FRANK TALK
Teammates ‘pissed’ about LeBron’s Ntilikina draft quip
It was just LeBron being general manager LeBron.
Still, the Knicks are not asking for a do-over in the draft.
Teammates rushed to support Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina after the ruckus from LeBron James claiming the team drafted the wrong point guard last June. Acknowledging his comments would cause “headlines,” James said the Knicks’ pick should have been Dennis Smith Jr., a guy he has known for a long time.
Ntilikina seemed as disturbed by the furor as he would if LeBron had ripped his choice of socks.
“In life people can think whatever they want,” Ntilikina said after practice Sunday in Tarrytown. “However, it’s not gonna affect us and me so whatever is said, whatever people think, me and the team are just getting focused on what we’re doing every day to improve.” And that goes for Monday, too. “We’re going to go to this game and play like every other game. We’re going to be competitive ... play hard and play aggressive like any other game,” Ntilikina said.
The European-bred Ntilikina went eighth in the draft, while the Mavericks grabbed Smith ninth. Ntilikina has averaged 4.4 points and 5.0 assists for the 7-5 Knicks. Smith has averaged 14.8 points and 5.1 assists for the 2-11 Mavs.
“I don’t know why he made those comments. All I can say is we love Frank, we’re happy with him,” Kristaps Porzingis said Sunday. “He’s doing a great job, he’s playing great and he’s doing what he’s supposed to.
“I would not change Frank for anybody. Simple.”
As to why James made those comments, also simple. The Cavaliers play the Knicks at the Garden on Monday. James is admittedly close to Smith. James probably meant it more as a shot at ex-Knicks president Phil Jackson, who drafted Ntilikina. Jackson ruffled James last year when he used the term “posse” referring to the superstar’s friends and business circle.
So James spoke. And when James speaks, headlines follow.
“The Knicks passed on a really good one, and Dallas got the diamond in the rough,” James said Saturday. “He should be a Knick. That’s going to make some headlines, but he should be a Knick. ... I’ve been with him for so long now, I’ve been noticing his talent level.”
Knicks center Enes Kanter tweeted support of Ntilikina and provided more Sunday.
“This is my rookie. This is my team. This is my organization. I cannot just let [James] disrespect [Ntilikina] like that,” Kanter said. “Frank’s doing an unbelievable job. Every day he’s working really hard.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s LeBron or whoever it is, I cannot just let him disrespect him like that. The coaches, the GMs, the president, this organization knows what they’re doing. That’s why I was pissed he said that.”
Why Knicks? Go back to the Jackson thing.
Ntilikina insisted James’ comments will not impact Monday’s game. What may is the Knicks beating the Cavs already in Cleveland this season.
“I’m motivated every game,” Ntilikina said. “I’m just focused about the team, focused about us and we are just 100 percent motivated every game day ... so it’s not affecting us.”
Coach Jeff Hornacek took a diplomatic approach.
“They’re both great young players. We have Frank, and Frank has done a great job for us,” Hornacek said. “He’s not afraid of competition. He’s not afraid of the big moment. He knows how to play the game and he enjoys it. He’s 19 years old. He’s going to get better and better as the years go on. But we love what he does.”