Category: New York Knicks Blog

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward David Lee has been re-signed to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s been widely reported that that the deal is for one year.

“While this was a long process, we always wanted David to remain in New York and we are very happy to have him re-signed,” said Walsh. “David really flourished playing for Coach D’Antoni last year and we once again expect him to play a big role for us this season.”

Lee, 6-9, 240-pounds, averaged career-highs of 16.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 34.9 minutes in a career-high 81 games during the 2008-09 season. He also posted a league-high 65 double-doubles, while also ranking third in the NBA in rebounding and seventh in field goal percentage.

Lee was drafted by New York with the 30th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft and has career averages of 10.9 points and 9.0 rebounds in 287 career games over four NBA seasons with the Knicks. The University of Florida product set the Knicks franchise record for field goal percentage, shooting .600 from the floor in 58 games during the 2006-07 season. Lee was also named Most Valuable Player of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge at 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, after scoring a game-high 30 points.

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that guard Nate Robinson has been re-signed to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s been widely reported to be a one-year deal.

“We are very happy to have reached an agreement with Nate,” Walsh said. “Nate established himself as one of the top reserves in the game last season and we expect him to play a key role for us this season.”

Robinson, 5-9, 180-pounds, averaged career-highs of 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 29.9 minutes in a career-high 74 games during the 2008-09 season and finished third in the voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Seattle, WA-native was also the winner of the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk competition at NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix and joined Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Harold Miner and Jason Richardson as the only two-time winners of the competition. Robinson first won the award at the 2006 dunk contest in Houston.

Robinson has career averages of 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 282 career games over four NBA seasons all with New York. The University of Washington product was originally drafted following his junior season by the Phoenix Suns with the 21st overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, before having his draft rights traded to New York on draft night.

Madison Square Garden announced today that the New York Knicks plan to use new state-of-the-art LED signage courtside at home games during the 2009-10 season. The Knicks will become the first NBA team to utilize the technology at the courtside location. The new signage will enhance game presentation, expand partner integration opportunities and allow for instant customization from Knicks pregame through postgame at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will premiere the new LED courtside signage at their first preseason home game on Tuesday, October 13 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“At Madison Square Garden we are always looking for innovative and cutting-edge technology that will enhance the game experience for our fans and create value for our partners,” said Scott O’Neil, president, Madison Square Garden Sports.  “The new LED courtside signage for the Knicks is extremely dynamic and offers instant customization, which will not only enrich the viewing experience for fans, but provides a visual enhancement for our partners brands and helps us maximize their exposure throughout a game.”

The new courtside LED signage will be synchronized throughout games with all of the digital signage in the bowl at Madison Square Garden, including MSG’s GardenVision center hung scoreboard and ribbon boards circling the middle-level, creating a 360 degree experience for fans and partners.  The LED technology provides clear off angle viewing for fans in-arena and those watching Knicks’ telecasts on MSG. The signage has also been designed with player safety in mind, featuring a spring mount mechanism that allows for up to four inches of flexibility in case of a collision.  The specially created LED signage combines a scorer’s table designed by Signco, LED panels by Mitsubishi and integration control software by ANC. Madison Square Garden Sports worked in conjunction with the NBA to trial the signage at several New York Liberty games at the end of the WNBA regular season.

The Boston Globe reports: Lou Bender, an all-American basketball player at Columbia whose stellar play during the Depression helped popularize the game and make Madison Square Garden a magnet for college basketball, died Sept. 10 at his home in Longboat Key, Fla. He was 99. The cause was cancer, his son Steven said. Mr. Bender, a 6-foot-1 forward who played at DeWitt Clinton High School in the late 1920s, received the nickname Lulu when he sank a two-handed set shot from long range and a fan shrieked, “Now that was a lulu of a basket.’’

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that guard Sun Yue has been signed as a free agent. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. InsideHoops.com assume it’s not a guaranteed contract and is for low money.

Sun, 6-9, 205-pounds, averaged 0.6 points, 0.2 assists and 2.8 minutes in 10 games as a rookie last season with the L.A. Lakers. The Hebei, China-native was selected by the Lakers of the second round (40th overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft and also averaged 9.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in six games on assignment last season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. The 23-year old is a member of the Chinese National Team and started all six games for China in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard Gabe Pruitt has been signed to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. InsideHoops.com assumes it’s a small, non-guaranteed deal.

Pruitt, 6-4, 170-pounds, has career averages of 2.0 points and 7.4 minutes in 62 games over two NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles, CA-native was selected by Boston, following his junior season at the University of Southern California, in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft. Pruitt averaged 2.1 points in 15 games as a rookie in 2007-08, but was inactive for the Celtics during the playoffs and NBA Finals. He averaged 2.0 points and 7.8 minutes in 47 games last season and appeared in four games for the Celtics in the first two rounds of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Warren Carter has been signed as a free agent. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. InsideHooops.com assumes that this is a nonguaranteed contract.

Carter, 6-9, 220-pounds, averaged 5.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 13.9 minutes as a member of the Knicks entry in the 2009 NBA Summer League last month. The Dallas, TX-native spent the last two seasons playing overseas in Spain and Turkey following his four-year collegiate career at the University of Illinois.

The New York Daily News reports: Pint-size Knicks star Nate Robinson was slam-dunked in the Bronx Tuesday for driving without a license. The high-octane guard, whose driver’s license has been suspended since June for an outstanding summons, was booked Tuesday night at the 52nd Precinct stationhouse. He held a magazine to shield his face as he hopped into a waiting car after receiving a summons.

The New York Post reports: “According to DMV records, Robinson’s license has been suspended five times in 14 months. Robinson, an instigator in the infamous Denver brawl three seasons ago, still treated the latest pullover as it was a joke, showing he doesn’t learn from mistakes.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Nate should have simply jumped the entire distance of where he wanted to go. As for the Knicks, they’re hesitant to add any long term contracts at all, with an eye on top superstars possibly available in 2010. Robinson is a very good scorer and entertainer but the Knicks aren’t big fans of other aspects of his game.

August 25 Update: The issue has been cleared up. Nate can drive again.