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I wanted to ask you about the current Knicks’ imbroglio. Spike Lee: Not going to the White House. Yeah. Apparently, the team owner, James Dolan, who we know is a Donald Trump pal, is trying to force them to visit the White House but the team doesn’t want to. Spike Lee: He can’t force them! It’s been years since the last NBA team has gone. They’re not going. I hope they don’t go! I hope they don’t go.
How do you, as a Knicks superfan, reconcile having James Dolan as the owner of the Knicks? So, not to cut you off, but here’s the thing: There were a lot of Yankees fans that didn’t like George Steinbrenner and his politics. But Steinbrenner wasn’t bringing the president to crucial Knicks games, taking shots at the mayor by questioning his fandom, etc. Spike Lee: He wasn’t. But he was a Republican.
How did Ben Stiller get to make the documentary on the Knicks’ championship run and not you? Spike Lee: It was Dolan. Dolan gave it to him. Look, it’s his team, he can do what he wants to do. Coulda woulda, but it’s his team. He also wants his team to go to the White House, too.
New York Knicks star Josh Hart addressed the subject during an interview with Valeria Rubino for Vsport TV. “Me, an adviser or investor in Napoli Basket? I didn't want to say anything about it. I've visited Naples and the Amalfi Coast several times. They're fantastic places. You learn so much about the culture and the people who live there. This summer, I became a little more involved with the organization. I'll let Matt Rizzetta talk about it when the time is right, once everything has been finalized and completed. We'll talk about it later.” “I have a lot of affection for them and for what they're building there. The team, the new arena — there are a lot of important things coming, and I'm excited about it,” Hart concluded.
The Knicks are in contract limbo with three key players, after tabling all contract extension talks on Oct. 9. Owner James Dolan said this summer that New York wouldn't dip into the punitive second apron to keep the team together. Hart has a team option and on media day said there hadn't been any discussions on a new deal. Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million deal. Before talks were halted, the Knicks' offer was at $200 million, which represents a pay cut from his current salary (four years, $220.4 million). Towns hoped for a contract extension at the start of last season and didn't get it. The disappointment was quiet, but he played through an up-and-down regular season as he and Brown struggled to get on the same page; then it clicked in the postseason.
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Mike Brown has pointed to on-ball defense, indecision on offense and his players standing around when plays break down as culprits for the slow start. According to NBA.com, the Knicks trail only the Houston Rockets and Charlotte Hornets in frequency of shots late in the shot clock (four seconds or less), and shooting 28.8% in those situations ranks them behind only the Portland Trail Blazers in efficiency -- they were best in the league last season. Usually, that's Jalen Brunson time, as he did so often in the playoffs. But the magic hasn't been there to start the season.
Michael Scotto: Seven players had rookie team options declined for the 2027-28 season, making them unrestricted free agents in 2027: Tidjane Salaun (Hornets), Nikola Topic (Thunder), Isaiah Collier (Jazz), DaRon Holmes (Nuggets), Cody Williams (Wolves), Pacome Dadiet (Knicks), AJ Johnson (Pelicans).
Ian Begley: Knicks are outscoring Nets 26-9 in the fourth quarter to take control of the game. Josh Hart propelled Knicks early in the fourth as lineup of Hart, Tyler Kolek, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns gave club life after listless start. Knicks will improve to 3-4
Kristian Winfield: Mike Brown said Jose Alvarado and Tyler Kolek are on the same page with the Knicks' backup point guard minutes. "The reality is Jose got hurt. Tyler gave us some good minutes, but at the end of the day, I sat them both down and I told them: 'Jose, you’re our backup because you ended the season as the backup, but both you guys helped us win last year. Jose in the Finals. Tyler in the Cup Finals. So I feel like both you guys can play and contribute at a high level. So both you guys got to be ready because a change can happen at any time.' Change for a half or change for five games, who knows? But the biggest thing is trying to – as best I can, I’m a coach, so I may deviate, but try not to give up a guy’s spot when he’s injured."
Kristian Winfield: Jose Alvarado will play tonight against the Nets, says Mike Brown
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Mike Vorkunov: Wembanyama called the Spurs' loss to the Knicks in Game 4 of the Finals "the most intense heartbreak moment in my career" after they blew a 29-point lead, and said he didn't think he should win the MVP award last season. "But I should win it this year, though."
Julius Randle’s oldest son never really stopped being a New York kid. Even after the family moved to Minnesota, he and his old buddies stayed on FaceTime every day and played video games together. Friends flew out to see him. He made trips back. They found ways to keep being kids together, whatever the distance. Now he’s back at his old school. The friendships maintained through screens and plane tickets are part of everyday life again. Randle’s wife has her circle of friends nearby, and the veteran forward has his own community outside basketball. Monday brings another visit to Madison Square Garden, this time in a Nets uniform. But the family’s homecoming is already well underway.
One win leaves plenty unresolved for the Nets. Monday’s visit to the Garden is the next test. Randle described a sense of stability away from basketball that makes the demands of the job easier to manage. “And when things are easier off the court, when they’re great at home and you’re happy and all of those things, it makes the basketball part, the work part that much easier,” Randle said.
That comfort reaches well beyond the familiarity of an arena where he played for five years. It’s in the people his family stayed close to while they were away, and the everyday life they have resumed here. “I feel really balanced, really happy, at peace here,” Randle said.