New York Knicks

Kenny Smith's wife says she knows the perfect candidate for the Houston Rockets head coaching job -- KENNY SMITH!!!!

Smith had a "date" with the team earlier this month to discuss the job -- but according to multiple reports, he's already out of the running.

So, when we saw Kenny and his wife Gwendolyn Osborne-Smith leaving Mastro's Thursday night, we had to ask who he thinks is the right candidate.

That's when Gwendolyn spoke up -- "IT'S HIM! WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!"

She's not the only one who feels that way ...

NY Knicks superfan Jerry Ferrara -- aka Turtle from "Entourage" -- insists he's fully behind Jeff Hornacek as the new head coach of his beloved squad.

Sorta.

Check out the clip ... Jerry REALLY wants to love the move -- and even drops a few facts as to why it's a good thing.

But that sigh at the beginning of the clip ...

It's one of the biggest mysteries in the history of hip-hop ... Which Knicks player was robbed by the Notorious B.I.G. after he walked in on Biggie banging his GF?

According to Fat Joe it was Anthony Mason ... and Joe made this BOMBSHELL revelation while talking with the guys on ESPN's "Highly Questionable" Monday morning.

The song is legendary ... called "I Got A Story To Tell," it chronicles Biggie's one night stand with a Knicks player's GF that almost ended up deadly when the unnamed player arrived home early.

Biggie maintained the story was true ... but for years we didn't know who it was until Joe spilled the beans earlier today.

Check out the clip ...

Forget Jay Z and alleged infidelity ... Beyonce's "Lemonade" is all about the ups and downs of being a Knicks fan, so says Michael Rapaport.

FYI, Michael is a HUUUUGE Knicks fan ... and says he can relate to ALL of the emotions that Beyonce delves into on "Lemonade" -- "denial, regret, hope."

He's killing it in the D-League ... but Jimmer Fredette might not stick around to see if the NBA calls him up again ... telling TMZ Sports he's considering taking his talents overseas.

27-year-old Fredette -- the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft -- didn't blossom into a superstar right away ... and was sent down to the D-League to polish his skills.

Jimmer is flourishing with the NY Knicks D-League squad -- he was the MVP of the 2016 D-League All Star game.

So, when we saw him out in NYC Thursday we had to ask ... how much longer do you stick around waiting for the NBA? The answer ... might not be that long.

Make sure you watch until the end.

... because an otherwise ordinary video of NY Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis in L.A. was made super freakin' awesome by teammates Sasha Vujacic and Lou Amundson busting out a dope goodbye handshake.

It's one of the better ones we've seen ... mostly because it's the only one we've ever seen that actually involves a sound effect ... A+ creativity.

BTW ... We also asked 3-6 Latvia for his thoughts about Derek Fisher finally speaking up about the whole Matt Barnes thing ... and the big man weighs in.

But still ... the handshake ... pure gold.

Beware NBA owners ... Knicks headman James Dolan might just dominate the whole lot of you ... if you ever meet him on the bowling lanes, 'cause it turns out Dolan is one hell of a roller.

Dolan was out at the Gardens of Dream bowling event in NYC when we asked him what his skills are like in the realm of strikes and gutterballs.

Check out the clip -- Dolan says he's got more skills than you might think ... and was actually on his college bowling team where he had an average of about 160 ... not bad at all.

Roy Munson would be proud.

Don't know who this kid is ... but ya might wanna keep an eye on him -- 'cause the youngster took Porzingis to the hole TWICE during a 1-on-1 session Wednesday ... and we've got the video!

The whole event was pretty awesome ... the NY Knicks star took the court against a bunch of kids at the Delta "Fly Like a Pro" event at the Chelsea Piers.

Porzingis dominated most of the kids (some kids hit from downtown) ... but this one kid turned some heads by shooting over the 7'3" superstar two different times!

Dennis Rodman has a big supporter ... John Salley -- who says he LIKES the idea of The Worm as an NBA coach and thinks Phil Jackson should give him a shot.

Rodman threw his hat in the ring for Knicks job earlier this week after Derek Fisher got the ax -- and even called in to the "TMZ Sports" show on FS1 to make his pitch to the team.

Salley says his former Detroit Pistons is a defensive genius -- and could definitely help a team ... and should be taken seriously!!

Question is ... will Phil take the chance?

Dennis Rodman says he's dead serious about his pursuit of the NY Knicks coaching job -- and he just called "TMZ Sports" to make his case for the job.

Derek Fisher's out ... and now Dennis Rodman wants in!

Kim Jong-un's favorite NBA Hall of Famer has officially thrown his boa into the ring to be the next head coach of the NY Knicks -- and he's even posted a message directed at Phil Jackson.

"Hey @PhilJackson11 @nyknicks, I have a pretty decent resume on the court and I can coach; and I'm available. Call me. @nba."

Fisher was fired earlier Monday and Kurt Rambis was named interim head coach.

Worm wants a shot ... think Phil will give it to him?

NY Knicks' James Dolan is having a good week ... his team is winning ... and his band just landed a huge gig ... TO OPEN FOR JEWEL!!!

Dolan -- who's worth BILLIONS -- was out in NYC this morning when he broke the big news about his band JD & The Straight Shot.

FYI -- James is the founder and frontman of the blues inspired rock band ... and told us they're going on tour with Jewel in March to promote their new album.

There's more ... we also asked him about the Knicks rising Latvian superstar Kristaps Porzingis -- and he told us the team would be open to play a game in KP's home country next season!

7:18 AM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Early's mother who said her son "was in good spirits."

New York Knicks guard Cleanthony Early was shot in the leg during a robbery just after leaving a Queens strip club ... and his assailants made off with a gold necklace ... and the gold caps on his teeth.

According to the NYPD, Early was leaving CityScapes Gentleman's Club early Wednesday morning in an Uber when the car was boxed in by three other vehicles. Cops say a group of men approached Early and robbed him, shooting him once in the knee for good measure.

Police say Early called 911 and was taken to a nearby hospital. He's in stable condition.

Just last week, another New York Knicks player, Derrick Williams, was the target of of thieves ... who allegedly made off with over $600,000 in jewelry.

Ya play well, ya eat well ... that seems to be the motto with the New York Knicks -- 'cause Kristaps Porzingis just got invited to dinner at Carmelo Anthony's house.

Melo's actress wife LaLa -- star of "Unforgettable" -- was out in NYC when she told us Porzingis has been playing so well, he's "earned a spot at our dinner table."

FYI -- Porzingis has been playing out of his mind this season ... racking up 9 double-doubles in 19 games ... as a 20-year-old rookie.

In fact, the Latvian sensation is so impressive, Lala says Melo has even made the effort to learn some of Kristaps' native language. Interesting, since Kristaps once told TMZ Sports he didn't think ANYONE would wanna learn Latvian!

Funny how things change ...

A 19-year-old man says he was CHOKED by Cleveland Cavs star J.R. Smith ... and claims it was all because he made fun of Smith for getting traded out of New York.

The man behind the allegation is Justin Brown -- who claims he and some friends encountered Smith at a NY pizza joint around 4 AM on Nov. 13th.

In a complaint filed with the NYPD, Brown claims Smith refused to take a picture with his group and an altercation ensued.

As Smith walked away, Brown shouted to the NBA star -- "That's why New York kicked you out, yo!"

Brown claims Smith then slammed him against a wall and choked him with his hands.

Brown filed the report 3 days after the incident.

We spoke with cops who say Brown had no visible injuries at the time he filed the report.

Tracy Morgan got one helluva of a "welcome back" moment at the Knicks game Sunday -- getting huge props from Kobe and Magic ... and the GAME BALL from the Knicks!!