Nearly a week to put together a large enough amount of links and notes; that’s how it goes…
- Jalen Brunson continues to embrace his status as King of New York, appearing at the famed Rucker Park during Nike’s NYvsNY streetball tournament in early August, Thanos-cast and all included.
- OG Anunoby has had enough.
- Do you know who could become available as the Knicks keep looking for a third-string center? Old pal Taj, whose $3.82 million non-guaranteed contract makes him a potential waiver candidate in Memphis, says HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Too bad Thibs is no longer around…
- According to SNY’s Ian Begley and the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, Gersson Rosas left the Knicks on good terms just to pursue opportunities that offer greater executive responsibility elsewhere.
- Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart, still friends.
- Per the NYP, Knicks assistant Carson Shanks will not return to New York after three seasons with the organization.
- Tyler Nickel’s Knicks future briefly became a talking point after reports suggested he could explore returning to college. Hours later, we learned the kid is expected to go pro and join the organization. Hooray!
- Not so much luck for the drafted-and-stashed German Knickerbocker Jack Kayil. Auf Wiedersehen!
- Stephon Marbury opened up about the personal tragedies that pushed him to leave the NBA for China. Chunk of the full interview:
“I was dealing with a lot. I was super depressed. My dad was rushed to the hospital, and my dad passed away while I was on the court. And then my dad died, then my coach died like a week later, my aunt died, and then my mom checked in the hospital on her deathbed. So it was like a lot. And then my situation with the Knicks, it was going bad. And my brand, Starbury, I was being attacked… I was just like super depressed. I was in a state of wanting to kil- myself, feeling like I wanted to kil- myself, not wanting to be here because of dealing with the stress and pressure of losing people that I love.”
- Josh Hart has been named a Scouting America Ambassador. Hart earned Eagle Scout honors in high school and said scouting taught him discipline and accountability.
- SI’s Steven Simineri painted a dark picture for Knicks benchman Kevin McCullar Jr.
- Is Stephen Curry thinking about requesting a trade out of Golden State? Doesn’t sound like it. “I think honestly, you figure it out in real time,” he said.
- Lonnie Walker IV is returning to the NBA after spending last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He’s now a Denver Nugget. Is this the opposite of what happens in football when players play a season or two in Saudi Arabia, then try to return once their bags are filled?
- A proposed February trade would have sent Domantas Sabonis to Toronto in exchange for Knickerbocker legend and current Raptor RJ Barrett. It failed because the Raptors couldn’t move Jakob Poeltl’s contract. Welp.
- Shaquille O’Neal believes Kobe Bryant belongs alongside Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the GOAT debate.
- Brandon Clarke’s death was officially ruled an accidental overdose involving heroin and cocaine.
- Russell Westbrook isn’t thinking about his future too much.
- Kevin Love has been in contact with the 76ers since LeBron James chose Philadelphia, as he wants to join Philly for one final run alongside his old mate. ESPN, however, poured cold water on Love’s forehead by noting there is no guarantee the veteran forward will receive a roster spot.
- Former NBA guard Royce White announced he also intends to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, hours after Enes Kanter Freedom made a similar announcement. It took WNBA commish Cathy Engelbert a day to respond and announce the league will meet next week to discuss and clarify what qualifies a player as a woman for the WNBA.
- Ben Simmons is… back?
Read the full article here