Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will be available as the Knicks face Boston this afternoon, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Both players went through pregame warmups before a final decision was made on their status.
Hart had been upgraded to questionable after sitting out the previous two games due to a bout with “runner’s knee.” Bondy notes that it’s the first time he has missed consecutive games since joining the Knicks. Anunoby played Friday at Cleveland after missing six games with a foot injury, but he was limited to five points and no rebounds and was a minus-23 in 27 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson will miss another game as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery. He resumed practicing last week, but said earlier this month that he wants to make sure he’s fully ready before trying to play.
“I’ve just been taking my time. I want to make sure it’s 100 percent, I ain’t trying to keep having these sit-outs and setbacks and stuff like that,” Robinson said at the time. “This time, I’m just going to play it smart. Usually, I’d be young and dumb to go out there and try to get back as fast as I can. I can’t do that no more.”
Robinson’s goal is to return to action at some point within the next week, Shams Charania reported today on ESPN’s NBA Countdown (Twitter video link), adding that the big man has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- This season has been a learning process for first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, who is adjusting to the NBA after playing in Europe, Bondy writes for The New York Post. Even though he has spent much of the season in the G League, Dadiet doesn’t have any doubt that he can succeed at the NBA level. “I try to be focused and watch what others are doing, guys that have been in the league for like 10 years,” he said. “Having a routine is very important. Watching (Karl-Anthony Towns) and (Cameron Payne) doing the same thing every day. And it’s working for them.”
- Tom Thibodeau has been criticized for relying too heavily on his starters ever since he became a head coach, but he doesn’t see any reason to change, Bondy adds in a separate story. The issue came up regarding Friday’s matchup with the Cavaliers, who use a deep rotation and only have two players averaging more than 30 minutes per night. “We’ve got to (have lineups that are) strong on both sides of the ball, and then, ‘Can your guys handle minutes?’” Thibodeau said. “There’s different minutes in the course of the game. If you look at Jalen (Brunson) and (Towns), their minutes are what other the main players are. The wings are different. OG is at 36 (minutes). Mikal (Bridges) is the highest, and Josh’s are high as well. Both of those guys can handle minutes, and they want the minutes. If they can handle the minutes, give it to them. If they can’t, cut it back.”
- The way the Knicks are constructed, they’ll need all five starters to be healthy to have any chance of making a long playoff run, opines Steve Popper of Newsday.
I havent seen many knicks gms this yr
Are they still flopping like lil b****es? And whining to refs for calls?
Yep and KAT out there getting bullied by a 6ft 4in G(Holliday) and crying to the ref. Typical KAT and typical Knicks
No one whines more than Celtics. Except maybe Sixers ….
Lets see .. fouls not being called. Celtics taking three steps. Tatum pushing off with left arm like sword. I was out there I would deck his ass. Tiwbs us as soft as KP.
Looks like someone is sad.
Celtics have outscored the Knicks by 70 points in three games and this guys talking about the Celtics “whining ” and how he’d beat up Tatum if he was playing.
Nice meltdown.
The plus minuses are hilarious
Pissed..
I told you before the season the Knicks are not the team to beat the Celtics. Adding KAT did nothing but make you weaker on D, which is not what the Knicks need.
Cavs and Celtics are going to fight it out, Knicks need to revamp the team, again.
Thats why their record is what it is. Team building is painful at times. It ain’t over yet. Yogi says so.
You see the left arm from Brown. Knicks need to get physical. Boston fetting away with BS
Really sad.
If Thibs is waiting for competitors like Bridges or Hart or Jimmy Butler or D. Rose or Luol Deng to explicitly tell him they need more rest, he’ll be waiting a long time. I think being a leader sometimes means making executive decisions to keep your people from pushing themselves too far. Doesn’t seem like Thibs believes that.
Tatum carried that ball like he was taking it home. They bever call that. But that that was ridiculous. Towns showing why he’s no rim protector. He’s a spectator. Knicks got no cojones. Celtics share the ball better than most. When they are shooting. Tough to beat. But you have to push up on them. Full court half court. Knicks are just letting them dictate tempo. Celtics got no respect for Knicks. Three point contest is not the way to beat Celtics. You have to muscle them. Knock them down and step up on them not over them.
Its embarrassing. Bridges is a no-show again. You know how you shut up Jason and Jalen. You post them. Can’t believe a Thibs team is this soft…
I can’t get over how much Tatum and especially brown palm the ball every time I watch a Bos game either
Brown is actually worse and id imagine you could call palming on him about 20 times a game if they officiated to the letter of the law
Its not even a quick twitch palm like Kyrie either which I’m ok with as it’s all on one motion and continuous
Yeah, That’s why they won today.
Palming.
Wasn’t referring to todays game just wondering if others feel the same when watching the duo
Isn’t even Brown Tatum hate either , you’re smart to push it to the limits and beyond if not being called for.
Browns case is perhaps the most extreme in the whole nba
Knicks worst perimeter D in L. Knicks worst bench scoring in L. Its showing. Bridges with 2 pts…
Bunch BS about threes ……
You play D full court. And you take care ofbthree point shooting. You dont get into a three contest
They’re horrible on D because they’re constantly in rotation. It’s just time to own it. You can’t hide two defensive liabilities. So whoopeeeeee towns and Brunson combine for 60. They give it all back. So much fun watching the Cs put those to in the action. Over and over
Two*
They don’t call it. But they get away with too much. TV nation can see it. Refs won’t. Celtics have always been protected. Its why you must be physical with them.
Crying about the refs after your team gets curb stomped is a bad look.
Crying is when you have a chance to win. Learn the game please. Knicks were never in it. Replay it
Burns me most and cant stand ut. Is Towns getting ball outside. And trying to take people off the dribble. Thats insane. He should be posting more. You burn yourself out like that.
Some of the trades the Knicks made have worked out. I have no regrets getting OG, KAT, or Mikal. I, however, have regrets giving up OB1 and Grimes. Those two players are missed for the bench of this team.
Knicks ceiling was pretty apparent right away. And it wasn’t high.
Towms missed boxing out ckass. Lost art today
Bridges with 4 pts ….hes pulling a Ben
This is why 30+ years of experience in the NBA isn’t always a good thing – because sometimes you’re like Thibs, where you’ve been doing something for so long that it’s next to impossible to change. You’d think multiple flameouts in the playoffs due to players being burned out, would bring about some change in Thibs coaching methods, but he is who he is at this point.
I almost feel bad for Knicks fans. The team has talent, but by the time meaningful basketball comes around, they’ll be gassed (again).
I said it before. It doesn’t matter how great Brunson and Towns are offensively. . They give it all back on the defensive end. If the Knicks make it out of the first round , Celtics take them out in 5. Why does Thibs leave a hobbling Towns in the game when it’s already over?
Pistons are the 6 seed currently. Not sure if Knicks can get past them TBH.
That’s why I put “if”. I agree I wouldn’t want to see that pistons team. Cade has made that leap. They’re fun to watch.
Several observations regarding the Knicks:
1. Defense is absent. Bridges not playing the D he can/should be. OG seems to be the only one.
2. They look tired.
3. Bench is not developed. Never will be based on minutes distribution, which will ultimately impact them in the playoffs. Bench play is huge at that time of the year.
4. Too much passing is leading to bad turnovers. Attack the rim. Not enough free throws.
5. They need a heater. While the starters are solid top down, and with Robinson coming back and PA off the bench with McBride, they need that player that can light up the scoring and remove any deficit off the bench. Clarkson is a good example of that type of player.
Last year having Hart coming off the bench was a ‘lift’ for the team. That’s missing this year with him starting. McBride was nuts on D last year but instead seems more focused on offense. Teams are attacking Towns rightfully so to get him in foul trouble, which is why he’s Swiss cheese on D. He’s a solid D player – had that rep when he was at Kentucky, but offense gets you paid and he was acquired for that reason alone.
Robinson will help, but I believe they need to move Hart to the bench for the betterment of the team and slide Towns to PF so he’s not manipulated. Lastly, Bridges needs to lock down on D. This is some of the worst D I’ve seen him play and part of that I believe is because he knows OG and Hart are on the court and can back him up. He’s needs to be part of that trio, not the exception.
Their D being so bad is inexcusable when they’ve given up so much for supposed lockdown perimeter players. They should match up against the Celtics so much better than they do, with OG on Tatum, and Bridges on Brown, so the fact that they keep getting run off the court is on Thibs, first and foremost. Overall, Bridges has been incredibly frustrating, and it looks like that was an insane overpay considering he has no midrange game, doesn’t attack the basket often, is by no means a lights out 3 point shooter, and hasn’t been anywhere near the lockdown defender he came advertised as. Robinson will help, and maybe they can get a good role player for the mid level exception, but since they traded all their picks, not sure how else they can develop a bench. Their 1st round pick looks wasted on a project like Dadiet who will never develop because he will never play under Thibs…
All you are doing is complaining. Thibs gas developed pkenty young guys. Quickley, Grimes, McBride, now Hukporti and Dadiet. They are not ready yet. Bridges is definitely an issue right now. Their bench has been an issue all year.
You might want to pump the brakes on giving Thibs credit for developing Hukporti and Dadiet. They have not even played a combined 300 minutes in the NBA yet. I like what I’ve seen but their careers are barely embryonic at this point. And Grimes definitely did *not* develop as a member of the Knicks.
I’ll add a few observations, too:
-need to take advantage of mismatches on offense. There were several times that KAT had Holiday on him and they didn’t even look his way. Holiday is a great defender but KAT has size and strength and needs to move down low. Celtics purposely had Holiday on KAT and Knicks didn’t take advantage.
-I know it’s his second game back, but OG needs to contribute more offensively. He can’t keep bricking open shots. His 3PT % isn’t bad (36.4%) but it needs to be closer to 40% and more consistent. I know it’s only one or two extra baskets a week but it helps. He’s feast or famine with his shot.
-Bridges needs to be more aggressive. His mid-range is elite but he’s too passive in this offense.
-Thibs has games like this where his play time makes no sense. Bringing an injured KAT back in down 18 with 4 minutes left was inexcusable. I don’t care if he told you he was fine, you don’t put him back in there. He was hobbling around and looked awful. Then Brunson: Knicks had cut the lead to four at the beginning of the period. Brunson exited down 7 at 10:45. He didn’t come back in until 6:10 with the lead back up to 14. You’re leaving Brunson on the bench for almost five minutes of the fourth quarter when the game was close, then bring him back when it’s getting back out of hand?
Celtics just a more cohesive team right now. Without changes, Knicks don’t stand a chance this year.
The two games recently – Celts and Cavs demonstrated they still need more. They get through two rounds before hitting the wall.
I really don’t care about refs blindness. But obvious discrepancies only hurt the L. We all know certain teams get calls. Even if its the home team. It hurts the L when its there for ALL to see. Only way to fight that. Is get physical. Knicks lost some of that with Randle. Mitch controlling the paint will bring some back. Fact is you can’t give up open looks. It starts with playing D 90 feet. For that you need a bench.
Teams today don’t push up unless its the playoffs.
Cavs and Celtics want to show Knicks they are not ready. I mean, you know this. You should be in their grill from opening tip. Knicks have been BSlaped 4 times by these teams. Only one Cavs game wasn’t a blowout. Fact is even with Mitch. Knicks not winning a series. And most of that falls on Bridges and Towns. Two soft players who disappear in these games. This is why you play your bench. So when you need it. They can help. As bad as our bench is. They brought them back today.
I’ve been saying it all year. They’re not contenders yet. Even with Mitch and TJ playing well. They will gave to prove it. No way they are getting by Celtics and Cavs even with that.
Bridges has been a no show. He hurts them the most. There is no reason why he can’t go for 25. Hes scared and accepts his role of support. He’s suppose to level up after Nets. He’s the problem right now. No freakin way he doesn’t go for 20 when you need it most. This three point contest is weak and soft. You post and attack the rim. That’s how you get physical and make statement. Knicks are soft
For all who just can’t or won’t catch up. Thibs has developed and played many young players. Yet you still complain cause thats all you know. Knicks trades depleted their bench. And they haven’t recovered yet. The world knew that coming in.
Thibs has always changed and adapted. Cause that is what the game makes you do. Knicks sre more offense than defense. When have you said that about a Thibs team …….. knicks have three new starters this year. Really four if you count Hart. Me personally I sit Hart and start Achiuwa. Been saying it all year.
Towns has shown his weakness. But we all knew that. Good offense helps bad D. Its up to Thibs to make the D work. Its why I start Achiuwa.
My biggest issue is Bridges. He should be a top DOG on this team. Yet he consistently shys away from it. And Towns should be posting not taking the whole team off the dribble. This team is soft. That happens when you read headlines. Not understanding that your competitors do too. And they have more to say about it than you do.
Can’t stress this enough. Knicks will not level up. Until Bridges accepts the role of top dog. Bridges, Towns, Brunson have to all avg 20 plus a game. Thats a must ……. And Thibs better figure out his bench. Cause it is what it is…..
Nothing unexpected. This weekend’s games raised no new alarms for me. We’ve been horrible on defense all year. Not just below where we need to be, horrible. We were on a 55 win pace because the league stinks (by design in many cases, about a third of the league is trying to lose). Last in the league in Opponent 3 PT FG-%. Thibs’ first season (2020-21), we ranked First in that area, and it’s always been one of his POE’s on defense. It’s not something he hasn’t noticed or hasn’t tried to fix. He has a long history of making those kind of defensive fixes, including the last two seasons mid-year. This year, he hasn’t fixed a thing, so I have to assume he can’t. At least not this season, with the current personnel.
There is only one significant personnel addition on the horizon this season. Mitch. I have no illusions about the odds of him coming back and staying back through the playoffs, and getting enough minutes with the core group to make an impact. They’re low. But not as low as some other hoped for solutions. The silver lining to this weekend (if there is one) is that the blow out should give Thibs cover to throw Mitch right into the mix and let him work out the rough spots.
An early playoff exit will be disappointing, but not necessarily the end of this group. It was put together for a 4-5 year run, not just this year. Few core groups win much of anything in the first full year together, which is where we are. BOS certainly didn’t. CLE didn’t. Both saw multiple off seasons punctuated by calls to break up their core. The underlying concerns were real, but in the end weren’t as important as continuity. For better or worse, the depletion of trade assets likely means we’ll run it back for at least next year regardless.
You don’t mind losing by 30 every time. Seems players feel like you.
Celtics are better than Knicks ……. Big freakin deal. The world knew that coming in. But not showing up to play them three times is embarrassing.
All the talk by espn half time is BS. Cavs will not wilt like Knicks. With Hunter they can beat Celtics. Cavs can control paint. Which means if Celtics don’t shoot well they lose. Cavs control paint. Helps them to contrl the three point shooting team. Celtics don’t shoit threes ……They Lose . That simple.
You play D 90 feet. Their three point shooting is not as crisp. Defense is half the game. Real teams can still win games with defense. You only need 4 gms in playoffs. Your D can win one. And help you to win the other three. That simple Perkins is a Celtic fanBoy. Both Tatum and Brown do not like it physical. You body them and you beat them. KP won’t even want to play uf uts physical. Thats how you beat the Celtics and the refs ….
A regular season game… Refs? 15 fouls to 14 same trips to the line. Did that facts Boston had higher shooting percentage while hitting more shots, field goal and deep, have anything to do with it? How about more boards or assists and forced turnovers? Even edged points in the paint. I understand Brunson is use to shooting more than eleven free throws a night alone. Perhaps Brunson should jump straight sideways into people and be rewarded for it a little more.