No Knicks preseason basketball today, thank God if it meant watching that attrocious thing from Monday once again.
New York have one exhibition left on Friday, but more importantly, they will have to make a very serious decision by Saturday’s deadline.
For now, here’s what we’ve heard from Coach Brown and a few other folks in the past few hours.
On Pacome Dadiet needing playing time:
“Just getting minutes, getting minutes. I think the G League is fantastic for anybody so whether he’s getting minutes there or he’s getting minutes with us, just getting minutes in general is going to be great for him because he’s a really young guy. He’s got a chance to be really, really good — especially at his size, you can do a lot of things with it and so just getting playing time.”
On letting assistants lead huddles in preseason games:
“I’ve done it quite a bit. Did it with Sacramento. Actually, I got it from Steve (Kerr). When I was with Steve in Golden State, I led the huddle multiple times in multiple games. Throughout the course of a game probably almost 90 percent of the time — I didn’t even tell him what I was about to tell the guys defensively. He had that much trust in me. And it helped me grow.
“It helped save (Kerr’s) voice and gave the players another voice to hear. So I did it in Sacramento. I liked it. I’m going to try it here. Our offensive coordinator is Chris Jent. Our defensive coordinator is Brendan O’Connor, BOC. All those guys as well as everybody else, they’ve done a fantastic job coaching, so to give them an opportunity during games is something that I’ll do.”
On Guerschon Yabusele’s adaptation to playing center:
“I thought it was a great opportunity for him to get some time at the center position. It’s tough for him and he was thinking a little too much, which is gonna happen. And it kind of brought his game to a halt in other areas. I thought the second half, his energy, his activity, was a lot better. He started feeling a little bit more comfortable in the second half, but it’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve for him.”
On adapting to Brown’s system and moving between the four and five spots:
“For sure, it’s pretty big [of a learning curve] in the offense, and also like running, so the biggest key for me was to just run all the time, try to run to the basket to try to make the other teams tired.”
On Brown’s timeout to address his mistakes during Monday’s game:
“We had a conversation about what was happening in the game. We talked about a situation that was there, and what he wanted me to do better.”
“I’m really trying to be as much as I can be focused to try to get every detail to make sure I’m at the right spot. For me, it’s a new team with new guys so I really try to fit into the system and be a solution not a problem.”
On his advice to Pacome Dadiet to stay relevant in the NBA:
“Keep shooting. That’s the best part about it. Whether you want to take it or not, the shot’s going to be there and you’re gonna be open. And the teams will make adjustments.
“In this league, if somebody thinks you’re not a shooter, they’re going to leave you wide open. So you got to prove to them that you’re a shooter. You got to prove to them you have confidence. I remember being in this spot when I was in Boston and I wasn’t really playing, so I kind of get it, where he is right now. But you got to push. You got lots of guys here to learn from and talk to guys so we just try to give him confidence and make sure when he goes there he doesn’t think about nothing.”
On having a real chance at competing for a roster spot:
“That’s what (the Knicks) said (to veteran players’ agents). It’s a tough roster; let’s see what happens.”
On whether or not he’ll join a G-League team if the Knicks cut him:
On his spacing value and making his case to join the Knicks roster:
“I bring a lot of spacing, and hopefully my space can help. Some of these guys get downhill. We’ve got great ball handlers on the team. So just the gravity I pull from defenders, hopefully it can help those guys out a little bit.”
On wanting to be part of a contender:
“[The Knicks] got a lot of stuff going for them. And I think they’re going to be a contender. I’m just hoping I can be a part of it.”
On the chances of seeing a woman hired as an NBA head coach:
“No, I don’t [believe it will happen in my lifetime]. And I hope I’m wrong.”
On the challenges of being a female head coach:
“It’s not just hiring the first female coach. Because one, if I’m the Knicks coach and you have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about the losing streak. It’s going to be about being a female coach. So you as an organization and a franchise, you have to be prepared about that and strong enough to endure those types of instances when you’re a female coach.”
On her motivation for interviewing with the Knicks and his hopes for landing the gig:
“Not really a whole lot. I did the Knicks interview because I’ve known Leon Rose for 30 years. I have a connection to him and Worldwide Wes. I’ve known them all my life. It was a real interview, and I like to see what they’re talking about.”
On offering help to other women pursuing NBA jobs:
“If there’s somebody that’s interested in knowing and being the first female NBA coach, I got all the information. Come see me because I’ll get you prepared for the interview. If there are NBA franchises that are interested in hiring a female, I’m here too because you have to be ready to take on that and all the things that come with it.”