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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Saturday / November 23.

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Knicks fans may be fantasizing about landing Duke’s Zion Williamson in the NBA Draft in five months, but Knicks owner Jim Dolan says he’s no fan of tanking.

“I’ll never tell a team to lose,” Dolan told reporters, according to the Daily News. “I think teams that tank are giving away something really big. I think they’re giving away that emotional development for the team. You can see how important that is.

“You have responsibility to the fans; fans pay for tickets and they deserve (the) best game you can give them. That’s probably No. 1. But when you go in and tell a team, even if you’re just telling the coach, to lose the game, you’re dispiriting your team. That hurts more than getting a better draft pick helps. It’s hard to reignite the spirit of the team.”

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Duke’s loaded freshmen class will yield four first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, according to the latest mock from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett remained as the top two picks to Cleveland and Phoenix, respectively, with Cam Reddish now at No. 5 to the Knicks. Freshman point guard Tre Jones is now projected at No. 22 to the Rockets.

Only one team in the last 50 years has had three players taken in the Top 10 of the Draft, and that was Florida in 2007.

As for Kentucky, freshman Keldon Johnson is projected at No. 9 to Boston, while sophomore forward P.J. Washington is at No. 18, also to Boston.

St. John’s junior Shamorie Ponds, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, is projected at No. 42.

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