BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: The sneakers worn by VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - OCTOBER 30: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball in front of Bub Carrington #7 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Paycom Center on October 30, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game Info
When: Friday, October 16th at 8:00 p.m. ET
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Injury Report
Wizards: Anthony Davis – Questionable (Rest), Khris Middleton – Questionable (Rest), Jamir Watkins – Out (Knee), Tristan Vukcevic – Out (Hip)
Thunder: Dejounte Murray – Questionable (Toe)
Pregame notes
The final preseason game is upon us. The Wizards so far have shown some flashes of brilliance during this preseason, with some encouraging performances from the Anthony Davis and Trae Young, as well as some of the youngest stars like AJ Dybansta, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson.
With that in mind, there are still some things that the preseason has shown. The Wizards’ defense was rather sloppy during their, 131 -122, loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Despite a solid offensive output, the Wizards on defense allowed the Nets to shoot 57 percent from the field for the game. Call it just the preseason woes or not, the Wizards’ brass will most definitely want to show that this team can defend at a high level. Let’s see if we see any adjustments or improvement from what we saw on Monday night.
On the other side for Friday’s game, the Pelicans are getting ready for what is also their 4th and final preseason game. New Orleans, like the Wizards, have a young roster and are looking to continue to round out their roster as they look to improve upon a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign.
Given this is the last preseason game, we should expect to see more playing time from the deeper parts of both teams’ rosters as the teams will begin final cuts in preparation for the season’s start next week.
The team will host the Celtics on Friday night in its preseason finale. After that, the regular-season opener next Tuesday against the Knicks is on the calendar.
As far as their stars, the Sixers have had a healthy preseason so far. Two key bench players will sit Friday, though.
The Sixers ruled Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona out vs. Boston. Both were full participants in practice, a team official said, and they joined Exhibit 10 and two-way contract players in a full-court, post-practice scrimmage.
Simons has been out with a hamstring injury, Bona a left foot sprain. They’ve each been sidelined for the full preseason. Same with Dominick Barlow (back).
“They’re going through good portions of practice,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Thursday of Simons and Bona. “Listen, the coaching staff was obviously hoping to get them in a game before the opener just because it’s nice … to see where they’re at in that kind of game rather than see where they’re at in a real live one.
“But it is what it is. Long season ahead. Hopefully, we’ll get them back sooner rather than later.”
Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in the Sixers’ preseason opener, meaning Bona appears set to be the team’s clear primary backup center. The sharpshooting Simons seems poised to be the first guard off the bench. Over his last six seasons, Simons has averaged 16.9 points and 3.6 assists in 28.8 minutes per game and shot 38.6 percent from three-point range.
“I’m super excited about Ant,” Tyrese Maxey said. “The little bit we’ve seen of him, just the way he shoots the ball, it’s going to open up so many different things. He can play with so many different groups, so many different lineups because of the way he shoots the ball. I’m excited to get on the court with him.”
Nurse indicated the Sixers plan to roll with their first-choice starting five in the preseason finale.
“(The plan) is always a bit fluid and flexible, I think,” Nurse said. “We would like to get the majority of them into the second half. I think it’s now time to play, go in at halftime, come back out and get ready to go again. … And then it’s probably fairly short after that, but going through that part of it.”
In past preseasons, injury troubles have hindered the Sixers’ efforts at building a stable foundation.
They’re hoping for a relatively smooth start this time around.
“A lot of guys are pretty healthy,” Maxey said. “I think that’s different. And then the preseason last year, it was kind of hard to get (Paul George) in. He was going through some (injury) things. Joel was going through some stuff.
“Our first five has been pretty healthy and we’ve been out there pretty much every day. That helps.”
Nurse called this year’s training camp “a lot of fun.”
“The guys have been amazing as far as attitude and just coaching them,” he said. “Really fun couple of weeks. Their energy and their focus and their desire to get better (quickly) has been great, and that’s always really fun to coach. We’ve been healthy. That’s been much more fun than it has been.
“There’s been a lot of things that have made it enjoyable. Just keep on working, keep on getting better.”
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 12 : Tarris Reed Jr., #10 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Jonas Aidoo #13 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of their preseason game at the Delta Center on October 12, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following the 2024-25 season, the Spurs knew they needed an upgrade at back-up center. They had already traded away Zach Collins during the season, and Charles Bassey proved to be too injury prone, leaving them with just Bismack Biyombo to close the season after losing Victor Wembaynama to deep vein thrombosis. They responded with arguably the steal of the offseason by snatching a veteran with championship experience in Luke Kornet on a very friendly deal.
It worked swimmingly in the 2025-26 regular season, with the defensive drop-off when Wemby left the floor or missed time with injury being much lower than before. However, Kornet struggled as the playoffs progressed and the opponents got stronger, and not having any other reliable depth at center forced more minutes from Wemby despite him showing signs of fatigue in the Finals, leading to one of many reasons why they lost that series.
With that in mind, the Spurs went all in on size and defense in the draft a week later, taking a couple of beasts in the first round with Jayden Qauintance at 20th and trading for Tarris Reed, Jr. at 26th. While it will be a while — perhaps even a year — before we get see Quaintance, who is recovering from knee surgery, Reed has been one of the standouts in the preseason so far, averaging 5.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1 block. He especially stood out in Utah with 17 rebounds in 24 min, including doing his best Moses Malone impression with seven in a minute-and-a-half span in the 2nd quarter.
Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. 4 PTS, 17 REB (8 OREB), 1 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK in 24 minutes vs. Jazz
Reed isn’t your average rookie. He’s 23 years old and played all four years in college, including the last two at UConn under Dan Hurley (who also helped make Stephon Castle into the defensive menace he is today). His 6’11”, 265lb frame, age and maturity makes him strongest rookie in his class and even compared some veteran NBA centers, and in the preseason, an argument can me made that he has looked better than Kornet.
Tarris Reed Jr. full highlights vs. Phoenix Suns (123-103 W) – preseason:
4 Points on 2/2 FG, 9 Rebounds (3 Off. Rebs), 1 Assist (4 TOV), 1 Steal, 4 Blocks, 3 PF, and a +/- of -3 in 20:53 minutes played off the bench.
None of this is to say Reed is ready to replace Kornet as Wemby’s back-up full time — he’s still a work in progress on offense and presents the same challenges on the floor with Wemby as French Vanilla, limiting his opportunities for extra minutes — but he certainly brings something the Spurs did not have last season: a strong, hardnosed big man who is a rebounding machine and won’t be pushed around by stronger centers. He gives Mitch Johnson the option to change things up in match-ups that are rough on Kornet, as well much more insurance should someone get hurt.
Wemby and Kornet missed a combined 32 games last season, and while only two of those overlapped (one being the meaningless regular season finale) and the Spurs still faired well, it’s still a lot of games with only one or no reliable center. The Spurs usually managed those Wemby/Kornet-less minutes by going small with Carter Bryant, Harrison Barnes or Julian Champagnie playing de facto center, but even if they still want to do that some by design this season (and they might with Tobias Harris), they at least won’t be forced to with Reed now in tow.
It’s always an over reaction to take the preseason too seriously, and it’s not like Reed has been facing the best the NBA has to offer so far, but his play has been a very comforting assurance that the Spurs handled their biggest weakness from last season about as well as possible. It will be interesting to see if he eventually supersedes Kornet in the rotation, or at least if Johnson shows no fear in putting the rookie out there when the situation or match-up calls for it.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves chose an interesting player to show love to before the NBA season.
On Wednesday, the NBA’s official X account posted a video in which select players were asked who they believed deserves their flowers.
Most players named guys who are typically underappreciated or underrated by sports media or the broader fan base, like Jrue Holiday or DeMar DeRozan.
When it came time for Reaves to give his answer, he said, “I think Wemby. Everything that, you know, he’s gonna get, already has gotten, is well-deserved.”
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves giving San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama his flowers. (X/@NBA).
Reaves is getting roasted by Lakers fans for deciding to give Spurs star Victor Wembanyama his flowers, many of whom are baffled that he decided to show one of their biggest Western Conference foes this sort of love right before the season begins.
Some of this frustration also stems from how Reaves is referencing everything Wemby is still going to accomplish in his career, which will have to come at the Lakers’ expense.
But more than that, Wembanyama gets a ton of love from the NBA and mainstream media as it is, which makes him a strange pick for someone who deserves to receive their flowers.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts to a play during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in San Antonio, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. AP Photo/Eric GayAustin Reaves (15) of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a foul call against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. Getty Images
Reaves will have to show Lakers fans that his Wemby praise is irrelevant when these teams face off for the first time Nov. 27.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — the Sixers may have problems this season in the front court when Joel Embiid doesn’t play.
In this case, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. One of Mike Gansey’s ancillary moves this summer was to bring in Ariel Hukporti on a one-year contract. At 24 years old, he was a much younger option behind Embiid than Andre Drummond, who ironically signed with Hukporti’s former team, the New York Knicks. Gansey was betting on Hukporti ascending and being a useful 10-15 minute per game guy on nights Embiid played and a viable starter for games Embiid was resting in. Well, now Hukporti is out for the season with a torn Achilles, and it’s back to the drawing board once again for the Sixers when it comes to an Embiid backup.
When we evaluate why this problem has persisted, we ask the question, can the Sixers truly do better here or are they always going to have a revolving door of backup big men while they have so much money tied up into their starting lineup? Let’s start with Drummond, their most recent attempt at solving this problem before Hukporti and work our way back to the earlier stages of Embiid’s career.
In Drummond’s case, a player in his 30s who had a history with the Sixers prior to his most recent contract and was still a solid rebounder in a bench role was probably a safe bet. Last season, Drummond finished out a two-year, $10 million contract and had some moments for Philly in the postseason. After all, he did do enough for the defending champion Knicks to bring him in as Hukporti’s replacement. Now, Drummond wasn’t always lighting the world on fire, but relative to some of the other efforts the Sixers have put forth as an Embiid backup, it’s safe to say Drummond was a worthwhile investment.
There have been some other options in recent years that have been used as centers as well. Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker have seen action there in smaller lineups, Adem Bona has certainly played some 5 and Guerschon Yabusele saw plenty of frontcourt minutes during the lost 2024-25 season. You can probably look at all four of these guys and have four different opinions.
Yabusele was a good find by the organization and was a decent scorer, but he ultimately departed in free agency. For what it’s worth, between time with the Knicks and Bulls, Yabusele did have an underwhelming 2025-26 season.
The jury is still out on Bona, Barlow and Walker’s effectiveness, although they come with significant question marks as the answer at backup center this season. It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Bona will ever develop a steady offensive game and he can turn into a foul machine at times as well. Barlow is just 6-foot-9 and might have problems defending centers that are routinely two or three inches taller than he is. Walker has shined in the preseason, but is on the small side at 6-foot-7.
Nick Nurse has even used the 6-foot-9 Dean Wade some as a small-ball five in the preseason.
Speaking of smaller backup centers, did the Sixers let Paul Reed get away too easily? Reed is playing for the Pistons on a similarly priced contract to what Drummond just finished playing for the Sixers on. He was on the way up and now is seeing lots of minutes on another playoff team in the East. He was also a fan favorite. Sixers fans, do you miss him?
One thing that is for sure, all of these options were probably better than aging Dwight Howard, who played a lot for Philly in 2020-21. While we’re at it and looking back at the beginning of the decade, do you remember Kyle O’Quinn, Sixers fans? Before him, I think we all remembered Boban Marjanovic, but not for his play necessarily.
So, when you add it all up, backup center remains a topic of discussion amongst Sixers fans, but their options behind Embiid have at least felt more passable in recent seasons than they did 5-7 years ago. But without Hukporti for this season, Philadelphia will need Barlow or Walker or Bona to take a step and play lots of important minutes in the regular season and postseason. If none of those players proves himself by the trade deadline, Gansey will likely be in the rental market come February.
HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 4: Keaton Wagler #1 of the LA Clippers shoots the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 4, 2026 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jay Metzger/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The events of the last twelve months in Los Angeles Clipper headquarters must have been brutally exhausting. In the past year, the Clippers have:
Been featured on Pablo Torre Finds Out at least ten times for the Aspiration saga
Due to that, they have been under NBA investigation for circumventing the salary cap
Traded away two mainstays of their team over the last couple years, James Harden and Ivica Zubac
Hosted NBA All-Star Weekend
Lucked into the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft, used on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler
Traded away Kawhi Leonard
Docked five first round draft picks, Ballmer suspended for a year due to cap circumvention investigation
Suffice to say, there is a LOT that has happened in Inglewood recently, and I’m sure getting everything behind them from the previous era of Clippers basketball is best for everyone involved.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – OCTOBER 10: Keaton Wagler #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the 2026-2027 NBA preseason game between Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors at Rogers Arena on October 10, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Unlike most situations where you have a team that’s hitting a hard reset, the Clippers have no incentive to be terrible, as their future first round draft capital has been forcefully taken by the league office. So, where does that leave the Clippers? Let’s dive in.
Los Angeles Clippers: Last season 42-40, lost in Western Conference Play-In Game
Over/Under: 27.5 wins (-110/-115)
To win Pacific Division: 30/1
To win Western Conference: 600/1
To win NBA Finals: 1000/1
Key additions: Keaton Wagler (5th pick in Draft), Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick (Kawhi deal), Max Strus (Cleveland), Rui Hachimura (LA Lakers)
Key losses: Kawhi Leonard (Aspirations of Toronto), John Collins (Detroit), Many draft picks
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 07: Darius Garland #10 of the Los Angeles Clippers waits to enter the game as head coach Tyronn Lue looks on during the second quarter of an NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at Intuit Dome on April 07, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’m sort of buying the Clippers in the short term. Yes, rookie point guards taking a ton of minutes is typically a recipe to stink out loud as a team, but this entire thing isn’t on the shoulders of Wagler. Darius Garland, provided he’s healthy, should carry quite a bit of the burden. There are enough combo guards and wings to help get the offense going. I like Hachimura for this team, Brandon Ingram is solid and you’ve got plenty of bodies with Strus, Gradey Dick, old friend Derrick Jones Jr. and more to fill out the rotation. Ty Lue is a good coach, and the Clippers have no reason to be bad. They’re going to be better than the folks at Fanduel think.
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: James Dolan, L, Executive Chairman of Madison Square Garden, stands with Phil Jackson during the press conference to announce Jackson as President of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 18, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The home stretch is here. In less than a week, the Knicks will raise their long-awaited third championship banner on national television at Madison Square Garden. It’s a day 53 years in the making.
As we get closer, we continue to move along our chronicle of the 53-year championship drought. Today, we pick up after the Knicks’ failed pursuit of LeBron James in 2010 and into the Knickstape era that finally returned the Mecca to postseason basketball, only for a plethora of drama, incompetency, and humiliation rituals to sink the franchise as far into the doldrums as they ever had been by the time the COVID-19 pandemic rang in the start of the 2020s.
The previous iterations of this series had distinct identities. Part I was about transitioning from an aging Golden Age core; Part II was about the Ewing era and the revival of the Knicks brand; and Part III was the Isiah Thomas clown show. This part bridges eras, but also shows the broad range of emotion of a championship drought nearing 50 years and an identity of LolKnicks that would be hard to shed.
Unlike the previous parts, there will be more visually stupid, individual moments in here, rather than front office moves and playoff failures. Such is the case with things we remember more vividly.
This is a really long one, folks, but that’s mostly because, unlike the old ones, which I’ve had to hear about my entire life through the accounts of others, I lived through this. It’s just nice to know that after this, it’s first-world problems from here.
Getting Impatient And Trading For Melo (2011)
After missing out on LeBron, the Knicks quickly pivoted to Amar’e Stoudemire, who had a sensational first season in New York with a young, middling roster. It was clear he was going to need another big-time scorer by his side for this team to actually move forward as a contender.
Midway through the 2010-11 season, it was clear that the Nuggets were going to lose their young star, Carmelo Anthony, in free agency that offseason. Despite being one of the best teams in the Western Conference, they were open to moving him.
Enter the Knicks.
The New York native was considered extremely likely to head east in free agency. The Knicks, as the preeminent brand in the market, were heavy favorites to land him, but there was the threat of the Jay-Z-owned, soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets, who were planning on pursuing Melo as well.
Feeling the pressure and also being fearful of the upcoming CBA negotiations, the Knicks engaged in trade talks with the Nuggets, but Denver demanded an extremely steep package, one that general manager Donnie Walsh was balking at.
James Dolan, as always, meddled and forced the trade through.
Four of the Knicks’ best young players, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari, along with two future first-round picks (one of which became Jamal Murray), would head off to the Nuggets for the prodigal son. Everyone rejoiced… except Walsh.
The trade would completely gut New York’s depth and have them completely reliant on the duo of Stoudemire and Anthony. They’d be swept by the Celtics in the first round after slipping into the playoffs, but the pairing had promise if they could continue to add talent… and as long as neither of them regressed.
The End Of Linsanity (2012)
Jeremy Lin was a second-year bench-warming point guard from Harvard, getting a rare opportunity to suit up on February 4, 2012. That night would go down in history as the start of an international phenomenon known as Linsanity.
Shortly after, an injury to Melo vaulted him into the starting lineup. In an 11-game span, Lin averaged 23.9 points, 9.2 assists, and 2.4 steals on 50% from the field and 36.1% from three, carrying a once-struggling Knicks team to a 9-2 stretch that saved their season.
After scoring 17 and 9 against Atlanta on February 22, the clock struck midnight on Lin. With Melo back, he was forced to take a backseat anyway, but he was still the team’s new starting point guard. The aura of Linsanity dissipated with an ugly 1-for-11, 8-turnover night against the Heat on February 23, the first such hardship he had experienced.
Some believe he turned back into a pumpkin after, but he actually still averaged 15 and 7 over the next 14 games as a complementary piece. He had seemed to find his place in the pecking order… until he suffered a season-ending knee injury on March 24.
After the season concluded, Lin hit restricted free agency. The Houston Rockets bit on his run as a superstar in the World’s Most Famous Arena and offered him a three-year, $25 million pact that the Knicks wouldn’t match due to a poison-pill provision that spiked his Year 3 salary. Initial reports of a four-year,$28 million deal would’ve reportedly been matched, but it didn’t.
The sharpest rise and fall ever.
Mike D’Antoni Resigns (March 2012)
The 2011-12 Knicks were a chaotic group. A midseason injury to Melo, regression from Amar’e, Linsanity, a dreadful start turning into an incredible 28-15 finish to get into the playoffs, and a coaching fiasco to put the cherry on top,
The worry when the Knicks acquired Melo was that his offensive playstyle, one of isolation offense, was a clash with D’Antoni’s mentality of pace and ball movement. That came to a head way quicker than anyone thought.
Lin’s rise seemed to be the last straw. He fit what D’Antoni wanted. When the great vibes from Linsanity wore off in March as these styles clashed, Melo gave the front office an ultimatum: it’s either me or him.
D’Antoni allegedly wanted to trade Melo to the Nets for Deron Williams, which, ironically, was something that Donnie Walsh wanted back in 2011. Of course, the man who overreached to get Melo wasn’t going to ditch him, since he was bringing the Knicks back to relevance for the first time in a decade, so D’Antoni was pushed out and resigned, and his assistant, Mike Woodson, replaced him.
Dating back to Rick Pitino, the Knicks had now had five full-time head coaches resign in 20 years. Not fired; resigned. Totally normal.
Amar’e Punches A Fire Extinguisher (2012 1st Round, Game 2)
A turbulent season ended with a 36-30 record, with the Knicks clinching the No. 7 seed. Unfortunately, that earned them a date with the Heatles.
Miami shellacked the Knicks by 33 points in Game 1 at American Airlines Arena before outlasting them by 10 in Game 2. Stoudemire, who was having a down season marred by injuries, was held to just 27 total points and 12 rebounds across the two games while being opposed by Chris Bosh. The vibes were low, and this circus of a season hit its peak after the game when he was walking back to the locker room.
Out of frustration, Stoudemire punched the glass case of a fire extinguisher, suffering severe lacerations in his left hand. A season that was already on the brink now saw the team’s second option take himself out of a crucial Game 3 at MSG because he couldn’t control his temper.
The Knicks scored just 70 points in Game 3 in a blowout loss, effectively ending the series. Amar’e returned for Game 4 and scored 20 in a close win, but the season ended in Miami just three days later.
Stoudemire’s Knicks tenure would be defined by these injuries. He missed the first 30 games of a great 2012-13 season and later the final month of the regular season due to recurring knee issues, not returning until Game 3 of the second round against the Pacers.
His injuries forced him to be load-managed and come off the bench. He would start just 35 games as a Knick after blasting that fire extinguisher, eventually being bought out in February 2015. For one year, Amar’e let us dream, but his body failed him after.
Roy Hibbert’s Block (2013 ECSF, Game 6)
The Knicks rebounded from that disappointing exit in 2012 by continuing to get stronger. They brought in Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, and Jason Kidd; they got a full training camp with big trade acquisition Tyson Chandler, and the Knicks burst out to an 8-1 start, looking like a legitimate threat in the East.
The injuries to Stoudemire hung over the team, but they went on to win 54 games and clinch the No. 2 seed. They were determined to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 13 years and get revenge on the Heat… but they had to get there first.
The aging rival Celtics were first on the revenge calendar, as the Knicks took a quick 3-0 lead on them, looking for payback for a 2011 sweep, but those older Celts, playing their last games as a core before that infamous Brooklyn game, fought back and got all the way to Game 6 in Boston before New York put them out of their misery.
Those two extra games robbed them of some rest and recuperation that they could’ve used into a series with the feisty, up-and-coming Pacers.
Sure enough, the Knicks looked flat in Game 1 at the Garden and were immediately at a disadvantage. Even when they got Amar’e back for Game 3 in Indiana, he was a non-factor as they lost both at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. A win facing elimination at MSG set up a crucial Game 6. This couldn’t be how the best Knicks team of a generation goes out, right?
The Knicks trailed by double digits early in the second half, but stormed all the way back to tie it after three quarters. Leading by two with five minutes to go, the Knicks had the momentum as the veteran team that refused to die when Melo rose for a dunk on the baseline, but that momentum was stolen the second that Roy Hibbert got his big left hand on the ball.
Lance Stephenson tied the game on the ensuing position and the Knicks never led again. Indiana went on a quick 11-2 run that helped them pull away, and despite the best efforts of Melo and J.R., they never got enough stops to give themselves a chance after that.
While it was disheartening, many believed that the window was still open for 2013-14 and beyond. Nobody then knew this would be the last Knick playoff game for another eight years.
The Andrea Bargnani Trade (July 2013)
It’s no coincidence the second Dark Ages in Knicks history was brought on by the Harbinger of Death himself, Andrea Bargnani.
Glen Grunwald, who was really just a placeholder after Walsh resigned in 2011, was only two months away from being replaced as lead executive by Steve Mills, but he made his impact in the arguable worst trade in Knicks history, sending Marcus Camby, fan favorite Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2016 first, and two seconds for the former No. 1 pick.
Bargnani enjoyed some solid seasons as Chris Bosh’s second fiddle before becoming a 20-PPG scorer in 2010-11. The two seasons before the trade, he was limited to 65 games, while his stretch-four abilities waned and his three-point shooting regressed sharply. An elbow injury suffered the year before the trade seemed not to dissuade management.
The package they gave up wasn’t as inhibitive, but there were two key points. For one, they were taking on Bargnani’s remaining contract of two years and $23.5 million on an already expensive roster. Didn’t Dolan refuse to pay Lin because he was worried about the luxury tax?
Oh yeah, they also traded away the back end of a 2016 first-round pick swap that they got with Melo in the trade with Denver. The Knicks would be terrible by 2016 and could’ve used that swap that landed at No. 9.
As for Bargnani’s Knicks career, he sucked. He was the poster child of the team’s failure to maximize the rest of Melo’s prime, as Amar’e regressed hard, Chandler was traded, and this guy made eight figures to make boneheaded decision after boneheaded decision while battling injury. In two years, he played 71 total games and was awful.
For the next decade, Raptors fans took joy in clowning the Knicks for being scammed by Masai Ujiri. If only there was a way to pay them back…
The Chris Smith Saga (October 2013)
Steve Mills was now in charge, and boy did he have a doozy of a dilemma right when he took the gig.
J.R. Smith was coming off a Sixth Man of the Year campaign and was a beloved Knick, but he was quickly approaching free agency. The Knicks wanted him to extend, which he did for three years and $18 million that summer, so they did him and his family a little favor.
Chris Smith was J.R.’s younger, less-talented brother. He was still better than 99.9% of the world at basketball- don’t get me wrong- but after an okay career at Louisville that never stood out, he signed a training camp deal with the Knicks in 2012 and participated in Summer League. That’s no big deal; this happens all the time.
He was waived after an injury in 2012, but was back in camp the next year. Despite injuries making the roster a bit shallow entering the season, the Knicks decided that Chris was good enough to make the roster. Fans and the media, obviously, cried nepotism.
Whether it was or not, Smith played a grand total of two minutes as a Knick, spent much of his time in the D League, and was waived on New Year’s Eve. What the hell was the point of all that?
Phil Jackson Hired as President Of Basketball Operations (2014)
In 2005, James Dolan and Isiah Thomas went all-in on bringing one of the greatest coaches of all time to New York to lead a ragtag group back to Camelot. They failed, as he shockingly decided to stick with Kobe Bryant, and settled for the disastrous Larry Brown experience.
Jackson retired as a coach in 2011, but that wouldn’t stop Dolan’s quest to bring the Zen Master back to where he won a pair of titles as a player in 1970 and 1973. It took months of negotiating, but Dolan locked him in as POBO in March 2014, giving him a whopping $60 million contract.
Because of his pedigree, the move was universally celebrated. Those poor souls in March 2014 didn’t know that Jackson would attempt to be just as bad as Isiah was a decade earlier.
The Crawl Towards The Abyss (2013-15)
The Knicks, one season after winning 54 games, started 2013-14 with a 3-13 record. Amar’e was banged up, Chandler was banged up, Felton regressed, Bargnani sucked and got hurt, and the team became more and more reliant on Melo for scoring. Things just got worse and worse.
A seven-game losing streak sunk them to 21-40 on March 3. The season was completely cooked. Even worse, the team’s 2014 pick was in Denver. Because of that, the team probably found the extra gear to finish 16-5 and miss the playoffs by just one game. That strong finish must mean things will change, right?
Well, Jackson cleaned house in the coaching staff despite Woodson wanting to coach under Jackson and finishing strong. In keeping with the standard of bringing in “winners” who had no experience doing what they were doing, Jackson hired just-retired former Laker Derek Fisher as coach to run his triangle offense.
Jackson convinced Melo to re-sign on a $124 million supermax and traded Chandler and Felton to the Mavericks for a bunch of guys who didn’t amount to much and two seconds as his first two moves as executive. Well, if you don’t count signing Lamar Odom, Stephen A. can tell you about that.
The Knicks’ best pick in the 2014 draft was No. 34, used to select Cleanthony Early. Notably, still on the board? Spencer Dinwiddie, Jerami Grant, and Nikola Jokic.
After starting the season 2-1, the Knicks lost 34 of their next 37 games. They were an unbelievable 5-35 when the NBA sent them to London to face a young Giannis and the Bucks, which they lost en route to their 16th consecutive loss, a franchise record. A couple of small wins here and there did little to stop the runaway train of a 17-65 season, the worst in franchise history.
At least they had their pick this year…
Andrea Bargnani Being Dumb (2013-15)
I told you this part would also include in-game stupidity that didn’t have long-range effects. That’s what the Second Dark Ages were known for.
Here’s some stupid Bargnani moments. First, he made Clyde Frazier completely lose his mind when he shot a three with the shot clock off and the lead late in regulation on December 18, 2013.
He’s lucky the Knicks won in overtime. Now, here’s him trying to dunk from the damn free throw line for some reason against an equally bad Sixers team:
Good stuff.
The 2015 Draft Lottery
You would think with a 17-65 record, the Knicks would have the best lottery odds. Unfortunately, their futility was matched by the dreadful Timberwolves, who won just 16 games. The Knicks lost out at 25% odds after winning two of their last three games. Meaningless wins tanking lottery odds, you say…
That would come back to bite them. With still good odds (19.9%) of landing Kentucky superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks felt good. Even if they didn’t get him, there was still star Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell and Duke forward Jahlil Okafor, all considered Grade A talent. There was a 55.8% chance the Knicks would stay in the top 3.
They fell to No. 4, the first of many lottery disasters for the late-2010s Knicks.
Now, they’d be pretty fortunate to have Kristaps Porzingis fall into their laps, but this was a deeply unpopular pick that even drove a young fan to tears. This moment was the peak of Jackson’s executive tenure: the one thing he did right.
Cleanthony Early Gets Shot (December 2015)
Early was never a big part of the Knicks’ plans, but he was at least a young player that had a moderate amount of investment put into him as the team’s top player from the 2014 draft class. While his tenure is very forgettable, one thing wasn’t.
On December 30, 2015, Early was shot in the leg and robbed by an unknown assailant after exiting a Queens strip club. This, one day after he logged 26 seconds in garbage time against the Pistons, would keep him out until late March. He’d play his last game as a Knick, and in the NBA, three weeks later.
It was also incredibly ironic timing, as recent signing Derrick Williams had $600,000 worth of jewelry stolen by two women he took home from a club in Manhattan 10 days earlier. Nice culture you’ve got here, Mr. Fisher.
Midseason Collapse 1.0 (2015-16)
While the Knicks still had Carmelo Anthony, they still had eyes on winning. Despite coming off a 17-win season in 2014-15, nobody was capitulating.
The Knicks had an active offseason, signing Robin Lopez to a four-year, $54 million deal, Arron Afflalo to a two-year, $16 million deal, Kyle O’Quinn to a four-year, $16 million deal, and drafting Jerian Grant at No. 19 by trading away the underwhelming Tim Hardaway Jr.
Their intention to compete translated into wins early. Despite some ebbs and flows, the Knicks matched their previous season’s win total on January 5 and won consecutive overtime games at the Garden to improve to 22-22 on January 20. When they woke up two days later to face the Clippers, they were ninth in the East, but also just two games back of fifth. This was what they wanted.
The Clippers destroyed them that night in MSG. After a loss to Charlotte, they pushed an incredible Thunder team to the brink at home, but lost in OT. They split their next two games, but tumbled further with losses to the Warriors, Celtics, Pistons, Grizzlies, and Nuggets. Nine losses in 10 games to drop to 23-31.
That cost Derek Fisher his job, as he was fired by Jackson. His job was already tedious entering the season after he struggled to acclimate to it. His spat with Matt Barnes in October probably didn’t help either. The ESPN article about his firing, mentioning more former Lakers who could replace him, embodies how dumb this franchise was.
Under interim head coach Kurt Rambis, the Knicks lost two more games before finally ending the losing streak. That wouldn’t make things any better in a 9-19 finish that saw the team finish with 50 losses for the second straight season.
“They’re Saying Us And Golden State Are The Super Teams” (2016)
The entire 2016 offseason, looking back, was a humiliation ritual.
That 44-game start before things went off the rails allowed management to double down on believing this team, now focused around an aging Anthony and a young phenom in Porzingis,
Jackson, who could not stop looking at his old Bulls and Lakers, decided to poach two Bulls icons who were past their prime because, why not?
A stunning trade for Chicago’s favorite son, Derrick Rose, shipped out Lopez, Jerian Grant, and Jose Calderon for an uber-talented guard who could not stay on the court. Who cares that he was making $22 million and hadn’t been the star he was once in four years? It’s Derrick Rose!
Two weeks later, as part of the league-wide stupidity that resulted from the cap spiking, Jackson signed Courtney Lee to a four-year, $48 million contract, but that paled in comparison to the real prize.
Joakim Noah was signed to a four-year, $72 million contract, the largest free agent signing in franchise history. As a former Defensive Player of the Year, Noah was supposed to make up for the roster’s defensive deficiencies, but I think the team forgot he was now 31, several years removed from his impactful prime, and coming off an injury-laden season.
The roster looked good on paper. Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah, with a bench group of Justin Holiday, former Bucks star Brandon Jennings, Lance Thomas, and Kyle O’Quinn. It prompted some bold words from D-Rose on Media Day:
I’m still not sure who said this, Derrick, but confidence is cool.
This offseason was a disaster, namely with the Lee and Noah contracts being extremely prohibitive to the salary cap going forward. In two disastrous seasons as a Knick, Noah tried his hardest to be the next Jerome James or Bargnani, playing 53 total games and averaging just 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds before injuries, a PED suspension, and head coach Jeff Hornacek putting him in exile in January 2018, before he was finally bought out.
Charles Oakley Incident (February 2017)
The Knicks’ season was cooked by the time the Clippers came to town for their annual trip to MSG on February 8, 2017, as the Knicks entered at 22-31 amidst another collapse.
A close loss to a very good Lob City Clippers team isn’t really a story. What was a story? Franchise legend Charles Oakley, a symbol of the team’s grit and physicality in the 90s, was caught on camera getting into a fight with security just six minutes into the game, right behind the basket.
He had apparently purchased a seat a few rows behind Dolan and began jeering him. Security was then called to remove him; things got physical, and the Knicks legend was booked for assault after punching three different MSG security officers.
It’s maybe the defining moment of Dolan’s tenure. With all the off-court drama and absolutely baffling decisions, it’s his spat with a fan favorite from an era of joy in the midst of years of misery that stands out.
These two have been fighting it out for nine years, with a judge recently dismissing Oakley’s accusation of being assaulted himself in August. I was honestly shocked that this was still going on.
Midseason Collapse 2.0 (2016-17)
They were never Warriors good, obviously, but the 2016-17 Knicks were a solid bunch for a little while. They started 14-10 by feasting on a soft, early-season slate that was loaded with lower-level Western Conference teams. By the time they hosted the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, they were 16-13 and fifth in the East.
Just like last year, despite having a new coach in Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks collapsed. After Melo tied the game at 112 on Christmas with 1:06 to go, Marcus Smart hit a go-ahead three that would ultimately give the Celtics the lead for good. Three days later, the Knicks lost in overtime against Atlanta. They’d lose 13 of 16, including a back-breaking buzzer-beater loss to future foe TJ McConnell and Philly, to sink down to 19-26 by MLK Day.
The clown show around the organization also proceeded. D-Rose just disappeared on January 9 without notifying anyone due to a family issue. He did return, but wound up ending his season in familiar fashion with torn cartilage in his knee in late March.
Melo started to rebel against Jackson’s triangle system, leading to a very public spat between the two. Dolan didn’t learn his lesson on how to construct a roster. He wanted Melo so badly on his team he cast aside D’Antoni, but was foolish enough to think that Jackson, another personality with a very different offensive philosophy to Melo’s iso ball, was going to make a difference.
Jackson tried to trade Anthony, but his no-trade clause got in the way. The feeling of the 2016-17 season quickly turned into one that felt like the New York icon’s last in the city that embraced him from the start.
The Knicks sank to 30-51 and seemed fated for the sixth-best lottery odds, but a Game 82 game-winner by Maurice N’dour slipped them below the Timberwolves in the lottery standings and ultimately led to them falling to No. 8.
After this failure of a season, the 2017 offseason was going to be crucial, but it was just as bad as the last one.
Phil Jackson Sets The Franchise Ablaze On His Way Out (2017 Offseason)
After the season ended, the Knicks held customary exit meetings. Porzingis, in his first sign of discontent with the organizational dysfunction, skipped out, drawing public ire from Jackson, who began shopping the promising Latvian big man in the trade market.
Imagine that. The best young player the Knicks have had in generations is being shopped because he made the POBO mad. No trade occurred, but between this and him very publicly trying to push Melo out the door, it just seemed like Jackson was trying to torpedo the franchise and whatever good they had left.
There were rumblings that he wanted to ship Porzingis out in a bid to move up in the 2017 NBA Draft, but the Knicks stayed at No. 8. Despite having New York native Donovan Mitchell on the board, Jackson drafted French point guard Frank Ntilikina, another European guy who had potential, but also a tremendously low floor.
It’d be whatever if this was just a typical bad draft pick, but Jackson would depart from the organization literally five days later. Dolan allowed this guy to call the shots for two months through the NBA Draft, let him select the guy he wanted, and then kicked him out before free agency began. It was the right move to move on, but to let him stick around to publicly drag your young star and make a crucial lottery pick is malpractice.
The Tim Hardaway Jr. Offer Sheet (2017)
Steve Mills took over as the interim President of Basketball Operations after Jackson’s firing in his second stint with the club. A few months before his first stint in charge began in October 2013, the Knicks drafted Tim Hardaway Jr. Two years later, he was shipped out for Jerian Grant, who was later fodder for D-Rose.
Fast forward to 2017. Hardaway became a pretty solid player for the Hawks, averaging 14.5 points a night as a sixth man. One year after the catastrophic Lee and Noah contracts, the Knicks gave Hardaway a baffling $72 million offer sheet, one the Hawks didn’t even consider matching.
Hardaway played some of his best basketball over the next year and a half, first as a running mate to Porzingis and then as the team’s best scorer after he went down with an injury, but he wasn’t worth $72 million. His salary was dumped in a January 2019 trade as part of the never-ending churn.
The Rise And Steep Fall Of Kristaps Porzingis (2018)
Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder before the 2017-18 season, definitively ending one era of Knicks basketball. The team was now solely and unequivocally Porzingis’s.
In his first two seasons, the 7’3” unicorn averaged 16 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. He was a two-way savant who could shoot the lights out from three and do everything a wing could do while being the tallest player in basketball. It was the Victor Wembanyama prototype.
With Melo out the door, there was nobody to take touches away from him. Hornacek configured the offense around his 22-year-old budding star. In his first 11 games as the No. 1, he averaged a staggering 30.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks on 51.3% from the field and 41.8% from deep. It was around this time in mid-November that a much younger me was bragging about my new star to classmates who were buzzing about Joel Embiid and the process down in South Jersey.
My younger delusional self believed Porzingis was an MVP in the making. As much as I loved watching Carmelo Anthony as a Knick, Porzingis was the new gold standard of Knicks basketball for me. As the months went on and he went from this MVP form to just being a certified star in this league, it didn’t matter what happened on the court.
Sure, the Knicks weren’t good. Sure, the Knicks had not much promising talent around him. Sure, there was plenty of skepticism whether many of the players, coaches, or executives could be part of the next great Knicks team, but there was one thing for certain as the calendar turned to 2018.
The Knicks were back in the late 1980s. They had their new Patrick Ewing. As long as Porzingis stayed upright and happy, the Knicks had a foundational piece that they had lacked in the many years of wandering the abyss. They didn’t have the pressure to win like they had with Melo or Phil or Isiah, they had a young star and the ability to dream.
Then came February 6, 2018.
It’s a day etched in my memory forever. Maybe I’ll be able to forget it one day now that the ghosts can’t hurt me anymore after that championship, but the simple fact was this. Starting with that day and over the next 18 months, a young me was traumatized by what would be the darkest year in Knicks history.
The game started fine. It was a blockbuster battle between two freaks of nature, Porzingis and Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the Greek Freak was on a team destined for greatness and thus way ahead of the Knicks in their ascension, the Knicks had their first homegrown All-Star since David Lee, but surely there would be a lot more than just one All-Star appearance in the Unicorn’s career.
With just under nine minutes to play in the second quarter, Kyle O’Quinn held the ball on the right elbow, closely guarded by Tyler Zeller. Porzingis, involved in an off-ball action with Lance Thomas, cut to the rim, received the pass from O’Quinn, and posterized Giannis.
In another life, this is an all-time highlight in a career tape that has seen the budding superstar do this to plenty of household names. Unfortunately, he landed awkwardly on his left knee. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain.
I was walking out of basketball practice when I grabbed my phone from the locker and saw a Bleacher Report notification that spoke of Porzingis leaving the game with a knee injury. I frantically clicked the notification and saw the clip. It wasn’t long after that the worst fears were realizd: a season-ending torn ACL.
The injury itself was brutal. While they don’t seem as harrowing long-term today, these were the injuries you feared could hurt a player’s long-term potential. While players come back quicker and quicker now from these injuries, it was clear that this would mean likely no Porzingis until the start of the 2019-20 season.
So, as much as the dread was the possibility of him never being the same, which did wind up being true, this moment was the beginning of what would be the most humiliating 18 months of being a Knicks fan ever.
Not long after this, Giannis literally jumped over Hardaway on an alley-oop. This game was the beginning of a humiliation ritual that never seemed to end.
A Grab Bag Of Humiliating Dark Ages On-Court Moments (2015-19)
The Giannis poster is just the tip of the iceberg.
None of these plays influenced the franchise at all, they’re just dumb and would be put in LolKnicks compilations.
In the midst of a December 2016 blowout against LeBron James and the defending champion Cavaliers, he and his teammates began performing the then-popular Bottle Flip Challenge on the sideline. LeBron flipped it too far and had to sprawl on the court to grab it. This is how serious teams took us.
Y’all remember Jarrett Jack? He’s most memorable as a Knick for me for this ridiculous heave attempt on November 1, 2017. Credit to him, before the recent rule change, nobody would be ballsy enough to sacrifice their shooting percentage to just chuck a ball like that.
There is so much going on here. First, this was the night the Knicks went on a historic 28-0 run against a very good Raptors team, so vibes were high. What the hell is Spike doing on the sideline? The ref eating it is funny, but why is Hardaway calling him safe like he’s an umpire? What the hell is going on?
I don’t remember many regular season games from this era. It’s a memory-hole situation. One of the ones I remember was when, for some reason, the Knicks were told to play the Wizards in London on January 17, 2019. A younger me was excited to watch when I came home from school.
Entering at 10-33, the Knicks were actually in a position to win this one. They led the entire game, but were stuck in a back-and-forth battle at the death. A go-ahead hook shot from Noah Vonleh gave the Knicks the lead, but they needed a stop.
With three seconds left, the Wizards inbounded and passed it to a cutting Thomas Bryant, who attempted a game-winning layup at the buzzer over Emmanuel Mudiay and Allonzo Trier. He missed, but the refs called a buzzer-beating goaltending. One in a million, this team was.
Finally, we’re going to right before the Porzingis trade. The Knicks were going to shed basically every veteran on that team, so it became apparent that the same was coming to Enes Kanter. It might be hard to remember given his current exploits, but this guy was a pretty good Knick given the circumstances.
While he was being shopped on the trade market, Kanter was being sat for much of January. Was it also likely for the development of guys like Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet? Sure, but we knew the reason.
After sitting four straight games, Kanter was given a chance in a blowout in the third quarter against the Mavs on January 30. He kissed the court, showing his love to a fanbase that chanted “We Want Kanter”. It’s a great gesture, but I wish he just didn’t airball.
That’d be the funny moment from that night’s latest loss, but there would be no smiles the very next day.
The Kristaps Porzingis Trade (2019)
There was a cloud over the entire 2018-19 season, one that the horrendous coaching of David Fizdale couldn’t help. The roster was a mess, reminiscent of the Island of Misfit Toys. It was one of the worst collections of talent in modern NBA history. The only goal in mind was tanking for Zion Williamson, which we’ll get to later.
The one glimmer of hope was Porzingis, still in street clothes, still on the bench. One day, he’d return and save us.
What nobody could’ve imagined when this injury happened was that when Porzingis was helped into the locker room, that was the last time we would ever see him wear No. 6 in orange and blue. What would things look like if he had just been able to stay upright? We’ll never know, but management used his injury and his frustration to prepare for their most ambitious quest yet.
I was walking home from school on January 31, 2019, when I saw notification after notification from Woj about Porzingis’ discontent with the franchise. Remember the saga with his brother agent? He wanted more control in the organization. When the Knicks balked, Porzingis decided he was done with this franchise, demanding a trade.
Instead of either calling his bluff ahead of restricted free agency (which would be muddied by the ACL tear) or waiting a few days and fielding calls, a scared and antsy front office traded him to the Mavericks immediately in a massive deal that partially served as a salary dump to get rid of Hardaway and Lee’s contracts.
It was the latest LolKnicks in a long line of ‘em. The only promise in the organization was gone.
What was left in its wake was a dream. A dream of a Big 3 that could be formed in about a week in the most ambitious offseason plan in NBA history.
The 2019 Draft Lottery
The Knicks tanked for this. They had avoided bottoming out many times, but for once, they were committed to it.
The worst franchise in the NBA in the 21st century was finally in the cellar and would get the spoils of a team that once again lost 65 games. 34 years after winning the lottery for Ewing and four months after trading their only talented young player in the decades since, they were all-in on Zion and the dream of pairing him with two max salaries in free agency.
One small problem. Adam Silver’s anti-tanking philosophy, which has been heavily ramped up recently, was sparked in the 2018 offseason. That year, he decided to do something bold and flatten the lottery odds. The worst team’s odds would shrink from 25 percent to just 14 percent. The one year the Knicks decided to bottom out, this happened. Of course.
And, as you might’ve expected, they fell in the lottery. After falling two spots in 2015 and one in 2018, they fell another two spots in 2019. The dream of Zion was dead, Jorge Sedano screamed with joy, and millions of Knicks fans’ hope began to dissipate.
RJ Barrett was cool, I guess. The Knicks actually probably won out here by not having to deal with Ja Morant and Zion’s off-court stuff, but this sucked in the moment. We dared not dread what would happen if free agency also went wrong…
The Most Disastrous Free Agency In NBA History (July 2019)
All this time. The entire 2018-19 season.
Amidst the depressing and dark season, after the team traded the team’s only proven young talent, after the failure of not being able to draft Zion, there was one hope.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (among others, which included Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker) were free agents. Both had privately expressed a desire to team up. The Knicks were one of the only teams that had the space to do so.
At All-Star Weekend, someone caught them talking, where Irving seemed to gesture “two max spots”. All year, it was floated as more than a possibility. The savior complex that the media had, always trying to find someone to save the Knicks, put them in their crosshairs.
Leading into free agency, doubt was forming. The Knicks were a dumpster fire that didn’t have Zion and were run by idiots. Rumors started to buzz that Kyrie, an Elizabeth native who was the driving force in any talks of going to New York, was leaning toward the Nets. Irving posted on social media that he was going to the Nets, but the real horror came when Durant said he was following, leaving the Knicks empty-handed.
This was rock bottom. An offseason that was supposed to save the franchise reinforced its misery. Dolan didn’t offer Durant a max off his Achilles tear anyway. They didn’t even get a meeting with Kawhi. The organization literally had to issue a statement to a pissed-off fanbase.
In its wake, the team signed Julius Randle to a $63 million contract in an offseason that’d be defined by the team signing a billion power forwards, namely Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, and Marcus Morris. The Knicks had $70 million in cap space and spent it on role players.
As far as we knew, this franchise was dead.
David Fizdale Fired (2019)
The 2019-20 season was, honestly, the most peaceful in this entire stretch. The team was really bad, sure, but there was nothing to even be excited about that could disappoint you. They personified the quote from Zendaya’s portrayal of MJ from the recent Spider-Man movies:
There was still one thing. The Knicks got off to a horrid start to the season, as none of the veterans they acquired were able to gel with the young and disappointing nucleus. Scott Perry and Steve Mills thought it was a good idea to address the press after 10 games. After getting obliterated by the Bucks (which gave us this gem) and Nuggets in consecutive games to drop to 4-18, the worst 22-game start in franchise history, Fizdale was fired.
He was a terrible coach, one whose failure in New York has likely cost him another opportunity, but he was viewed as a scapegoat. You rarely saw Woj have opinionated tweets, but you got one here. To them, this was the leader of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies, not the man who embarrassed himself and the Knicks on a nightly basis.
It would be the first of the mass organizational changes to follow. Mike Miller did an admirable job as interim head coach, but the search was on for a successor. Mills would not be the one making that decision, as Leon Rose was hired to head the franchise in early March 2020.
Wonder if that guy knows a thing or two…
Vince Carter Ends His Career In Style (2020)
Carter is an interesting figure in this story of Knicks basketball. His Dunk of Death permanently destroyed the reputation of the team’s chosen successor to Patrick Ewing and likely caused him to never come to America.
Exactly 20 years later, he ended his career in a meaningless game between two awful teams, as the world shut down due to a pandemic, with the Knicks letting him score to end on a high note.
The Knicks walked into the locker room for the final time under Mike Miller… and for the final time as a joke of a basketball team. Leon Rose would get to work not long after it was clear the Knicks wouldn’t return in 2019-20 and begin his six-year process toward raising the most incompetent franchise in history to the top of the mountain.
He might be the one defender disappointed to miss Luka Doncic.
Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg got a taste for how quickly things can change in the NBA ahead of his preseason game Tuesday night against the Lakers.
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg (1) looks to pass the ball during a preseason game against the LA Clippers on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic was given the night off by coach JJ Redick, but the Warriors didn’t know that when they were going over the defensive plan of attack leading up to tipoff. Lendeborg had held his own on offense, averaging 19 points per game over his previous three exhibitions, and the Warriors decided they wanted to put the No. 11 pick’s defensive versatility to the test.
Lendeborg did a double-take when assistant coach Frank Vogel informed him of his assignment. He was the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference and a first-team defender last year in the Big Ten.
But this would be a new challenge.
“I’m on my phone chilling and [Vogel] comes up to me, ‘Hey, you’re guarding Luka tonight,’” Lendeborg recalled. “I said, ‘What the f–k? You’re just gonna throw me in the fire?’”
The rookie’s eyes widened as he shook his head retelling the story at his locker after the game.
“I tried to act all cool, but I was spooked,” he said. “That was crazy.”
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Oct. 5, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Doncic led the NBA in scoring for the second time in his career last season, averaging 33.5 points per game on a league-high 22.8 shots from the field and 10.1 attempts at the foul line.
“I think [Vogel] said he averages like 30, 35. Nobody can stop him, so do your best,” Lendeborg said. “That was it. My mind was all over the place after that.”
A short while later, Lendeborg learned he wouldn’t have to try to stay in front of the 6-8, 230-pound Doncic. He’d instead be giving up 5 inches to the 7-2 Kessler.
In his first game in a Lakers uniform, Kessler scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 16 minutes. Lendeborg got to the line nine times and scored 17 points in 26 minutes.
It wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
But he learned another lesson along the way.
In the NBA, change can come in a moment’s notice — he’d better be ready.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 14: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics attempts a three-point basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of the preseason game at the TD Garden on October 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s not uncommon to see Neemias Queta practicing threes out on the TD Garden parquet before Boston Celtics home games — though the average fan may be asking why he’s even working on that part of his game. The Portuguese big man has done the majority of his scoring in the NBA around the basket in catch-and-finish spots.
He’s attemped just 11 total three-pointers (one make) across the first five seasons of his professional career. This year, though, it might be #DifferentHere for Queta. Through two preseason appearances this fall, he’s already fired up four — five if you include a make from the corner with his right big toe (not to be confused with Al Horford’s left big toe) on the line.
Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets featured three of those four long-range tries (and the long-two). Seeing Queta try to lean into a floor-spacing role was interesting. He looked both comfortable and confident taking the shots when the opportunities were there.
The first and last attempts came within the flow of the offense. Queta was open, a teammate found him, and he squared up with confidence. Even though both attempts came up short, they were still fine misses and were on line. The middle attempt… well, that came out of a broken play and the result reflected that.
What may seem like a small development that has yet to pay any real dividends for Neemi or the Celtics has been years in the making.
“I think it’s just over the years, just after practice, just getting the reps and getting getting more consistent in general with the form, the way I stick the landing, all that type of stuff makes a difference,” Queta explained after the win. “I think [the coaching staff has] seen over the years that I got better at it. It’s a two-way street on the trust. I’ve been making more of them during the offseason. They trust me to shoot them. I just gotta make them.”
The sheer amount of thought and effort that goes into adding a skill like three-point shooting into an NBA player’s game is incredible. Think about it. Queta can probably make 70 of 100 attempts in an open gym (the number could very well be higher, but let’s set this as the baseline). If any of us mere mortals did that ourselves, we’d tell all of our friends about the insane shooting clinic we’d just put on. If we saw Queta do it, we’d be questioning why he isn’t getting these chances in games.
“I want to empower him to take his game to a different level,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Queta potentially getting more opportunities to shoot from distance. “At the same time, we have to fight to get the best shots at the right time.”
I guess the simple answer is that there are probably multiple guys on the floor at all times that would make upwards of 85 out of 100. So, it’s tough to justify taking shots away from them to let Queta try and space the floor.
If the Celtics can find a place for it, however, letting No. 88 let it fly once or twice a game might wind up being valuable to them.
“I think it can help us,” he said of potentially taking more threes throughout the season. “It can be a weapon that we can use at certain points. And obviously, it’s not going to derail my attention span too often and take away from things that I do best on the court, but we can see what we use as a weapon and a strength.”
This isn’t the first time Queta’s featured threes in his game. When he led Portugal to the nation’s first-ever knockout stage berth at last summer’s EuroBasket tournament, the big man took seven total threes and made two of them. He averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game across six appearances. Shooting threes certainly didn’t take away from his production.
Whether or not it’ll become part of his role with the Celtics in the regular season has yet to be seen, but Mazzulla seemed open to it in the right spots.
”I think as we open that up a little bit, it’s an ongoing conversation about timing,“ he added. ”When’s it a good shot? When’s it not? What that looks like? It could be different depending upon what the lineup is, what the matchups are, etc. But at the end of the day he’s a guy that continues to get better and better, and it’s a space that we’ll look to to to see how he can take advantage of it.“
The Knicks waived three players on nonguaranteed contracts ahead of Thursday’s preseason finale, leaving James Wiseman and Bruce Brown as the two remaining for at least one roster spot.
Centers Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley were cut, along with athletic wing Ochai Agbaji. Eubanks suffered a torn pectoral muscle this week, sealing his fate with the Knicks.
James Wiseman #35 of the New York Knicks boxes out during the game against the Toronto Raptors. NBAE via Getty Images
But Wiseman was the frontrunner since camp started, as The Post reported, and the 25-year-old enhanced his standing with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort in Tuesday’s preseason loss to the Raptors.
The Knicks, who are thin in the frontcourt with only Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, have prioritized a center for their final roster spot, placing Wiseman in strong position to make the final roster. The former second overall pick has been saddled by injuries throughout his career – and was waived last season by the Pacers – but has a fan in Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who coached Wiseman as the top assistant with the Warriors.
Bruce Brown, a combo guard, has also impressed in camp and holds, by far, the best NBA résumé of the players on non-guaranteed deals.
To keep both Wiseman and Brown, the Knicks would have to make a trade to free up enough cap space under the second apron.
Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, back, tries to steal the ball from New York Knicks guard Bruce Brown. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
Pacome Dadiet is the most logical to be shipped out by the Knicks – as a first-round disappointment, he has no path to playing time – but that would likely require second-round picks attached to compel a team to take his $3 million salary.
Tyler Kolek and especially Miles McBride are more valuable in the trade market.
Who will win the NBA Championship? • San Antonio Spurs 50% • Oklahoma City Thunder 43% The Knicks and 76ers each got one vote each.
Who will be named the 2026-27 MVP? • Victor Wembanyama 77% • Nikola Jokic 10% • Anthony Edwards 7%
Who is the best defensive player in the NBA? • Victor Wembanyama 97% The one vote for someone else (Ausar Thompson) had to come from the Spurs, since they cannot vote for their own player,
Which player forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments? • Victor Wembanyama 47% • Nikola Jokic 33% • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7%
Who will win Rookie of the Year? • Cameron Boozer 50% • Caleb Wilson 20% • AJ Dybantsa 17% • Darryn Peterson 13% It's worth noting that when asked who will be the best player from this class five years from now, Dybantsa and Wilson each tied with 33%.
Who is the best coach in the NBA? • Erik Spoelstra (Miami) 43% • Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City) 37% • Mike Brown (New York) 10%
Which player is the most athletic? • Amen Thompson 63% • Anthony Edwards 20% • Ausar Thompson 10% Amen and Ausar Thompson are twins.
Which player is the best leader? • Jalen Brunson 53% • Stephen Curry 20% • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7%
Which team will be the most improved? • Indiana Pacers 43% • Washington Wizards 23% • Utah Jazz 13%
Which team had the best overall offseason? • Philadelphia 76ers 73% • Miami Heat 10% It's worth noting that two GMs picked Charlotte here, supporting the decision to trade away LaMelo Ball.
What player acquisition will have the biggest impact? • Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami), 53% • Jaylen Brown (Philadelphia), 20%
What is the most underrated player acquisition? • Tobias Harris (San Antonio) 20% • Mitchell Robinson (Boston) 17% • Naz Reid (Charlotte) 10%
Which player would you want taking the shot with the game on the line? • Stephen Curry 50% • Jalen Brunson 17% • Tie between Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 10%
While these results are interesting, GMs are often quite wrong. For example, last season 80% predicted the Thunder would repeat as champions, the MVP was going to be Nikola Jokic (67%), the biggest impact acquisition was Kevin Durant (73%), and the most improved was going to be the Orlando Magic (47%).
The NBA published its annual GM survey – in which the league’s power brokers answer 48 questions – Thursday, Oct. 15, and the Sixers, unsurprisingly, garnered significant attention. When asked which team made the best overall offseason moves, NBA general managers overwhelmingly voted for the 76ers, with 73% picking Philadelphia. The next closest team, the Miami Heat, drew just 10% of votes, by comparison.
Yet, when asked which team’s level of success for the 2026-27 season is most difficult to project, the Sixers also garnered most votes, at 27%. The second place team in that category, the Minnesota Timberwolves, generated 17% of the vote.
The uncertainty is not unfounded.
The 76ers must incorporate two new stars, as the entire starting five is essentially having to adapt to new wrinkles in their roles. In Philadelphia’s first preseason game in which all five starters played, Oct. 8 against the Nets, the 76ers committed 14 first half turnovers, against 12 assists on 16 made field goals.
Other interesting findings from NBA general manager survey
The Spurs got plenty of love. Half of the GMs who voted picked San Antonio to win the NBA Finals. An overwhelming 87% of general managers selected the Spurs as having the best young core.
Victor Wembanyama also was the leader in votes for eight different questions: projected 2026-27 Most Valuable Player (77%); player they would want most to start a franchise (93%); player who forces opposing coaches to make most adjustments (47%); best international player (53%); best defensive player (97%); best interior defender (97%); most versatile defender (30%) and most versatile player (57%).
The player most likely to have a breakout season was also a Spur, second-year guard Dylan Harper, at 27%.
The most underrated offseason acquisition: another Spur, forward Tobias Harris (20%).
The 2026 NBA Draft class was loaded with talent, and GMs picked the most polished, pro-ready player in Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer as the projected 2026-27 Rookie of the Year (50%), over Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (20%), No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa (17%) and No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson (13%), of the Jazz.
When asked which player would be the best in five seasons, however, both Dybantsa and Wilson tied for first, at 33%.
Although the 76ers were picked as the best offseason, Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was picked as the one player acquisition who will make the biggest impact, at 53%, compared to Brown (20%) and James (13%).
The person who will be coaching him, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, was picked as the best head coach in the NBA for the second consecutive season. His vote share, however, fell from 52% last year to 43% this season.
Two teams tied for most fun to watch: the Timberwolves and Spurs, each at 30%.
The best pure shooter in the world continues to be Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who overwhelmingly secured 97% of the vote.
The league’s best passer wasn’t a point guard or forward, but Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who garnered 87% of the vote.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on October 13, 2026 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Sandro Mamukelashvili has showed off the full complement of his vast offensive arsenal thus far in the preseason. Playing 20 minutes per game, he’s averaging 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists (1.8 turnovers). Aside from the box-score production, he’s been incredibly efficient, shooting 10-of-18 (55.6%) on 2-pointers and 10-of-17 (58.8%) beyond the arc.
Throughout the preseason, the Lakers have entrusted Mamukelashvili as an open-floor ball-handler and half-court playmaker, where his intersection of dribbling, passing and shooting strain opposing defenses and enable him to operate off the ball as well.
Following the Lakers’ loss Tuesday night to the Golden State Warriors, Austin Reaves spoke about the 6-foot-9 Mamukelashvili’s capabilities as a point forward and how much trust he has in Mamukelashvili to fill that role. Shortly after, Mamukelashvili illuminated what praise like that from a player of Reaves’s ilk means to him.
“I think it’s amazing to hear those words from Austin. I look up to him. Even though we’re the same age, he’s a very, very established All-Star-caliber player,” Mamukelashvili said postgame Tuesday. “So that coming from him means a lot to me. It just makes my life easier.”
Clearly, Reaves is not the only one who believes in Mamukelashvili to lather up the offense and create quality looks for everyone. Earlier this week, head coach JJ Redick talked with reporters about Mamukelashvili’s game and what his blend of shooting and passing opens up for the Lakers offensively.
“He’s a good passer… Part of it for him is the threat of his shot, so he has the initial action with the ball and then what comes after that when he doesn’t have the ball,” Redick said. “He’s able to sort of get that space and create an advantage because of the threat of his shot. I’m going to have some fun running plays and ATO’s for him. We’ll have a little Mamu package.”
The Lakers project to be among the league’s elite offenses this season and Mamukelashvili’s malleability is a prominent reason why. He can space the floor and attack closeouts when Reaves or Luka Dončić commandeer possessions or he can let them work off the ball while he functions as a playmaker and screener. It should be fun to watch exactly how he’s deployed to elevate this unit offensively.
LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
West has denied the rumor over the years. But his response when asked about the situation last night is reinvigorating these rumors once again.
“A gentleman never tells,” West said on Wednesday when asked straight-up whether he slept with LeBron’s mom.
This came when West was part of a pre-fight press conference for Adin Ross’ “BRANDRISK 016” event, which is taking place in Miami, Florida on Friday.
Delonte West answering a question about LeBron James’ mom during a BRANDRISK pre-fight press conference. (X/@Fullcourtpass).
Nobody asked any follow up questions because West didn’t appear keen to elaborate. But him not denying the allegations outright has been enough for his four-word response to go viral on social media.
These rumors started back in 2010, when James and West were still teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers. They didn’t come from a reliable source but still gained a lot of traction among the social media community.
And they’ve continued to persist nearly 15 years later.
Delonte West when asked if he slept with LeBron James’ mother
LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the second quarter of a preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. The Brooklyn Nets won 114-108. Getty Images
Perhaps West losing his influencer boxing fight against Michael Beasley on Friday will make him, and this rumor, irrelevant once again.
If that’s the case, it’s easy to imagine who LeBron will be rooting for.
,” said @VACCLNE.
