Tag: New York Knicks

Derrick Rose classily bought newspaper ads in all 6 cities he played for his NBA retirement

Cool move from D Rose as he moves into this next chapter of his life.

2011 NBA MVP winner Derrick Rose announced his retirement from basketball on Thursday morning.

After his playing career was over, Rose made a classy decision. Rather than just post on Instagram and other social media platforms, the three-time All-Star point guard chose to show some love to his fans who are a bit less online as well. He also provided them with a cool physical item that they can keep forever as well.

Rose bought a full-page ad in six newspapers across the country, thanking all of the fans who supported him in each city that he played for both in college and in the NBA.

https://twitter.com/malika_andrews/status/1839253762893836677

Rose played in college for the Memphis Tigers and then in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, where he enjoyed the most success.

He also played for the New York Knicks (multiple times), Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies.

https://twitter.com/NBA_NewYork/status/1839256577074766017

So he took out full-page ads in the following  New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Commercial Appeal, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Minneapolis Star Tribune.

That is a cool move from Rose as he moves into this next chapter of his life.

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Nets get even better grade for Kevin Durant trade after Mikal Bridges deal

After the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for quite the haul, their trade of Kevin Durant is looking even better.

The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the more interesting teams in the NBA in recent memory and not for all of the best reasons. After the past two seasons, Brooklyn have traded three superstars along with a valuable two-way player in Mikal Bridges, but they’re at least getting their praises for their return.

In a recent article by Bleacher Report, their NBA staff decided to regrade some of the biggest trades that have happened in the last five years. As every Nets fan knows, Brooklyn has been involved in some of the biggest trades over the past couple of seasons, including trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

As a recap of the trade, the Nets received Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, 2023 first-round pick (Noah Clowney), 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round swap, 2029 first-round pick while the Suns received Durant and TJ Warren.

While many had said at the time that the Nets do not do a good job of managing their superstar era of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden since all of the stars requested their own trades before anything substantial happened.

Given that Brooklyn was able to get so much for Durant and then get so much for Bridges after trading him to the New York Knicks last month, the franchise is now looking like one of the best organizations in terms of getting equitable returns for their players.

As a result, Bleacher Report gave the Nets an A++++ grade because of the combined returns for Durant and Bridges and now, Brooklyn is set up well for the next few years in terms of draft capital. Here’s what Dan Favale had to say about the Nets’ grade:

“Bridges was just flipped to the New York Knicks for five additional first-round picks and another first-round swap. Brooklyn was also able to leverage Phoenix’s 2027 and 2029 selections into regaining control of its own first-rounders for 2025 and 2026.

All told, the Nets basically turned KD and two swaps into seven extra first-round picks, the return of the rights to a pair of their own firsts, another two swaps and Cam Johnson. (Crowder was also used to scoop up seconds from Milwaukee in 2028 and 2029—another savvy move).”

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Former UNC basketball captain hired as Dallas Mavericks scout

This former Tar Heel has found a new home in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks as a scout.

During the 1998 NCAA season, the UNC Tar Heels made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. It climaxed with a regional win over UConn 75-64 earning a trip to the Final Four before losing to Utah in that round.

That team was captained by 6-foot-9 forward Makhtar N’Diaye. After going undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, N’Diaye found his way onto the Vancouver Grizzlies for the 199 season.

His NBA stint lasted just one season before bouncing around to teams and leagues around the world. In 2017, he started his front-office career in the NBA with a roving scout position with the New York Knicks.

He eventually worked his way up to the Director of International and Pro Scouting with the team in 2021 and has been acting in that capacity since then.

The Dallas Mavericks are bringing the former big man into their front office in the same capacity as their Director of Pro Personnel and International Scouting.

N’Diaye has made a name for himself in the scouting world as he continues to work with the Senegalese men’s basketball team. His future in the front office of NBA teams is already looking better than the short-lived NBA career he held as a player.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

OKC Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein continues to work on 3-point shot in offseason

OKC Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein continues to work on 3-point shot in offseason.

After landing Isaiah Hartenstein, the Oklahoma City Thunder hope the 26-year-old has room to grow. He’s fresh off a career season with the New York Knicks where he stepped up as the starter once Mitchell Robinson went down.

The campaign landed him a massive deal with OKC. He provides them with some serious size and rebounds. After playing without a traditional backup big, the Thunder now employ arguably the best in the league.

A wrinkle to Hartenstein’s game he could add is his outside shot. He’s never truly been asked to be an outside shooter in his career. He’s totaled 87 career three-point attempts. He only took three last year.

But on the Thunder, that could be something he could add to his repertoire. It looks like he’s spent some offseason time sharpening his craft. In a recent video, Hartenstein showed off his corner 3-pointer in an Instagram story.

If the 26-year-old can legitimize his outside shot and translate it to the NBA, that could be a serious weapon for OKC to utilize in its 5-out offense. He’ll provide drivers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams another kick-out option.

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Shams: Boston Celtics’ opponents for season opener, rematches with Dallas Mavericks revealed

We just learned a little more about the Boston Celtics’ slate of regular season games for the looming 2024-25 season.

There may not be all that much going on in terms of men’s basketball now that the 2024 Paris Olympics are over, but that does not mean that the NBA news cycle is ready to take some time off. To that end, we just learned a little more about the Boston Celtics‘ slate of regular season games for the looming 2024-25 season from the Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Per Charania, we now know who the Celtics will face on opening night as they get their rings for the 2024 NBA title they won at the end of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. That ball club would be the new-look New York Knicks, which Boston will face on opening night on October 22 on TNT, with Boston of course hosting.

The Celtics and their fans also learned when Boston will face their opponent in the 2024 NBA Finals in the league’s 2024-25 regular season.

Boston is slated to face the Dallas Mavericks twice next season. The first tilt will be a road game against the Mavs on January 25, and the second of two will be at TD Garden on February 6.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shams: San Antonio Spurs return to national TV on Christmas Day

The San Antonio Spurs had one of their Christmas gifts come a bit early, it seems

The San Antonio Spurs had one of their Christmas gifts come a bit early, it seems. According to the Athletic reporter Shams Charania, the Spurs are one of 10 teams that will be playing national TV games on Christmas Day 2024.

And San Antonio may have the marquee contest at that as they face the New York Knicks on the road in the Madison Square Garden for their holiday contest this winter. The majority of the rest of the tilts being played on Christmas involve Western Conference teams, though the reigning champion Boston Celtics will also face off against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden,

The rest of the West Christmas Day matchups include the Golden State Warriors hosting the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Dallas Mavericks, and the Denver Nuggets at the Phoenix Suns.

Just being included in the five Christmas Day games again is a honor for the Spurs franchise — and a huge sign the team is headed back towards relevancy after a rare dip into a rebuild’s obscurity.

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Are the New York Knicks really a threat to the Boston Celtics?

After an offseason of savvy moves, the Knicks are perhaps the second-best team in the NBA’s East. Is it enough?

Are the New York Knicks really a threat to the Boston Celtics? After an offseason of savvy moves, the Knicks are perhaps the second-best team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference next season, per many a projection. But will it have done enough to make them a real threat to Boston in 2024-25?

CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning sat down with Michael Scotto of the HoopsHype podcast to discuss the Knicks’ offseason vs. that of the Celtics. Have the Knicks improved enough to be a serious threat? And how will the Celtics manage their growing payroll going forward? That, and much more!

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Mikal Bridges says leadership could have been better while with Nets

New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges recently spoke on how his leadership during his time with the Brooklyn Nets could have been better.

The Brooklyn Nets are moving on to a full-scale rebuild of their franchise now that they have an eye towards the future with their young players and cache of draft picks. While Brooklyn once had a vision of their future with Mikal Bridges in it, the franchise eventually traded him to the New York Knicks, ending a tenure that he admits he could have handled better.

“I think could have been better, that’s what I think,” Bridges said during a recent appearance on “Podcast P” along with Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George, former NBA player Carmelo Anthony, actor Jackie Long, and Dallas Rutherford. Bridges and Anthony both made guest appearances on the show and some of what the cast talked about pertained to Bridges’ time with the Nets.

“But, it’s different. I was close to everybody, we was all pretty close,” Bridges explained. “We just couldn’t figure it out. I think that was the toughest situation and you want to lead and help other guys but, sometimes you got to look yourself in the mirror. It’s like, what can I do better to help?”

After the Nets traded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant during the 2022-23 season, the Durant trade being the one that brought Bridges to Brooklyn, Bridges became one of the leaders of a Nets team still looking to still be competitive despite not having a superstar on the roster. Coming into the 2023-24 season, with many in the NBA space expecting an All-Star level season from him, Bridges’ numbers dropped across the board and it seemed that the joyfulness that he normally played with was fading away with each loss.

After spending the first 4.5 seasons of his NBA career playing with guys like Chris Paul and Devin Booker while being led by coaches like Monty Williams, Bridges was thrust into a leadership role that was unfamiliar to him up to that point. It sounds like he gave it his best shot, but it appears that he is looking forward to having less of a leadership responsibility with the Knicks next season.

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Tyler Kolek’s mid-air spinning assist is the play of Sumer League

The Knicks second-round pick continues to look like a steal

You know that old adage about how Summer League doesn’t prove who can play in the NBA, it only proves who can’t?

Well, Tyler Kolek is already challenging that notion this year in Las Vegas.

The No. 34 overall pick of the New York Knicks has already looked like one of the steals of the draft, and added what another signature highlight to his summer with the vision and passing displayed against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

After creating a lane to the rim for himself from the top of the arc, the guard skied for a layup before contorting his body for a 360-degree spin in midair and dishing a perfect pass for a corner three.

That’s just a masterful play from the Marquette product who had no problem reading the defense.

Kolek will certainly earn some playing time in Madison Square Garden if he can continue his stellar summer run. He finished Friday’s game against Detroit with eight points, seven assists and three rebounds to bring his Vegas averages up to 10.5 points, 7.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in four games.

Watch: Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein swishes 3-pointers in offseason workout

Watch: Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein swishes 3-pointers in offseason workout.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder added Isaiah Hartenstein, the immediate thought was how the 26-year-old would help the rebounding and size problems.

His rebound rate would’ve easily ranked best in OKC last season. At 7-foot, 250 pounds, he provides the Thunder some serious size at center that they previously didn’t have.

After that though, there are some other secondary benefits with Hartenstein. One might include bringing back an outside shot he abandoned with the New York Knicks.

Hartenstein is a career 27-of-87 (31%) from 3 in his six seasons but only attempted three outside shots last year. He didn’t rule out expanding his game beyond the arc.

“That was something that I felt like I can really bring, expand my game as I was talking about before, just getting back to the shooting aspect,” Hartenstein said. “Because before I was shooting it, so it’s really just getting back to that and being more versatile because that’s kinda what the team needs.”

This is a case where someone must see it first to believe it. Hartenstein had yet to register a season where he attempted one 3-point per game. But the good news is he won’t be asked to do that with the Thunder.

If anything, Hartenstein can return to a similar volume of outside looks he had in previous seasons. It won’t be a high priority but it’s a nice option in case the shot clock is close to expiring or opposing defenses sag off him.

Hartenstein has put in the work from deep in the offseason. He was recently featured in a social media video where he swished in outside attempts.

Attempting outside looks in an open gym compared to an NBA game are two different atmospheres, but it’s productive to see Hartenstein take this endeavor seriously.

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