Shake Milton says William Wesley's presence in New York made Knicks a landing spot
Knicks guard Shake Milton warms up before a game against the Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Brad Penner
When the Detroit Pistons waived Shake Milton Saturday, freeing him up to join a contending team, there was little doubt of where he was going to land.
The Knicks had an open spot and Milton provided the sort of mixture of talent that the franchise has been attracted to — a versatile guard, long and athletic and able to play multiple positions. And maybe most of all, he has been guided through his career by William Wesley, the Knicks' executive VP.
“Yeah. That’s my guy,” Milton said. “He’s been my guy for a minute, though. He’s there any time I need him. Whether it’s to talk, do whatever. He’s always there.”
Asked if Wesley’s presence in New York steered his decision, Milton said, “Yeah most definitely. Just the comfortability. Just knowing what the situation was gonna be, knowing I’d be able to come in every day, be a pro, work my tail off and be prepared for whatever opportunity definitely played a part.”
Whatever the reason for Milton’s decision to sign, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that he would be situational for now — even without Jalen Brunson — behind Deuce McBride, Donte DiVincenzo and Alec Burks. Milton has not played for Thibodeau before, but is familiar with his style from being on the opposing side for years.
The 27-year-old from SMU — where he played for Larry Brown — was actually drafted by the Mavericks in the same draft class as Brunson, but was traded immediately to Philadelphia where he spent five seasons as a solid contributor before signing with Minnesota last summer. He was then dealt to Detroit at the trade deadline and played four games with them before being cut loose and given the chance to head to the playoffs in New York.
“You know in Philly we were going against the Knicks a lot,” Milton said. “So just a tough team defensively, togetherness about them. You know every single night they're gonna go in and fight, and it's not gonna be an easy night for you. I feel like I've already adopted that mindset, and being around the guys, it hasn't been too long, but just at shootaround and seeing how they work, and the attention to detail, you can see everybody is locked in.
“I didn’t want any promises or anything like that. I knew my job was to come in, be a part of the team, work hard and be ready for any opportunity. Honestly, that’s what I was looking for. Just to be able to join these guys, get under coach Thibs and really just study, learn and be prepared.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
