Rumors

For Yabusele, who previously played for the Boston Celtics before returning to Europe with ASVEL and Real Madrid, the move to Madison Square Garden carries more than just basketball significance. “When you look at New York, you can already see how much the franchise has grown in recent years. They’re conference finalists, the team project is clear and very exciting to me. It’s a very good team that plays well together and is playing for a title! That goal was important to me — I want to play for something. Beyond that, New York is a historic team. Playing at Madison Square Garden is every NBA player’s dream — including mine! It’s a special place, and I’m very happy to be there!”

EuroHoops.net

The sale of the Lakers at a record $10 billion valuation has at least one activist investor wondering whether the Knicks could go for more. Boyar Value Group believes the Knicks are leaving billions of dollars in value on the table by being part of Madison Square Garden Sports Corporation, a publicly traded entity that also owns the Rangers. Boyar Value, a shareholder in MSG Sports, urged James Dolan in a Tuesday statement to consider splitting up the company or even selling the Knicks outright.

Front Office Sports

The statement notes that while Forbes estimates the Knicks’ value at $7.5 billion and the Rangers’ value at $3.5 billion, MSG Sports trades at an enterprise value of $5 billion. As of Thursday morning, MSG Sports’s enterprise value was actually at more than $6 billion, perhaps due to a stock bump that can in part be attributed to enthusiasm about the teams’ value after the Lakers deal. “The Lakers sale highlights how cheap MSG Sports is relative to the value of its assets,” Jonathan Boyar, president of Boyar Value, tells Front Office Sports. “It’s a clear [comparison]. Both don’t own the arena, both are marquee assets with rich histories in major media markets.”

Front Office Sports

In an open letter published days before the press release, Boyar emphasized that a spin-off shouldn’t be unfamiliar to Dolan and the MSG Sports board, which includes six other Dolan family members. MSG Sports itself was created through a 2020 spin-off, and Sphere Entertainment—owner of the Las Vegas venue—was spun out from MSG Entertainment in 2023. Boyar says Dolan “has a fiduciary duty to shareholders and he should start acting that way,” although he admits he gives Dolan credit that “the right move thus far has been not to sell the team. Look how much it appreciated in value.”

Front Office Sports

Jake Fischer: There's a ton of skepticism around the league that Michael Malone—with a similar personality and coaching style to Tom Thibodeau—is going to ultimately be the man on New York's sideline at the end of the day. I'd say there's also plenty of skepticism that Mike Budenholzer would be that man as well. So I think we're going to hear names that are potentially lower down on the totem pole in terms of proven veteran playoff success. I think we're going to be hearing names like Mike Brown, the former head coach in Sacramento—his name's already been linked to the job. Taylor Jenkins, the former Grizzlies head coach, might be the most respected coach available on the market right now. There are a ton of questions about whether or not New York will go back to their own well and try to bring Cavs assistant Johnny Bryant back to Madison Square Garden. That's not something I've been able to confirm yet, but it's definitely something people are wondering about, as he was a finalist for the head coaching job in Phoenix and, of course, was part of the Eastern Conference–leading Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff this season.

YouTube

Nellie's response when I pointed out to him that the Knicks have a head coaching vacancy and asked if he has any interest in returning to Madison Square Garden: "Well, I'll tell you what, I enjoyed New York more than people think. I mean, I just loved it there when I was there, but I wasn't there very long. I got sideways with [Patrick] Ewing because there was a time when Shaquille [O'Neal] was being talked about to wind up with the Lakers. I had coached Shaq on the USA team [at the 1994 World Championships] and I found out that he might also come to New York — those were the two areas he was looking at. If the L.A. thing didn't work out, he liked the idea of being in New York — in the big city. I mentioned that in a private meeting with the owner and with the GM. And it wasn't long before it got back to Ewing. It pretty much ended our relationship when he found out about it."

marcstein.substack.com

Surely you haven't forgotten the highly fortuitous l-o-n-g two that Haliburton drained to force overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden … his stepback hoist at the regulation buzzer that bounced straight up into the air off the back of the rim before dropping straight back through. It was the NBA's modern-day homage to Don Nelson. "I thought for sure the announcers would say something about it because it was very similar," Nelson told me the other day, reflecting on the decisive Game 7 shot he sank in the 1969 NBA Finals. "But they didn't mention it. It was kind of funny to me because that's the first thing I thought about. "His shot was a lot longer and it went way higher than mine though," Nelson added with a laugh.

marcstein.substack.com

“This is the Boston Celtics,” Payton Pritchard explained to HoopsHype following Boston’s season-ending loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “We’re going to compete for a championship. There’s only one standard. That’s the standard we’ll always live by.”

HoopsHype

Clutchpoints: Former champs Kevin Love and JR Smith hug it out on the Madison Square Garden floor after Game 5 of the Knicks and Pacers 👏

x.com

Officers with the Carmel Police Department were called to a brewery on the evening of May 23 on a reported disturbance. That evening, the Indiana Pacers were facing the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, a game that the Pacers won 114-109 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Initially, police were called because of an alleged fight involving a man, later identified as Jarrett Funke. However, once Funke left the brewery, the caller stated that police did not need to respond. Minutes later, an employee of the brewery called police, stating that Funke had reportedly returned to the brewery’s patio. The caller stated that Funke reportedly stabbed a man in the back and was attempting to leave.

FOX 59

They travel to Indiana trailing 0-2 in the Eastern Conference finals.  “The whole year we played well on the road,” Josh Hart said after the Knicks’ 114-109 Game 2 loss to the Pacers on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. “We’ve played well on the road in the playoffs. That’s a tough place to play. Their crowd comes and shows love and support. But we’re a good road team. That always gives us confidence.”

New York Post

Draymond Green: Let's face it, come on. The guy is not really about to choke someone. And so I hope the NBA don't find him because that's what we paying to see. Like you talk about entertainers being entertainers. You talk about stars being stars on the biggest stage at the Mecca like the stars showing up. I pray the NBA doesn't find them. But I will tell you this about the choke. My favorite thing about the choke was Tyrese after the game saying I don't know if I should have used it in game one.

YouTube

Out of the garden and into the park. The New York Knicks’ raucous watch parties outside Madison Square Garden — where thousands of rowdy fans celebrated the milestone victory over the Boston Celtics Friday — are moving to a bigger venue as the team hopes to keep dominating in the playoffs, according to sources. Die-hard fans can now rally in the heart of Central Park to show their orange-and-blue pride as the team moves its official watch party to SummerStage on Friday, sources told The Post.

New York Post

The New York Knicks’ Cinderella story isn’t just a rags-to-riches story for the team, as postseason home games could generate up to $832 million for city businesses, the mayor’s office announced Thursday. The postseason run has already generated about $195 million in the city so far between tickets, concessions, merch, transit and lodging, the mayor added – and some businesses near Madison Square Garden are already feeling the payout.

New York Post