Frank makes point
Net result of first ‘W’ is impressive
IT WAS just one game, just 22 minutes off the bench.
But for a fanbase starving for hope, it was all they needed from Frank Ntilikina.
In his Garden debut on Friday, Frank Ntilikina received a nice ovation from the crowd when he was subbed out following his first rotation. Another round of applause followed when he was at the scorer’s table for an encore. There were no points from Ntilikina during that initial seven-minute stretch, but there were enough glimpses to give credence to that giant bill- board of the Frenchman hov- ering over Penn Station.
“He’s going to be able to get tripledoubles,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “That’s what type of player he is.”
Ntilikina, just 19 years old with a face that makes him look 15, finished with nine points, five assists, two boards and the Knicks outscored the Nets by 10 when he was on the court. The most encouraging part was the unexpectedness of the performance.
After sitting out all of Summer League and all but two games in preseason and regular season because of injuries, such command of the offense seemed improbable. Moreover, there remains hesitancy about embracing a player whose highest level of competition was as a role player in the French league.
But Ntilikina not only looked like he belonged, he flashed real potential for running the show. There was a slick pass to Kyle O’Quinn for an open dunk, and a jumper Ntilikina buried after creating space off the dribble.
These may seem like ordinary NBA activities, but they’re also two plays of rare occurrence from the Knicks in October. Until Friday, the point-guard play had been abysmal.
“We got the win, so that’s what’s most important,” said Ntilikina, who is still in the phase of regurgitating platitudes during interviews.
The opposing guards Friday night — Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell — aren’t exactly world beaters. But there’s a lot of significance attached to Ntilikina becoming a stabilizing force at the position. In the draft, the Knicks passed up on Dennis Smith Jr. More recently, they declined to make Ntilikina available in a trade for Eric Bledsoe.
“We brought him in to develop him,” Jeff Hornacek said. “When he doesn’t have the injuries, he’s a smart kid. You tell him once, he’s got the plays.”
The Knicks will get a reminder Sunday night against Cleveland of their last two failed attempts to fill the point guard position with Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon both on the opposing roster. In all, five former Knicks play for the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions.
However, given an ankle injury to Rose, LeBron James has been starting at point guard. Still the backup behind Jarrett Jack, Ntilikina may not see very many one-on-one opportunities against the best player on the planet.
At this stage in his development, that’s probably a good thing. But at least now there’s encouraging evidence of Ntilikina’s potential in the NBA.
“Of course I was sad to be off the court these last games,” he said. “Coming in here I just wanted to bring what I can bring to my team. Like I said I’m going to work more for the next game, for the next couple games, to elevate our level and that’s what we’re all going to do just to improve.”
KNICKS at CAVALIERS 7:00 on MSG
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar strides aboard Miss New York, a vessel in the Statue Cruises fleet, via a ramp on the southern edge of Battery Park’s waterfront in the harbor. He is 70 now, standing 7-foot-2 and eyeing stable ground. He abhors a crowd, and dips his head inside, searching for an open seat and grabbing hold of a white pole to keep his balance. Orange life jackets are stored in the ceiling above as he negotiates the deck. The ship pitches back and forth. Waves crash; wind blows.
“We just need a seat, nothing with a view,” says Deborah Morales, his manager.
Abdul-Jabbar, flanked by family, settles onto an aluminum bench by the front of the second deck. He looks out at Governor’s Island in the distance, noting a previous trip to his son, Adam. Jazz plays. Abdul-Jabbar taps his foot in tune. He holds onto a rail with both hands as the boat departs for Ellis Island, where he is to be honored. The master of the skyhook steps outside in the rear to pose for photos, the city’s downtown skyline at his back. Once the ferry docks, Abdul-Jabbar enters the baggage room inside the old immigration center. He fumbles for his credential as heads turn. He presses the pockets in his charcoal suit jacket. His eyes grow wide.
“Do I need my pass?” he says.
Clearance is given. A park ranger leads the group to the second floor. Abdul-Jabbar wears eyeglasses in retirement; his goatee is all gray. A New York native, he is here to celebrate his genealogy on the occasion of the century mark since his grandparents, Venus and Cyrus Alcindor, arrived stateside. They migrated from Belize, British Honduras, on a ship to the United States through Port of Mobile in Alabama. Cyrus had worked as a prisoner transporter in the Caribbean, and the couple uprooted in search of better economic prospects. Abdul-Jabbar takes a seat on a wooden bench in the front row of the Registry Room in the Great Hall. An American flag hangs above him on each side. Upon receiving his Ellis Island Family Heritage Award — a golden flame — he recounts his grandmother’s train ride north to escape Jim Crow. She had little experience on trains while living in Trinidad. The trip from Mobile to Brooklyn took the immigrants three or four days to complete.
“My grandmother kept worrying that the train was going to run out of land and go into the ocean,” he says. “She used to tell us that story and make us laugh.”
Abdul-Jabbar alights after a short film about his family’s passage. Cyrus found work as a stonemason in a fast-rising Brooklyn, and a child was born. His name was Ferdinand. He served in the military and later became a city transit officer. He met and later married Viola, a seamstress. They gave birth to Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, who grew to be 6-foot-8 by the eighth grade. He enrolled at Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan, won 71 consecutive games, earned a scholarship to UCLA, won 88 of 90 games and entered the NBA in 1969. Two years later, after studying Islam, he changed his name to Kareem AbdulJabbar. He gained a voice as a social advocate and played 20 seasons in the NBA, winning six titles and six MVP trophies. He remains atop the all-time scoring list and has published 12 books as an author.
“Kinda hard not to get teary eyed watching that,” he says.
He grows nostalgic for his New York youth.
“All the things I got to do, having to do with sports and having nothing to do with sports,” he says. “One of my favorite places was the Museum of Natural History. My dad was a jazz musician. I got a chance to live in Harlem when it was still a vital repository of all that jazz talent. It was a wonderful time.”
It is his first voyage to Ellis Island. He absorbs the setting, walking past rooms filled with images of gypsy families, Bulgarian refugees and Greek Soldiers who entered America by way of the island. There are exhibits that detail anti-immigrant propaganda across the country’s generations. Abdul-Jabbar makes his case to keep the borders open during the presidency of Donald J. Trump.
“I think the whole era of immigrants as scapegoats has to stop,” Abdul-Jabbar says. “We have to give people an opportunity to come to our country and contribute. This paranoia about people is not justified. I think America has such a wonderful promise for everyone. If it lives up to what it aspires to it is going to be alright.”
Lunch is served on the balcony above the Registry Room. Abdul-Jabbar eats with family before setting