Knicks News Roundup... (The Giannis Dream is Alive)

Let's recap the latest FIBA action before getting into the NBA gossip…

🏀 America got off to a slow start in their first official World Cup contest on Saturday. Team USA was favored by 37 points, but New Zealand jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter, as America's starters came out sloppy. In their first 11 possessions, they missed five shots and committed four turnovers. America was up just 12 points late in the third, but USA caught fire in the final 12 minutes and pulled away for a comfortable 99-72 victory. 

Surprisingly, it was Paolo Banchero who scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while also chipping in four boards and four blocks. Austin Reaves had a fantastic all-around game as well, finishing with 12 points, six assists and three steals. Jalen Brunson tallied 10/4/4, and Josh Hart had five points and four boards. 

And guess who had the highest +/- among all Americans? Yup, Josh Hart. Team USA outscored New Zealand by 28 points in Hart's 15 minutes of action. 

USA's next game is Monday vs. Greece. The two squads faced off in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, with America cruising to a 108-86 victory. The contest is scheduled to tip off at 8:40 a.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN2. 

🏀 Canada humiliated France on Friday in both team's 2023 World Cup debut 95-65 in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to FIBA, the 30-point smackdown is the worst defeat by France at a World Cup since 1963. 

The only French player to show up for France was Evan Fournier, who poured in 19 points in the first half, to keep the score somewhat close before Canada ran away in the second stanza. Fournier was cold after halftime, scoring just two more points. He ended up 8-of-19 from the floor and 3-of-13 from downtown (and was -27).

RJ Barrett played poorly in Canada's opener but stepped up in his squad's 128-73 demolition of Lebanon on Sunday in Jakarta, as they moved to 2-0 in group play. RJ scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-5 from downtown), including this impressive windmill in the third. 

Canada set a senior men's national team record for points (128) and a FIBA tournament record with 44 assists. They will be back in action Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. EST when they take on Latvia.

🏀 We got some eye-opening quotes courtesy of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this week. In a candid interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Giannis declared he does not plan to sign a contract extension with Milwaukee when he becomes eligible to do so next month and won't sign one until he's confident the Bucks can consistently compete for a championship.

As part of the five-year, $228 million supermax extension he inked in 2020, Antetokounmpo will earn $45.6 million in 2023-24 and $48.7M the following season. He can then opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if he declines his $52.9 million player option.

The Bucks were undoubtedly hoping to quash any hope other NBA teams had of luring away the two-time MVP from the only NBA team he's played for by signing him to a three-year, $173 million max extension in September. However, Giannis let it be known that won't happen.

"The real question's not going to be this year — numbers-wise, it doesn't make sense," Antetokounmpo told the Times. "But next year, next summer, it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don't know."

Giannis added, "I would not be the best version of myself if I don't know that everybody's on the same page, everybody's going for a championship, everybody's going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don't feel that, I'm not signing."

"At the end of the day, I feel like all my teammates know, and the organization knows that I want to win a championship," he told The Times. "As long as we're on the same page with that, and you show me, and we go together to win a championship, I'm all for it. The moment I feel like, 'Oh, yeah, we're trying to rebuild,'... There will never be hard feelings with the Milwaukee Bucks."

"At the end of the day, being a winner, it's over that goal," Antetokounmpo said. "Winning a championship comes first. I don't want to be 20 years on the same team and don't win another championship."

I have to admit, I was certainly surprised by the candidness of Antetokounmpo's responses. Simply deciding not to sign an extension with Milwaukee would have been a thunderous statement. But going on the record and putting the Bucks on notice... that will fuel the rumor mill for months/years. 

We've talked at length about how Knicks team president Leon Rose and company have been collecting assets in the form of draft picks and young talent to cash in their chips for an MVP-caliber superstar. Sixers' center Joel Embiid is the player most often attached to Knicks speculation. But you can now add Giannis to the mix.  

Obviously, we'll keep a close eye on the situation going forward.

🏀 We've also discussed the Knicks potentially signing a 15th player to their roster this summer to address their lack of depth at power forward. 

Well, earlier this week, the Oklahoma City Thunder waived Usman Garuba.

Garuba started his career with Real Madrid and was named EuroLeague Rising Star in 2021 (Knicks prospect Rokas Jokubaitis won the same award the following season) before being drafted with the 23rd overall pick by the Houston Rockets in 2021. Garuba appeared in just 24 games as a rookie due to various injuries, but appeared in 75 contests last season, averaging 3.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest. 

He was then traded to the Hawks in a five-team trade in July, and Atlanta sent him to OKC in a separate deal four days later. However, OKC is dealing with a problematic roster crunch (they also cut former first-round pick TyTy Washington Jr.) and decided to part ways with Garuba. He ended up clearing waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent.

Still just 21 years of age, Garuba is an intriguing prospect. With Houston's G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Vipers, he averaged 9.0 points, 9.0 boards, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 25.3 minutes per game as a rookie. He is a defensive-minded player who could bring some toughness to the second unit. With the final roster spot, it might make sense for the Knicks to roll the dice on a high-upside big. The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams rumored to be interested in adding him. 

"I'll prove everyone wrong. Mark my words," Garuba tweeted after being cut.

🏀 Even after waiving Garuba and Washington, the Thunder still have 18 players with guaranteed contracts, meaning they need to trade or waive three more players before opening night.

One player on the chopping is power forward Davis Bertans, despite the fact that he is set to earn $17 million in 2023-24 and has a $5 million partial guarantee for 24-25.

After inking a monstrous five-year $80,000,000 contract with the Washington Wizards in 2020, Bertans has failed to live up to expectations. This past season in Dallas, he appeared in a career-low 45 games and averaged just 4.6 points per game in 10.9 minutes. 

Still, dating back to 2018, Bertans is one of only seven players to attempt more than 1,500 and shoot over 40% from downtown. The other six players in the club are Steph, Klay, Joe Harris, Danny Green, Joe Ingles, and Bojan Bogdanovic.

If a team can hide Bertans defensively, he can provide some long-range offensive firepower off the bench. Considering how Thibs used Obi last season (often as a spot-up three-point shooter asked to stand in the corner), bringing in Bertans on a vet-minimum deal would be a worthwhile addition should he shake loose.