LeBron rips Phil’s pick
LeBron James’ latest problem with Phil Jackson is who he drafted. Ahead of his trip to the Garden on Monday, James took a shot at Jackson and Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina by highlighting the player who the Knicks passed over — Dennis Smith Jr. “The Knicks passed on a really good one and Dallas got the diamond in the rough. He should be a Knick,” James told reporters. “It’s gonna make some headlines but he should be a Knick.”
Smith was picked by the Mavericks one spot after Ntilikina in the draft, and is an early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. In Dallas’ loss to the Cavs Saturday, Smith dropped 21 points with seven assists, which segued to LeBron’s comment Saturday. He is certainly a better scorer than Ntilikina, but the Knicks rookie has demonstrated potential to become a lockdown defender and strong playmaker.
Knicks center Enes Kanter fired back at LeBron on Twitter Saturday night, saying, “Nope!! We love what we got. Thanks!!!”
The Knicks interviewed Smith during the draft process but he declined to hold an individual workout. Smith told the Daily News that Jackson, the since-fired Knicks team president, pressured him to eat octopus during their dinner, even though the point guard was reluctant.
Smith Jr. is averaging 19 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in November. The point guard’s strength is his athleticism, which has led to spectacular dunks. James previously knocked Jackson for his use of the word “posse” his handling of Carmelo Anthony and trading J.R. Smith to the Cavaliers for nothing.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The Knicks can’t boast of great — or even good — individual defenders. But they’ve pieced together consistency on that end, against the makeup of their roster.
Kristaps Porzingis attributed the improvement to a pair of reasons: 1) greater effort, 2) a better game plan. The latter point is about how the Knicks settled on a singular defensive system, whereas last season they switched up the scheme based on the opponent. “A lot of times last year we were confused. We were switching from game to game, you could feel that uncertainty,” Porzingis said. “We were confused and we didn’t have confidence 100 percent in each other or the system. Now we’re staying with the same thing and we know, some games it will work better, some games it will work not so well, but if we play hard and follow the plan, we feel like any game is winnable.”
JUST BE KUZ
Mindaugas Kuzminskas feels he’s entering his prime but the Knicks have rendered him a consistent inactive. Will that combination lead to his relocation? New York needs to clear a roster spot by 5 p.m. on Sunday to accommodate the return of Joakim Noah, who is eligible for Monday’s game against the Cavs following his PED suspension.
Kuzminskas, who is on an expiring deal paying him $3 million this season, has been reportedly shopped by the Knicks.
“The next three years will be the best of my career, hopefully. I never felt so good, physically and mentally,” said the 28-year-old. “So I just want to play and if it’s here, I’d be more than happy.”
Kuzminskas’ demotion to out the rotation was unexpected following an encouraging rookie campaign when he averaged 6.3 points in 14.9 minutes. But the Knicks also have a surplus of wings and Kuzminskas’ biggest fan — Phil Jackson — is no longer with the organization. “I was happy when (Phil) was here last year,” Kuzminskas. “He gave me a lot of advice. Just seeing him every day in practice gave me extra motivation.”
New York’s preference is to trade a player to open up a roster spot. But if attempts are unsuccessful, the Knicks will have to waive a guaranteed contract. Kuzminskas, Ramon Sessions and Michael Beasley are the obvious candidates. “We’ll see what happens,” Kuzminskas said.