Tim’s big leap: D-League to $71M payday
THE KNICKS aren’t paying for Tim Hardaway Jr. of today. They’re paying for the Hardaway Jr. they hope will develop — along with their “young athletic core” (the new Knicks buzzwords) — into a shooting guard worthy of $71 million.
The irony of their plan is that Hardaway had to leave the Knicks just to reach this point of improvement, to find humility and defense. His wake-up call was a D-League stint during his first year in Atlanta, which transitioned to a breakout performance last season.
“It was a reality check, for sure. And just the help of my supporting cast, my friends, my parents, my agent, they just said, ‘Take it to heart. Don’t go down there messing around. Prove that you belong in the NBA,’” Hardaway recalled Monday. “And I’m happy that the Hawks actually did that. It made me a better person on and off the floor. It made me appreciate the opportunity at stake and just made me grow.”
Maturation was the recurring theme from Hardaway in his first press availability since re-signing with the team that drafted him four years ago. Those reckless shots and defense-averse games are in the past, he said, following a two-year cleanse with the Hawks — “In Atlanta, coach Bud just told me straight up: ‘You’re not going to be able to get on the floor if you can’t play defense.”
Now the Knicks need that improvement to continue, this time under their watch, or else Hardaway’s signing will go the way its many critics are projecting it to fall — as a failure. If only they didn’t just let go of their player development coach, Josh Longstaff.
“(The Knicks told me) straight up, ‘You have to obviously improve a lot more on defense and improve a lot more on the offensive end.’ So you can never settle,” Hardaway said.
The 25-year-old also gave the standard lines about the allure of the Garden, which at this point is like talking up the flower arrangements at a funeral. No top free agents are signing with the Knicks. Nobody is agreeing to a discount because of James Dolan’s “Mecca.” It’s why the Knicks felt compelled to go the route of overpaying Hardaway as a restricted free agent, handing out over $20 million more than what the Hawks reportedly anticipated.
“I really don’t know what to say about it. All I know is that I’m going to come in here and work my tail off. I’m going to give the fans what they want to see, and I’m a mature player now,” Hardaway said about the contract. “Everything is in full effect right now. I’m taking everything very serious.”
Still, this wouldn’t have happened if Phil Jackson and his triangle weren’t scrapped just two weeks ago. Judging by the reaction around the league, it wouldn’t have happened with any other front office in charge. Not on that contract.
But Steve Mills, the GM hoping to be elevated to team president, took his gamble on Hardaway, who returns to the Knicks labeled by many as a ‘mistake’ even before playing a game under his new deal.
For now, at least, he's defined by two numbers — 4 and 71,000,000. Not even Joakim Noah’s signing last year was greeted with this much skepticism. Much of it is unfair to Hardaway because the doubts are enhanced by the dysfunctionality of the Knicks, and the lack of any clarity.
Their list of pressing questions reads like they’re a mismanaged expansion team:
l Who will be in charge of basketball operations?
l Will Carmelo Anthony be traded? l Who will play point guard? l How disappointed is Kristaps Porzingis?
l Is Jeff Hornacek coach?
l Is Frank Ntilikina the right draft pick?
l Is Joakim Noah completely shot?
l What kind of youth movement includes three players on the roster (Anthony, Noah, Courtney Lee) who are each over 31 and are still guaranteed about $146 million combined? hese are questions for Mills, but he didn’t show up at Hardaway’s first media availability. Neither did Hornacek, nor Dolan, nor anybody else who can properly explain what the heck is going on. For their big free-agent signing, however, the goal and plan is clear — work hard, continue to get better. The Knicks bet $71 million on that arrangement.
“Everything happens for a reason, and when I got the call, I was very, very happy,” Hardaway said. “I was excited, and it was another opportunity. But me being an older, more mature person, I’m taking this one very, very serious.”
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