Knicks Daily Roundup 5/4: Draft Lottery Postponed, Knicks in "The Last Dance," and More
-As expected, the NBA has postponed the 2020 Draft Lottery and Combine. Additionally, the league has discussed a delayed start to the 2020-2021 NBA season until December. The actual draft itself has yet to be postponed and is still scheduled for June 25th. You can read more about this developing situation from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The motivation behind the decision is clear: The NBA still hopes to resume the season, and if they do, the standings could change. Therefore, the Draft Lottery cannot take place until those standings are finalized. All of these moves are preparing for the NBA to come back this season, but the feasibility of a return is still very much up in the air.
SNY's Ian Begley wrote about where the Knicks stand at this time, and what it could mean for the franchise whether the season is cancelled or not. He also talked about a superstar that's soon to be a free agent that the Knicks could have close eyes on (no, it's not Giannis).
-The Knicks finally got their chance to dance. Last night, "The Last Dance" documentary highlighted Michael Jordan's battles with the Knicks during the 1992-1993 season, most notably during the Eastern Conference Finals. There were quotes from Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, and Charles Oakley about New York's physical strategy against the Bulls. The Knicks got out to a 2-0 lead in the series and had the Bulls on the ropes. Chicago turned it around to win four straight and the series, including a 54-point outburst for Jordan in Game 4 and a narrow victory in Game 5 that was a Charles Smith tip-in away from pushing the Bulls to the brink of elimination. What happens to both Jordan and the Knicks if this series went differently? It's impossible to say. All Knicks fans can do is enjoy "The Last Dance" and wonder what could have been. Our Alex Wolfe has more.
-Last week, Leon Rose made a major move by keeping Scott Perry as general manager for the 2020-2021 season. The Knicks have been bad during Perry's tenure, but he was also overshadowed by form team president Steve Mills. So what does this move foreshadow? Our own Jonathan Macri wrote about the extension and made some assumptions on future decisions that Perry could make at the helm. There are worries Perry may continue to favor a veteran point guard (Elfrid Payton) over younger ones (Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr.).
-Our own Lauren Russell has brought you social media updates for current New York players. Now, she's back with some potential future Knicks. Lauren put together rankings of the best social media games from the top lottery prospects. See what Instagrams and Tik Toks could be on their way to the Garden next season.
Of those lottery prospects, Cole Anthony already has ties to New York. He grew up in New York and has the same trainer as former Knick Carmelo Anthony: Chris Brickley. Marc Berman of The New York Post spoke with Brickley about Cole. Brickley hyped up the prospect and explained how it's unfair to judge him on his freshman season at North Carolina. It's true that Cole struggled with injuries and subpar team play, and Brickley thinks those factors over shadowed just how good Cole is, saying "he'd love to play in New York for sure." The top of the 2020 NBA Draft is as wide open as it's been in recent years, so there's no telling where Cole truly ranks among his peers. As a player whose father (Greg Anthony) played for the Knicks, who grew up in Manhattan, and who shares a trainer with Melo, Cole Anthony is certainly a name to keep an eye on for Knicks fans.
-Look at the numbers, and you may not think Frank Ntilikina improved much during his third-year campaign. But if you watched the Knicks every night, you could feel the French Prince's presence whenever he was on the court. So how exactly did Ntilikina get better, and was it significant? The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov continued his series analyzing the development of New York's young players with a piece on Ntilikina. The article gives a detailed deep dive of what Frank did better and where he still has work to do. The good news is, there's likely a valuable NBA player in there. The Knicks (particularly Perry, as Macri discussed above) should make it a priority to coax that out.
-The first round of the Knicks SI 2K20 Fantasy Tankathon has come to a close. The final matchup between Alex Wolfe and Howard Megdal pitted two squads that were led by current Knicks in Bobby Portis and Frank Ntilikina. Who was the lucky loser? If you're not sure whether Portis or Ntilikina provide more winning value to a team, read more about the game here. The semifinals will start next week, as the writers of Knicks SI look to crown the absolute worst Knicks team possible.
