ANOTHER KNICKS ROAD BLOCK
Lose to Spurs, fall to 2-12 away from Garden this season:
SAN ANTONIO — French point guards stick together. When Frank Ntilikina was preparing over the summer for his first NBA season, he reached out for advice from Tony Parker — and he received it. Ahead of the first ever matchup between the two Thursday, Parker was bullish about Ntilikina’s potential.
“I think he has the right skills to be good in this league,” the future Hall of Famer said. “Obviously he’s a great defender. He’s got length. So that’s good to be good defensively and offense will come. It’s his first year. He has to go around the league one time and get used to the point guards. I think he’s got all the right stuff. I don’t know if New York will be patient. But I think he can be successful in this league.”
Ntilikina, who grew up idolizing Parker, was gassed about Thursday’s opportunity. He said the summer chat with Parker included “transition and defense in the NBA, a little bit of everything.”
“I’m playing against the best French player in history,” said the Knicks rookie, who scored nine points in the Knicks’ 119-107 loss and had a careerhigh 11 assists. He spent much of his time on the court guarding his French counterpart Thursday night.
Parker has been monitoring Ntilikina for years in the French professional league. Parker, who owns a team in Lyon, said he thought about signing Ntilikina before another team in France — Strasbourg — scooped him up.
Ntilikina’s team beat Parker’s this year in the French League semifinal.
“I saw him grow up,” Parker said. “He was on our radar.”
Ntilikina, who was drafted eighth overall by Phil Jackson, can only dream of having the type of career Parker enjoyed. The 19-year-old said he’s often been compared to Parker because of their shared nationality, but they’re different types of players. Ntilikina may develop into a better defender, but he’ll never equal Parker’s scoring and playmaking prowess.
“I think our play is different but it’s an honor being compared to the best French player in history,” Ntilikina said. “I’ve watched him play for a long time. He’s one of the best point guards in European Championship history.”
KANTER CONTRACT ON MIND
It’s been long assumed Enes Kanter will opt into the final year of his contract. The $18.4 million is just too great.
But with the 25-year-old enjoying his best season in the NBA, the idea that perhaps this isn’t a given is worth exploring — especially since Kanter says he hasn’t made up his mind.
“It’s always on my mind,” Kanter told the Daily News. “But the season is going really well right now. It’s just a contract. I think people worry about it too much and it gets into their head.”
Whatever Kanter decides will alter the landscape of New York’s upcoming offseason. If he opts in, the Knicks will have close to no cap space. If he goes into unrestricted free agency, GM Scott Perry and president Steve Mills are in the market for a top free agent — whether it’s resigning Kanter or chasing an athletic defensive wing like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The biggest wild card is that Kanter does not have an agent, having parted ways with Max Ergul about two years ago. He is represented by his manager, Hilmi Cinar, but the center acknowledged he’ll “probably” hire an agent over the summer.
The Knicks have not yet discussed the opt-in with Kanter, who’d prefer to keep it on the back burner.
“My thing is, ‘Hey, if I make the playoffs I’m good.’ Because if I worry about contracts and money and all this, and if I start thinking about my contract or if I’m going to opt out or not, it’ll be selfish,” he said.
end oF the holiday
Justin Holiday wanted to return to the Knicks and believed the feeling was mutual. But as his free agency unfolded and the Knicks bided their time, Holiday said he felt pressured to take an offer from Chicago.
The aftermath led to a contract probably below his value ($9 million over two years), a separation from his agent and a surging career with the surging Bulls.
“I believe the Knicks would have (made an offer). I believe they would have. With them not doing anything early (in free agency), they communicated to me what the situation was,” Holiday told the Daily News.
“So it’s not like I hate the Knicks now. I mean, I honestly believe if I waited something would’ve happened. But at the same time you never know.”