New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Expected To Return Wednesday

March 27th, 2024 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Initially listed as out for Wednesday’s game vs. Toronto, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been upgraded to questionable, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), Robinson is expected to be active and available on Wednesday for the first time since December 8.

Robinson sustained a fracture in his left ankle in December that required surgery. There was some speculation in the days that followed that the injury would cost the big man the rest of the season, since the Knicks applied for a disabled player exception. However, that request was turned down by the NBA in January when a physician ruled that Robinson wasn’t likely to be sidelined through June 15.

At that time the DPE request was denied, there was said to be optimism that the 25-year-old could make it back before the end of the season and it appears that will be the case. Presumably, the Knicks will play it relatively safe with Robinson following a 50-game absence, meaning he’ll likely face a minutes restriction.

As Peter Botte of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau will also have to decide whether to reinsert Robinson into the starting lineup or continue to use Isaiah Hartenstein in that role. I’d be surprised if Robinson reclaims his starting job immediately, though he was playing well prior to his injury, averaging a career-high 10.3 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game to go along with 6.2 points, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks.

Robinson is one of three key injured frontcourt players the Knicks had been waiting on. OG Anunoby (elbow) and Julius Randle (shoulder) remain out for Wednesday’s game against the Raptors, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post tweets.

Knicks Draft-And-Stash Prospect Plans To Play Summer League

March 26th, 2024 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks draft-and-stash player Rokas Jokubaitis is expected to leave FC Barcelona and play in the Summer League to pursue an NBA career, Alessandro Luigi Maggi of Sportando tweets.

Jokubaitis, 23, was selected with the No. 34 pick of the 2021 draft. The Thunder traded his draft rights to the Knicks that evening. He appeared in three Summer League games that year.

Jokubaitis reportedly signed a four-year contract with Barcelona in 2021 with options on the deal for each of those seasons. According to Maggi, Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania is the favorite to sign the 6’4″ guard if he remains in Europe.

In 28 EuroLeague games this season, Jokubaitis averaged 5.7 points and 3.1 assists in 16.6 minutes. He has made 41.3% of his 3-point attempts in his international career.

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Randle, Brunson, Hart, More

March 26th, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson appears to be nearing a return from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since early December, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke to reporters before Monday’s victory over Denver and provided a positive update on Robinson’s progress.

“Mitchell is moving quite well,” Thibodeau said. “He’s cleared for contact and all that. He’s going through practices and so just needs a little more time. But he’s doing really well overall.”

Forward OG Anunoby participated in parts of Monday’s shootaround, while Julius Randle (shoulder) continues to do controlled contact work but has yet to be cleared for live contact drills. Given that the reports on Anunoby and Randle were more mixed than the one on Robinson, a reporter asked Thibodeau if the center will be the first of the three players to return.

“Assuming your assumption is correct, yes,” Thibodeau cryptically replied.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Jalen Brunson has now played in 65 games this season, ensuring that he’ll be eligible for end-of-season awards such as All-NBA. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brunson can’t qualify for a super-max contract since he signed with the Knicks as a free agent, but he’ll be eligible this July to sign an extension that could be worth up to $156.5MM over four years.
As effective as Josh Hart has been for the Knicks this season, he has become an unreliable three-point shooter, making only 30.4% of his long-distance attempts this season after hitting 35.0% in his first six NBA seasons. According to Peter Botte of The New York Post, Hart and his former Pelicans teammate JJ Redick have already made plans to work this offseason on Hart’s outside shot. “At some point in the summer I’ll pull up to the Hamptons,” the Knicks wing said on Monday. “Shoot, get in the gym with him. Drink wine with him. He can bring all the wine. Because he’s rich. And just enjoy.”
Evan Fournier previously shared the Knicks’ franchise record for three-pointers in a game with 10, but saw that record erased on Monday when Donte DiVincenzo knocked down 11 treys against his Pistons. With 234 three-pointers in 2023/24, DiVincenzo is also poised to break Fournier’s record of 241 made threes in a season. “Not at all surprising, to be honest with you,” Fournier told Botte after the game. “He’s definitely found his role, and congrats to him. He has great chemistry with these guys, especially (Brunson), and he’s very smart as far as finding the pocket for a three and he has such a quick release. … He’s having a hell of a season and he deserves (the record). He’s honestly the perfect fit for how they play, and I am happy for him.”
Struggling guard Alec Burks sat out Monday’s game due to a sprained right shoulder, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. It’s unclear how much Burks’ shoulder injury has factored into his shooting struggles since joining the Knicks. He’s shooting just 32.0% from the field since the trade deadline.

More Details On Jeffries, Diakite

March 25th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DaQuan Jeffries’ contract with the Knicks, which he signed on Monday, runs through the end of this season with a team option for 2024/25, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. Mamadi Diakite’s contract with the Knicks, also signed on Monday, runs through next season too, but the 2024/25 salary is non-guaranteed rather than a team option, Katz adds (Twitter link).

Knicks Re-Sign DaQuan Jeffries, Mamadi Diakite

March 25th, 2024 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

3:21pm: Both deals run through the end of the season, confirms Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

2:59pm: The Knicks have re-signed swingman DaQuan Jeffries and forward Mamadi Diakite, according to a pair of press releases from the club (Twitter links).

Jeffries and Diakite had been on 10-day contracts with New York, which expired over the weekend. Today’s announcements don’t provide any details on their new agreements, but Jeffries wasn’t eligible to sign another 10-day pact with the Knicks, and there’s no indication in the release that Diakite’s new deal is another 10-day.

Unless we hear otherwise, we’re assuming both players received rest-of-season commitments, filling New York’s two open roster spots and giving the team a full 15-man squad.

Jeffries spent much of the past two seasons under contract with the Knicks on various two-way, 10-day, and non-guaranteed deals. He didn’t play at all at the NBA level last season, but has seen a little action in 13 games in 2023/24, registering 11 points and five rebounds in 34 total minutes.

Diakite, meanwhile, appeared in three NBA games earlier this season while on a two-way deal with San Antonio and has also suited up for the Bucks, Thunder, and Cavaliers since making his NBA debut in 2021. He was waived by the Spurs on March 2, so he wouldn’t be eligible to play for the Knicks in the postseason if he signed a rest-of-season deal.

It’s possible one or both contracts include a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season, giving New York some offseason roster flexibility, but that has yet to be confirmed one way or the other.

Assuming they both signed for the minimum, Jeffries will earn $261,293 for the rest of this season, while Diakite would make $252,525.

Knicks-Pistons Trade Hasn't Worked Out For Either Team; DiVincenzo Nears Three-Point Record

March 25th, 2024 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will host the Pistons tonight in a reminder of a trade that has turned out poorly for both teams so far, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. New York hoped to bolster its shooting last month when it acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from Detroit. However, they’ve both been disappointing, even with extra opportunities created by injuries to Julius Randle and OG Anunoby. For Detroit, Quentin Grimes has missed 15 of 21 games with a right knee injury he suffered when he was still with the Knicks. Evan Fournier has appeared in 19 straight games after being trapped on Tom Thibodeau’s bench, but he’s been in a severe shooting slump.
Donte DiVincenzo is nearing the Knicks‘ record for most three-pointers in a season, Bondy adds in a separate story. He’s 18 away from the mark of 241 that Fournier set two years ago. “I don’t think about it. Obviously I’m aware of it, but I don’t go into the game going, ‘How many do I need?’” DiVincenzo said. “That’s for you guys to talk about, that’s for everybody else to have fun with. But when you start doing that — there’s basketball karma, basketball gods. That’s not something [I want to mess with].”

Knicks Notes: Sims, Achiuwa, Anunoby, McBride, Hartenstein, Roster Openings

March 24th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau made a change to his frontcourt rotation on Saturday, using Jericho Sims as his primary backup center ahead of Precious Achiuwa, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Thibodeau expressed a need for more “physicality” after his team got pushed around in Thursday’s loss at Denver.

“Whoever’s got it going, that’s where we’re going,” Thibodeau said. “Some nights it’s not your night, it’s someone else’s night and then you put the team first. Everyone sacrifices. And that’s really what we’ve done all year.”

Sims didn’t score, but he boosted the defense and grabbed seven rebounds in his 18 minutes of action. Achiuwa played just eight minutes, his fewest since January 17. Bondy notes that Achiuwa was used as the starting power forward the last time OG Anunoby was injured. Over the past three games, Thibodeau has moved Josh Hart to that position and inserted Miles McBride into the starting lineup. Thibodeau told reporters that he still has “a lot of confidence” in Achiuwa and indicated that the reduction in playing time may be temporary.

“He’s done a great job for us,” Thibodeau said. “I love the fact that he can play two positions. I think he can guard multiple positions. It allows you to do a lot of switching. So it was more the matchup of, OK, who are we looking at in the Golden State game? We’re looking at (Stephen) Curry (necessitating McBride to be in the lineup to chase him around). And then with Brooklyn, you’re looking at Cam Thomas, who has been rolling.”

There’s more from New York:

Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle both worked out before the game, but Anunoby wasn’t seen on the court or in the locker room after reporters were granted access, Bondy adds. There’s no word on whether the soreness in his surgically repaired elbow has eased enough to allow him to practice. “It’s hard to say,” Thibodeau said. “I haven’t seen him. He’s doing better so just let it calm down and go from there.”
McBride’s 48-minute marathon on Saturday marked the sixth time he has topped the 40-minute mark since signing an extension in late December, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. McBride said he tried not to look at the Knicks’ bench during Saturday’s game so he wouldn’t give any indication that he wanted to come out. “Honestly, it’s mental,” he said. “Just telling myself to keep pushing through, give everything I’ve got in order to get the win.”
Isaiah Hartenstein credits Thibodeau and the Knicks’ medical staff for helping him ease back into the lineup while dealing with Achilles soreness, per Ian Begley of SNY (video link).
New York has two roster openings after 10-day contracts expired on Saturday for Mamadi Diakite and DaQuan Jeffries, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links). Diakite is eligible for another 10-day deal, but Jeffries would have to be signed for the rest of the season if the Knicks want to keep him.

Atlantic Notes: DiVincenzo, Randle, Nets, Ramsey

March 23rd, 2024 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a short-handed lineup and a poor shooting day from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks relied on their complementary players to get past Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Donte DiVincenzo played “maybe his best game” since signing with New York last summer, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, scoring 31 points and closing out the victory with a 13-point fourth quarter.

“I wasn’t even paying attention to the score,” DiVincenzo said. “I was just trying to make the right play, be aggressive, and the right play they were giving me [was] space at the rim, and I took advantage of it. I didn’t know the score. I was just trying get stops and play the right way.”

The Knicks also got a huge effort from guard Miles McBride, who scored 26 points while playing all 48 minutes, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, who battled through Achilles soreness to contribute 17 points and nine rebounds.

“It says a lot about them and I love the mental toughness of our team, the ability to persevere through things,” Thibodeau said. “When things aren’t going our way, just keep going, then make it go our way and then in the end, find a way to win, whatever it is that we gotta do, that’s what we have to do. And it’s a credit to them. That’s the makeup of these guys and their willingness to commit to play for the team first and put everything they have into it.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks forward Julius Randle still hasn’t been cleared for full contact as he works his way back from a dislocated shoulder, according to Ian Begley of SNY (video link). Randle has been in a holding pattern for several weeks, able to do everything except participate in contact drills.
Interim Nets coach Kevin Ollie was unhappy with his team’s level of competitiveness in today’s loss, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn collapsed in the fourth quarter while dropping its sixth straight game. “You have to counter-punch … talking, loose balls, offensive rebounding. It has nothing to do with talent and it has nothing to do with the ball going in. It’s those little things we have to get better on, we have to double down on. That’s the only way we’re going to win,” Ollie said. “I talked to them about that: How’s your stamina? Not just your wind, I mean from a competitive standpoint. That has to be there every single minute for us to win, and it wasn’t.”
Jahmi’us Ramsey‘s second 10-day contract with the Raptors will expire on Saturday night, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Lewenberg expects the 22-year-old shooting guard to be signed for the rest of the season, probably with a partial guarantee for 2024/25.

New York Notes: Claxton, Clowney, Anunoby, Hartenstein

March 23rd, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets center Nic Claxton only attempted three shots in Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee, which was a season low, and the team would be wise to get him more involved before he hits unrestricted free agency this offseason, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required).

“I’m open a lot,” Claxton told the Post. “I’ve just got to keep putting myself in the right spots and hope that I get the ball.”

According to Lewis, Claxton has been Brooklyn’s most consistent player in 2023/24, and has shown improvement as a play-maker and in the pick-and-roll, with interim head coach Kevin Ollie calling the 24-year-old the team’s “hub.”

“He’s a great passer. He’s unselfish,” Ollie said of Claxton. “We run a lot of our backside action with him with the ball, some of our high frequencies of offensive possessions, of our (dribble hand-offs) with him handling it, and then him being able to hand it off to Dennis (Schröder) or Mikal (Bridges), then him rolling behind that and getting some lobs, which has been great.

“Him doing those different things has allowed us to play freer basketball. I’m gonna continue to allow him to do that. I allow him to push the ball up the court, take advantages there. I just want him to play unlocked basketball and continue to be our hub. But with freedom comes discipline, too. He has to take care of the ball and continue to do those certain things as well.”

However, as Lewis writes, if Claxton’s lack of touches continues, it’s possible he might begin to question his role and future with the Nets. According to Lewis’ sources, Claxton is expected to command $20MM+ annually on the open market this summer.

Here are a few more notes on the league’s two New York-based teams:

Rookie big man Noah Clowney had one of the better outings of his young career on Thursday vs. Milwaukee, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds while showcasing an ability to switch across multiple positions on defense, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily. The Nets were plus-10 in Clowney’s 14 minutes. He has only appeared in 11 games for an average of 9.1 MPG, having spent most of his rookie campaign in the G League with Long Island. While some fans have been clamoring for Clowney to play power forward instead of center, Kaplan says in the long run the 19-year-old’s overall development is much more important than the position he ends up playing in the future.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby was ruled out for his third straight game on Saturday vs. the Nets, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Anunoby is dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, with the team officially listing him out for right elbow injury management. It’s unclear when the impending free agent will return to action — he played three games last week before the elbow flared up, and while it’s reportedly improving, he continues to be sidelined for now.
He isn’t quite the defender Mitchell Robinson is, but Isaiah Hartenstein is a much better passer and he’s done an admirable job filling in as the Knicks‘ starting center, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). Another impending free agent, Hartenstein said he tries to make a positive impact no matter what his role is. “I tell everyone in the NBA you always have to sacrifice,” Hartenstein said. “Before, especially when we had Julius (Randle), we had all those guys, I had a kind of different role. Now I’m playing how I’m used to playing.”

Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, DiVincenzo, Robinson, Anunoby

March 22nd, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Tom Thibodeau‘s reputation as a no-nonsense, old-school coach isn’t entirely deserved, Donte DiVincenzo tells Sam Amick of The Athletic. DiVincenzo was aware that Thibodeau topped an anonymous player poll of the coaches they’d least like to play for, but that didn’t affect his decision to sign a four-year, $47MM deal with New York last summer.

“From the outside world, there’s always (a different view),” DiVincenzo said. “But in our house — in-house — we have a good dynamic and we enjoy it and everybody enjoys being around each other. To the outside world, you don’t really know. All you know is perception. All you know is the history from other teams (Thibodeau has coached) and his years with different organizations. But we’ve had plenty of rest days, plenty of off days.”

Thibodeau has a reputation for giving heavy minutes to his rotation players, especially his starters, and causing them to wear down throughout the season. But he also inspires intense loyalty in players who approach the game the same way that he does. DiVincenzo said working with Thibodeau hasn’t been much different from his other NBA stops.

“I played for (the Warriors’ Steve) Kerr and played for Coach Bud (former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer). It’s not like you come here and all of a sudden you’re just running track every day (in practice),” DiVincenzo said. “I think what he does by far better than anybody I’ve been around is he’s the most prepared. So it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go for two hours on your feet and running. But when you’re in there, you’re gonna lock in and you’re gonna get the stuff done and we’re gonna get out of there.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Thibodeau has one season left on his contract and he’s hoping to land a long-term extension this summer, league sources tell Amick. Thibodeau currently makes about $7MM per year, Amick’s sources say, and he’s in line for a major raise considering the huge deals recently landed by Monty Williams, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Doc Rivers and Kerr.
Mitchell Robinson talked about the frustration of having another season disrupted by injuries, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Robinson, who’s hoping to return soon from ankle surgery, was off to the best start of his career when he felt discomfort in his left ankle during a December 8 game against Boston. He was cleared to keep playing following an X-ray, but was later diagnosed with a stress fracture. “I’m like, man, I’m trying to figure out ways to stop it from happening, the best ways that I can,” Robinson said. “And it’s like one thing after one thing. I felt like I was finally getting in shape to the top of my career right there and the next thing you know.”
When Robinson does return, he’ll be joining a much different version of the team, notes Fred Katz of The Athletic. The Knicks have shaken up their roster since early December, and Robinson is looking forward to playing alongside OG Anunoby. “He’s active. He’s not afraid to take a chance,” Robinson said. “He might miss one (steal) here or there, but that’s all right. He’ll get most of them.”