Knicks Daily Roundup 3/26: Cole Anthony's Indecision, Fizdale Speaks, and More
-Several players have been declaring for the NBA Draft despite the uncertainty surrounding workouts and interviews. Cole Anthony has not been one of them. The freshman from North Carolina tweeted that he was still undecided on whether he would enter the draft, and instead wanted to focus on how he can help during the coronavirus crisis, certainly a noble choice.
Anthony is a polarizing prospect, as he came into the college basketball season surrounded with hype, but injuries and subpar team play hurt his draft stock. Our own Kris Pursiainen wrote about whether Anthony would be a wise selection for the Knicks, and why his presence in the draft alone could benefit New York.
-For more NBA Draft content, The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov and Sam Vecenie wrote about all the different paths the draft could go down for the Knicks. New York has a multitude of possibilities as to where the team may draft. We saw last year that nothing is promised when they had the worst record in the NBA and fell to the third overall pick. Vorkunov and Vecenie do a great job of covering all the scenarios.
-Former head coach David Fizdale, now working at ESPN, went on ESPN Radio yesterday, and it's no surprise he talked about the Knicks. Fizdale talked about what the team needs to do to aid in Mitchell Robinson's development, as Marc Berman of The New York Post wrote. When asked about if the Knicks have any future stars on their roster, Fiz did have one player in mind: RJ Barrett. You can read more about his interview in Berman's story and from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
-In the next matchup of the Knicks SI 2K20 Fantasy Tournament, David Vertsberger's team stomped my team by a margin of 50 points, thanks to a 58-point effort from Carmelo Anthony. Letting Melo and J.R. Smith combine for nearly 90 points was not a wise strategy, nor was letting Baron Davis shoot his way to a 1-for-12 night. You can read more about the matchup and watch highlights here. I have no further comment at this time.
-If you checked out Tuesday's Knicks Daily Roundup, you saw that Marc Berman was doing a 15-part series breaking down every Knicks player on the roster and how they could factor in the team's plans going forward. Rookies R.J. Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis were the subject of the first two pieces. You can read the third installment about Reggie Bullock. It was an uneven year for Bullock, who started off injured, but he poses an interesting decision for the Knicks. Many of the veterans they signed last year are ball-dominant player that could stunt the growth of the Knicks' younger players. Bullock, however, doesn't need the ball in his hands, and could contribute to a modern environment with his shooting and defense.
