New York Knicks Blog – Page 29 – NBA Blog

Willis Reed thinks Phil Jackson should be Knicks coach

Knicks legend Willis Reed knows what ails the franchise — not having Phil Jackson as its head coach.

Attending the Hall of Fame press conference Saturday, Reed, a Louisiana resident, told The Post that Jackson has assembled enough talent to win but needs a great coach. A coach like Jackson.

Reed never mentioned coach Jeff Hornacek by name, but said the Knicks aren’t getting the most out of their roster…

“Unfortunately for us as Knicks fans, if Phil Jackson had been coaching all year, we would’ve won more games,’’ Reed told The Post. “His toughness and ability to make guys concentrate, that’s what I loved about him as a coach. He got guys to play harder and smarter.”

— NY Post

Knicks beat Nets in Brooklyn

Both the Knicks and Nets are struggling this season, but it’s still fun to pay attention when NYC’s two teams play each other. Here’s the New York Post reporting on Wednesday’s result:

Even Nets coach Kenny Atkinson had to admit the Knicks are Broadway, while his team is off-Broadway. They may have found a few promising young actors, but they wilted under the spotlight Wednesday against the Knicks.

The Nets folded in the fourth quarter of a 95-90 loss, a seventh straight defeat that saw the sellout crowd of 17,732 at Barclays Center largely taken over by blue-and-orange.

“I’d say we’re off-Broadway right now, and we’re trying to get on,” Atkinson said. “We know it’s a long road and a difficult road, but we’re trying to get in that conversation, in the New York conversation.”

If there were any conversation about this one, it wouldn’t be pleasant. For the second straight game, the Nets guarded well, but for the umpteenth time, they lost a game by getting hammered on the backboards and making untimely turnovers.

NBA fines Wizards, Sidney Lowe over Knicks game

Washington Wizards assistant coach Sidney Lowe has been fined $5,000, and the Wizards’ organization has been fined $15,000, for Lowe’s standing on the playing court and potentially impacting game action during Washington’s 113-110 win over New York on Jan. 19 at Madison Square Garden, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah will have MRIs Thursday

The 18-24 Knicks have lost eight of their last ten games through Tuesday’s action. They’re hoping not to lose Kristaps Porzingis for much longer. The talented young big hasn’t played in the last four games (including Wednesday night’s action). Here’s NY Newsday reporting:

Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah were unable to play Wednesday night, and both are scheduled to undergo MRIs Thursday morning on their respective injuries.

Porzingis has a sore left Achilles that kept him out for a fourth straight game. Noah sat out against the Celtics with a sprained left ankle.

Noah said his ankle swelled up after the plane ride to Boston and he was in so much pain he didn’t even test it out at shootaround or before the game. Porzingis went through shootaround and did a workout before the game.

Kyle O’Quinn fined for foul on Anthony Davis

New York Knicks center/forward Kyle O’Quinn has been fined $25,000 for striking and pushing New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Anthony Davis from behind, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, for which O’Quinn was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, occurred with 1:16 remaining in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 110-96 loss to the Pelicans on Jan. 9 at Madison Square Garden.

Latest Derrick Rose Knicks news

Is Derrick Rose doing OK? Well, he’s back with the Knicks. So, he’s physically fine. But mentally and emotionally? We’ll see. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Derrick Rose is confident the issue that caused him to abruptly leave the Knicks on Monday has been resolved and that he’s back with the team for the long haul. But the veteran point guard also admitted that if he needed more time away from the Knicks he would not hesitate to ask the team for permission.

“No, not at all,” Rose said early Wednesday. “The relationship I’m building with Phil (Jackson) and Steve (Mills) I wouldn’t mind asking (for time off) if I needed it. But like I said, I feel fine and what happened a couple of days ago is just the past.”

Rose was fined but not suspended for going AWOL on Monday and missing the Knicks loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Rose made the peculiar decision not to notify the team of his intentions to return to his hometown of Chicago Monday afternoon. Also, Rose refused to return repeated phone calls and text messages from team officials from several hours. The Knicks were so concerned about Rose that they sent an employee to his Manhattan apartment.

George Karl takes shots at Carmelo Anthony in new book

It has been more than five years since Carmelo Anthony played for George Karl, but that hasn’t stopped his old coach from taking shots at him.

Karl has a new book coming out in January, Furious George, which might make his former Nuggets players angrier than anyone. Karl’s book features a number of blindsided attacks on Anthony, who he coached in Denver from Anthony’s second season until he was traded in 2011.

““Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight, and very unhappy when he had to share it.

“He really lit my fuse with his low demand for himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy. My ideal – probably every coach’s ideal – is when your best player also is your leader. But since Carmelo only played hard on one side of the ball, he made it plain and simple he couldn’t lead the Nuggets, even though he said he wanted to. Coaching him meant working around his defense and compensating for his attitude.”

Anthony knew the questions were coming and he took the high road after the Knicks beat the Magic, 106-95, mostly laughing off the comments.

“Nothing disappoints me anymore,” Anthony said. “I’m past being disappointed. I just hope that he finds happiness in what he’s doing. His book, hopefully will bring him happiness.

— Bergen Record

Quick Take: This is great publicity for the book. We’ll be reading it.

Derrick Rose returning for Knicks tonight

Knicks point guard Derrick Rose was one of the last players to leave the court after Monday’s practice as he tested his back to make sure he will be able to return to the lineup.

Rose went through the entire practice and reported no lower-back pain. He said the plan is for him to play Tuesday night when the Knicks face the Indiana Pacers to start a three-game homestand.

The former MVP, who missed about 58 percent of his team’s games during the previous five seasons as a member of the Chicago Bulls, said he’s not concerned that this will be a lingering issue despite missing the past two games and four of the last six with the back issue.

— NY Newsday

Quick Take: The Knicks are 14-13 this season, which is tied with the Bulls for the 6th best record in the Eastern conference. The 3rd and 8th seeds in the East are only separated by one game. As for the Knicks, they need Rose healthy and effective if they hope to leapfrog that group.

Derrick Rose dealing with back spasms

Carmelo Anthony will return to the Knicks’ lineup Saturday against Denver after missing Thursday’s game because of soreness in his shoulder, the team said. Derrick Rose, however, will sit because of lingering discomfort from back spasms. He has missed four of the Knicks’ past six games because of the ailment.

Brandon Jennings is likely to start at point guard in place of Rose on Saturday.

Anthony’s return against his former team will be a welcome one for the Knicks, who are 0-11 in games Anthony has missed over the past two seasons.

— ESPN NY

Quick Take: Knicks fans definitely don’t want to hear the words “Derrick Rose” and “injury concerns.” I felt uncomfortable even typing that sentence. Hopefully he recovers soon.

Kristaps Porzingis puts up big game vs Lakers

Phil Jackson greatest move as Knicks president was on full and incredible display at the Staples Center, flaunted in front of the team that passed him up in the draft less than two years ago.

Kristaps Porzingis finished with a game-high 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks, terminating his shooting slump emphatically in New York’s 118-112 victory Sunday over L.A.

The 21-year-old Latvian came into the game shooting just 30 percent over his previous five while dealing with a minor knee issue. Then he helped pummel the Lakers for the streaking Knicks’ fourth straight road win.

“I’ve been confident the whole time. Maybe it was just more getting shots in rhythm, good shots, and not being too anxious. Sometimes I try to force things a little too much and (Sunday) I wanted to slow down a little bit and take good shots. Good decisions” Porzingis said. “And it came to me, I really didn’t have to force things.”

— NY Daily News

Quick Take: Porzingis is 7-foot-3, can run the fast break, and hit three-pointers. He’s got as much potential as any young player in the league. There is no reason to expect consistent play from him just yet, but it’s going to be very cool watching him continue to develop. And as he gets better, the Knicks will presumably go to him in more consistent fashion. And then the real fun begins.