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Good afternoon, friends.
Let us kick off this Thursday with a shoutout to the birthday boy, Immanuel Quickley.
Wishing a Happy Birthday to our rook, @IQ_GodSon! #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/7O3nVmRCvU
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 17, 2021
Meanwhile, the Canadian Patriot (Le patriote canadien) RJ Barrett is practicing with his nation’s Olympic team, which is coached by Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. RJ’s national team coach was quite complimentary of the Knicks wing, who just turned 21 himself.
Nurse also highlighting just how smart RJ Barrett is. Says he picks things up really quickly and has a very infectious energy in practices.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) June 17, 2021
Damn right, RJ is smart. And he always brings it in practice, too. That’s why Tim Thibodeau loves him so much. But it’s nice to hear it from a rival coach.
In news that is sure to delight forward-looking Knicks fans, a few young stars seems dissatisfied with their current clubs. The most exciting (both from a basketball and a schadenfreude perspective) is Luka Doncic. The Mavs star is working out with the Slovenian national team, and he didn’t sound too excited about the fact that the organization dumped GM Donnie Nelson.
Luka Doncic, from Slovenia with his national team, on Donnie Nelson's Mavericks exit:
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2021
"It was kind of tough to me. I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there."
Get your photoshops ready, Knicks fans. But please don’t give Luka the number 77...we cannot have him associating in any way with Andrea Bargnani.
Another disgruntled young star is New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. The Pels just fired head coach Stan Ban Gundy, which means Zion will go into his third NBA season with his third different head coach. And his family is reportedly not happy with the Pelicans organization.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been unable to put together the right elements to make Zion Williamson and his family happy, per @TheAthleticNBA
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 17, 2021
"Multiple sources have told The Athletic that certain family members want Williamson on another team." pic.twitter.com/6kfWYLqX4V
Is there any evidence that Zion likes New York? I’m glad you asked that, actually...
pic.twitter.com/ypuBZdS92y https://t.co/e15qAmWOrc
— Jeremy Cohen (@TheCohencidence) June 17, 2021
Will Zion and RJ reunite in New York? Only time will tell.