Knicks Daily Roundup 3/16: Coronavirus Updates, Chris Paul Chatter, and More
-ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that some owners and executives believe "a best case scenario is a mid-to-late June return to play -- with no fans." Let's not think about a worst case scenario. The story includes what games could look like if the NBA did return at some point. Woj and ESPN's Malika Andrews also reported that the NBA G-League season will soon be cancelled.
In more coronavirus-related news, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the NBA is now banning team practices indefinitely. The Athletic's Shams Charania also reported that can now travel out of market with the permission of their teams.
-Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons became the third NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, joining Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz. Wood and the Pistons played the Knicks last Sunday and the Jazz the night before. The Knicks and Jazz met the week prior on March 4. While there have been no reports of Knicks players having the virus, the link between these teams still exists.
-As teams and players are pitching in to aid arena staff workers, an email was sent out to MSG event-based employees about how the team is looking to help these workers financially.
The Charlotte Hornets were next in line to announce their contributions to part-time employees. Karl-Anthony Towns quickly followed, saying he would donate $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic, which is working on coronavirus tests. It's awesome to see the NBA, its teams, and its players work to help those in need in the face of this unprecedented crisis.
-As you may have heard, Chris Paul, an aging point guard with a bloated contract, flipped the script this season. The Point God turned in a stellar year with the Oklahoma City Thunder and made himself one of the more fascinating trade targets in the entire league. Naturally, he's been linked to the Knicks. Paul would be an immediate upgrade for New York, but is he what the Knicks truly need? Our own Jonathan Macri wrote about how Paul could get the Knicks back to short-term winning and whether that would help the team down the road.
-As Leon Rose continues to build his front office, Sports Illustrated's Sam Amico wrote about how Cavaliers capologist Brock Aller is on his radar. He also served as a personal assistant to Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert. Rose has a long way to go in terms of rebuilding the Knicks, with an important step being hiring the right people around him.
-Since there is uncertainty as to when basketball will resume, and that it's very likely the NBA season does not come back, Newsday's Steve Popper wrote about the Knicks' 2019-2020 season in review.
