Just 10 days after officially retiring from the Knicks with two years and more than $6 million left on his contract, Jason Kidd has jumped ship and become the head coach of the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets.
The addition of the 10-time NBA All-Star — arguably the greatest Net in NBA history (Dr. J. played in the ABA) — should certainly spice up the Knicks-Nets rivalry.
“I think it’s a great rivalry,” Kidd said Thursday at his introductory press conference at Barclays Center. “It’s great for the city, for the people that live here and so hopefully Brooklyn has the upper hand at the end of the day.” To read more of this story, click here
.jpg)
The Knicks will work out some intriguing prospects in the coming days.
On Friday, the team will host the following players.
• Ricardo Ledo, Guard, 6-6, 180, Providence, Freshman
• Tahj Tate, Guard, 6-4, 190, Delaware State, Sophomore
• Adonis Thomas, Guard/Forward, 6-7, 240, Memphis, Sophomore
• Christian Watford, Forward, 6-9, 232, Indiana, Senior
• Tony Mitchell, Forward, 6-8, 235, North Texas, Sophomore To read more of this story, click here
Jason Kidd’s retirement opens up $3.1 million in cap space next season and means the Knicks must add another capable point guard.
The Knicks could actually be shopping for two point guards depending on what happens with 35-year-old Pablo Prigioni, a restricted free agent.
“Of course I would like to return,” he told ESPNNewYork.com. “I really enjoyed this year. It was a great experience for me and my family. My first option is to play in NBA, but I’m open to hearing and watching my options. We will see.”
Possible free agent additions at the point include Aaron Brooks (team option with the Houston Rockets), Nate Robinson of the Chicago Bulls, Will Bynum of the Detroit Pistons and A.J. Price of the Washington Wizards.
The Knicks also own the No. 24 pick in the draft.
Miami’s Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told SNY.tv.
Other potential options with that pick include Allen Crabbe of California, Lorenzo Brown of N.C. State, Pierre Jackson of Baylor, Nate Wolters of South Dakota State and Germany’s Dennis Schroeder.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook
LeBron James, the 2012-13 NBA Most Valuable Player and winner of four of the previous five MVP awards, highlights the 2012-13 All-NBA First Team. James was the only player to receive all 119 First Team votes.
Joining James on the First Team are Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. For Bryant, his 11th First Team nod ties him with Hall of Famer Karl Malone for the most such selections. Bryant had been tied at 10 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit and Jerry West.
The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony made the second team.
An MRI Wednesday revealed that Anthony has a small left shoulder tear and that he played the final 12 games of the season with it. The news was first reported by the Daily News. Surgery is not expected to be required, according to reports.
The Knicks have still not commented publicly on the MRI results.
2012-13 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM
Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points
Forward LeBron James, Miami (119) 595
Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (102) 555
Center Tim Duncan, San Antonio (45) 392
Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (91) 521
Guard Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (97) 537 To read more of this story, click here
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and head coach Mike Woodson met with the media on Tuesday and their message emphasized “continuity” with the current core group that lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“We’re in the period of time now where we have an opportunity to be successful,” Grunwald said of the team’s short window to compete for a title. “We were somewhat successful, not as successful as we wanted to be. We’re going to continue to try to improve this team.”
Grunwald said he would do his due diligence and try to improve the team, but because they are over the $74 million tax apron they are prohibited by league rules from engaging in sign-and-trades. So anyone dreaming of Chris Paul is probably living in a fantasy-world. To read more of this story, click here
Jim Boeheim ripped a number of Carmelo Anthony’s teammates and said the Knicks need a second scorer in order for Anthony to lead the team to an NBA championship.
“I believe he’s good enough to win an NBA championship but I believe he needs another guy with him,” Boeheim said Tuesday on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike.”
The Syracuse coach said that people who say Anthony isn’t a winner “don’t understand history” because Anthony won in high school, at Syracuse and with the Olympic team.
Boeheim asked rhetorically if the Knicks as currently constituted had that second “guy,” implying that J.R. Smith didn’t fit the bill of other traditional second stars like Scottie Pippen and Dwyane Wade. To read more of this story, click here
Chris Smith expects to play with his brother, J.R. Smith, on the Knicks next season.
“I will be back with my big brother @TheRealJRSmith … Will be a blessing to wear my Knicks uniform,” Chris Tweeted Sunday.
Chris Smith was waived by the Knicks on Oct. 26 after undergoing left patella tendon surgery. The former Louisville and Manhattan player spent the season rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee at the Knicks’ facilities, and told SNY.tv in January he hoped to return to the team next season.
The younger Smith recently parted ways with agent Marc Cornstein and signed with Leon Rose, who also reps J.R. The To read more of this story, click here
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Despite failing to reach their goal of making the Eastern Conference Finals, Carmelo Anthony believes the Knicks are “right there” going forward.
“We right there, I mean we right there,” Anthony said Monday following the Knicks’ season-ending loss at Indiana in Game 6 Saturday night.
“When you recap this whole season, it’s just some detail-oriented things that we kind of gotta fix. But we right there. I believe we right there as a team, as a unit, the guys that we have on this team, we right there. I’m a believer in that, I’m very confident.”
His teammate, Iman Shumpert, gave the most blunt assessment of the Knicks’ postseason failure to get past Indiana in the conference semifinals. To read more of this story, click here
By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – By all accounts, Tyson Chandler was outplayed by Roy Hibbert in the Knicks’ six-game loss in the Eastern Conference Semifinals as part of a forgettable postseason for the 7-foot-1 center. Despite that sentiment, Chandler does not feel he let his team down.
“You can’t let the team down if you give them 100 percent, I gave my teammates everything I had and I’m fine with that,” Chandler said on Monday morning as the team conducted exit interviews following Saturday night’s Game 6, season-ending loss at the Indiana Pacers. “I haven’t slept the last two days or the last two nights thinking about what could’ve been, this and that, but you can’t do that. You’ve gotta move on and at the end of the day, it was a a successful season. I think the organization took a step in the right direction.”
To read more of this story, click here
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Knicks guard Iman Shumpert says he plans to play in the Vegas Summer League July 13-22 to work on his game.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to play,” Shumpert said here Monday.
A year ago, Shumpert was coming off an ACL tear in the first round against Miami. After coming back from the ACL in January, he wants to play in summer league to continue to develop his game.
“I’m happy that I got a summer to get everything right, know what I have to work on and not have to sit out due to injury,” he said. To read more of this story, click here
