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Who might the Knicks sign with that veteran’s minimum deal? They have continued to touch base with Ben Simmons during the free agency period. I’m sure they have touched base with other vets as well. Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are among the lead guards still on the market. Teams are wondering if Washington will agree to a buyout with veteran guard Marcus Smart. For what it’s worth, the Knicks don’t seem to be exclusively focused on ball-handling guards with that last spot. New York still sees Landry Shamet as a possibility and Shamet remains open to returning to New York.
Landry Shamet is expected to draw interest from several contending teams seeking guard depth and shooting. The New York Knicks have also expressed interest in re-signing Shamet, HoopsHype has learned.
A couple of other names to consider with the taxpayer midlevel exception are Spencer Dinwiddie, Trey Lyles and Al Horford. As for minimum players, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Knicks brought back Delon Wright and/or Landry Shamet.
Knicks Videos: "I love New York. I love these fans. I've seen how they ride the wave with us - the highs, the lows. It's just important for me to give everything I've got to them." Landry Shamet talks about the standing ovation he got tonight:
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Kristian Winfield: Thibs said the plan was to get Delon Wright and Landry Shamet in the rotation today: "We were gonna play them, put them in the rotation just to get a different look. But Deuce got 3 fouls in 1 minute and 22. I don't know if I've ever seen that before."
Fred Katz: Landry Shamet has a migraine and is a game-time decision, Tom Thibodeau says.
The Knicks entered Wednesday near the bottom of the NBA in bench points — at least partially a product of the starters eating up so many minutes. Still, the reserves enjoyed an uptick in production recently with Robinson and Shamet getting comfortable. “We’ve started the season with Landry hurt and Deuce [McBride] not 100 percent. So our wings did play more,” Thibodeau said. “So are they playing a little bit more than I would like? Yeah. Probably 35 or 36, and that’s where Mikal is if you look at the last 10 games — he’s playing 35 minutes per game and four of those games are overtime games. So that’s the reality. Now that Deuce is healthy, those minutes are going to come down. So that’s the way it is.”
The surgery option would’ve ended Shamet’s season but offered greater odds of a full recovery without a setback. He took the less certain health path — which also meant the Knicks re-signed him in December. It was rocky for a bit, with Shamet going in-and-out of the rotation. But he’s rediscovered the 3-point shot, hitting 44.8 percent of the time in the previous 13 games, before missing his only attempt Wednesday. There’s also a trickle-down opportunity with the injury to Jalen Brunson, thrusting Miles McBride into the starting lineup and Shamet as one of just two guards off the bench. “You have to be prepared for all scenarios, especially if you’re thinking about the postseason,” Shamet said.
Austin Rivers played seven seasons in the NBA after fellow players joined the All-Star voting process. And in that time, he never got a single All-Star vote from another player, a record he holds with Landry Shamet. That’s despite Rivers’ two best campaigns in the NBA – 2016-17 and 2017-18 – coming right when players joined the All-Star vote. ’18 was the best season of Rivers’ career, with the talented 2-guard averaging 15.1 points and 4.0 assists on 37.8 percent shooting from three that year, far better marks than those of other players who have gotten All-Star votes from peers, including that year.
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“Playing for a lot of different teams, a lot of different teammates, seeing a lot of different situations, great players, different coaching styles, I think you just build up your memory bank and things you can draw from,” Shamet said. “I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had so far and thankful to be here and try to build and grow with this group.”
Shamet helped bring that balance while hitting his lone 3-point attempt. On Saturday, he played just six minutes and missed his only shot attempt but did pick up an assist and a steal. “It still works,” Shamet said of his shot. That wasn’t always a given. Getting to this point was a painful, unpredictable process. “I couldn’t use my right arm for six weeks,” he said.
Bobby Marks: To fit Landry Shamet below the second apron, the Matt Ryan waiver was needed. New York is $523K below the apron. They can sign a 15th player on March 2.
Ian Begley: Noted this last week but some prominent NYK people feel Landry Shamet can help bolster bench unit. He was going to be in rotation coming into season until he suffered shoulder dislocation in preseason. The Westchester Knicks drafted Shamet, allowing him to rehab with organization
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