New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Re-Sign Damyean Dotson, Matt Mooney

December 31st, 2021 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

After their initial 10-day hardship contracts expired overnight, Damyean Dotson and Matt Mooney have each signed a second 10-day deal with the Knicks, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

Neither Dotson nor Mooney played much during their first 10 days with New York. Dotson got into two games and logged 21 total minutes, while Mooney only made a brief cameo on Christmas Day. However, the two shooting guards provided the Knicks with some depth while they dealt with a minor COVID-19 outbreak.

New York still has four players in the health and safety protocols and Danuel House is the only other player currently on a 10-day deal with the team, so Dotson and Mooney will stick around a little longer.

Dotson will earn $102,831 over the course of his 10-day contract, while Mooney will make $85,578. Neither figure will count toward team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Julius Randle, Three Pacers Enter COVID-19 Protocols

December 30th, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks power forward Julius Randle has entered the health and safety protocols and will miss Friday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, the team announced today (via Twitter). If Randle registered a confirmed positive COVID-19 test, he’ll remain sidelined for at least six days or until he can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Randle logged 26 minutes in the Knicks’ win in Detroit on Wednesday night after playing over 37 minutes on Tuesday in Minnesota, so his teammates and recent opponents will likely be monitoring for symptoms of their own in the coming days.

Here are a few more COVID-related updates from around the league:

After placing Jeremy Lamb in the health and safety protocols on Wednesday, the Pacers have had three more players enter the protocols today, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Malcolm Brogdon, Chris Duarte, and Isaiah Jackson are joining Lamb. Indiana had avoided a COVID-19 outbreak so far this month, but it may be catching up to the team now.
Bucks forward Semi Ojeleye has entered the protocols, tweets Wojnarowski. Milwaukee had multiple players in the protocols earlier in the month, but Ojeleye is the team’s lone player affected for now.
Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt has exited the COVID-19 protocols and should be available on Friday vs. Utah, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Minnesota is down to just three players in the protocols, though Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are two of those three.

Knicks Notes: Walker, McBride, Rose, Barrett, Toppin

December 30th, 2021 at 8:28am CST by Rory Maher

Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Kemba Walker‘s banishment from the Knicks‘ rotation may have been a blessing in disguise, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Walker admits he wasn’t aggressive enough at times to start the season.

“I just have a tendency of kind of not wanting to step on toes,” Walker said. “I think that’s what I did early on. I was here and I wasn’t being as aggressive, I think, as I could have been. But I think being out and seeing how the game has been flowing and going put me in a different mindset.”

Walker and the rest of the team’s starters struggled mightily in Wednesday’s 94-85 victory over the depleted Pistons, as the Knicks were carried once again by the bench group, all of whom finished with a plus/minus of at least plus-27. Walker had two points, two rebounds, two assists and three turnovers in 20 minutes.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Prior to Wednesday’s game, Marc Berman of The New York Post suggested that rookie Miles McBride may face a diminished role, given Walker’s strong recent play. However, that wasn’t the case against Detroit — in his first game back from the COVID-19 protocols, McBride logged 25 minutes in the team’s victory, leading the team in plus/minus at plus-39 while Walker struggled.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau says Derrick Rose is recovering well from ankle surgery and that he’s confident in the Knicks’ guard play, Berman writes in another article for The New York Post.
RJ Barrett is trying to regain his shooting stroke after a bout with COVID-19, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Barrett is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, and how he finishes the rest of the season could have a major impact on the size of his contract, Bondy opines.
It’s clear the Knicks need to give Obi Toppin a lot more minutes than he has received so far this season, even if those minutes eat into Julius Randle‘s playing time, Ian O’Connor of The New York Post contends. In Wednesday’s win over Detroit, Toppin was an incredible plus-36 in 22 minutes, while Randle was a minus-27 in 26 minutes.

COVID-19 Roundup: Raptors, Kings, Thunder, Knicks

December 28th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The hits keep coming for the NBA. While some good news has arrived regarding the health status of a handful of players, several more have been sidelined in the league’s coronavirus protocols. Here are the newest developments concerning which players have entered or exited the health and safety protocols:

Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa and point guard Malachi Flynn have exited the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN. Lewenberg notes that power forward Pascal Siakam and wing Gary Trent Jr., who cleared protocols yesterday, have been listed as probable ahead of Toronto’s game against the Sixers this evening. Center Khem Birch, who also cleared protocols yesterday, remains questionable to play, as do Achiuwa and Flynn. Following this news, the total sum of Raptors players still in the league’s COVID-19 protocols has fallen to five.
Kings center Alex Len has exited the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 (via Twitter). Because the 7-footer has not played a game since December 15, Ham notes that Len remains questionable to play tonight against the Thunder.
Thunder center Derrick Favors is now in the league’s coronavirus protocols, reports Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. Favors is the sixth Oklahoma City player currently in COVID-19 protocols. Head coach Mark Daigneault also entered the protocols today.
The Knicks have announced (Twitter link) that little-used guard Wayne Selden has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The 6’5″ veteran wing has not been a part of the rotation this season for New York, having suited up for just three games thus far.
Keep tabs on all the NBA’s current coronavirus absences via our daily tracker.

COVID-19 Roundup: Nets, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Knicks, Wizards, Thunder

December 28th, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA’s new guidelines regarding its health and safety protocols have resulted in several players being released from protocols this morning. The league and its players union agreed Monday to shorten the minimum required quarantine period for a vaccinated COVID-positive players and coaches from 10 days to six.

Here is the latest news on who has entered and cleared protocols today:

Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are out of protocols, as is LaMarcus Aldridge, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While Durant and Aldridge may be ready for Thursday’s game, Irving is still working his way back into game condition and remains ineligible to play in home games because he hasn’t met New York City’s vaccine requirement.
Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince has cleared protocols and will rejoin the team, but won’t play tonight against the Knicks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Minnesota also gets back Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid (Twitter link).
Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley has cleared protocols and is set to reunite with the club today, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets that the Cavaliers hope to have Mobley play in tonight’s game against the Pelicans, but will put him through his pregame paces first to gauge his conditioning level.
Unfortunately, just as one of Cleveland’s best players recovers, another will be absent. Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, enjoying a nearly All-Star-level season with Cleveland, has entered the NBA’s coronavirus protocols, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
Knicks rookie point guard guard Miles McBride has cleared protocols, the team has announced (via Twitter). New York adds that he has rejoined the team ahead of its game tonight against the Timberwolves.
Veteran Heat power forward Udonis Haslem has entered the league’s coronavirus protocols, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is also in protocols. Miami assistant coach Chris Quinn will return to the sidelines, Chiang adds.
Wizards forwards Rui Hachimura and Montrezl Harrell have entered the league’s COVID-19 protocols, joining six other Washington players, the team has announced (Twitter link). Hachimura has missed the Wizards’ entire season thus far due to personal reasons. Among the others, unvaccinated All-Star guard Bradley Beal is still in protocols and Wallace reports that his status is “questionable” prior to the Wizards’ upcoming contest against the Heat tonight. Center Thomas Bryant, wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and guards Anthony Gill, Aaron Holiday and Raul Neto are still in protocols.
Thunder rookie guard Josh Giddey has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Head coach Mark Daigneault has also entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, and will be replaced by assistant coach Mike Wilks starting with this evening’s contest against the Kings, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Wilks, a former journeyman NBA guard, suited up for four games with the Thunder during the 2009/10 season, Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman adds (Twitter link). Players Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl remain in the protocols for Oklahoma City.
Keep track of all the players currently in COVID-19 protocols through out our daily tracker.

Arthur Hill contributed to this report.

New York Notes: Harden, Durant, Irving, Grimes, Knicks

December 28th, 2021 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets are feeling good after winning a pair of games in Los Angeles and seeing James Harden playing at an MVP level again, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Harden, who struggled early in the season with the lingering effects of a hamstring injury, had 39 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds on Monday as Brooklyn pounded the Clippers. The Nets have remained at the top of the East despite playing all season without Kyrie Irving and having Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge in health and safety protocols.

“Confidence is through the roof,” Harden said. “Now just you add KD, and Kai, and LaMarcus and Joe Harris (who’s out after ankle surgery), and that’s four of our best players, four of our top players that are out. Our confidence level for our bench and guys that are in the game is high.”

Harden seems as good as ever after returning last week from his own stay in the protocols. He had 39 points in a Christmas Day win over the Lakers, giving him back-to-back 30-point games for the first time all season.

“I was starting to feel good right before (entering the protocols December 14),” Harden said. “Like body starting to feel good. That break, or COVID, or protocol, or rest, whatever you want to call it, it could have went two ways. I just overly locked in on my body, my eating, and when I was able to start working out, my workouts.”

There’s more from New York:

Coach Steve Nash said “there’s a good chance” Durant will clear protocols in time for Thursday’s game, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Irving’s future is more uncertain because seven of the next nine games are in Brooklyn, where he is ineligible to play because he’s not vaccinated. Nash expects him to need a week or two to get ready once he’s out of protocols. “He’s isolating, so that kinda puts another layer to the ramp-up,” Nash said. “It’s not like he’s been working out. I’d imagine it’s going to be closer to two weeks once he comes out of protocols. We’ll see how it goes though because we have to evaluate him from a physical and performance standpoint, and then a basketball standpoint as well.”
Quentin Grimes is taking advantage of an opportunity with the short-handed Knicks, notes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The rookie guard hit five three-pointers in two straight games, which came 13 days apart because he spent time in protocols.
Currently tied for 11th in the East at 15-18, the Knicks can boost their playoff hopes with several upcoming games against teams that are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Their current road trip includes Minnesota, which has seven players in protocols, Detroit, which is also missing seven players, and Toronto, which is down 10 players and could barely field a team for its last game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kemba Walker Named Players Of The Week

December 27th, 2021 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week, while Knicks guard Kemba Walker has won the award for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a 3-1 record during the week of December 20-26, averaging 27.5 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in those four games (36.9 MPG). He had a triple-double (27 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds) in Oklahoma City’s victory over Denver last Wednesday.

Walker, meanwhile, is this season’s most unlikely Player of the Week, having fallen out of New York’s rotation entirely for 10 games before being reinserted into the starting lineup on December 18 because so many Knicks players being in the health and safety protocols.

In three games this week, including a pair of wins, Walker put up 25.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 8.3 APG in 41.1 MPG. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, he had a triple-double, recording 10 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the Knicks’ Christmas Day win over Atlanta.

Gilgeous-Alexander beat out fellow nominees Stephen Curry, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Dejounte Murray in the West. The East’s other nominees were Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, Kevin Love, Tyler Herro, Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven, and Jrue Holiday (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Rose, Simmons, Durant, Raptors

December 25th, 2021 at 7:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kemba Walker capped off his comeback week with a triple-double in today’s win over the Hawks, leading to questions about why coach Tom Thibodeau pulled him from the Knicks‘ lineup in the first place, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Eight days ago, there were questions about whether Walker would ever play for New York again, but now it appears he has reclaimed the starting point guard job.

“I take it as a blessing in disguise — God works in mysterious ways, man,’’ Walker said of his temporary benching. “He helped me stay humble, grounded and got me through a tough situation. Guys went down and I’m back — the first game (in Boston) versus my old team in the starting lineup. The rest is history. This is not how I pictured it. But I’m not complaining, either.’’

After being held out of action for more than three weeks, Walker got a chance last Saturday against the Celtics due to a combination of injuries and players in the health and safety protocols. He responded with 29 points, then followed with 21 Tuesday against the Pistons and 44 Thursday against the Wizards before today’s 10-10-12 performance.

“Since he came back, he’s come out with a consistent energy,’’ Julius Randle said. “It’s a lot of fun to play with. We’re feeding off each other. We kind of got a second shot at it.’’

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

With Derrick Rose likely sidelined until at least mid-February following ankle surgery, the Knicks are searching for ways to make up for the absence of their most dependable guard, observes Fred Katz of The Athletic. The ankle has been a season-long issue for Rose, who tweaked it during the team’s second preseason game, Katz adds. Although he was able to practice the next day, Rose had to miss three games in November with ankle soreness, which lingered until the decision to have surgery.
There was little discussion at the G League showcase in Las Vegas about the Sixers working out a Ben Simmons trade any time soon, Marc Stein of Substack said on his latest podcast. He adds that trade talks have taken a back seat in the wake of roster upheavals caused by COVID-19. Appearing today on “NBA Countdown,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said there has been no progress on a deal or on Simmons returning to play for Philadelphia.
Head coach Steve Nash said the Nets haven’t received any word that Kevin Durant will test out of protocols in time to play against the Clippers on Monday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Although it remains possible, Lewis states that it appears unlikely Durant will play.
Sunday’s game with the Cavaliers is still on, but the Raptors flew into Cleveland today with just four roster players and a limited number of coaches and staff members, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Toronto has 10 players in health and safety protocols and is hoping to have at least four hardship additions cleared by game time.

D’Angelo Russell, Three Blazers Enter Protocols

December 25th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell has joined the growing list of Minnesota players in the health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Timberwolves now have eight players affected, including stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. They’ve already signed a pair of replacement players – Chris Silva and Rayjon Tucker – using hardship exceptions, but will likely make at least one more roster addition before their next game on Monday.

Here are more COVID-19 protocol updates from around the NBA:

Three Trail Blazers players – Robert Covington, Ben McLemore, and Keljin Blevins – have entered the health and safety protocols, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That brings Portland’s total count to five affected players, all of whom have been placed in the protocols in the last two days.
Kevin Knox has exited the protocols, but Jericho Sims has entered, so the Knicks still have three players affected, according to the team (Twitter links). RJ Barrett is back in the starting lineup for New York today and Quentin Grimes is also expected to play, but Immanuel Quickley and Knox will need a little more time to ramp up their conditioning, says Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).
Mavericks wing Josh Green has tested out of the protocols, but didn’t travel with the team to Utah and won’t play tonight, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Exits Protocols, Expected To Play Saturday

December 25th, 2021 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 25, 8:53am: Antetokounmpo is expected to return to action for the Bucks on Saturday after missing the team’s last five games, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter).

DECEMBER 24, 12:17pm: Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Lowe and Wojnarowski, Antetokounmpo is expected to get on the court today and make a decision tomorrow about whether he’ll be able to suit up for the Bucks in their Christmas Day game vs. Boston. The two-time MVP will have to pass cardiac tests before he’s cleared to return following his stint in the health and safety protocols.

Although Giannis still has a chance to play on Saturday, it appears the same can’t be said for Hawks star Trae Young. League sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that Young isn’t expected to be cleared in time to be activated for Atlanta’s Christmas Day contest in New York.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events, given the burgeoning rivalry that Young and the Hawks have established with the Knicks and the fans in New York. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise — Young just entered the COVID-19 protocols five days ago, so the odds of him testing out this quickly were low unless his initial test was a false positive.

In addition to not having to face Young on Saturday, the Knicks also may get some additional reinforcements, as guard Immanuel Quickley has exited the protocols, per the team (Twitter link). New York now has just three players still in the protocols — Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, and Miles McBride.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau did caution today that Quickley may not be ready to play on Christmas, but said RJ Barrett, who also exited the protocols this week, has a better chance to be active (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).