Morning Knicks 8/10: Kenny Payne Considering Assistant Position, Delete 8 Bubble Update, and More
-According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks are "optimistic" that Kentucky's Kenny Payne will become a Knicks' assistant coach. Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported that Payne, a friend of William Wesley, is weighing an offer to join the Knicks' organization. Our own Jonathan Macri confirmed these reports and said Payne to the Knicks is "en route to happening" but "not done yet." Kevin Knox could be the biggest beneficiary of this move, as Payne has spoken out about the former Kentucky Wildcat needing more opportunity. For fans who want to learn more about Payne, The Athletic's Kyle Tucker wrote a great article about why he's so valued at Kentucky.
-The status of a potential Delete 8 bubble for the eight teams left out of the league's restart is constantly in flux. After recent news that it was growing unlikely that such an idea would come to fruition, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported that the league is exploring the idea of these eight teams entering the Orlando bubble in Disney World after the current NBA season is finished. This could be tricky, as it would lead to NBA teams being on varying offseason timelines, but the plan is not dead yet. It's possible fans could see the Knicks play in Orlando eventually.
-Tom Thibodeau looks to bring his hard-working, gritty, and tough mentality to the Knicks, and he's sure to search for players who fit that mold. With plenty of cap space and draft assets, Thibodeau and Leon Rose will have the ability to acquire some of these players. Our own Jonathan Macri identified five "Thibodeau guys" and the kind of impact they could bring to New York.
-Thibodeau also went on the Michael Kay Show last week and discussed some of his coaching philosophy, particularly three-point shooting and minutes allocation. Thibodeau understands that the league has changed and that more threes are necessary in the modern NBA, but he also believes in taking the right shots. He pushed back on the idea of him riding his players too hard. You can read more about the interview from SNY's Ian Begley.
-Perhaps the most iconic NBA injury return belongs to none other than Willis Reed. After getting hurt in Game 5 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Reed triumphantly returned in Game 7 to give the Knicks a boost to win the championship. The Athletic is counting down the 40 greatest comebacks in sports, and Mike Vorkunov wrote about Reed's comeback, as well as how the entire Knicks' team made their own come back after losing to Boston the year before.
-Knicks fans know their team will have three picks in the 2020 NBA Draft to work with, but it's uncertain as to where the picks will fall, particularly New York's lottery pick. With a ton of scenarios on the board, our own Kris Pusiainen put together a detailed draft guide for the Knicks fo follow based on where they end up picking. Kris discussed several options at each area of the draft, pick-trading possibilities, and plenty more to give fans an idea of what to hope for as the draft lottery inches closer.
Kris has also made his claim as to who's the best shooter in the draft, and it's a guy who could be available for the Knicks' late first-round pick: Desmond Bane. The TCU standout hit nearly 45% of his threes last year on a large number of attempts, and he's a smart player that contributes in several different areas. You can read Kris's scouting report on Bane here.
-There have not been many memorable Knicks head coaches in the past two decades. Tom Thibodeau hopes to break that trend and make his mark on New York. I looked back at one of the worse tenures in recent memory and wrote about how terribly the Derek Fisher experiment went. The tandem of Fisher and Phil Jackson came to the Knicks with plenty of fanfare, but their time in the Big Apple was filled with disappointment.
-Knicks players are getting back in the gym, and they've been sharing it on social media to allow fans to track their offseason progress. Our own Lauren Russell has the latest Knicks' social media check-in with workout posts from Frank Ntilikina, Mitchell Robinson, and Bobby Portis.
