Knicks Summer League 2015

LAS VEGAS — The Nuggets are Emmanuel Mudiay's team. Period.

Vets Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari may be back in 2015-16 rather than packing after the trade news, Jusuf Nurkic may be back after a rookie season with promising stretches, and Ty Lawson may eventually make it back from whatever bad place he is in, but Mudiay is the guy who will be given the ball on opening night with instructions to make something happen.


That would have been the case anyway, because it was an open secret around the league that Lawson was careening in the wrong direction personally. But his second DUI arrest since January, this time early Tuesday in Los Angeles, exposes a problem that has now officially gone beyond basketball issues. It also means that a rookie whose only experience since high school is an injury-plagued 2014-15 in China is the dependable Denver point guard.


No first-year player is in position to make the same impact, a primary reason Mudiay opened summer league No. 2 on the Rookie Ladder. The other is that, although far from complete, he is big enough at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds to handle physical play, athletic enough to create as many problems for opponents as they throw at him, and so interested in getting better that he peppers coach Michael Malone with questions about LeBron James, Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, all of whom Malone worked with as an assistant in Cleveland, New Orleans and Golden State. Whether James put in his extra work before practice or after, what kind of leader CP3 was apart from game nights, the drills that Curry did to develop his shot -- Malone would be annoyed with the waves of curiosity if he wasn't loving it so much.


Mudiay is looking for any edge and ways to accelerate the rookie learning curve, an approach to his new role that appears as a focus the Nuggets are suddenly lacking at the position. The lazy narrative of Mudiay as a mystery man of the draft was never true -- he was a Texas guy and one of the top two or three prospects at the start of the season, not some foreign prospect making a late dash up the board -- and now he is revealing a maturity the Nuggets desperately need.


Malone talked a few days ago about playing Mudiay and Lawson together, which may have been more trying to say the right things than actual plan since it had become difficult to count on Lawson even before the latest arrest. The Nuggets' direction was still clear, though, with Malone saying, "... Emmanuel's going to be a guy we feature early on. He's too good not to do that. I think he can make everybody around him better. I think the veterans that are coming back will love playing with him and I think he and Ty Lawson on the court at the same time, you have two dynamic guards that can put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses."



The approach remains in place even if the specific backcourt pairing does not. The new coach will be handing the ball to the new point guard, understanding it will require patience to get through the nights of bad shooting that appear inevitable but that the big payoff in future years will make it a very worthwhile investment. It's not just that it could be Emmanuel Mudiay's team. It's that it already is.

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/featur...er-day-5-in-las-vegas/index.html?cid=nba.2013
 
mafra said:
LAS VEGAS ? ?I surprised people who had never seen me play before,?? Porzingis said. ?They thought the skinny guy from overseas can?t play. I haven?t had a great game yet. I?m playing OK, playing hard. Fans appreciate that and cheer for me.?
Porzingis is averaging 10.0 points and three rebounds through three games, and has yet to make a 3-point basket, but, as one scout said, ?he?s doing the things people didn?t think he?d do.??


?He loves to compete,?? Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. ?A lot of young guys don?t love the game and competing and mixing it up the way he does. I don?t think he thinks of his frame as a disadvantage. He?s willing to get down and dirty. I think he showed that tonight. He stood up to Okafor and played him.
http://nypost.com/2015/07/14/porzin...nal-minute-of-ot-in-knicks-summer-league-win/
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the summer league is probably similar to him playin in spain... good competition, but it ain't the nba... lets see in the fall, when he's playin in the real world how his 7'+ 233lb body holds up.. he better be a good 3point shooter, cause he's going tobe pushed outside...way outside...
 
paris401 said:
the summer league is probably similar to him playin in spain... good competition, but it ain't the nba... lets see in the fall, when he's playin in the real world how his 7'+ 233lb body holds up.. he better be a good 3point shooter, cause he's going tobe pushed outside...way outside...
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PORZ is same size/weight as Rudy Gobert... Curry fell to 7th b/c the knock on him was the same: small frame. The size of heart is ugh to measure until they get on the court. Eddy Curry had size, but no drive/desire.

He needs to be tough, able to play thru pain, and must stay on the court. Heart means nothing in you in a nice suite on the bench.

He will shoot, pass, block shots. That's a good start.
 
mafra said:
PORZ is same size/weight as Rudy Gobert... Curry fell to 7th b/c the knock on him was the same: small frame. The size of heart is ugh to measure until they get on the court. Eddy Curry had size, but no drive/desire.
He needs to be tough, able to play thru pain, and must stay on the court. Heart means nothing in you in a nice suite on the bench.
He will shoot, pass, block shots. That's a good start.
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I guess we will see ...
 
Paul1355 said:
Porzingis was smart on offense. He can shoot the 3 but knows they could get a better shot. The knicks need to run plays for him. He had only 5 shot attempts while ndour had 15 attempts.

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Ndour shot 15 shots bc he was hot, and Grant did the right thing by feeding the hot man 10-15 for 23 pts, plus the the endless hustle n stops to come from behind to take the lead n win in the 4th qt. .. one more game like that n Ndour should make the preseason games for a spot on the roster
 
Kiyaman said:
Ndour shot 15 shots bc he was hot, and Grant did the right thing by feeding the hot man 10-15 for 23 pts, plus the the endless hustle n stops to come from behind to take the lead n win in the 4th qt. .. one more game like that n Ndour should make the preseason games for a spot on the roster
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Ndoour was hot no doubt but clyde and even wally szerbiak on knicks now said they have to involve porzingis more in the offense because then he won't be aggressive. A guy with his skill set and shooting ability can really put up big numbers in summer league. Have to trust him more.

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Paul1355 said:
Ndoour was hot no doubt but clyde and even wally szerbiak on knicks now said they have to involve porzingis more in the offense because then he won't be aggressive. A guy with his skill set and shooting ability can really put up big numbers in summer league. Have to trust him more.

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I think they may be taking it easy with him since he's coming off that hip injury. Let's be real - the Summer League is useful to get minutes and all, but for Porzingis, it might be more important for him just to spend all his time in the gym and drink tons of milk
 
SSj4Wingzero said:
I think they may be taking it easy with him since he's coming off that hip injury. Let's be real - the Summer League is useful to get minutes and all, but for Porzingis, it might be more important for him just to spend all his time in the gym and drink tons of milk
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He'll have access to a personal trainer, a dietitian, training facilities 24/7. He speaks perfect English, his family including a brother who is a former player is here with him which should make his transition to a new country much easier. I think he can make fantastic strides for the upcoming season in the next couple of months.
 
What was left out of the Mudiay article? The top-ten rookie rankings of summer league rookies and the Zinger is NOWHERE to be found. And so it goes it's early, but if things go true to form the Zinger will play just well enough, but his contemporaries will continue to ZOOM past the Zinger. Um um um:(
 
The Knicks have 13 players with contracts for next season and have two open roster spots. Coach Derek Fisher said there is a possibility of bringing more than 15 guys to camp with contracts.
“I don’t know any more he can do,’’ Fisher said. “He’s doing everything that’s in his control to be a guy whether our team — hopefully — or 29 other teams for sure will give him a look where he probably could play at this level and be pretty good at it.’’
Not only has he played with a revved-up tenacious spirit, he has found ways to score, including a cool mid-range jumper. Last year, the braided forward averaged 16 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while being named second team All-MAC.
When he was recruited by colleges in Japan, he didn’t speak English.
“The triangle offense fits — it shows everything I could do as far as passing and mid-range jumpers,’’ Ndour told MSG Network. “[To get an invite] would be really great.’’
Fleisher says things have changed in a big way in the last few days.
“Based on how he’s played, we’re getting offers from big-time European teams, some NBA teams have called, but I’m moving slowly on it,’’ Fleisher told The Post. “I want to give him an opportunity to continue to play and see how the situation plays out with the Knicks. He’s someone who fell below the radar. He’s got an incredible motor.’’
Fisher, who cherishes gritty underachievers, noted Travis Wear making the roster last fall despite 15 guaranteed pacts in camp.
“He’s shown an ability to shoot the ball like he did when he had his pre-draft workout and like our scouts who scouted him in school [said],’’ Fisher said of Ndour. “His activity and length, blocking shots and using his long arms to create havoc, all the things we thought he could do, you don’t know until he’s out there. He’s proven people right he can play. He’s doing everything he can do to make [a camp invite] happen.’’

http://nypost.com/2015/07/16/meet-the-undrafted-rookie-who-has-a-shot-to-stick-with-knicks/
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Ndour definately deserves a camp invite.
 
tiger0330 said:
Knicks better not screw up with this kid like they did with Shved.
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I'm definitely not cosigning the returns of Shved and Bargs but I find it peculiar the two players who probably played best second half of season were not brought back. While Phil has been preaching defense and I have no problem with him doing so, you also heard him say the team will need Melo's scoring prowess. Translation "we'll have gaping holes" offensively this season..we'll be one of the worst. The team as currently constructed isn't good enough to withstand many of Melo's 8-24fg(they'll be an untold number of them) shooting nights this season.
 
But Bargnani's various injuries are particularly annoying. "At practice just the other day," Jackson recalls, "he had no trouble running through some basic no-contact skill drills. Defensive slides. Defending sideline screen-rolls. Then, when we were running through some five-on-none offensive situations, Bargnani was on the sidelines. When I asked him why he wasn't out there, he said that he was told only to do the warm-ups."

This was not the kind of competitive fire Jackson wants -- and demands -- from his players. As a result, Jackson is already thinking about possible free agents he might pursue in the offseason.
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That's why Bargnani wasn't brought back.
 
jimkcchief88 said:
What was left out of the Mudiay article? The top-ten rookie rankings of summer league rookies and the Zinger is NOWHERE to be found. And so it goes it's early, but if things go true to form the Zinger will play just well enough, but his contemporaries will continue to ZOOM past the Zinger. Um um um:(
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That top 10 list is compiled from random observations on guys who have played 3 summer league games. They gave Stanley Johnson the number one rank, even though, y'know, he kinda sucked in that 3rd game. Nobody is zooming past anybody based on these Summer League games.

Right now, in my opinion, only valid question to ask is why did the top teams all sleep on Mudiay, who isn't even ranked that high on this list. Selling anybody else as higher value than Porzingis right now, who has been solid in limited minutes and extremely limited touches, is overkill on the anti-Porzinigis train.
 
Yep I agree but any ranking system in sports from college polls to power rankings are just opinions. That being said at this point Zinger is not passing the "eye test" as compared to his contemporaries and for now that's all we've got. And why teams passed on Mudiay esp. The Knicks is totally beyond me and now the kid has a chip on his shoulder. Orlando has the excuse that they have Oladepo to run point but us???? Cmon PJAx u messed up trying to"swing for the fences" and 95% of KNIcKs nation knows it. I hope PJAx is ready for his legacy as a worse president/GM than Isiah is that's possible. At least Isiah drafted talent and got big name guys into town, just couldn't quite put it all together. PJAx can't even get the talent part right. So as the anti-Zinger train goes, I am one of the engineers:)
 
jimkcchief88 said:
Yep I agree but any ranking system in sports from college polls to power rankings are just opinions. That being said at this point Zinger is not passing the "eye test" as compared to his contemporaries and for now that's all we've got. And why teams passed on Mudiay esp. The Knicks is totally beyond me and now the kid has a chip on his shoulder. Orlando has the excuse that they have Oladepo to run point but us???? Cmon PJAx u messed up trying to"swing for the fences" and 95% of KNIcKs nation knows it. I hope PJAx is ready for his legacy as a worse president/GM than Isiah is that's possible. At least Isiah drafted talent and got big name guys into town, just couldn't quite put it all together. PJAx can't even get the talent part right. So as the anti-Zinger train goes, I am one of the engineers:)
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Eye tests? LOL. Zinger looks better than Russell...

Professionals, who are paid b/c of their trained eyes, are all impressed by what they've seen so far from PORZ. He is tough, willing to bang inside, has great defensive instincts, can pass, shoot, score off the dribble... He certainly held his own vs Okafor.

PORZ also had 3 years of pro tape/experience to rely on... maybe that was what made the pick safer/easier, b/c Mudaiy had a few games in China as his highlight reel. Sometimes the eye test is misleading - don't believe everything you see... Sometimes perspective is looking thru a funhouse mirror. BTW... "Glen Rice, Jr. of the Washington Wizards was unanimously named Most Valuable Player of the Samsung NBA Summer League 2014."

NYK targeted Grant as the PG they wanted. PORZ-GRANT was what they wanted over Mudiay-Lyles.

Arguing this point is a fool's errand. Answer wont be clear for 3-5 years; definitely not resolved after 1 season, or 3 SL games. As a NYK fan I am cynical too... We probably did draft the wrong duo... Maybe Ndour will be only kid from this draft class still on the team in 4 yeas... Then again, I would think the same thing had we taken Mudiay... If we did, we probably guaranteed PORZ would be better than Dirk.

Still, if Porz is up there with Dirk/Gasol in 3 years... I don't care if Mudiay is D-Rose.
 
While many New York Knicks fans were critical, to say the least, of the organization's decision to pick Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis, one hall of fame legend isn't as critical. In fact he sees potential in the 19-year-old. Serious potential. In fact, Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy compared him to two of the league's current best players.

After seeing Porzingis' summer league debut against the San Antonio Spurs (in which he scored 12 points and recorded two blocks in a total of 18 minutes), Worthy, paid a high compliment of the Knicks rookie during the Lakers' summer league broadcast. He called him "combination of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant." He added that Pozingis was a "good pick for the Knicks.’’

http://behindthearc.collectivepress...itzki-and-kevin-durant/?s=behindthearc_xpromo
 
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