Knicks Daily Roundup 3/25: John Calipari Talks Kevin Knox, Leon Rose, and More
-Kevin Knox is arguably the most polarizing player on the Knicks. A former lottery pick, Knox has struggled to defend, play consistently, and make significant strides. While some may want to cut ties, Knox's former coach has his back.
In a conference call yesterday, Kentucky head coach John Calipari talked up Knox, imploring the Knicks to be patient with him and saying “No one is going to work harder." SNY's Ian Begley wrote about everything Calipari said in regards to Knox.
Calipari is notorious for talking up his players, but the former Nets coach may have a point. Knox is still only 20 years old, and while he has regressed, there have been small improvements to his shooting and defensive intensity. He was also blocked in the rotation this season by Marcus Morris and other veterans. It's a lot to ask of a 20-year-old to be a finished product in the NBA, and it's common for some to be late bloomers like Christian Wood. It's also worth noting that Calipari's alumni have a great track record in the NBA—see Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Bam Adebayo, De'Aaron Fox, Julius Randle, and many more.
Coach Cal also became just the latest person to make glowing comments about Knicks president Leon Rose. Begley wrote about how Calipari believes Rose is the right person for the Knicks job, even if he has a tall task ahead of him. Another disclaimer: Calipari and Rose are friends, and Cal is represented by Rose's former agency, CAA.
-The Knicks SI 2k20 Fantasy Tournament has begun! In the first matchup, Patrick Ewing and Lauren Russell's team take on a healthy Amar'e Stoudemire and Alex Wolfe's team. Knicks SI has created this video game tournament to provide you with the Knicks basketball you crave, while also attempting to determine the best fantasy Knicks team of all time. To read more about the tournament, click here, and to see the result of Lauren and Alex's matchup, click here.
We've revealed several of the teams so far, but if you're interested in R.J. Barrett, read about Jackie Powell's team. For her squad, she combined the Knicks' rookie with some veteran guards. Her only regret? Not taking...Bobby Portis?
-Clippers owner Steve Ballmer reached an agreement yesterday with Madison Square Garden to buy the Forum, which was a Madison Square Garden-owned arena in Los Angeles. Ballmer paid $400 million cash for the Forum. Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times wrote about what the deal means for Ballmer, the Clippers, and James Dolan.
-For those still holding out hope for the NBA to return this season, The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote an interesting piece how a comeback could be possible. Hollinger explains just how odd the NBA season would look if it were brought back. I'm guessing fans wouldn't complain as long as they got their basketball.
-Most Knicks fans have endured constant pain and suffering for the past 20 years. But what if you could have been a Knicks fan and only seen the best of times? Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News wrote about the top five Knicks games of the past two decades, which you can watch on the currently-free NBA League Pass. As one might expect, there's a lot of Jeremy Lin, and no game from the past six years made the list.
