Getty Ryan Arcidiacono of the New York Knicks.
T
he Villanova bond got stronger in New York as the Knicks brought back Ryan Arcidiacono to reunite with his college teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Knicks announced Arcidiacono’s return to the team on Friday. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the former Wildcats guard’s deal is an Exhibit 9 contract.
Exhibit 9 contract protects teams from carrying the player on the regular season roster in case of a serious injury during preseason. Arcidiacono’s deal must be for the minimum salary for one season but can be waived at any time.
This marks the third time Arcidiacono returns to New York after spending his first four seasons with the Chicago Bulls from 2017-2021.
He was part of the Knicks’ outgoing package that landed them Hart in the last February trade deadline.
The 29-year-old point guard averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 assists in 8.6 minutes over 20 games, includingnfour starts, with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Knicks last season.
The Langhorne, PA-native played four seasons at Villanova, including their 2016 championship run with Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo. He was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Quentin Grimes Named as Breakout Candidate
Boston Celtics reporter Jared Weiss of The Athletic views Knicks third-year guard Quentin Grimes as a breakout candidate in the Atlantic Division next season.
“This year is gonna be Grime time at MSG (Madison Square Garden),” Weiss said on The Athletic’s roundtable discussion. “Immanuel Quickley made the national leap last year, but Quentin Grimes has the potential to make that same ascension as he gets better attacking the rim and making decisions off the catch.”
“He’s a good spot-up shooter who can drive open space to throw it down and finish solidly in transition; plus, he gets buckets on a nightly basis from cutting backdoor and crashing the offensive glass. He knows how to work the floor and find a role in the offense, but there’s more creativity to unlock in his game and he should take another step forward this year,” Weiss added.
Metta World Peace Wishes He Played With Knicks in His Prime
Retired NBA player Metta World Peace regrets not playing with his hometown team when he was the league’s best defensive player.
“If you really wanna play with time, imagine if we could move that prime Metta to the Knicks,” World Peace said on the September 14 episode of “The Hoop Chat with Emily Austin.” “I wish I could reverse time; I would put myself in a Knicks jersey.”
The Queens native played briefly for the Knicks towards the tail end of his career during the 2013-14 season after getting waived by the Los Angeles Lakers. But he only lasted 29 games in New York and continued his basketball career in China after the Knicks bought out his contract.
Formerly known as Ron Artest, Peace was the 16th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA Draft. The Knicks selected French big man Frédéric Weis, who never set foot in the NBA, at no. 15.
After spending his first three seasons with the Bulls, Peace was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he flourished and became an NBA All-Star and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.