As we patiently wait to know more about Jose Alvarado’s decision, it looks like Mitchell Robinson we’ll be gone within a week.
Sad day in this crib.
On the bright side of things, here are a bunch of quotes from and about the two newest Knickerbockers.
Tyler Nickel
On the toughest pre-draft question an NBA team asked him:
“Somebody asked me, three people I would want to have dinner with, dead or alive, and that was tough; I didn’t expect that one. I think I ended up saying Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and LeBron.”
On being drafted by the Knicks:
“I feel crazy right now, just working my whole life to be in this position and obviously ultimately being drafted, it’s a dream. I feel like I’m in a dream right now.”
On going from Rockingham County to New York:
“It doesn’t even sound real. It doesn’t even sound like it would happen. It’s been a minute since it happened to anybody even in the area.”
On his mentality:
“[I’m] just fearless. Like, extremely fearless. It doesn’t matter who’s on the court, what’s going on, I’m never going to fear another man that walks this earth ever in any regard.”
On his confidence:
“Where I kind of like grew up, dude, if you didn’t believe in yourself to get to a certain level, it wasn’t gonna happen. You kind of have to have almost, to other people, a delusional sense of confidence. I trust myself so much just because of my work.”
On being himself:
“I’m never going to apologize for being myself or stop being myself just because people assume certain things or feel a type of way about it. People are going to feel some type of way about you regardless of what you do. So you might as well just be yourself in the process.”
Pedro Calles (Alba Berlin Coach)
On Jack Kayil’s mature game:
“We are talking about a 19-year-old guy, but his mind and body aren’t those of a 19-year-old. This is the first thing that got my attention.”
Alan Ibrahimagic (Germany U19 Coach)
On Jack Kayil’s unselfishness:
“Sometimes he’s a little bit too unselfish: he always tries to find another teammate before looking at himself. He could be a much better scorer than he is right now. But with that said, he’s one of the best two-way guards in Germany.”
Martin Hermannsson (Alba Berlin Player)
On Jack Kayil’s work ethic:
“He’s not taking his talent for granted, and he’s not just thinking that everything will fall in his place. He’s really working for everything he has, and that will take him a long way.”
On Kayil’s development as a point guard:
“He needs to get into the point guard mindset of running the team, controlling the next play, thinking always one step ahead: getting the ball to the ones who need it and getting others to the right spots, reading the game earlier and better.”
Fran Fraschilla
On trusting the Knicks’ scouting department:
“I trust the Knicks — they have a great scouting department. They hit on guys like this. … Let’s put it this way, I’ll say this — Walt Perrin and Brock Aller, they know what they’re doing. It’s not a given that either of these guys is gonna be a home run, but I would trust their judgment given their recent track record.”
On Jack Kayil:
“He’s a big, strong but young point guard who gained a lot of experience in a relatively high-level European league. It’s to his credit that he just led his Alba Berlin to an unexpected championship. That’s in his favor. Skillwise, he’s still a work in progress, but his athleticism and toughness give him a chance someday soon to be an NBA player. I’m guessing that the Knicks think he needs a little bit more seasoning. I would be surprised if he was on the roster, but he wouldn’t embarrass himself. But he’s not ready to be a contributor on an NBA championship team.”
On Kayil’s long-term outlook:
“He’s improving. He’s headed toward being an NBA player. I don’t know that he’s there yet, but he certainly made a big step this year, winning a championship. He was a focal point as a 20-year-old on a team with men, grown-ups.”
On Kayil’s strengths and weaknesses:
“He’s a point guard. He’s a creative playmaker who has the ability to create his own shot, but his shooting needs to improve. Having said that, he takes a lot of tough shots, because his team gets low in the shot clock. His shooting definitely needs to improve for him to be viable at some point in the future. I’m sure he’ll work on it.”
On Tyler Nickel:
“I like his size, his toughness and his shooting. He’s got the toughness to be an NBA player, and he certainly shoots it well. And I think that’s why they drafted him. He’s not a skinny, 170-pound kid. He’s well put together, very experienced, been to three schools, and was really a good player this year in the SEC. He’s got a quick release, deep range, and he’s fearless. The toughness and the fearlessness, off the bat, give him a chance to make an NBA roster.”
On Nickel’s NBA translation:
“He’s got a quick release and he is fearless. Fearlessly tough with it. He has amnesia after every shot — make or miss. …. Right off the bat, his outside shooting is very translatable. I would say lateral quickness, defensively, in the best league in the world will be his primary adjustment. But if you watch YouTube, you’ll see some sneaky athletic dunks.”