Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns missed Wednesday’s overtime victory over Philadelphia due to a thumb injury. He has a bone chip in the thumb, which he injured during a loss to Detroit on Monday, but plans to play through it, Peter Botte and Stefan Bondy of the New York Post report. The thumb is also sprained but surgery isn’t necessary or anticipated, either during or after the season, the Post duo adds. KAT is averaging 25.4 points and 13.5 rebounds in his first season in New York.
We have more on the New York City teams:
- Josh Hart called out unnamed Knicks teammates during recent losses for letting egos and individual agendas get in the way of team goals. Coach Tom Thibodeau said on Wednesday that Hart needs to choose his words more carefully, Bondy writes. “I think oftentimes the next day after you look at the film, you’re putting a mic in front of someone right after a game. And sometimes they may say things, we all may say things that we wish we had not said until you watch the film the next day,” the coach said. “And then there’s usually a pretty good reason why something occurred. So before you say something, you probably should think.”
- The Knicks are fortunate they didn’t go all in and trade for Joel Embiid when rumors circulated last season about the team’s interest in the Sixers center, Bondy opines. They would have squandered their draft capital and other assets for an oft-injured center still owed $300MM due to his extension without injury protections.
- The games just keep getting uglier for the rebuilding and tanking Nets, as they suffered the worst loss in franchise history on Wednesday. The 126-67 pummeling by the Clippers was also one of the 10 biggest routs in NBA history, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. “This is not the time to point or deflect anything,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “It’s time for everybody to own, and I will own first. The guys kept fighting; I don’t think that they quit. And it’s one of those days that you don’t do anything right, you don’t have that right energy and togetherness. But you try and you just need a little bit more focus and all these things.” Cameron Johnson, who could be moved before the trade deadline, missed the second game of a back-to-back due to a sprained right ankle, Lewis adds.
- With the front office clearing more cap space than any other team for next offseason and hoarding draft picks in trades, the Nets have the flexibility to make a franchise-altering move, Lewis writes. The big prize would be Giannis Antetokounmpo if he ever asks out of Milwaukee, as the Nets covet the superstar forward.
Who doesn’t covet Giannis? Pat Riley has screwed up the Heat’s roster and assets for years trying to clear cap space for Giannis. Not going to happen.
Of course they want Giannis, pretty sure they wouldn’t mind having Wemby, and Book too!
I don’t see Giannis wanting to be dealt to the Nets though without other big moves happening first. This is not a team that’s one player away from contending, there may not even be more than 2-3 guys that you would want on this team long term. OKC should be the Nets inspiration.
Cooper Flagg is who the Nets need. Then they can get a star. OKC did it with the draft.
Giannis will end up a Laker. Regardless of whatever roster shuffling has to be done.
Funny thing is that last night’s game was 21-21 at the end of the first quarter. So the Clippers outscored the Nets, 105-46 in the last three quarters. And 81-30 in quarters 2 and 3. Ouch!