Morning Knicks 7/17: Knicks Executives Can Enter NBA Bubble, How to Utilize Julius Randle, and More
-The Knicks may get to go to the bubble after all—just not to play. Sam Amick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported that the NBA would be allowing more people into the bubble at Disney World, including "a governor, assistant governor, and a senior basketball operations executive" from each of the league's 30 teams. The eight teams not in the NBA's restart do not have to send anyone to the bubble if they choose not to, but Adam Silver is giving the option for these organizations to do in-person scouting. It's a questionable move to introduce more people into the bubble given the health concerns. The Knicks may be unlikely to oblige given their stance against a second bubble for the teams that didn't go to Orlando.
-It was a nightmarish first season in New York for Julius Randle. While the big man put up numbers, they were empty stats, as his efficiency and tendency to stop the ball hurt the Knicks. Even though his three-point shot is still a question mark, Randle proved in both Los Angeles and New Orleans that he can contribute to winning basketball in a smaller role. That may be hard to get Randle to buy into after signing him to a large deal, but the Knicks' next head coach will have to try, as moving Randle on the final year of his deal before a team option may be more costly than Leon Rose would like. The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov wrote about maximizing Randle's talents in a way that can make the Knicks better.
-It's going to be a busy offseason for the Knicks, and SNY's Ian Begley covered several angles in his latest mailbag. Begley answered questions about offseason decisions on players like Bobby Portis, potentially trading up in the draft for LaMelo Ball, a potential deal with Damyean Dotson, and more.
