Yanks, Boone set staff for 2018 season
The rebuild, or “the fresh vision” outlined by president Steve Mills, is stumbling toward an unsightly wasted first year. The players anointed by Mills as the franchise’s building blocks have fallen, one by one, to varying degrees of disappointment.
It all seemed to come to a head Monday in a day of reckoning — less than 24 hours following one of the worst defeats of this fading season because of another letdown from Tim Hardaway Jr. — when we learned Ron Baker is out for the season, Willy Hernangomez requested a trade and Frank Ntilikina is still not ready to be a starter on a bad team.
The four players mentioned in the above sentence were all part of Mills’ preseason manifesto on the MSG website. The fifth player was Kristaps Porzingis. It was dubbed, “A New Day For the Knicks — A Journey Begins,” and published amid intense skepticism following the disastrous Phil Jackson experiment. Five months later, this “Journey” feels a lot similar to the previous four or five.
In other words, the solutions are not on the current roster and there is no identity beyond inconsistency. Culture derives from stability and the Knicks don’t strike anybody as a secure unit, from the coaching staff down the roster.
The news about Baker undergoing seasonending surgery on his shoulder and Hernangomez’s representatives requesting a trade was hardly a shock. The former was expected and the latter was just a step beyond what Hernangomez said publicly about his desire for playing time, whether it’s in New York or elsewhere. Hernangomez’s demotion to the end of the bench has been offset, to a degree, by the emergence of Enes Kanter. They’re similar players and Kanter has been better. But that also means the Knicks should’ve traded Hernangomez over the summer with Carmelo Anthony, when the center’s value was at its peak.
Ntilikina’s lack of progress is more discouraging. Whereas the two point guards taken after him in the draft — Dennis Smith Jr. and Donovan Mitchell — are accumulating valuable minutes for their rebuilding franchises, Ntilikina is stuck in a reserve role behind Jarrett Jack and sometimes Trey Burke.
Coach Jeff Hornacek indicated that Ntilikina, who missed Monday’s practice because of knee soreness, is behind schedule in his development. It’s fair to wonder, based on how they’ve handled Ntilikina, whether the Knicks should draft another point guard with their lottery pick in June. Many scouts believe Ntilikina is better suited as an offguard, and the decision to call up Burke from the G League was a telling sign of where the rookie stands.
“The thought at the beginning of the year was Frank at some point would become (the starter),” Hornacek said. “But he’s still trying to grasp having to go out there every single night and play so I don’t know if we’re quite there.”
The root of many Knicks issues is a conflict of interest, or a flawed business model that wasn’t accounted for in Mills’ manifesto. Hornacek has little security and understandably wants to win to keep his job. Mills and GM Scott Perry, to their credit, haven’t demanded certain rotations or playing styles from their coach. That level of dysfunction left with Phil Jackson.
But the negative issues and losing are suddenly overwhelming. Hardaway Jr., who signed a $71 million contract over the summer, is struggling through a 5-for-33 shooting slump and was so frustrated about blowing the game Sunday that he blew off the media. He apologized a day later.
“My emotions definitely got the best of me,” said Hardaway, who, like Porzingis, is learning how tough it is to fill Carmelo’s shoes. “Just an emotional game, atmosphere, and I just wanted to win really bad. It’s nothing personal.”
The surplus of centers on the roster has created an environment where Joakim Noah was banished and Hernangomez plotted his exit strategy. Hornacek rightfully passed the blame on these issues to the front office. Having four centers who all think they deserve playing time is a nonsensical recipe in today’s NBA.
“Of course (Hernangomez) wishes he could play and wishes we could get him more minutes but I think he understands how we got to this point,” Hornacek said. “It’s very diffuclt to play three guys especially in a league that doesn’t play a lot of centers anymore.” o where does all this leave the Knicks in the context of Mills’ preseason mission statement? At 23-31 going into Tuesday’s game against the Bucks, this already feels like a punted first year. Nobody expected them to be good but the goal of making this all about development is also failing.
SThe Yankees confirmed Aaron Boone’s coaching staff Monday ahead of his first season as manager.
Josh Bard, an Ithica native who is a former teammate of Boone’s, will serve as the team’s bench coach after spending five seasons with the Dodgers.
Larry Rothschild returns as the Yankees’ pitching coach, his eighth season serving the team in that role.
Bullpen pitching coach Mike Harkey also returns, entering his ninth season in the position he held from 2008-13 and 2016-17.
Marcus Thames will be promoted to hitting coach after two seasons as assistant hitting coach. P.J. Pilitter, who has spent six seasons coaching in the Yankees’ minor league system, will take over Thames’ old role.
Phil Nevin will take over third base coaching duties after serving in that role for the Giants last season.
Reggie Willits will serve as the team’s first base coach after three years as the team’s minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator, while infield instructor Carlos Mendoza also makes his debut on the big league staff in what will be his 10th season with the organization.
Jason Brown, who was the team’s bullpen catcher a year ago, will be the team’s catching coach, with Radley Haddad retaining his role as bullpen catcher.
Instant replay coordinator Brett Weber also returns. — Zachary Ripple
NETS DEAL ZELLER
The Nets traded center Tyler Zeller to the Bucks for reserve shooting guard Rashad Vaughn and a future second-round draft pick.
Zeller had started 33 games for the Nets this season, averaging 7.1 points on 54.6% shooting to go along with 4.6 rebounds.
The 28-year-old big man is on a teamfriendly two-year, $3.6 million contract with the second year non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee’s 2018 second-round pick to Nets is protected 31-to-47. If the pick doesn’t convey this year, Milwaukee will send an unprotected second-round pick in 2020, according to ESPN.
Vaughn was drafted by the Bucks with the 17th pick of the 2015 draft, but has failed to develop into anything more than a fringe rotational player. He’s appeared in 22 games this season, averaging 7.9 minutes per game.
— Ari Gilberg
ISLES LOSE IN OT
Ryan Johansen scored the tying goal in the final minute of regulation, and Roman Josi scored the winner 3:42 into overtime to rally the Nashville Predators past the Islanders, 5-4, in Brooklyn.
Kevin Fiala had two goals, and Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Johansen also scored for Nashville, which improved to 9-1-2 in its last 12 games. Pekka Rinne stopped 24 shots.
John Tavares, Ryan Pulock, Casey Cizikas and Nick Leddy scored for New York, which lost for the third time in four games after the All-Star break.