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The New York Knicks are keeping J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni, two key members of their first Atlantic Division championship team since 1994.
Both players agreed to new deals Thursday, their agents confirmed.
Smith, the Sixth Man of the Year, gets a four-year contract worth around $25 million.
Reported by the Associated Press
The idea of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire dominating the league together was a good one. But unfortunately, injuries have reduced Stoudemire to a very expensive supporting player, and one that may continued to see a minutes limit. Here’s the New York Post:
With 7-foot power forward Andrea Bargnani officially coming aboard July 10, the Knicks have had renewed discussions on a stricter minutes restriction next season for Amar’e Stoudemire, according to his agent, Happy Walters.
The idea of a 20-minute nightly maximum with a prohibition on playing both ends of back-to-backs has been one of the ideas that has been discussed.
“I don’t think anything has been decided,’’ Walters told The Post yesterday. “The doctors are still talking about that. But he’s not going to play a ton of minutes.’’
An extra-cautious approach on Stoudemire to have him on a minutes restriction lower than last season’s was a factor in the Knicks’ willingness to trade for Bargnani, feeling they needed another scoring big man. The Knicks played 18 back-to-backs last season, so that could potentially be 18 games Stoudemire misses. It’s not all that dissimilar to the Spurs’ treatment of the aging Tim Duncan.
Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post
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The Nets stole the headlines on Draft Night with their sexier moves that have them threatening to replace the Knicks as Atlantic Division favorites.
But the Knicks aren’t done yet, as July’s free agency will determine whether they have lost ground to the Nets. The Knicks, who may have a trade up their sleeves, too, have to restock their roster with role players either by re-signing their free agents — J.R. Smith, Chris Copeland, Pablo Prigioni and Kenyon Martin — or adding to the roster.
Their No. 1 priority is re-signing Smith, the Sixth Man Award winner, who reportedly will get interest from the under-the-cap Bucks. Milwaukee can top the Knicks’ max bid of $5.4 million per season.
To date, the Nets’ starting five of Brook Lopez, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams has topped the Knicks for star quality, but the Nets have an unproven head coach in Jason Kidd.
Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post
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Carmelo Anthony said Thursday that his shoulder is doing great and he doesn’t believe that he’ll need surgery.
Anthony injured his shoulder late in the Celtics’ series and played through the pain in the Knicks’ six-game loss to the Pacers in the next round after which it was revealed he had a small tear in his left shoulder. A source said at the time that Anthony would rehab it for a month and would not need surgery.
“Much better. It feels much better. I have had about four to five weeks to let it rest and heal up,” Anthony said after a ceremony in which he refurbished two basketball courts at the Red Hook apartments in Brooklyn.
“It’s not 100 percent yet but it’s much better.”
Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post (Blog)
Despite NBA rules that prohibit players from playing in organized street summer leagues prior to July 1, Brooklyn Nets backup point guard Tyshawn Taylor stepped on the Dyckman Park court Monday night for a handful of minutes.
Taylor, who played opposite New York City high school star Isaiah Whitehead, a Lincoln point guard, said he had no knowledge of such rules. The league office recently levied fines on Lance Stephenson and Kemba Walker for playing in the same city basketball courts where they once honed their games.
“I didn’t know that. That’s my story, I’m sticking to it,” Taylor told ESPNDeportes.com after his squad Taylor Made nearly sent the game into overtime after trailing by 10 points with two minutes left.
The Hoboken, N.J., native who just averaged just under six minutes in 38 games could see extensive time in Brooklyn’s backcourt spelling starter Deron Williams if C.J. Watson opts out of his contract and goes elsewhere.
Reported by Adry Torres of ESPN Deportes
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Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith has informed the New York Knicks that he will decline the option in his contract for next season and become a free agent.
A team spokesman also says Tuesday the Knicks extended a qualifying offer to forward Chris Copeland, making him a restricted free agent and allowing them to match any offer he receives.
Smith’s decision was not a surprise given that he can make much more than the $2.9 million he was scheduled to earn next season.
The New Jersey product is happy in New York and is a longtime teammate of Carmelo Anthony so he would likely want to stay with the right offer.
Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press
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Ex-Knick and current free agent Shawne Williams will work out for New York on Monday, agent Happy Williams confirmed.
Shawne Williams had a breakout season with the Knicks in 2010-11, averaging 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly one block, while shooting 40.1 percent from downtown.
He has struggled in the two seasons since. He signed with the Nets in the 2011 offseason and was traded to Portland in the Gerald Wallace deal.
Williams, a 2006 first-round pick, was also arrested on drug charges late last year.
Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York
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Camby’s agent Richard Kaplan told ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday that the 17-year-veteran is committed to returning next season to be the backup center.
“The game plan is still the same,” Kaplan said. “There’s no reason to believe he won’t be back and won’t take on a greater role next season.”
Camby is under contract through the 2014-15 season.
He only played in 24 games last season, averaging 1.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 10 minutes per game. He battled through injuries — including left plantar fasciitis toward the end of the season — but Kaplan said Camby was healthy in the playoffs. The agent is “not sure why [Camby] didn’t play.”
Camby only saw the court for about three minutes in the postseason, including only 12 seconds against the Pacers.
Reported by Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York
Ricky Ledo, one of the top recruits out of high school a year ago, spent all of last season at Providence unable to play because of eligibility issues with the NCAA. So, in order to show off his skills, Ledo has been doing somewhat of a barnstorming tour around the NBA’s practice facilities this spring, as curious teams see what the 6-foot-6 shooting guard can do.
“I just [want to] show them that I belong and that I am more than capable of playing at this level,” Ledo said yesterday after working out for the Knicks at their practice facility. “Especially with me not playing [last season], showing I can compete and hold my own against anyone.” …
Ledo said he thinks if he winds up in New York, he immediately will be able to give the Knicks help as a shooter off the bench — with a chance to develop into more than that.
Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post
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One of the greatest, most fun-to-watch point guards in this era of professional basketball is saying goodbye and moving on to greener pastures.
New York Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that 10-time NBA All-Star guard Jason Kidd has retired from playing professional basketball.
“Jason’s value to the Knicks and the National Basketball Association cannot be quantified by statistics alone,” Grunwald said. “Everyone here in New York saw firsthand what a tremendous competitor he is and why Jason is considered to be one of the best point guards, and leaders, the game has ever seen.”
“My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years,” Kidd said. “As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court.”
“Veteran leadership on and off the court was a huge factor for our team that recorded 54 victories and an Atlantic Division crown,” Head Coach Mike Woodson said. “Jason provided an incredible voice inside our lockerroom and I considered it an honor to say I coached him.”
Kidd, 6-4, 220-pounds, holds averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists. 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals with Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey and New York. These Springfield-caliber career numbers have solidified his place among the greatest of the great in NBA history. On the League’s all-time leaders lists he ranks: second in season-appearances (19), sixth in games played (1,391), third in minutes (50,111), second in assists (12,091), second in steals (2,684), third in three-point field goals (1,988), 50th overall in rebounds and first overall amongst guards (8,725), 71st in points scored (17,529) and third in triple-doubles (107).
He appeared in 158 postseason games, averaging 12.9 points, 7.8 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.91 steals and led the Dallas Mavericks, along with current Knicks All-Star center Tyson Chandler, to the 2011 NBA Championship. He also is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, leading Team USA in 2000 at Sydney and in 2008 in Beijing. As a member of the New Jersey Nets, Kidd appeared in back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
Kidd is a 10-time NBA All-Star (1996, 1998, 2000-04, 2007-08, 2010), a five-time All-NBA First-Team selection (1999-02, 2004) and earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 2003. He was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team four times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006) and Second Team five times (2000, 2003-05, 2007) and was the 1995 Co-Rookie of the Year. On Apr. 30, Kidd became the first-ever back-to-back recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2012-13 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, an honor voted-on by all current players.
In his first and only season with the Knicks, Kidd provided trademark backcourt leadership and stability both as a starter and off the bench. Recording averages of 6.0 points, 3.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.64 steals in 76 games, the San Francisco, CA native became just the third Knicks player to celebrate his 40th birthday in the orange and blue (joining Kurt Thomas and Herb Williams).
Read NBA fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.
InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: The immediate guess is that J-Kidd, assuming he still wants to earn a paycheck going forward, may dive into coaching. I won’t be surprised if he’s an assistant coach somewhere next season.
