Former Mavs (2019) thread

[Jack.Kerr]

Update.

Dennis Smith Jr. will need to come back from his injury with the force of Aaron Judge.

In a season that keeps growing weirder, Smith has been diagnosed with an oblique strain — an ailment that normally afflicts baseball players and the type of injury that sidelined Judge, the Yankees slugger, for two months last season.

It’s unknown how long Smith will be out, but he missed Thursday’s 94-82 win over the Nets at Barclays Center. The lone acquisition remaining from the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Smith is going through trying times while the 7-foot-3 Latvian is soaring in Dallas.

Smith sat at his locker before the game with his headphones on, watching a movie on his iPad with a contraption adorned with red blinking lights wrapped around his waist. It looked like a Christmas get-up, but this isn’t the type of holiday outfit Smith sought.

“It’s random,’’ Smith said of the non-basketball injury. “It was already written, though. You know what I’m saying. It’s God’s plan. It is what it is. I’ll be all right. That’s for sure.” (Editorial musing: Oh Lort, for reals.)

Smith has often turned philosophical during this rough season. He strained his back at the start of training camp and missed time. Then he left the team for two weeks after his stepmother passed away — which came the day after he was booed at the Garden for his uneven play.

“It’s tough,’’ Smith said. “That’s why it’s about faith. I was just on the phone with my big homie, talking about being there to dance in the storm. He called me, I’m on the phone smiling. He’s like, ‘You feel better than I do.’ It wasn’t easy for me to get to this place where I’m at right now. It wasn’t easy. But I had to take time out, reevaluate things, shift my focus, shift the way I think. I’m just learning how to dance in the storm, man.’’

Smith is doing no dancing this week. After he played just seven minutes in the Knicks’ loss to the Wizards on Monday night, Smith put in an extra workout and started feeling discomfort in his side. The team shut him down during Tuesday’s practice before he could worsen it.

“I had felt it getting in some work the night before [practice] at night,’’ Smith said. “I felt a little something there. The next day in practice, we were going live and I felt it again. I tried to fight through it. I felt some pain and pulling and came out of practice.”

The Knicks would not say officially when Smith will be back. Smith said he has never had this ailment before, adding it “feels like pulling at the side of my abdomen.” (Editorial musing: Maybe a piece of Bojangles fried chicken lodged in your gut?)

“We definitely eliminated the chance of reaggravating it,’’ Smith said. “That’s what we were trying to do. I’m not sure [when I’ll be back]. I usually bounce back from stuff pretty quick. I can’t really say.”

Interim coach Mike Miller is in the dark on Smith’s return date.

“He pulled something in his oblique while he was playing,’’ Miller said. “It wasn’t a collision. It was just some kind of movement when he did something, it pulled something. It’s hard to say right now. We’ll just have to see. I saw when we did it. He’s been testing it and going through treatment as best he can. We’ll just have to see day-to-day how he feels.”

After missing three straight games this month (one with a migraine, two on coach’s decisions), Smith came on with some nice stints, getting into the paint as Miller prefers.

For the near future, Miller’s point-guard rotation is down to two — with starter Elfrid Payton and demoted Frank Ntilikina. The Knicks also called up two-way G-Leaguer Kadeem Allen, whom Miller coached in Westchester last season.

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by Jack.Kerr

Update.

feel a bit sad for DSJ - hope he figures out his body and his game and gets things moving in a positive direction.

and so much for the frank hype train - seems like that's lost steam. wonder if he'd be available now?

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

feel a bit sad for DSJ - hope he figures out his body and his game and gets things moving in a positive direction.

and so much for the frank hype train - seems like that's lost steam. wonder if he'd be available now?

Re Ntilikina: He's a fan favorite at MSG, but I guess they're shopping him, unless they're showcasing Elfrid Payton. Hard to figure. Payton's ceiling is obvious; Ntilikina's barely scratched the surface of his potential in the NBA. But there's no rhyme or reason to what's going on with the Dolan/Mills/Perry/Miller Knicks.

I think Ntilikina would be a very good fit alongside KP and Dribblić, but hard to see the Knicks being willing to deal with Dallas, since whatever strengthens the Mavericks in the next couple of years further devalues the already-protected picks that will convey from the Porzingis-debacle-trade, which figure to be no better than second half of first round.

Dallas would have to offer some premium in the short-term. There doesn't look to be a single tradeable piece on the Mavericks' current roster that would make sense in a trade for the Knicks. Anything Dallas could offer, NYK has 3 of already.

I wonder if Dallas could remove some of the protections attached to the future picks, as a sweetener in a Ntilikina trade.

Devaney's account has the Mavericks hesitant to offer both the GS and the Utah 2nds, but Good God!, pay the cost to be the boss!

“New York has been looking to trade Ntilikina going back to last spring and is now again looking for a new home for him, according to league sources,” wrote Deveney.

As we’ve seen in the past, the Knicks won’t trade Ntilikina unless it’s for the right price. Although the French point guard is currently battling Dennis Smith Jr. for second-unit minutes while Elfrid Payton leads the starters, Ntilikina’s value is higher than it was last season.

After his eye-opening performance at the FIBA World Cup and some strong showings in November and December, Ntilikina is proving that he has a place in the NBA. Whether that’s as a point guard or off the ball is a different story, but he’s proved that he can be a rotational player in the right situation.

He’s averaging 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, but understanding his game goes much deeper than reading box scores. He shut down Luka Doncic in critical fourth-quarter moments twice in November.(!) Those two wins make up 29% of the team’s wins so far this season and they were prime examples of the kind of elite defense the long-limbed guard possesses.

A trade could be the best scenario for all parties involved. For Ntilikina, he could go to a contender where his defense can shine. For the Knicks, a trade would free up all of the second-unit minutes for Smith. The third-year point guard was a key part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade and it would be a major win for the organization if Smith can develop into a starting-caliber point guard.

Re Bullet: Every time he opens his mouth now, he sounds like a bigger idiot. Phil knew what he was doing.