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      New York Sports Entering a Promising Era

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonVirus Hotspots in the N.B.A.The Friendship of LeBron and Anthony DavisThe N.B.A. Wanted HerMissing Klay ThompsonKobe the #GirlDadAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyOn New York SportsThat Strange Feeling Going Around New York Is OptimismAfter two decades of frustration and incompetence broken up by an occasional championship (thanks, Giants), the region’s sports teams all appear headed in the right direction.Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have the Nets poised to be true championship contenders for the first time since Jason Kidd was playing for the team.Credit…Jason Miller/Getty ImagesFeb. 23, 2021Updated 9:08 a.m. ETIt was a rough couple of decades for sports in New York, and not just because of the incessant losing. The last 20 years was an era of general ineptitude marked by a butt fumble, a Ponzi scheme, failed coaches, disgraced executives, a team hero getting dragged out of the arena by security and losing seasons stacking up like rotting garbage bags in the snow.To be a New York sports fan through all of that was a mental and emotional test of endurance just to remain loyal during perhaps the worst two-decade stretch for sports in the region.The dozen or so teams in the country’s biggest market, with all their resources and expectations, competed for a possible 223 championships over that period in six different leagues, but won only four titles, or 1.8 percent. Boston, a much smaller city, won 12 out of a possible 99 and one team in a an even tinier market — the San Antonio Spurs — won just as many as all the New York teams combined, despite having only 20 chances.But maybe, just maybe, the collective suffering is coming to a merciful end. You might have to look deep in a couple of cases, but for the first time in years, all the arrows seem to be pointing up.“We are on the cusp of maybe a good 10-year run where all the teams are in contention in their respective sport,” said Boomer Esiason, the Long Island-bred former N.F.L. M.V.P. who, as the host of the drive-time morning show on WFAN radio, has the pulse of the fans. “It’s really a fascinating time in New York sports.”Of course, it could all go sideways in the blink of a stupid trade or a shredded elbow, especially with articles like this one to jinx it. For now, optimism reigns as fans are allowed back in arenas and stadiums in limited numbers, and the following words can be typed in succession for the first time in ages: The Nets are stacked, the Mets are poised, the Giants seem to be building something real, the Jets have a bushel of draft picks and a commanding new coach. And the Knicks — the Knicks! — actually seem to know what they are doing.OK, we know you are skeptical. Twenty years of sports PTSD will do that. But here is a closer look at how the various New York teams are faring.Julius Randle, center, has received All-Star buzz but the team has several other promising young players like Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.Credit…Jason Decrow/USA Today Sports, via ReutersThe Nets are contenders. The Knicks are competent!The most astonishing turnaround in the metropolitan region at the moment belongs to the Knicks.People under the age of 30 may not remember, but there was a time when the Knicks owned New York, even more than the Yankees. When they played the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers or the Miami Heat in the playoffs in the 1990s, the city went on pause. That changed, coincidentally or not, around the same time James Dolan took ownership of the team and the Knicks only made the playoffs (barely) five times over 20 seasons.But the future for the Knicks shimmers a little brighter now with a combination of exciting young players, a highly respected head coach in Tom Thibodeau and a sensible executive with a vision in charge of it all (Leon Rose, that is, not Dolan).Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin are impressing in their first few months in the league. RJ Barrett, a former No. 3 over all pick, is only a year ahead of them on the development scale. And Julius Randle, a rare free agent success for the team, has broken out to become a star. With everyone committing to Thibodeau’s defensive mandate, the Knicks are floating close to .500 for the first time in eight years and are actually watchable again.“One hundred percent they are headed in the right direction,” said Isiah Thomas, the Hall of Fame point guard, N.B.A. analyst and former Knicks coach and executive. “Under Leon Rose and Thibodeau, what they have established with his defensive mentality is already paying dividends.”Sabrina Ionescu didn’t get much of a rookie season because of an injury, but she is expected to lead the Liberty into a promising new era.Credit…Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated PressWhile the Knicks are building organically, the Nets took the just-add-water approach with a powerful mix of three superstars — Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The Nets, fresh off a five-game sweep on the West Coast, are the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference behind the Philadelphia 76ers and are title contenders for the first time since the Jason Kidd (playing) era.The Liberty have been quietly atrocious the last three years, but in 2020 they selected the incomparable point guard Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 over all pick in the W.N.B.A. draft. She played in only three games her rookie season because of an ankle injury, but is expected to help transform the team. Adding Natasha Howard, an All-Star who has won multiple championships, can’t hurt.Oh, and St. John’s men’s team is playing tough defense, too, and is over .500.Taken as a whole, Thomas said, “It’s very positive for basketball in New York right now.”Shortstop Francisco Lindor is expected to solidify the Mets’ defense while providing a middle-of-the-order bat.Credit…Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressD.J. LeMahieu and Luke Voit are two of the many bright spots for a loaded Yankees offense.Credit…Mike Stobe/Getty ImagesThe Mets have a savior. The Yankees are the Yankees.It is impossible to look past the Mets repeatedly hiring men accused of harassment, but the actual team on the field should be in for an exciting summer. Many of those fans waited years for an owner like Steven Cohen to take the team from the Wilpons and start spreading his billions around like a wiseguy at a craps game, but their best off-season move was a trade for Francisco Lindor, a transformational player. For now, fans and players alike believe Cohen will deliver a winner to Flushing. Luis Rojas, the Mets manager said the players’ optimism was palpable on the first day of spring training.“You feel the energy from the guys as far as talking about the passion that our new owners has shown in the off-season,” Rojas said.As for the Yankees, let’s cut them some slack for only winning one World Series since 2000. Ordinarily, that would be an abject failure, but compared to the other slouches in town, at least they actually grabbed one. For sheer consistency of effort over that time, the Yankees stood alone in the region.Coach Joe Judge appears to have changed the tone for the Giants.Credit…Adam Hunger/Associated PressCoach Robert Saleh is expected to bring intensity to the Jets’ sideline.Credit…Doug Benc/Associated PressIn new coaches, the New York football teams trust.Look, we know the last five years or so of football in New Jersey has been excruciating for the fans. But …“There is no question that both franchises are on the upswing,” said Esiason, who is also an N.F.L. analyst for CBS. “Both Giants and Jets fans feel there is an optimism surrounding the team, for different reasons.”Finding something positive about the Jets is really an undertaking for a historian. Actually, a geologist — what does the carbon dating reveal about their only trophy? Paleolithic period? Jurassic? After all, the Jets (2-14 last season) can’t even lose properly. By winning a second game, they missed out on a generational No. 1 draft pick. Trevor Lawrence almost certainly won’t be a Jet, but the No. 2 pick is better than, say, the No. 3 pick, and they have many more picks in the holster, too.“I would love to see Joe Douglas’s white board,” Esiason, who played for the Jets, said about the team’s shockingly competent general manager. “They’ve got tons of options.”They also have a new coach, Robert Saleh, whom people already love before he has run a practice. The Jets clearly took note of the success of their fellow Jersey swamp residents’ new tough-guy coach, and hired one of their own.Much of the hope surrounding the Giants emanates from that coach. Joe Judge changed the culture in his first year and led the G-men to six wins, which in the awful N.F.C. East made them a playoff contender.Plus, with two Super Bowl titles in the last 14 years, the Giants get the city’s only hall pass in this accounting.Alexis Lafreniere, center, is one of the many bright spots for a team that began a total rebuild a few years ago.Credit…Nick Wass/Associated PressHockey built itself back from the ground up.Esiason is also passionate hockey fan, and he pointed to a key moment in recent Rangers history that he sees as the catalyst for the entire region’s turnaround. In February 2018, the Rangers decided they were going to tear down the roster and rebuild, and sent a letter to season ticket holders advising them to say goodbye to their beloved older stars.“That has never been accepted in New York, for any team,” Esiason said. “It kind of set things in motion.”Now the Rangers are loaded with promising young players, like Alexis Lafreniere, last year’s No. 1 pick, Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in 2019, Adam Fox and goalie Igor Shesterkin, just to name a few.The Devils have also been plucking No. 1 picks, with Nico Hischier, who was just named captain last week, in 2017 and Jack Hughes in 2019, plus a deep pool of other intriguing prospects. Fans seem to appreciate where they are headed (and yes, they also get credit for capturing the region’s other title way back in 2003).Meanwhile Islanders fans are feeling good that Lou Lamoriello is the president of a team that made the conference finals last year.“Lou Lamoriello has basically resuscitated that moribund franchise,” said Esiason, whose son-in-law, Matt Martin, is a forward on the team, “and they have a new arena being built over in Elmont — who would have thought that would ever happen? Now, suddenly, they are one of the top teams in the N.H.L.”It’s all there. Maybe.Add it all up, from the Bronx to New Jersey — the Red Bulls are bound to win an M.L.S. Cup eventually, right? — and maybe the region really is headed for something better than four championships in the next 20 years.“New York is the greatest city in the world and it really needs some positive energy,” said Alex Rodriguez, the ESPN analyst who was part of the last Yankees championship in 2009. “Things are looking up. I think sports is ready to bring a lot of joy and hope for the folks of New York.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Knicks Fans Want Someone to Love. Julius Randle May Be Their Guy.

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonVirus Hotspots in the N.B.A.The Friendship of LeBron and Anthony DavisThe N.B.A. Wanted HerMissing Klay ThompsonKobe the #GirlDadAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyKnicks Fans Want Someone to Love. Julius Randle May Be Their Guy.Randle is playing the best basketball of his career in his second season with the Knicks, and he wants to be here. “A picture perfect thing for me,” he said.Knicks forward Julius Randle is coming into his own this season, a star turn he hopes gives him a solid place in the future of New York basketball.Credit…Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE, via Getty ImagesFeb. 17, 2021, 4:06 p.m. ETOne of Julius Randle’s earliest tormentors on the basketball court was his mother, Carolyn Kyles. Once, when Randle was in fourth grade, Kyles teamed up with Randle’s older sister, Nastassia Caldwell, in a game of two-on-two against Randle and one of his friends.“I was throwing hook shots on him,” said Kyles, who once played for the University of Texas at Arlington. “She was passing me the ball and I’m knocking him around and he got so mad because they were losing. And I threw his sister the ball and he went up to her and just slammed her down on the court after blocking her shot. I’m like, ‘Really, Julius?’”She added: “I couldn’t take it easy on him. I had to teach him how to stay strong on the court.”Now, Randle is the bully. A bulky 26-year-old in his seventh N.B.A. season, he has made a living in the league by combining an overpowering 6-foot-8 physique with finesse to outwork taller players.“How I approach the game, and how I play hard and try to leave everything out there on the court, I get from her,” Randle said of his mother.This season, Randle’s second with the Knicks, has been a revelation: He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists, making a serious push to be the team’s first All-Star since Kristaps Porzingis in 2017-18. After an underwhelming campaign last year, Randle is providing hope to a beleaguered fan base as the best player on a Knicks team that might make the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. He bolstered his credentials with a dominant 44-point performance on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.Randle is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists. He had 44 points in a win against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.Credit…Pool photo by Jason DecrowAnd yet Randle’s contract is up after next season, and his future with the franchise is unclear, an unusual position for a potential All-Star entering his prime. Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks coach, has spoken about needing at least one more star and wanting the team to be “aggressive” in pursuing other players. Randle could be anything from a cornerstone to a player traded for a cornerstone. But Randle wants to wear a Knicks jersey for years to come, an encouraging sign for a franchise that has long struggled to attract top free agents.“I knew where we were starting at,” Randle said. “I knew the challenge I had when I signed here. I signed here with the hopes of being here long term. I want to be one of the guys that’s part of this team and eventually, hopefully, we are competing for championships and winning championships. That’s my dream. A picture perfect thing for me.”Randle’s journey to New York began in Texas, where he first began playing basketball at age 3. A Dallas native, he grew up with his sister and Kyles, who described him as a confident, outgoing gym rat. Randle eschewed parties for basketball practice, Kyles said.“Being that he played basketball, he was around a lot of coaches or other fathers that he was able to talk to or maybe I felt they could say the exact same things that I would say,” Kyles said. “And it would be so much clearer to him coming from a male’s voice. So he always had mentors.”But Randle’s mother remained his biggest influence. When Randle first started playing basketball, he wore the No. 8 of his idol, Kobe Bryant. But one day — again in fourth grade — Randle walked in the kitchen and asked what number Kyles wore. She said: “Thirty. Why?”“‘Then can I have that number?’” Kyles recalled Randle asking. She snapped back: “Well, if you’re going to do something with it, yeah. If not, leave my number alone.”Now she says, “I guess he did do something with it.”Randle said he learned his toughness from his mother, Carolyn Kyles. He wears No. 30 because of her; it was what she wore in college.Credit…Courtesy of Carolyn KylesRandle took that number to the University of Kentucky, where he played one standout year under John Calipari. (Randle’s 4-year-old son, Kyden, also now wears the number in his blossoming basketball career.)“If you’re around a young man and you see the desire, the heart, the fight, you tell people, ‘Whatever you think he’s going to be, it will be more,’” Calipari said. “There are other guys that you coach that it either came really easy for or they were still learning that competitiveness of, ‘it’s either him or me.’ Julius had it.”Strong college play landed Randle a new No. 30 jersey: The Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the seventh pick in the 2014 draft, teaming Randle with his idol, Bryant, who was nearing the end of his career. But Randle’s career began on an extraordinarily difficult note: He broke his right leg just 14 minutes into his N.B.A. debut. He did not play another game that season, but he never doubted he would recover fully.“It just sucked because it was my first game my rookie year,” Randle said.Kyles, who saw the injury in person, felt obligated to be optimistic about what she called a “devastating moment.” She immediately went to meet him and stayed with him as he had X-rays taken.“We feed off each other, and so I know that if I showed any sign of fear that he wouldn’t have been able to make it back on the court,” Kyles said. She continued: “Of course, when I was by myself, and I was in a room, I cried. I cried with my daughter. But when I faced him, I just put this strong face on.”Randle did make it back the next year, missing only one game. And in the ensuing seasons, he developed a reputation for his strong work ethic and for keeping his body in shape.Randle grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, then got to play with him after the Lakers drafted him seventh over all in 2014.Credit…Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesBut his career over all has been mostly one of transitions. In four years in Los Angeles, he was often the subject of trade rumors on a seemingly rudderless Lakers team struggling to move out of the Bryant era. In July 2018, Randle signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was slated to be a part of one of the most talented frontcourts in the league alongside Anthony Davis, the franchise star. Except Davis wanted out of New Orleans, creating a testy situation and a franchise in flux. Randle left New Orleans after one season and signed with the Knicks.In Randle’s first year, he struggled, in part because he didn’t have the right complementary pieces around him. There also seemed to be constant turmoil surrounding the franchise, including Coach David Fizdale’s firing less than two months into the season. This season, the Knicks have stabilized behind the team president, Leon Rose, and Thibodeau. Randle said Thibodeau has been “like a perfect match.”“Honestly, Thibs is a dog,” Randle said. “He’s a guy that is an extreme competitor and very aware of everything that’s going on. Takes each possession like it’s our last, and really coaches with the type of intensity and passion that you want from a coach.”This Knicks season isn’t just a refreshing change of pace for fans, but for Randle as well. For someone who hates losing, he has become intimately familiar with it. In each of his six previous seasons, Randle’s teams never finished higher than 11th in the conference. He’s not solely, or even mostly, to blame for that, but the fact remains: Randle has never played for a winning team. This season is his best opportunity.Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau “really coaches with the type of intensity and passion that you want,” Randle said.Credit…Adam Hunger/Associated Press“When we come to the game, we feel like we have a chance to win every game,” Randle said. The Knicks were 14-15 entering Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, good enough for sixth in the Eastern Conference.If Randle gets his way, he may be on his way to attaining something few recent Knicks have: the approval of Knicks fans. Former Knicks like Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Allan Houston (Randle counts him as a mentor) and Carmelo Anthony are still beloved, but all except Anthony are from an era when Knicks wins weren’t so hard to come by. For Randle, wearing a No. 30 jersey at the All-Star Game on behalf of the Knicks may go a long way toward cementing his approval with fans.“It’d be amazing, man,” Randle said. “You put in a lot of work and sacrifice and dedication to your craft. So for you to receive those accolades or whatever it may be and be recognized as such would be a great feeling.”Randle paused slightly.“And especially as a Knick.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Knicks Nearing Trade for Derrick Rose

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonVirus Hotspots in the N.B.A.The Friendship of LeBron and Anthony DavisThe N.B.A. Wanted HerMissing Klay ThompsonKobe the #GirlDadAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyKnicks Nearing Trade for Derrick RoseRose, a former All-Star guard with the Detroit Pistons, last played for the Knicks in the 2016-17 season. He has been one of the N.B.A.’s best bench scorers this season at 14.2 points per game.Derrick Rose won the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player Award in the 2010-11 season.Credit…Andy Clayton-King/Associated PressFeb. 7, 2021, 5:30 p.m. ETThe Knicks are finalizing a trade to reacquire the former N.B.A. All-Star guard Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons, according to two people briefed on the transaction. The deal will reunite Rose with Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Minnesota and Chicago and now leads the Knicks.The trade, which will send the out-of-favor guard Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round draft pick to Detroit for Rose, was nearing completion on Sunday, according to the people, who were not authorized to discuss the trade publicly. The Athletic first reported the looming agreement.Rose, 32, is a decade removed from his Most Valuable Player Award-winning season with the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11. He has rebounded from a serious knee injury during the 2012 playoffs to establish himself as a productive scoring guard off the bench. Rose spent one tumultuous season with the Knicks, in 2016-17, and is known to be a favorite of Thibodeau, who coached him for five seasons in Chicago and parts of two seasons in Minnesota.The Knicks lack scoring punch in the backcourt, and Rose averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 assists in 15 games this season for the rebuilding Pistons before he and Detroit management mutually agreed recently that he would sit out until the team could trade him.Thibodeau, who has shown more comfort playing veteran players, will face the immediate riddle of how to blend Rose with the promising rookie Immanuel Quickley, who is already popular with Knicks fans. Quickley is off to a strong start (12.4 points in just 19 minutes per game) after he was selected out of Kentucky with the 25th overall pick in the draft in November.When asked Sunday about his reputation for preferring veterans, Thibodeau tried to brush off the question by reminding reporters that Rose was playing for him at age 22 when he achieved his greatest success.“Derrick Rose is the youngest M.V.P. in the history of the league,” Thibodeau said. “So I don’t worry about that stuff.”Rose will join the veteran forward Taj Gibson, whom the Knicks re-signed last month after waiving him in November, in playing under Thibodeau in all three of his stops as an N.B.A. head coach. The Knicks, at 11-14 after losing to Miami on Sunday, hold the East’s No. 8 seed and have exceeded expectations in Thibodeau’s first season.Smith’s brief time with the Knicks was a major disappointment. The Dallas Mavericks drafted him with the No. 9 overall pick in 2017, and he was initially billed as the centerpiece of the team’s much-debated trade in January 2019 that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas from the Knicks. Smith, now 23, has appeared in just three of the Knicks’ 25 games this season. It had become so clear he had no future in New York that he recently asked to be sent to the Knicks’ G League affiliate to be able to work on his game.Rose’s ties to the Knicks go beyond his relationship with Thibodeau. He played at the University of Memphis for John Calipari, who now coaches at Kentucky and is close with the Knicks’ president, Leon Rose, and his top aide, William Wesley. Four former Kentucky players are on the Knicks’ roster.Rose averaged 18 points per game in his lone Knicks season. In 2016, during the preseason, he traveled to Los Angeles several times to testify in a civil case in which he was accused of sexual assault. He was found not liable. He also left the team abruptly on a game day in January of that season and had season-ending knee surgery in April 2017.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      The Knicks Are Off to a Decent Start. Is This a Drill?

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAre the Knicks Back?A Year of Kobe and LeBronMarc Stein’s Fearless PredictionsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyThe Knicks Are Off to a Decent Start. Is This a Drill?A more aggressive Knicks team has excited fans early, racking up big wins over Milwaukee and Utah. But they’ve lost three in a row, a worrisome sign for fans who’ve been let down before.Reggie Bullock celebrated with Austin Rivers as the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden last week.Credit…Wendell Cruz/USA Today Sports, via ReutersJan. 13, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ETThe last time the Knicks won at least half of their first 10 games was during the 2017-18 season, when they were 6-4. They finished the campaign 29-53.This season, the Knicks started 5-5, and some fans are daring to hope that maybe this Knicks team is different. Maybe this one can break the playoff-less streak that began in 2013-14. The bad news is that the season is headed in the wrong direction. The Knicks have dropped three in a row to put them at 5-6, with multiple blowout defeats.Coach Tom Thibodeau has this team playing hard, and the Knicks have beaten good opponents, including the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks. Entering the Charlotte Hornets game on Monday, the Knicks had the eighth best defense in the league. They are now down to 13th after losing to Charlotte, 109-88.The Knicks haven’t fielded a top-10 defensive team since the 2011-12 season, when their fifth-ranked defense took them to the playoffs. The unfortunate flip side: This year’s team has one of the league’s worst offenses.The Knicks have also struggled with injuries: Alec Burks, Austin Rivers and Obi Toppin have all missed time — three offensive-minded players.Something the Knicks have in their favor is that this season has produced lots of strange results, and not just for them. Night after night, in part because of the shortened season, no crowds, the pandemic and minimal time in training camp, lots of teams are losing big or to opponents who did not seem like threats. Some teams, like the Toronto Raptors (2-8), who are based in Florida because of the virus, are underperforming. Several top players, like Boston’s Jayson Tatum and the Nets’ Kevin Durant, have missed multiple games because they tested positive for, or were potentially exposed to, the coronavirus.The shortened season helps the Knicks in another way. Banking wins early on gives them cushion against the losses that are almost unavoidable as the season grinds on. But it is still early, as Knicks fans learned in 2018.Here is a look at what’s gone right and wrong for the Knicks so far.The New and Improved Julius RandleThe biggest reason the Knicks have been competitive this year is Julius Randle, who has started off strong. Randle is averaging 22.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game — all on pace to be career highs — on 49.4 percent shooting. He is averaging more assists this year than his last two years combined. If he keeps this up, Randle should deservedly make his first All-Star team.He looks more comfortable on the floor, and Thibodeau has been adept at taking advantage of Randle’s versatility — for example, making sure he’s getting the ball on different parts of the court, rather than simply trying to bulldoze opponents in the post. Randle is skilled at creating for his teammates. The issue is that the Knicks don’t have many playmakers or shooters around him to ease his burden.The Curious Case of RJ BarrettRJ Barrett, 20, is playing a lot of minutes this year — 37.9 minutes per game, vs. 30.4 his rookie year. Barrett is, however, shooting a dismal 36.5 percent from the field and 18 percent from deep, both down from his rookie year, when he also struggled. RJ Barrett is averaging more shots than points.Credit…Adam Hunger/Associated PressWatching the games, you can see Barrett’s improvement in other areas. He plays more aggressively, has developed into a strong rebounder (7.6 rebounds per game for a guard is impressive) and has improved his passing. He is a solid defender.The consistency is not there, though, and the inefficiency is problematic: Barrett is averaging more shots than points. On opening night, Barrett shot 11-of-15 from the field for 26 points against the Indiana Pacers. The next game, against the Philadelphia 76ers, Barrett shot 2-of-15 from the field for 10 points. And then he shot poorly again for the next three games.His inability to shoot puts more pressure on Randle. Barrett is making only 26.5 percent of his shots when there isn’t a defender within six feet of him. He’s also hitting only 17.4 percent when he catches the ball and shoots it.But Barrett is still impactful for the Knicks, despite his scoring woes. His net rating (essentially a measure of how much better or worse a team is with a player on the floor) is minus 2.8. This isn’t ideal, but it is among the best on the team among those who receive serious minutes. When Barrett isn’t on the floor, the Knicks’ net rating is minus 13.8. That’s a bigger gap than the one for Randle, who is their best player.Mitchell Robinson, the EnigmaIt’s almost time for the Knicks to commit to an extension with Mitchell Robinson, who is now in his third year. It is difficult to gauge his true value. He’s a more traditional center who can’t spread the floor and mostly gets his points on dunks.And like Barrett, Robinson is a mixed bag.Through 11 games, Robinson’s production in several categories has decreased even as he has played more minutes (30.1) than usual, though the extra time seems to have given him room to grab more rebounds than before (8.1 per game). He is also below his per-game career averages in blocks (1.9) and field-goal percentage (68.2 percent; still very efficient).The biggest improvement for Robinson is that he’s been able to stay on the floor. Before this year, he struggled with foul trouble, but now he doesn’t jump for up-fakes as often, making it harder for defenders to draw fouls. That was his biggest weakness. Now, not so much.Elfrid Payton’s PlaymakingThe Knicks don’t have many players who can break down defenses, which is what makes Elfrid Payton essential for Thibodeau. The Knicks cut him in the off-season and re-signed him to a cheap one-year deal. He is probably not a part of the Knicks’ future plans. But he has been a steady, veteran presence on the floor, which they have needed.He is not much of a shooter, but he is skilled at getting into the paint. This year, he’s scoring above his career average with 14.5 points a game, and is tallying 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.Payton, 26, now in his seventh season, also does not make many mistakes on the floor. For the most part, he stays within himself and takes care of the ball. (His turnover percentage is an below-average 14 percent this season.) He’ll most likely never be a starter on a championship team, but he’s been a nice pickup for the Knicks.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Julius Randle Is Causing Something Rare: Excitement for the Knicks

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonA Year of Kobe and LeBronThe Warriors Are StrugglingMarc Stein’s Fearless PredictionsThe Reloaded LakersAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyKeeping ScoreJulius Randle Is Causing Something Rare: Excitement for the KnicksAfter the Knicks’ seven consecutive losing seasons, Randle’s strong play is fueling a good start — and hope among fans.Julius Randle, who had a triple double against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, ranks in the top 20 in the N.B.A. in points, rebounds and assists per game after four games.Credit…Tony Dejak/Associated PressDec. 30, 2020Updated 1:01 p.m. ETYou can count the games each N.B.A. team has played so far on a single hand. But since when has a small sample size ever stopped fans, especially Knicks fans, from being excited?The Knicks, coming off seven consecutive losing seasons, have started this one 2-2 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 95-86, on Tuesday night. Before the season started, New York was widely considered one of the weakest teams in the league, if not the weakest. While no one is talking playoffs yet, there is plenty of early excitement, especially because of Julius Randle.A 6-foot-8 power forward, Randle had a triple double against the Cavaliers, his first since 2018. And it wasn’t an outlier. Randle ranks in the top 20 in the league in points, rebounds and assists per game (14th, 12th and 10th). The only other player to do so is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Only one player did it last season, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, a leading candidate to be this season’s most valuable player.Randle is also ranking in the top 20 in a host of other categories, but two of those do give pause. He ranks third in turnovers with 20, including an ugly nine against the Cavaliers on Tuesday. And he ranks third in 3-point percentage at .692.Wait, he’s hitting his 3s? How is that a problem? Because that gaudy percentage is, of course, unsustainable — the N.B.A. record for a season is .536. And unless Randle has miraculously become a long-distance sharpshooter, his percentage is likely to tumble quite a bit. In his career, he has shot only .304 from distance, and last season he shot .277. Once the 3s start to clang, as they must, some of Randle’s other numbers will start to slip.The Knicks as a team lead the N.B.A. in 3-point percentage at .459; that’s after ranking 27th in that category last season. And their opponents’ 3s have not been falling. The Knicks have surrendered a 3-point percentage of .244, best in the league. While some of that must be credited to New York’s defense, some again is most likely a result of bad luck for opponents.Under their new coach, Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are still not taking many 3s; they rank next to last in the league at 27.3 attempts per game, about the same as last season. But they are doing much better at steering clear of the most dreaded shot in the league, the long 2: Last season, they ranked third in 2-point shots taken from 16 feet or more; this season so far they rank 21st.The Knicks are also leaning on Randle quite a bit so far, maybe too much. He leads the team at 37.8 minutes per game. That is sixth in the league, and five more minutes than his career high.Caveats aside, Randle is indisputably producing so far. His win shares per 48 minutes, a statistic that endeavors to sum up all of a player’s contributions, is 0.194, according to Basketball Reference, comfortably ahead of last season’s 0.062.Randle was taken seventh over all by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014 out of Kentucky, and played with them for four seasons, gradually coming into his own. He left as a free agent and averaged 20 points a game for the first time in his one season with the New Orleans Pelicans, then moved on to the Knicks for 2019-20.If the Knicks are to have a breakthrough season, as their most fevered supporters are already hoping, they will need more than just Randle and a shower of successful 3s. So far the other Knicks seem to be on board, with shooting guard RJ Barrett, point guard Elfrid Payton and swingman Reggie Bullock all averaging a few points more per game than last season.The team also added the veteran Alec Burks, and though he missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury, he is averaging what would be a career high of 21 points, helped by an impressive 10-for-15 mark on 3-point attempts.Before this season, oddsmakers predicted the Knicks would win about 21 of their 72 scheduled games. Say what you want about sample size, but the team is almost 10 percent of the way there.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      N.B.A. Eastern Conference Preview: Will the Nets Reign Supreme?

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyN.B.A. Eastern Conference Preview: Will the Nets Reign Supreme?The Bucks got better, but the Nets with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant might be too much for Milwaukee — or any other team in the East — to overcome.With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant healthy, and a strong supporting cast, the Nets are poised to make a run to the top of the Eastern Conference.Credit…Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty ImagesDec. 21, 2020, 3:00 a.m. ETIs it already the most wonderful time of year again? With LeBron alley-ooping and referees demanding we be of good cheer? There’ll be dunks used for posting, Kawhi laughs for roasting and trash talking out in the snowwwww.Yes, the N.B.A. season is upon us, beginning Tuesday, with a much different landscape from any other season. Most arenas won’t have fans in the stands because of the pandemic. At the same time, several top stars who missed most or all of last season will be returning, shifting the balance of power in the N.B.A.And all eyes are on James Harden to see where he ends up, whether he has to stay in Houston for the season or gets sent to one of his preferred destinations, like Milwaukee, Philadelphia or Miami.The Eastern Conference is wide open this year. Here’s a look at where it stands.The ContendersNow that Kevin Durant, left, and Kyrie Irving are finally able to play together, they should make the Nets the best team in the East.Credit…Kathy Willens/Associated PressBrooklyn Nets2019-2020 record: 35-37 (No. 7 playoff seed)Key additions: Jeff Green, Landry ShametKey subtractions: Wilson Chandler, Garrett TempleOutlook: On paper, this is the most talented team in the East, if not the league. The only new players this season are key reserves, but the real addition is Kevin Durant, who is ready to play after missing last season with an Achilles’ tendon injury. His friend and fellow perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving also will be returning, from a shoulder injury that limited him to 20 games last season. If they are close to the players they were before their injuries, this team is a threat to win the finals, especially considering its dynamic supporting cast.The Nets have elite shooting in Shamet and Joe Harris; rebounding and shot-blocking in DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen; quality playmakers in Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie; and bench sparkplugs like Green and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot.Getting Giannis Antetokounmpo signed to an extension was a victory of its own kind for the Milwaukee Bucks.Credit…Pool photo by Ashley LandisMilwaukee Bucks2019-2020 record: 56-17 (No. 1 seed)Key additions: Jrue Holiday, D.J. Augustin, Bobby Portis, Torrey CraigKey subtractions: Robin Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, Marvin Williams, Wesley Matthews, Ersan IlyasovaOutlook: The Bucks enter the season without the cloud of whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will sign an extension hanging over Wisconsin. That’s a huge win in itself. But now the focus will be on whether this team will vie for a championship or disappear early in the playoffs again.Trading for Holiday, a former All-Star, was a great start. Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Holiday are a fearsome trio. The Bucks also revamped their bench, adding Augustin, a veteran who can shoot the ball, to make up for the loss of players like Matthews and Ilyasova. (Side note: Antetokounmpo has the opportunity to become the first player since Larry Bird in 1985-86 to win the Most Valuable Player Award for a third straight season.)Repeating as the Eastern Conference champions could be tough for the Miami Heat.Credit…Kim Klement/USA Today Sports, via ReutersMiami Heat2019-2020 record: 44-29 (No. 5 seed)Key additions: Avery Bradley, Maurice HarklessKey departures: Solomon HillOutlook: After last year’s Cinderella run to the finals, the Heat enter this season with the same team more or less, led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. You can expect Tyler Herro, who mostly came off the bench last season and delivered many strong performances in the playoffs, to have a bigger role. You do wonder whether Miami will be able to take teams by surprise again, with many teams in the East making significant moves to get better or having players return from injury.The MaybesThe Sixers brought in two elite shooters, but they still need Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to improve to avoid last season’s disappointment.Credit…Matt Slocum/Associated PressPhiladelphia 76ers2019-2020 record: 43-30 (No. 6 seed)Key additions: Seth Curry, Danny Green, Dwight HowardKey departures: Al Horford, Josh RichardsonOutlook: Daryl Morey, the new team president, already left his mark on the roster, shipping out the ill-fitting Horford for Green, who will provide Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons some much needed spacing, as will Curry. The team is better balanced than the disappointing one last season, but Embiid and Simmons still must elevate their play. (And let’s not forget: The Sixers are in play to trade for Houston’s James Harden.)The Celtics are counting on Jayson Tatum’s improvement to go deeper into the playoffs this season.Credit…Matt Slocum/Associated PressBoston Celtics2019-2020 record: 48-24 (No. 3 seed)Key additions: Jeff Teague, Tristan ThompsonKey departures: Gordon Hayward, Brad WanamakerOutlook: This was a bad off-season for the Celtics, who lost Hayward, an All-Star talent, in a free-agency-related trade that netted Boston a record trade exception, which the franchise could use to acquire a solid rotation player. To contend, the Celtics will need Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to make another leap, plus better-than-expected contributions from their stable of young players like Grant Williams, Robert Williams and Romeo Langford, especially given Kemba Walker’s knee troubles.The dynamic guard Trae Young and a much-improved roster make the Hawks a must-watch this season.Credit…Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports, via ReutersAtlanta Hawks2019-2020 record: 20-47Key additions: Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn, Solomon HillKey departures: Vince Carter, Evan Turner, Jeff TeagueOutlook: The Hawks are a team primed to make The Leap. Aside from having an elite talent like Trae Young, the team signed several strong veterans to surround a dynamic core that includes John Collins, Clint Capela, Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish. Melding so many new faces will be difficult, and this team will probably be poor defensively. But Atlanta will be a must-watch on League Pass.Russell Westbrook was a surprise addition to a Wizards team that struggled last season.Credit…Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesWashington Wizards2019-2020 record: 25-47Key additions: Russell Westbrook, Robin Lopez, Raul NetoKey departures: John WallOutlook: Both of the team’s stars — Bradley Beal and Westbrook — will be playing this season with chips on their shoulders: Beal, for being snubbed for All-N.B.A. teams despite his stellar last season and Westbrook for the narrative surrounding his campaign in Houston, despite making an All N.B.A. team. Look for Rui Hachimura to be in the conversation for the Most Improved Player Award after a strong rookie season.The Indiana Pacers had a quiet off-season, but at least Victor Oladipo is still with them.Credit…David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty ImagesIndiana Pacers2019-2020 record: 45-28 (No. 4 seed)Key additions: NoneKey departures: NoneOutlook: The biggest acquisition the Pacers made this off-season was a new coach, Nate Bjorkgren. Aside from that, they’ll have a healthy Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to build around, as well as Malcolm Brogdon and TJ Warren, who had a great run in the Florida bubble. Hard to see this team making any real noise as the season progresses, though.Pascal Siakam wasn’t great in the playoffs, but he still has value for the Raptors this season.Credit…Kim Klement/USA Today Sports, via ReutersToronto Raptors2019-2010 record: 53-19 (No. 2 seed)Key additions: DeAndre’ Bembry, Alex Len, Aron BaynesKey departures: Serge IbakaOutlook: This might be the toughest team in the East to peg. Pascal Siakam’s stock took a dive after his performance in the playoffs, and replacing Ibaka with the combination of Baynes and Len might not be enough. Kyle Lowry turns 35 this season. Toronto was knocked out of the playoffs in the second round and didn’t upgrade much in talent. Even so, the Raptors are never to be counted out.The Non-ContendersThe Magic sneaked into the playoffs last season and look to be only so-so again.Credit…Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesOrlando Magic2019-2020 record: 33-40 (No. 8 seed)Key additions: Cole AnthonyKey departures: D.J. AugustinOutlook: The only reason to watch this team is to see what kind of player Anthony, drafted 15th over all last month, will be. Otherwise, the team is set up to be average again, especially with Jonathan Isaac likely to miss the year with a knee injury. It’s time for this franchise to start over. Building around Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier is just not good enough.LaMelo Ball, the Hornets rookie, has already made waves during the preseason with his playmaking skills.Credit…Chris Carlson/Associated PressCharlotte Hornets2019-2020 record: 23-42Key additions: LaMelo Ball, Gordon HaywardKey departures: Nicolas BatumOutlook: This team could challenge for the playoffs. Hayward had a great year in Boston last season, and Ball is showing himself to be a talented playmaker during the preseason. Devonte’ Graham (18.2 points a game in his sophomore N.B.A. campaign) is a solid young talent poised for a leap.Zach LaVine can put up big numbers for the Bulls, but this season they need him to be consistent.Credit…Nam Y. Huh/Associated PressChicago Bulls2019-2020 record: 22-43Key additions: Garrett Temple, Patrick WilliamsKey departures: NoneOutlook: The Bulls have a new coach, Billy Donovan, who has a penchant for squeezing production out of less-than-stellar rosters. Zach LaVine put up all All-Star numbers (25.5 points a game) last season, but will need more consistent playmaking to actually become one. If the Bulls want to be competitive, they’ll need Lauri Markkanen to recover from a down year.Obi Toppin will give Knicks fans something to cheer about this season.Credit…Raj Mehta/USA Today Sports, via ReutersKnicks2019-2020 record: 21-45Key additions: Obi Toppin, Alec BurksKey departures: Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Maurice HarklessOutlook: The Knicks, aside from hiring Tom Thibodeau as coach, didn’t make any major moves this off-season, which is fine. They sat out a weak free-agent class and kept their flexibility. Barring any major star trades, this is another development year for the franchise. It’s a chance to determine what exactly RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson can do. Separately, Toppin may be the most exciting Knicks draft pick in years.Blake Griffin’s future with the Detroit Pistons is uncertain.Credit…Raj Mehta/USA Today Sports, via ReutersDetroit Pistons2019-2020 record: 20-46Key additions: Killian Hayes, Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson, Jerami Grant, Saddiq BeyKey departures: Luke Kennard, Christian WoodOutlook: It was an odd off-season for Detroit, as the team stocked up on big men who can’t shoot, while trading away talented pieces like Kennard and Wood. But Blake Griffin is healthy, and the franchise is hoping Hayes is ready for big minutes. This is probably not a playoff team right now, but players like Hayes offer hope for the future. Will Griffin be on the team come season’s end?The Cavaliers were at the bottom of the East last season, and their prospects now don’t look much better.Credit…Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty ImagesCleveland Cavaliers2019-2020 record: 19-46Key additions: Isaac Okoro, JaVale McGeeKey departures: Tristan ThompsonOutlook: Collin Sexton, going into his third year, is one of the few guaranteed bright spots on the team. He’s a proven scorer. But Andre Drummond and Kevin Love on the frontline are … an interesting pairing. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Cleveland last in the conference again.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More