The Summer League Knicks convened in Orlando for the first official
practice on Monday morning. Head coach Jeff Hornacek led the group
while president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills watched the
inaugural practice session. Here are some news and notes from
Wednesday’s media availability:
- Hornacek confirmed that Westchester Knicks head coach Mike Miller
would coach the summer league team along with Coby Karl and Josh
Longstaff. - The team expects to officially announce the hiring of assistants
Howard Eisley, Jerry Sichting, and Corey Gaines. The new
assistants will join members of last year’s staff Kurt Rambis,
Longstaff, and Dave Bliss. - Hornacek addressed some of the priorities for the Knicks as the
front office gears up for free agent meetings that can take place on
Friday. The head man told the media members in attendance that
the team will seek a center and then look to fill the gap at the
shooting guard position."The two-guard spot [is] probably [where] we should be able to find
someone. We have enough scorers," Hornacek explained. "We need a guy at
the two spot who can help to run the offense. Maybe get some kickout
3's. We don't necessarily need a two-man who can create a bunch of
plays because we should have guys who are able to do that. So if you
look at it that way, maybe the center might be a little bit more
important now."
- Carmelo Anthony has been hard at work this offseason, working out
in New York and he will travel to Rio for the 2016 Summer
Olympics. Hornacek decided to visit Anthony during one of his
workouts in the city to open the dialogue between the two and offer
some advice for the All-Star.“It was fun for me to go down there and watch his little workout and
kind of put my two cents in there and talk to him about what went on
the last couple of years and what he sees for this coming year and what
he’d like to see. You try to talk to all the players, just to try
to get their sense on what worked well, what they like to do and try to
blend something together that works for everybody,” Hornacek
stated.
- Stay tuned to Knicks.com and @NYKnicks for comprehensive coverage.