You would believe there was a regular-season game played on Friday, as the SummerKnicks and the SummerMavs combined for a dumb 198 points in both team’s Summer League Consolation game.
New York used 15 players, and Pacome Dadiet had himself a day to preserve his value entering next season while big man Liam Robbins put up a solid outing to remain alive in the race for a spot as a backup center. Here’s today’s links and notes.
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No recap nor Scenes, so here’s a bunch of notes from Sin City’s finale.
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Dadiet dumped 19 points in 23 minutes on a 7-of-15 shooting performance (still 1-of-5 from three) and added five boards, a dime, and a steal to that. He committed two turnovers and finished with a minus-12, but you can’t win all fronts.
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Robbins put up 14 points, went perfect on two attempts from the charity stripe, and pulled down four rebounds while swatting a shot from the SummerMavs in 20 minuts of playing time.
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Tyler Nickel got his cardio up with a 30-minute run in which he hoisted a monster 11 treys but hit just three of them. Still, nine points for the neophyte to go with two rebounds, three dimes, three steals, and just one turnover.
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The rest of your mob — starters and benchmen included — didn’t feature anyone playing above mediocrity levels. Dillon Jones went 6-5-2, Jack Kayil put up a goose egg with zero points on just two shots (10 minutes) but three assists and a rebound, and Jaden Akins the only other double-digit scorer with a solid 11-2-3-2 stat line.
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Not that we didn’t already know, but the Summer League is over and the Knicks’ frontcourt problem is still the one roster issue pending fixing. The Daily News’ Kris Winfield argued that New York has enough spacing and could live without giving Tyler Nickel the last standard contract, especially with Landry Shamet already around, prioritizing adding a center between now and tip-off time next October.
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Kris also touched on Deuce McBride’s long-term future, which might be connected to the upcoming financial squeeze the Knicks will need to navigate with Karl-Anthony Towns extension-eligible and Jalen Brunson due for another deal soon enough. Deuce is likely to ask for a sizable salary (a la Mitch), so unless somebody/everybody takes less or the cap sheet changes, odds are he departs before or on July 1, 2027.
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Related to everything discussed above, Daily Knicks’ Jack Simone expanded on how Nickel could represent exactly the kind of player contenders like the Knicks need under the current CBA if they want to stay on Tier S.
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Jack Kayil’s situation is perhaps more frustrating, and our own John Grove couldn’t have written about it any better. A two-way contract is the obvious out-of-context path and would allow the Knicks to keep Kayil in Westchester, but that would prohibit New York from paying his ALBA Berlin buyout, and he would have to cover it himself, which is not exactly a reasonable request for a 20-year-old starting his career. Read the story for a much better understanding!
“If the Knicks choose to offer Kayil a two-way contract, NBA regulations prohibit them from paying his overseas buyout. According to the rules, the buyout would have to be executed strictly between the player and ALBA Berlin. Yes, Kayil would have to independently pay for his buyout in order to accept a two-salary. Truthfully, this financial decision is unlikely.
“While a two-roster spot may be available, the Knicks likely lack the cap space to offer their 20-year-old guard a standard NBA contract. That contract is the only legal way New York can cover his international buyout. Of course, this dampens things a little bit.”
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Brunson refused to sign a Giants helmet at Fanatics Fest, and instead ended up scribbling “Go Birds” on it.
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In his talk with The Wall Street Journal, Brunson revisited his discount deal ($113 million left on the table!), his preference for financial security, and touched on his lifestyle, big-money purchaes, and a bunch of other staff.
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Pat Benson of Kicks on SI must have had a blast of a time speaking to Jose Alvarado on his partnership with AND1. The match is perfect and I can’t love it anymore. Here’s one (can you guess the question?), but go read all of his quotes!
“Fat Joe, J.Lo— and Wemby!“
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Anthony Edwards was at the Fanatics Fest and talked about Jalen Brunson — not Victor Wembanyama — as well as about KAT and the “cheat code” advice he gave him heading into the NBA Finals.
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Charles Barkley brought his Michael Jordan feud to the table, which lasted 15 years but has seemingly, finally, ended!?
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LeBron James said his daughter Zhuri is the deciding factor in his upcoming free-agency decision. Zhuri did not answer James’ question about where to go next immediately after he told him about his departure from Los Angeles, and would tell him later, or simply even write her feelings down at some point. Imagine Zhuri choosing Memphis.
Read the full article here
