Less than a month after playing a competitive game, the Knicks were back on a court doing some goofy play. Here are some links and notes before New York gets back to it against a familiar foe later today.
- The Knicks opened Summer League with a 91-65 loss to the Nets. Shouts out to my Brooklynites for taking advantage of the only time of the year they’re good enough to beat New York.
- Mohamed Diawara did not sugarcoat his awful performance after going 1-for-9 from the field and putting up a monster minus-39 in 23 minutes of playing time.
“I got to do way better. I think the level that we take back is, like, a little way better. I can play like I played today, and just be better than last game.”
- Pacome Dadiet somehow looked like a player, scored a team-high 20, and multiplied his value as he enters his third season in the League, earning $2.9 million. Of note, per the Daily News’ Kristian Windfield, Dadiet’s cap hit rises to $5.4 million next year, so the Knicks will need to make a business decision here.
- Rookie Tyler Nickel made a smooth impression, coming off the pine and drilling six threes of 10 attempted for all 18 of his points. Fellow drafted neophyte Jack Kayil did not make his Summer League debut (no big deal) after the mini-paperwork saga that finally got him onto the roster. Debut expected against the Spurs on Saturday, per Kris Pursianen.
- T.J. Saint is already impressed (h/t James L. Edwards) with a particular area of Nickel’s game, and it’s got nothing to do with his three-point shooting. before the shooting show, but acknowledged Dadiet and Diawara’s struggles.
- The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy wrote that the Knicks are now in the NBA’s “culture” sweet spot, revealing its two ingredients and comparing this New York team to Tim Duncan’s Spurs and Steph Curry’s Warriors. Trying to keep it spoiler-free:
“The reality, as evidenced through the NBA’s history, is ‘culture’ cannot be spoken into existence. It requires two important components,
both non-negotiable and both currently achieved by the Knicks.
“(The Spurs and the Warriors) represented the standard because of Duncan and Curry. When Duncan left, Gregg Popovich was just a below-average coach. When Curry is injured, Steve Kerr’s record plummets.”
- Julius Randle is back in New York, just on the wrong side of the bridge. On Friday, attending the Nets-Knicks Summer League game, Randle spoke about plenty of things, including his role as a mentor in Brooklyn and the similarities between this new chapter and the one he spent with the Knicks. Never not like Jules.
“It feels great to be here. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a city I’m already really familiar with; it’s a situation that I’m familiar with. Then, there’s a lot of talent.
“As far as the trade stuff, man, I’m 13 years in, bro. I played in New York already; so you hear that stuff all the time. I’m used to that. It just is what it is. You ride the wave of it. At the end of the day, I’m playing basketball and I’m doing what I love for a living. So, it’s all I ask for.”
- Victor Wembanyama pulled a Brunson and signed a five-year, $252 million rookie extension with the Spurs, locking himself into the 25 percent max instead of preserving the chance to jump to the 30 percent max with All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, or MVP honors next season. In other words, he left about $10 million annually on the table to give the Spurs some flexibility going forward.
- Down in Miami: chaos. Bam Adebayo punched Tyler Herro in the face at a Las Vegas practice court in front of Herro’s AAU squad. Chaz with the full breakdown here.
- There is only one “rightful” farewell tour for LeBron James, thinks Charles Barkley.
- Meanwhile, a former Ohio cupcake-shop owner who once became famous for calling LeBron’s 2014 Cleveland return is now claiming LeBron is coming back to the Cavs with Bronny James and Draymond Green. Personally, I never found a cupcake I didn’t like, so I’m with Jonathan on this one.
