ESNY’s Friday Morning Shootaround

01/21/2022

julius randle knicks — Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks lose a stinker at home to the Pelicans.

Welcome to the Morning Shootaround!

The Knicks suck again, the Nets are paying fines through the nose, and the NFL Divisional Round is here. Let’s take a look at what happened last night and preview the upcoming weekend.

What we’re watching this weekend:

NBA: Nets vs. Spurs — Friday, 8:30 PM ET
NBA: Knicks vs. Clippers — Sunday, 1 PM
NBA: Nets @ Timberwolves — Sunday, 8 PM
NHL: Rangers @ Hurricanes — Friday, 7 PM
NHL: Islanders vs. Coyotes — Friday, 7 PM
NHL: Rangers vs. Coyotes — Saturday, 7 PM
NHL: Islanders vs. Maple Leafs — Saturday, 7 PM
NHL: Devils vs. Hurricanes — Saturday, 7 PM
NHL: Devils vs. Kings — Sunday, 7 PM
CBB: St. John’s vs. Seton Hall — Saturday, Noon
CBB: Rutgers @ Minnesota — Saturday, Noon
CBB: Iona @ Quinnipiac — Sunday, 2 PM

Knicks Worst Loss?

It seems like it’s one step forward, two steps back for the Knicks. Was this the low point in the season for this team? From a one-game standpoint, probably. New York was blown out at home by the Pelicans, of all teams.

The turning point came just before halftime when Julius Randle lost his composure. He thought he was fouled on a play and refused to run back on defense, leading to a technical foul from Kemba Walker.

Randle recorded his only field goal on a tip-in at the buzzer, but he earned a technical on the way into the locker room. The Knicks came out flat in the third quarter and never had a chance in the second half.

This is completely unacceptable behavior from the self-proclaimed leader of this team. It’s also worth noting that Randle is ducking the media.

The Knicks did not make Julius Randle available to media after the game. Seventh straight game Randle has not spoken to media postgame. He spoke to reporters after a practice during that time.

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 21, 2022

Nets Open the Checkbook

The Nets are opening up the checkbook this week. First, Kyrie Irving was drilled for $25k by the league for directing profanity at a Cleveland fan.

Kyrie’s incident with a Cavs fan ?

(via _willswish/IG)pic.twitter.com/qAObz6tSUO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 20, 2022

Next, the Nets and assistant coach David Vanterpool have been fined for interfering with a play in the Wizards game on Wednesday.

Nets assistant coach David Vanterpool has been fined $10,000 and the Nets’ organization has been fined $25,000 for Vanterpool interfering with live play on Wednesday night.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 21, 2022

? #NBA75 | Quand l’assistant-coach des Nets se met… à défendre.pic.twitter.com/dV5BUbMhz5

— Basket USA (@basketusa) January 20, 2022

The Nets and Irving are racking up fines left and right. It might be time to force the NBA’s hand by playing Irving in home games and accepting the fines from New York City. They clearly don’t mind paying the piper.

NFL Divisional Round

Let’s be honest, the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend sucked. The Cowboys losing in disastrous fashion was great and the Bengals-Raiders finish was exciting. Outside of that, last weekend was a dud.

On the bright side, last weekend’s terrible week is setting the stage for an incredible Divisional Round. All eight teams have a legitimate shot to make a run at Super Bowl 56. Here are all the matchups this weekend in the NFL: