Getty Julius Randle (left) and RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks.
ESPN’s Jorge Sedano is loathed in Gotham City for trolling the New York Knicks during the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery after they missed out on a chance to get the top pick and select Zion Williamson.
Sorry, not sorry, #Knicks fans…
You gotta see @SedanoESPN‘s reaction to the #NBADraftLottery 😬
Four years later, Sedano is singing a different tune.
“Absolutely [the Knicks are taking steps in the right direction],” Sedano said on the August 9 episode of “NBA Today.” “I think they’ve been doing this now for a couple of seasons, and previous iterations of this front office have tried to fast-track things, and that’s not how you can build a sustainable winner, in my opinion. Yes, there are outliers in those situations, but if you’re the Knicks, you’ve got something good. You’ve taken steps now to be a formidable team in the Eastern Conference. To me, they’re one player or one big move away from being a real contender in the Eastern Conference.”
The Knicks, under Leon Rose‘s leadership, have built a playoff contender brick by brick, starting with holdovers Julius Randle (now a two-time All-Star forward) and RJ Barrett, the team’s draft selection in 2019 after missing out on Williamson.
The Knicks have also drafted well, finding gems in the late first round with Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, both selected at No. 25, and developing former second-round pick Mitchell Robinson into a monster rebounder and a defensive anchor.
They have also quickly learned lessons from their free agency blunders (Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier) in 2021.
Last offseason, instead of chasing big names, they pounced on underrated players, signing Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein to bargain deals.
The midseason acquisition of Josh Hart further bolstered their depth and helped them clinch the fifth seed and win their first playoff series in a decade. Now, they have Hart locked up for the next five seasons and have added Donte DiVinceno, another solid role player, who already had established chemistry with Hart and Brunson during their time as teammates at Villanova.
Still armed with a deep draft capital, league analysts are one in saying that the Knicks are in a great position to trade for a star to add to their core.
Ex-Knicks PG Hired as G League Coach
Former Knicks point guard Beno Udrih has been named the new head coach of the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee Bucks’ G League team, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The 13-year NBA veteran played for the Knicks during the 2013-14 season but was waived after the trade deadline. He appeared in 31 games, starting in 12 games, averaging 5.6 points and 3.5 assists before he fell out of favor with former Knicks coach Mike Woodson. He also spent one season as an assistant coach with the Westchester Knicks in the G League under Derrick Alston in 2020.
RJ Barrett Efficient in Canada Loss
Barrett was Canada’s second-leading scorer in a tough 86-81 loss to Germany on August 9 at the start of their warmup games for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Barrett scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, but it was not enough to carry Canada, who nearly overcame an 18-point deficit and tied it at 79-79 with a minute to go.
Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner broke the deadlock as Toronto Raptors’ new point guard Dennis Schröder orchestrated Germany’s strong finish to escape with the win.