sign-and-trades) under the complicated “new” CBA, and Phil certainly got himself some more wiggle room with this deal. If the Knicks want to get under the cap this season and make a run at some of the big free agents, they will probably have to ship out guys like Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire. Going forward, this trade actually increases New York’s cap commitment because Calderon had a longer and larger contract than Felton, but instead of burning money with Raymond, the Knicks are now paying a quality point guard (who they can always trade, if need be).

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What does this mean for Carmelo Anthony? We’re not sure yet. This trade probably makes the Knicks better now, adds upside to the roster, gives them more room to make moves to improve in the future, and shows that, albatross contracts and foolish trades of the past be damned, Phil and the Knicks can, indeed, shake things up if they are so inclined. It remains to be seen how, if at all, this move and possible moves to come (as Jackson is rumored to be looking to continue shaking up the roster) will impact Melo’s thinking.

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This looks like a good trade for the Knicks. It’s not official yet, but the two teams are in agreement and, barring a major turn of events, Phil Jackson has made a big splash with his first real move as Knicks President.

-Tommy Rothman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raymond Felton to avoid jail time after reaching plea deal

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Knicks point guard Raymond Felton has reached a plea deal that will keep him out of prison after he was faced with weapons charges. Felton faced a maximum of 7 years in prison, but instead will be required to complete 500 hours of community service, pay a $5,000 fine, register as a gun offender, waive his right as a defendant to appeal the case, and plead guilty to at least one felony gun charge.

Felton had a dreadful season both on and off the court, and the Knicks are reportedly looking to trade him. Regardless of where he plays next season, he will look to bounce back from what was without a question the low point of his career so far.

-Tommy Rothman

Report: Carmelo leaning towards leaving New York

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According to sources, Carmelo Anthony is leaning towards leaving the Knicks in free agency this summer, and the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets have emerged as the frontrunners to land the star forward. Melo is reportedly unconfident in the Knicks’ ability to build a winning team this season, and is unwilling to wait until next year, when the Knicks will have a large amount of cap space (and a draft pick). He was also reportedly unhappy with Knicks President Phil Jackson’s public comments in which he expressed hope that Anthony would take a less-than-maximum contract to sign with the Knicks… even though Anthony would have to do that to sign anywhere else. Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the rumors.

The Bulls and Rockets are both well over the cap, but have ways to clear enough room to get Carmelo. Because both teams will likely need to make some trades to make Melo fit under their budget, the Knicks could get decent compensation from any team that signs Carmelo. Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, Chandler Parsons, and draft picks could all be in play. 

Carmelo doesn’t seem like he’s going to stay in New York just for the max contract, if the Knicks even offer him one. However, he would have a much better roster around him in New York today if he hadn’t forced a mid-season trade to the Knicks a few years ago instead of signing with them outright in the summer. Carmelo did this because he was worried signing as a free agent would cost him a ton of money, but it only ended up costing him about $4 million. Now, according to these reports he’s perfectly willing to give up $30 million (and his public image) to bolt for a new city, because he wants to win. Go figure.

These are just reports. Carmelo hasn’t opted out of his contract yet, which he will probably do by June 23rd, and he hasn’t signed with another team. The Knicks should still be in the ballgame, but according to Woj and his sources, the Knicks might need to move on.

-Tommy Rothman

BREAKING: Knicks, Fisher Have Deal

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Derek Fisher has agreed to replace Mike Woodson as the next head coach of the Knicks, according to multiple sources. The two sides are currently finalizing a 5 year, $25 Million deal which is expected to be completed shortly. Kurt Rambis is likely to be on the staff as an assistant coach; Fisher and Phil Jackson will begin assembling a staff once the deal is complete.

 

Knicks chasing hard after Fisher, want to hire him this week

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The Knicks have intensified their pursuit of 39 year-old Derek Fisher and are looking to hire him as their head coach this week. Fisher won 5 championships under Knicks President Phil Jackson during his playing career, the end of which he is expected to announce shortly. ESPN’s Marc Stein was the first to report the news on Fisher. Fisher is the all-time record holder in playoff games played and is considered a strong leader both on and off the court. Fisher served as the president of the NBA Players Association from 2006 to 2013. 

Jackson has reportedly only shown interest in inexperienced coaches with whom he has a prior relationship, including Steve Kerr, who Jackson thought he had landed before the Golden State job opened up and Kerr took a deal with the Warriors. Fisher fits what Jackson is looking for: Smart, responsible, young (for a coach), a Jackson pupil, and somebody well-acquainted with Jackson’s “Triangle Offense”. Jackson reportedly plans on being very involved in the coaching of this year’s team even though he will not be taking the job for himself, so whichever coach Phil hires will certainly be running things the way the 13-time NBA champion wants them to be run. 

I think Fisher would be a solid hire, and since he will be guided by arguably the greatest coach in the game’s history if he takes the job, the Knicks should have some newfound structure on the court this coming season. Everybody thought the Kerr deal was wrapped up, so there’s obviously no guarantee that Jackson will be able to reel Fisher in. But with New York’s main competition, the LA Lakers, reportedly dropping their pursuit of Fisher, expect the longtime point guard to be announced as the Knicks’ coach before too long.

-Tommy Rothman

Report: Tom Thibodeau Would Only Leave Bulls For “Dream Job” With Knicks

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Tom Thibodeau, considered one of the game’s top coaches, would consider leaving the Chicago Bulls, but only to return to the Knicks, sources told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (formerly of ESPN). Thibodeau, who won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2011, worked for the Knicks as an assistant coach back in 1999, when they made it to the NBA Finals. According to Bucher,

“There’s only one place that Thibodeau would really push to go elsewhere, and that’s to go back to the New York Knicks,” Bucher said. “That, I’m told by one source, is actually his dream job, to go back and get the Knicks back on the map. But short of that, he realizes that no matter where he goes, the grass isn’t always greener.”

Thibodeau is under contract with the Bulls, but there has reportedly been friction between the coach and the front office during his time in Chicago. Thibodeau was upset when the team fired his best assistant coach last season, and when they traded All-Star Luol Deng for cap space and salary relief this winter.

While the Knicks were a bit stingy (at least compared to the Warriors) in their failed pursuit of Steve Kerr, teams are not limited by the salary cap for coaching hires and James Dolan and Phil Jackson could probably make Tom Thibodeau an offer he couldn’t refuse.

However, Thibodeau is still a long shot to coach the Knicks for a couple reasons. First of all, the Knicks would almost certainly have to provide Chicago with compensation to get them to let the highly sought-after coach out of his contract, and the Knicks don’t have much to give in the way of trade assets. Second of all, Phil Jackson seems to be focused on hiring a coach with little or no experience, with whom he has a previous relationship, in an effort to indirectly coach the team from afar and find a pupil to try to convert into the “Next Phil Jackson”. Thibodeau has no relationship with Phil and is already a very established coach who is probably set in his own ways. 

The reports of Thibodeau considering the Knicks to be his “dream job” can only be seen as good news, but for the time being, don’t count on him bringing his clipboard to the Big Apple.

-Tommy Rothman