Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
On the first day of training camp, Knicks team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry told fans that they'd put together a team that New Yorkers would appreciate.
But they shied away from making any playoff predictions.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
LOS ANGELES -- A report in July stated that the Knicks had a meeting scheduled with then-free agent Kawhi Leonard. Leonard on Saturday said that, to his knowledge, no meeting was scheduled between he and the Knicks.
"Not that I was aware of," Leonard said after the Clippers' loss to the Grizzlies.
Entering free agency, the Knicks felt confident that they could get a meeting with Leonard based on their top executives' relationship with Leonard's uncle and adviser, Dennis Robertson. The club seemed aware at the time that it was unlikely that they could actually sign Leonard unless they brought another top free agent in with him.
We've collected some of our end-of-year content as we start 2020. A version of this story originally published on Dec. 17, 2019.
The end of the decade has not been kind to the Knicks, as the team won just 17 games last season and are currently 9-24.
In fact, the entire decade has been a tough one for the Knicks, who have only mustered three winning seasons during the 10-year span, with all three coming to start the decade from 2010-13.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
In hist last three games with the Blazers, Anthony has had his issues from the floor. After suffering a knee injury against Orlando on Dec. 20, Anthony dropped 23 points in his first game back, but since then he's shot just 14-of-43 (32.6 percent) from the floor overall, and just 25 percent from beyond the arc.
Anthony continues to rack up playing time for the Blazers, averaging close to 36 minutes a game, but the Blazers are currently on a four-game losing streak and currently find themselves on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoff picture (holding the ninth seed at 14-20). Anthony and the Blazers take on the Knicks at the Garden on New Year's Day at 7:30pm.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
With Carmelo Anthony set to return to the Garden for the second time as a visiting player on Wednesday, here's an interesting 'What if'?
Before the 2015 NBA Draft, high-ranking Knicks officials strongly considered putting together a package to trade for then-Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins, per SNY sources. Obviously, if the Knicks traded for Cousins, he would have been the best teammate Anthony ever had in New York. (Was his most talented Knicks teammate a young Kristaps Porzingis? Tyson Chandler? J.R. Smith? Amar'e Stoudemire?)
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
Following a collision in a game against the Magic last week that forced Anthony out of that contest and the next one, he returned to the court and scored 23 points against the Pelicans on Monday. He followed that up on Thursday with an ineffective game against the Jazz, when he scored 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
Anthony continues to prove he still has gas in the tank, however. In 17 games with Portland, he's averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, playing more than 31 minutes a game. He played a season-high 37:12 in the loss to Utah on Thursday. Anthony and the Blazers take on the Lakers at home Saturday night.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, "rival teams believe Dennis Smith Jr. prefers a move from the Knicks. Several teams have made inquiries into the Knicks about Smith."
Smith Jr. is in his second season with the team after being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks for Kristaps Porzingis on Jan. 31, 2019. The point guard out of NC State is averaging just 5.2 points per game in 16.1 minutes of action this season for the Knicks.
SNY's Ian Begley had previously reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves are among several teams interested in trading for Smith Jr.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
Anthony continued his "comeback" tour of sorts with two solid performances over the last week, putting up 23 points apiece against the Suns and Pelicans. Against Phoenix, grabbed eight boards and blocked an impressive three blocks, before adding another nine rebounds when the Blazers hosted New Orleans.
The forward bruised his left knee in the second quarter against the Magic last week after nine minutes of play, but luckily for Portland, Anthony returned the following game.
Since being traded from the Knicks to the Mavericks in late January, Kristaps Porzingis hasn't said much about his former team. It was an acrimonious split at the time, and last month Trey Burke intimated that Porzingis had plenty to say about what led to him being sent to Dallas.
But following the Mavericks' Friday night game against the 76ers, The Daily News gave Porzingis a chance to talk about former head coach David Fizdale.
Though Fizdale was the coach when Porzingis was traded, the Latvia native never actually played for him, as he was recovering from a torn ACL while the two were both in New York.
On Tuesday, SNY's Ian Begley picked his All-Decade Knicks team along with some honorable mentions.
The starting lineup consists of Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tyson Chandler.
Check out how the team did in a simulated season in NBA 2K20...
The end of the decade has not been kind to the Knicks, as the team won just 17 games last season and are currently 6-21 through the first 27 games of this season.
In fact, the entire decade has been a tough one for the Knicks, who have only mustered three winning seasons during the 10-year span, with all three coming to start the decade from 2010-13.
And while the Knicks are once again looking for a new direction on the court after the firing of David Fizdale, there were some key players who did their best to help get things back on track during the last 10 years.
Here is a look at Ian Begley's All-Decade Knicks team:
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
The Knicks traveled to Portland to face Anthony and the Trailblazers on Tuesday, and the Syracuse product scored 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting with four rebounds. He also added two blocks and a steal in Portland's victory. Anthony notched a 20-point performance against the Nuggets on Thursday, as well.
In 12 games since joining the Blazers, Anthony is averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, while averaging 31.6 minutes per game.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
Porzingis is still a big-time contributor for the Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic, but he's continuing to shoot at a poor clip. In three games this week, the 7-foot-3 Latvia native shot just 37.8 percent from the floor, and 35.3 percent from downtown.
The big man scored just seven points on Tuesday against the Pelicans, and was just 2-for-11 from the field. He rebounded nicely on Wednesday with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but his inconsistency has been worth noting.
The Mavericks host the Kings on Sunday.
With the team's record dropping to 4-18 after an embarrassing 37-point home loss to the Denver Nuggets, it was utterly predictable when the New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in a Friday afternoon news dump.
Just as predictable was the resounding chorus that cropped up in wake of the move, declaring that Fizdale was not the problem in New York.
Unquestionably, that is true.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The Knicks have parted ways with head coach David Fizdale. Now, the focus turns to Knicks president Steve Mills.
Mills and Knicks general manager Scott Perry hired Fizdale after an extensive coaching search in 2018.
The plan then was for Mills, Perry and Fizdale to build a winning culture in New York by developing young players and attracting stars.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
The Mavs went 2-1 this week, but Porzingis' shooting woes have started to become a storyline. Since dropping 23 points against the Rockets last Sunday, the Latvia native has had two straight sub-par games. In a 15-point loss to the Clippers, Porzingis was just 4-of-13 from the floor, and he followed that up with an 0-for-8 performance on Friday night against the Suns. The game marked the first time this season that he was held without a field goal, as he totaled just two points in 33 minutes.
The Mavs are back on the court on Sunday agianst the Lakers.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
Since losing to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 14, the Mavericks have won four straight games, with Porzingis playing an integral part. The former Knicks No. 4 overall pick recorded double-doubles in the first three of those games and had 17 points and seven rebounds in a blowout win over the Cavaliers on Friday.
Porzingis is averaging 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 14 games this season.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
All eyes were on The Garden on Thursday, when Porzingis made his much-anticipated return to New York after requesting a trade from the Knicks in January. He was booed throughout the game, but finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Porzingis is averaging 18.5 points per game along with 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his first season with the Mavericks.
The Knicks earned their third win of the season on Thursday night, beating the Mavs 106-103, as two of their wins have come against Dallas.
Head coach David Fizdale talked about the team's struggles at home earlier this week, and also mentioned what went wrong after beating the Mavs on Nov. 11.
"I don't think it was complacency. I really don't," Fizdale said on Friday. "I really felt like this team is just trying to do so well for the city. I really do. Their intentions are right. They're trying to carry the weight of the city on their shoulders. I just told them you can't do that. I said it's an impossible task. You've got to focus on who's around you in the locker room and put forth effort for the people in the locker room and the city will appreciate that kind of effort. So hopefully we learned that lesson from last night."
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
A couple weeks ago, Frank Ntilikina walked into David Fizdale's office, unannounced, and delivered a message:
"He just said, 'Coach, I've been through a lot in my two years. I feel like I finally understand what the NBA is about. I know I haven't shown it yet, but I'm a dog, too,'" Fizdale said. "It was so cool to hear him say that. And (Thursday against Dallas) he showed that he is really a junkyard dog when it comes to competition."
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Garden on Thursday night, was mercilessly booed, started slow and finished slow, and watched his new team lose to his old team in front of a raucous crowd.
Here's how the back pages in New York reacted, with two of them going full-Porzingis and another not...
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Marcus Morris thought the boos and 'KP sucks!' chants at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night affected Kristaps Porzingis' performance in the Knicks' win over the Mavs.
"It was just at another level. It looked like he was a little rattled, too. So it kind of helped us," Morris said after hitting a game-sealing 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter of New York's win.
Porzingis heard boos during warmups, player introductions and throughout the game in his first night back at Madison Square Garden since being traded to Dallas last January.
Dennis Smith Jr. has been through his share of adversity this season. After an injury during training camp, a death in the family took the guard away from the team for two weeks.
On Thursday night, Smith Jr. shined for the Knicks as the team topped the Mavs 106-103 for their second win against Kristaps Porzingis this season.
In just his second game back with the team, Smith Jr. scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and also had a team-high eight assists to go along with six rebounds in 29 minutes.
The Knicks (3-9) faced the Dallas Mavs (6-5) for the second time this season, winning again, this time 106-103 as former Knick Kristaps Porzingis made his return to Madison Square Garden >> Box Score
1) Marcus Morris led the way for the Knicks in scoring with 20 points, including a go-ahead three pointer with 13.4 seconds left in the game. He was 5-for-7 from three in the game, and had five rebounds in 34 minutes.
Kristaps Porzingis said last week that he expected 'a lot of noise' in his first return to Madison Square Garden.
And that was exactly the case during player intros, as the former Knicks' lottery pick heard plenty of boos from Knicks fans on Thursday night.
Kristaps Porzingis hears the boos as he's introduced at MSG: pic.twitter.com/EPxq9xrnQJ
Kristaps Porzingis is making his return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night for the first time since he was traded away last February.
And Knicks fans will certainly let him hear it.
We decided to hit the streets right outside The Garden to see just how those fans will welcome back the man they once cheered for...
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The Knicks are 1-3 at home and have lost their last two games at Madison Square Garden by a combined 42 points. David Fizdale thinks he knows at least one reason why the club has struggled at home.
"Honestly I think they want to do so well for the fanbase I think they get tight. I really do," he said. "I've looked at all of the different things that have happened and I just feel like sometimes -- they really want to do well for the city.
"With everything that's happened over the course of the last year, these guys want to play hard for the city, they want to win for the city. I just think sometimes when it starts to go the other way, they play not to lose instead of playing to win."
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Kristaps Porzingis isn't sure what to expect from the home crowd when he returns to Madison Square Garden on Thursday. But based on what he's seen from Knicks fans on Instagram and Twitter, he's bracing for a cold reception (which he's sure to get).
"Social media is mostly negative. But we'll see. It's going to be a lot of emotion," Porzingis said Wednesday after Mavs practice at the National Basketball Players Association offices in Manhattan.
Porzingis was back in New York City on Wednesday for the first time since he was traded -- at his request -- to Dallas last January.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Knicks owner James Dolan spoke with team president Steve Mills and others in management on Monday, the day after Mills and GM Scott Perry held an impromptu press conference to express their frustration with the Knicks.
Dolan speaks with Mills and other top decision-makers regularly, just as most NBA owners do, but this conversation seemed to carry a little more weight. Sources familiar with the conversation told SNY that management came away with the impression that their jobs would be secure as long as the Knicks 'showed progress' this season.
The Knicks (2-9) faced the Bulls (4-7) for a second time in the early season, but weren't able to get the win this time around, as Chicago pulled away in the fourth quarter to take a 120-102 victory>> Box Score
1) Just as they did in their first matchup with the Bulls, the Knicks came back from a double-digit first half deficit to make things interesting by the end of the third with things tied at 85 heading into the fourth quarter. But rookie PG Coby White just exploded in the fourth quarter, hitting seven 3-pointers to break the Bulls back out to a double-digit lead, as the Knicks just had no answer for them in the last 12 minutes of play. White set a Bulls franchise record for 3-pointers in a quarter with seven and scored a career-high 27 points.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
David Fizdale hasn't decided yet if Frank Ntilikina will start at point guard when Elfrid Payton is healthy. But it certainly sounds like Fizdale will keep Ntilikina in the starting lineup when Payton returns -- as long as he and the Knicks are playing well.
Here's what Fizdale said when asked on Sunday if Payton, who has missed the last six games with a hamstring injury, will start at point guard when he returns to the lineup:
"I'm going to base it on how things are going for us at the time when he gets back," Fizdale said. "If things are going well, we'll probably stay with what we're doing. If for some reason it's not, maybe we'll look at putting him back in there. But we won't make that decision until the time comes."
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
Porzingis saw his former team come to his new home grounds this past Thursday night in what turned out to be a thrilling matchup. Porzingis scored 28 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked five shots, but fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Not having their big man out on the floor hurt the Mavs badly, as they fell to the Knicks 106-102 in what was a very close game throughout.
Porzingis missed Saturday's game against the Grizzlies, but the Mavericks were still able to pull out a win without him. Porzingis will make his long-awaited return to New York this Thursday to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He's averaging 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in his first season with Dallas.
From an individual standpoint, Kristaps Porzingis' first game against his former team was a success, but his strong effort wasn't enough, as the Knicks topped the Mavs 106-102 on Friday in Dallas.
Porzingis fouled out of the game with 30 seconds to play, but overall he showed exactly why the Knicks selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, scoring 28 points while adding nine rebounds and five blocks.
After the final whistle, Porzingis spoke with his former head coach David Fizdale near center court.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
DALLAS - Marcus Morris says he's going to spend some time guarding Kristaps Porzingis on Friday night.
He's six inches shorter than the Mavs forward, but he plans to use his strength as an advantage.
Dennis Smith Jr. will be inactive for the Knicks Friday night as they face Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavericks in Dallas.
Smith Jr, who was a part of the trade that sent Porzingis to Dallas, hasn't played for the Knicks since Oct. 26, after suffering the loss of a family member that same night. Smith Jr. returned to the team earlier this week after being absent to mourn with his family.
Between Smith Jr.'s absence and Elfrid Payton's hamstring injury, Frank Ntilikina has been starting at the point guard position for the Knicks. Although the lineups haven't been released for Friday's game, Ntilikina should be expected to start.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
DALLAS - David Fizdale was asked on Thursday about the Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis trade. He said it's too early to fully judge the transaction.
"Well, we don't know what Dennis Smith is going to be. He's 21 years old. At the end of the day we've still got two first-round picks out of that," Fizdale said a day before the Knicks face Porzingis and the Mavs in Dallas. "Who knows who that's going to be? We won't know exactly what comes out of that for a year or two."
The Knicks essentially received Smith Jr., cap space and two future first round picks from the Mavericks.
Kristaps Porzingis spoke on Thursday about his ugly end with the Knicks, calling it "part of the business," but also reflected on some mistakes he made after the fact and whether things could've been fixed before it all ended so messily.
"I don't know," Porzingis half-joked when asked if he wanted to clarify what happened on his way out. "I'll probably get in more trouble if I start talking about that stuff, you know? It is what it is. It wasn't ideal. But now I'm in a new place, I'm looking forward to the future. I don't want to go back too much and bring that stuff up. It is what it is. It happened, it's part of the business. It just ended up that way."
Repeatedly trying to deflect the questions back to the present (he's with the Mavericks, Friday is just another game, etc.), Porzingis said he didn't need any "extra juice" to excel against the Knicks.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Every New York sports fan has their one favorite player or coach, past or present, that they absolutely love. They've given years of service to help your favorite team win, and they've done so while playing or managing at the highest level.
But not every marriage has come to a happy ending in the Big Apple.
While this city has had its fair share of legends on every team, there have also been some pretty bad breakups throughout each league. And, as agents of chaos in this case, we're here to remind you of some of the ugliest divorces that your favorite teams have seen in recent years.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The Knicks are in Dallas to play Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavs on Friday for the first time since the trade. So there will be plenty written and said about the deal over the next couple of days.
Below, let's try to separate fact from opinion:
The Knicks fell to the Pistons, 122-102, on Wednesday night, and a familiar face awaits them next.
On Friday, the Knicks will be in Dallas for a meeting with the Mavericks, where they'll face off against former Knick Kristaps Porzingis.
The Latvian native had a quiet night in the Mavs' 107-106 win over the Magic on Wednesday, shooting just 4-of-14 from the floor. He finished the night with 10 points, eight rebounds, and one assist, as the Mavs improved to 5-2 on the season.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Early in the third quarter of the Knicks' blowout loss to Sacramento, the home crowd grew restless. There were boos. Loud ones. There was even a brief chant for the team to fire head coach David Fizdale.
If you ask Marcus Morris, though, none of the blame for the Knicks' slow start rests with Fizdale.
"At the end of the day, Fiz is putting us in the best position to be successful," Morris said on Sunday night after scoring 28 points in the Knicks' loss. "I think it's us, we've got to execute the game plan better. He's been nothing but a great coach for us, he's been giving us what we need. Just today, we didn't hit many shots. They were the better team."
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
The No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft has seen his Mavericks career get off to a strong start. The Latvia native has averaged 22.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in four games. His best game of the the early season came on Sunday against Portland, when Porzingis scored 32 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added five assists.
He did have an off night his last time out though, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting against the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Three games into the season, David Fizdale already has a tough issue to sort out: how to get Dennis Smith Jr. going.
The Knicks' backup point guard has missed 10 of 11 shots to start the season.
"It seems like he's overthinking it. And he's pressing," Fizdale said after the Knicks' 24-point loss to Boston on Saturday. "It's funny how it works when you work on something so much, and it doesn't click for you right away how that can get to you. But he'll keep working at it and getting better at it."
Making his Madison Square Garden debut Saturday night, RJ Barrett put on a show and produced his best all-around game to date as a pro.
The No. 3 overall pick from this year's draft led the Knicks with 26 points, and added seven rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes of play.
"He's a stud, that's the only way I can put it. He's a stud," David Fizdale said.
The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...
The No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft made his debut for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night after being traded from the Knicks on January 31, 2019 and missing all of the 2018-19 NBA season while recovering from an ACL injury. On July 12, 2019, Porzingis agreed to a five-year, $158 million max contract with Dallas.
