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Knicks Morning News (2023.03.30)

  • Takeaways From Miami Heat’s Loss Wednesday Against New York Knicks – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Thursday, March 30, 2023 7:28:11 AM

    Takeaways From Miami Heat’s Loss Wednesday Against New York Knicks  Sports Illustrated

  • Jalen Brunson Sounds Off on Julius Randle’s Injury After Knicks Beat Heat – Heavy.com
    [news.google.com] — Thursday, March 30, 2023 7:25:32 AM

    Jalen Brunson Sounds Off on Julius Randle’s Injury After Knicks Beat Heat  Heavy.com

  • Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau goes with rarely used quintet to close out win – New York Post
    [news.google.com] — Thursday, March 30, 2023 2:40:00 AM

    Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau goes with rarely used quintet to close out win  New York Post

  • Heat vs. Knicks – NBA Game Recap – March 29, 2023 – ESPN
    [news.google.com] — Thursday, March 30, 2023 12:27:45 AM

    Heat vs. Knicks – NBA Game Recap – March 29, 2023  ESPN

  • Takeaways and postgame reaction from loss to Knicks, as Heat sinks deeper into play-in territory – Miami Herald
    [news.google.com] — Thursday, March 30, 2023 12:05:59 AM

    Takeaways and postgame reaction from loss to Knicks, as Heat sinks deeper into play-in territory  Miami Herald

  • Julius Randle’s injury dampens Knicks’ key victory over Heat – New York Post
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:11:00 PM

    Julius Randle’s injury dampens Knicks’ key victory over Heat  New York Post Knicks’ Julius Randle exits vs. Heat because of sprained ankle  ESPNTakeaways From Miami Heat’s Loss Wednesday Against New York Knicks  Sports Illustrated

  • Knicks’ All-Star Julius Randle leaves game with sprained ankle as New York readies for playoffs – Fox News
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:02:00 PM

    Knicks’ All-Star Julius Randle leaves game with sprained ankle as New York readies for playoffs  Fox News

  • Winderman’s view: Duncan Robinson perhaps offers Heat hope in loss – South Florida Sun Sentinel
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 9:55:15 PM

    Winderman’s view: Duncan Robinson perhaps offers Heat hope in loss  South Florida Sun Sentinel

  • Miami Heat vs New York Knicks Mar 29, 2023 Game Summary – NBA.com
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 9:53:40 PM

    Miami Heat vs New York Knicks Mar 29, 2023 Game Summary  NBA.com

  • “They Call Me the OG”: Knicks Players RJ Barrett and Josh Hart Give Walt Frazier ‘Cupcakes’ on His Birthday – The Sportsrush
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 8:58:42 PM

    “They Call Me the OG”: Knicks Players RJ Barrett and Josh Hart Give Walt Frazier ‘Cupcakes’ on His Birthday  The Sportsrush

  • NBA GAMETHREAD: Miami Heat (40-36) @ New York Knicks (43-33) – Hot Hot Hoops
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 7:34:54 PM

    NBA GAMETHREAD: Miami Heat (40-36) @ New York Knicks (43-33)  Hot Hot Hoops

  • The most expensive teams in modern NBA history (relative to league … – Hoops Hype
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 7:33:52 PM

    The most expensive teams in modern NBA history (relative to league …  Hoops Hype

  • Knicks: Jalen Brunson upgraded to available vs. Heat – ClutchPoints
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 6:39:57 PM

    Knicks: Jalen Brunson upgraded to available vs. Heat  ClutchPoints

  • Jimmy Butler’s Final Injury Status For Heat-Knicks Game – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 6:25:37 PM

    Jimmy Butler’s Final Injury Status For Heat-Knicks Game  Sports Illustrated

  • NBA Rumors: Door may be open for Knicks-Damian Lillard trade – Daily Knicks
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 5:00:00 PM

    NBA Rumors: Door may be open for Knicks-Damian Lillard trade  Daily Knicks

  • Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview – NESN
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 4:16:29 PM

    Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview  NESN

  • Miami Heat at New York Knicks 3/29/23 – NBA Picks & Predictions … – Free Picks
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 3:26:33 PM

    Miami Heat at New York Knicks 3/29/23 – NBA Picks & Predictions …  Free Picks

  • Watch New York Knicks vs Miami Heat Online Free in the US: Live Streaming, Start Time and TV Channel – Yardbarker
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 2:54:15 PM

    Watch New York Knicks vs Miami Heat Online Free in the US: Live Streaming, Start Time and TV Channel  Yardbarker

  • Knicks could make ‘two big trades’ this offseason, but should they? – AMNY
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 1:57:22 PM

    Knicks could make ‘two big trades’ this offseason, but should they?  AMNY

  • Knicks pull away late without Randle to beat Heat 101-92 – CBS Miami
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 1:19:00 PM

    Knicks pull away late without Randle to beat Heat 101-92  CBS Miami

  • New York Knicks Partner with Verizon to Honor HBCUs – Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 12:57:53 PM

    New York Knicks Partner with Verizon to Honor HBCUs  Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

  • How To Watch Miami Heat-New York Knicks Wednesday, Lineups, Injury Report, Betting Lines – Sports Illustrated
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 12:27:20 PM

    How To Watch Miami Heat-New York Knicks Wednesday, Lineups, Injury Report, Betting Lines  Sports Illustrated

  • Knicks superfan won’t be allowed into MSG for playoffs under appeals court ruling – Gothamist
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 12:15:28 PM

    Knicks superfan won’t be allowed into MSG for playoffs under appeals court ruling  Gothamist

  • Proposed Knicks Trade Swaps RJ Barrett & Immanuel Quickley for $176 Million Star – Heavy.com
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:10:21 AM

    Proposed Knicks Trade Swaps RJ Barrett & Immanuel Quickley for $176 Million Star  Heavy.com

  • Predicting how Knicks will finish in crucial final 6 games of 2022-23 season – Daily Knicks
    [news.google.com] — Wednesday, March 29, 2023 8:00:00 AM

    Predicting how Knicks will finish in crucial final 6 games of 2022-23 season  Daily Knicks

  • 77 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2023.03.30)”

    Clyde’s birthday, playoffs atmosphere, Randle’s injury, a tense low-scoring game and at the end our supporting cast (maybe a couple of stars-in-the-making?) was better and the Knicks got a huge win, now the magic number to clinch a “direct” playoffs spot (and earning a week of rest) is 2.

    The first quarter was awful but the Heat were unable to take advantage of Knicks’ starters lousy play, as soon as the Bench Mob trickled in the game everything changed and a thrilling back and forth started.

    Randle’s injury with 2:38 left in the 2nd was tough (heal quick Ju!) but honestly I felt Ewing-Theory vibes (like Pagliacci) and I was confident we would win, Julius wasn’t playing well, RJ was too bad to be true and the bench was super-hyped.

    The game was decided in the 4th, in a 4:43 span were the Knicks’ went on a 16-5 run. Barrett redeemed himself breaking the last tie to start the run and closing it with the dagger corner three, while J-Hart had 6 roof-rising points in the span.

    Thoughts:

    – Both Butler and Brunson probably shouldn’t have played.

    – In the same vein, Julius looked exausted even before the injury. He leads the league in minutes played.

    – We’re going to extend Quickley. I think tuesday’s comps are spot on, he can be as important for this team as Manu, Ricky Pierce, Bobby Jones, Vinnie Johnson and so on, basically an added starter coming from the bench “for lineup construction reasons” (as Strat wrote).
    I used the “Sweet Lou 2.0” moniker before and with IQ’s defense and rebounding I think it applies, a tremendous scorer with added benefits it’s surely an improved version…

    – Grimes showing his all around game and taking shots without always deferring to the “big guns” is a joy to watch. Glue Grimes is more than a glue guy and I dream about his improvements.

    – I’ve never seen a player go so up and down from quarter to quarter in every single game as RJ Barrett. He makes me MAD.

    – The Hart Foundation is something. Those guys make things happens with their selflessness, BB-IQ, vision and energy.

    Plays Of The Game:

    4th 6:19 Josh Hart makes 2-foot layup (Isaiah Hartenstein assists MIA 85 NY 88)
    4th 6:01 Caleb Martin misses three point jumper
    4th 5:59 Isaiah Hartenstein defensive rebound
    4th 5:40 Duncan Robinson shooting foul
    4th 5:40 Quentin Grimes makes free throw 1 of 2 (MIA 85 NY 89)
    4th 5:40 Quentin Grimes makes free throw 2 of 2 (MIA 85 NY 90)
    4th 5:25 Jimmy Butler misses 10-foot two point shot
    4th 5:23 Josh Hart defensive rebound
    4th 5:18 Josh Hart makes dunk (MIA 85 NY 92)
    4th 5:05 Duncan Robinson bad pass (Immanuel Quickley steals) 4th 5:02 Quentin Grimes makes dunk (Isaiah Hartenstein assists (MIA 85 NY 94)

    The 77-seconds straw that broke the camel’s back.

    Stats Of The Game:

    47-35. The Knicks won the rebounding battle thanks to a total team effort (I-Hart 9, J-Hart and Glue 8, Mitch 6, RJ and Julius 5).

    44-28. Knicks’ lead in PiP. Our interior defense was good, at times very good.

    12-23 (52.2%). I can’t remember a team missing his first 6 FTs. They’re better stop doing this or we’re gonna pay in the playoffs…

    Grades:

    Brunson B-
    Short on shots, slow on defense, 3:3 AST/TO… still his 3-pointer at the 1st half’s buzzer was huge.
    Do you think Thibs would sit him the entire 4th quarter, in a Randle-less game, if he’s really healed?
    I don’t think so, and while I appreciate the commitment I’d rather have him healthy in the playoffs.

    Randle C-
    The injury, with his fluky dynamic, is unfortunate and a potential disaster for the Knicks but honestly he wasn’t playing well in this game.
    I hope the rest of the regular season will be enough for him to recover, we need him for the playoffs and I don’t want him to end a very good season this way…
    Also, he gets an A+ for his donation (connected to his made threes) to the Earl Monroe’s Charter School, kudos to him!
    We know you’re crazy Julius, but we also know you have a big heart.

    Barrett C
    Probably the worst 1st half of his career (1 point, 0-8 FG, 2 TOs, slow on defense), he was better in the 2nd (4-5 FG), raised his energy on D and hit the dagger-three that basically closed the game.

    Grimes A
    After the infamous 1-shot game against the Wolves he has stepped up in a big way and he’s balling like never before, putting all his all-around skills on display (23, 8 DReb, 4 AST).
    The only starter to function in the 1st (9 points, 5 DReb, 1 AST), Thibs left him out the entire 2nd (Why? To let Barrett sank us like an anvil around the neck?) and then left him in for the entire 2nd half.

    Robinson B-
    He has a lot of work to do in the summer if he wants to show us that the complains about his offensive role aren’t an inside joke.

    Quickley A
    The Sixth Man Of The Year had another great game, even if he missed 5 FTs (!!). He has become one of those “we go where he goes” players, we need him to play at this level to win games.

    Hart A-
    A confused 1st half, with good ideas badly executed, he was fantastic in the 4th. I love his hustle, BB-IQ and the way he always fill the statline (13, 6-7 FG, 8 REBs, 3 ASTs, 2 STLs).

    Hartenstein A
    He missed an “easy” layup but luckily that didn’t came back to haunt him. Very good defense and his offensive skills opens up unexpected pathways on offense. Thibs seems to trust him and it wasn’t a foregone conclusion at season’s start.

    Toppin B
    4 shots, 4 threes. His “only” 17 minutes with Randle out tell all the story, Thibs doesn’t have faith in him.
    His defense is what it is (or, in this case isn’t) but his 4 assists are a nice touch and the made threes were timely.
    He has a chance to show something more in the next few games, I hope he’s able to do so.

    Thibs A-
    Look, RJ’s minutes were too much and Grimes’ PT allocation was weird (12-0-12-12) but finally he found the right lineup (with 3 bench players!) and made the right decision: he stayed with them until the end.

    I knew he was well defended but I didn’t know it was Bam’s first single digit game of he season.
    Hat tip to Mitch and (especially) I-Hart for keeping him down.

    Maaaaaan listen!
    I went straight to bed once the game ended because I was exhausted like I played in it just watching! Sheesh! That was one ugly, hard fought game. Godspeed to Julius, by the way. Don’t get me wrong- I was very concerned when he rolled his ankle. But I wasn’t worried because of the silver lining. Obi gets a chance to open the floor up some and Randle gets some much-needed rest, depending on the severity of the ankle sprain. My biggest worry is Brunson’s hand/wrist and his rhythm. Hopefully he’ll look more like himself vs Cleveland.

    Again, Godspeed Ju- we need you healthy for at least the last 2-3 games going into the playoffs.

    One last thing..
    That bench trio of Hartenstein, Hart, and Quickley is a 10! They make it very easy to consider moving Obi..and Randle’s all star season does as well lol

    According to NBA.com lineups featuring IQ and The Hart Foundation are +20.5 pts/100 poss in 285 minutes, a huge number…

    When I watched MIA lose a competitive game to TOR, I felt strongly that they would run out of gas in the 4th if we taxed them all game. And neck cricks don’t just disappear, even with treatment. So what happened in the 4th was what should have happened.

    It was nice to hear Julius get MVP chants when he took his FTs.

    IQ also got some MVP chants. He was phenominal. Dude is gonna get PAID!

    Grimes played like an all-NBA player in the first Q. Literally carried the team on his back. Love that guy!

    Thibs rolls with iHart over Mitch more and more at critical times. It’s pretty glaring.

    It’s cliche but you can’t say it enough. Josh Hart is just a winner.

    Kevin Love looked totally washed.

    Max, spot on recap as always. Hope you know how much we appreciate them!

    I was at the game, and that stretch in the 4th quarter where we built the 9 point lead was just awesome. The game had been like a prize fight with two boxers trading jabs and then boom…the knockout punch.

    Can’t say enough about Hart, he just makes the winning plays. Starting to remind me more and more of Iguodala on the championship Warriors teams. And I-Hart’s defense on Bam was superb.

    Ideal scenario is Randle is ok but sits the rest of the regular season. These games probably mean nothing.

    Max, spot on recap as always. Hope you know how much we appreciate them!

    That’s right. Thanks, Max. 🙂

    Toppin B
    4 shots, 4 threes. His “only” 17 minutes with Randle out tell all the story, Thibs doesn’t have faith in him.

    Obviously, the next game or games without Randle will tell more of a tale regarding Thibs and Obi. I agree that the kid gets a much shorter leash than anyone else in the rotation. But I also wouldn’t read too much more into his minutes last night. The Hart + 4 Wings lineup started to really click at the end of the third, Thibs loves to ride the hot hand, and he just kept them in for the entire fourth quarter.

    Now, if Sims gets the start against Cleveland, then I’ll shut up. I have no illusions about Obi’s likely future with this team, and how sad it’ll be when he and BFF Quickley get separated. But it would be nice for him to have a real opportunity in a meaningful game or three.

    now the magic number to clinch a “direct” playoffs spot (and earning a week of rest) is 2

    Unless an improbable scenario happens (a tie between us, Miami and Brooklyn), the number is 1.

    Lol I mentioned it the other day, but didn’t expect Thibs to pull out the Death Defense lineup of Quickley/Grimes/hart so quickly.

    The playoffs will be so interesting re: how other teams will adjust tactics. In the last couple weeks we’ve seen a LOT more teams targeting Brunson on defense — it’s going to be pick after pick after pick to get Brunson switched onto whoever. Might be ok against Cleveland since their guards are small anyway.

    And I would expect RJ to be left all by his lonesome behind the 3 point line. I don’t think anyone is worried about his 3 point shooting.

    I was surprised nobody else reacted to Quickley’s shot. It happened in the game thread when I posted “!#!$×%!!”

    meanwhile – I hope some shot doctor on twitter breaks down all the different ways RJ’s jumper mechanics have changed just this season. He’s almost shooting it like Mikal Bridges-style now.

    @d-mar & #cyber
    Thanks guys 🙂

    @Alan
    I strongly hope that Obi gets his chance (and I want Julius to rest even with the best diagnosis), but his leash is really short, basically 2 mistakes no matter where.
    Anyway I expect him to play at least 25-27 minutes next game, plenty of time to impress.

    I’ll be surprised if Sims start with the Cavs, to me it would be an “unnecessary slight” to Obi.

    Unless an improbable scenario happens (a tie between us, Miami and Brooklyn), the number is 1.

    I had 1 in my “draft” then read on a tweet by someone (maybe Macri?) that it’s 2.

    Isn’t “divisional winner” a stronger tie-breaker than head-to-head record?

    P.S. I’d rather be wrong! 😉

    Quick’s shot i was talking about on the last thread! It’s A-mazing! 🙂
    https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1641234624033562625

    Surrounded by three Heat defenders, fouled, over the backboard, it’s insane. Like, Randle hit a bunch of circus shots from that spot on the floor in the empty gym season, but I’m not sure any of them were quite as ridiculous as that.

    And to think that there was even a consideration early in the season of trading him for a single lottery-protected first.

    I can’t see Sims starting if Randle is out. What I could see happening is iHart playing power forward next to Robinson at center so NY has two bigs to guard Jarrett and Mobley.

    I think Obi’s minutes will depend on whether he gets successfully targeted on D by opponents.

    As to starters, there’s a lot of scenarios against a twin towers team like CLE. It also might depend on Brunson’s health. He did not look anywhere close to 100%.

    Whatever, Grimes, Hart and IQ might see 40+ minutes each. Those guys are ballin’!

    Assuming it’s just a regular ankle sprain and nothing serious, Randle’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for this team. If we hold on to the 5th or 6th spot, we now have 15 days until the playoffs start. That’s a nice break for Randle, who needs it. Even with him playing in the all-star game, Randle came out so hot after the all-star break when he had a little break. And mentally, he might be exhausted right now. I think that actually might be the most taxing thing about Thibs minutes thing. Not necessarily bodily injuries but the mental exhaustion of playing so many minutes all season. So a little break for him (and Brunson) could be really good.

    There really isn’t much else to say about IQ right now. Dude is a star in the making.

    I watched some of the game on DVR when I got home from MSG, and was disappointed Breen wasn’t calling it. There’s nothing like his excitement level ramping up when the Knicks are on a roll; the guy last night was fine, but there’s no one better than our own Mike Breen (and Clyde of course!)

    Bam seems to have gone 2-5 when Mitch was on the floor and 2-5 when big Hart was on the floor, so good job by those guys. Jimmy (fortunately) probably should not have been playing.

    I would love for Randle to have 10 or so days off. I didn’t think the ankle roll looked severe but Randle for all his warts is a tough guy and he looked like he was in a lot of pain, so what the do I know.

    Is Quickley the best player on the team? He is moving into don’t trade unless it’s for Luka territory for me.

    I feel like the Lou Williams comparison is starting to feel like slander. No one ever accused Lou of playing defense.

    The rotations on the perimeter were great last night. The difference on defense when Hart, IQ and Grimes are out there is just shocking compared to any team we have had in 20 years. Ever. Maybe they are undersized but they are relentless about bothering shooters.

    My confidence in Grimes was fading and it makes me so happy to see him having these kinds of performances. I believe in the defense and I do believe in the shooting. He’s had a lot of good misses, balls that looked in but rattled out. They are falling now. And his ts% is quite healthy.

    Was great to see how well iHart was blanketing Bam throughout that fourth quarter. He couldn’t get anything going against us.

    Again, assuming this is not a serious injury, I’m also in favor of letting Randle sit out most or all of the remaining games. I do wonder, though, whether that will hurt his All-NBA chances. The conversation around him from guys like Zach Lowe is that his durability is going to get him on the list ahead of guys like LeBron and Durant. 77 games is still way ahead of of them, but does it open the door even a crack for the forwards who haven’t played nearly as much as Julius, but have been substantially better when they’ve been on the court?

    “I feel like the Lou Williams comparison is starting to feel like slander. No one ever accused Lou of playing defense.”

    Agree, and a good laugh on the use of the word “slander” to describe it.

    Some fun facts in browsing IQ’s B-R splits page:

    Since New Year’s Day, IQ has put up the following TS%s:
    Jan (14 games) .641
    Feb (11 games) .605
    Mar (14 games) .601 (in spite of shooting only 36% from 3)

    In March, he also played 32MPG, putting up 20-4-4 on a usage of 25.0.

    Pretty elite stuff!

    If Obi’s minutes are going to go up, I hope they try to use him as more than just a 3 point shooter. I’ve been saying for awhile that we eventually need him to space the floor with better 3 point shooting, but that doesn’t mean I want to turn him into a variation on Steve Novak now, especially when outside shooting is still his weakness . He’s limited as far as creating shots goes, but once he gets it around the basket he’s a terrific finisher. It doesn’t have to be all cuts, lobs, and transition (most of which good teams will take away to a large extent). How about just running a play for him or even posting him up very low when he has a mismatch. Try something!

    One interesting thing about IQ.

    When we first drafted him I read some articles on him about his college play. In his final season, he started off slow and then got better and better as the season went on. I remember making a few posts about it at the time saying that if you split the season he looks different. We may have found ourselves a much improved player that is better than he looks on the yearly stats. That may still be true, but now I’m wondering if he’s also just a slow starter that gets better as a season starts rolling.

    Not to be outdone, Grimes has had quite the month of March! In 14 games (28mpg) he has put up the following numbers:
    FG%: 50.4%
    3PT%: 45.5%
    TS%: .682

    In his last 6 games he is 24-45 from 3 (53%).

    Another fun fact, this time about Josh Hart:

    In the 20 games he has played for us, he has shot 50% or better in 18 of them. The dude is putting up video game efficiency numbers!

    After we traded for him, he remarked about how this is the first time he is actually playing for something in his 6 years in the NBA. Never sniffed the playoffs before. He also was inactive/injured for most games at the end of the past 2 seasons.

    I don’t want to go too far over the top, but could it be that he is just not built for losing? In other words, that his stats were surpressed by the resignation of games not mattering much and that this version of Josh Hart is closer to being to the real deal for him? I mean, he has a competitive stoicism…not quite Kawhi Leonard level but I don’t see him ever getting worked up about anything, or preening to the crowd, or taunting, or jawing with the refs, or losing concentration.

    I’ll give you a hint of who he reminds me of: some guy who had a birthday yesterday.

    Josh is playing at a very high level. Hes been an All Star level guy for us, if not fringe All-NBA. Just a remarkable run.

    Looking at his career numbers, it’s clear this this is more than we should expect. But maybe he is a gamer who has found his time to shine and is rising to the occasion. Knicks fans are going to figure out how to spin his legend if this continues.

    I can think of a more impactful deadline acquisition – Kawhi Leonard – but the Hart acquisition should end up on a listicle of the top ten deadline trades ever. It won’t if we lose in the first round and he isn’t a glamour guy but absolutely should be in the conversation.

    I hope I’m at least partially wrong because this is probably Obis’s last big opportunity here, but I could see Thibs starting with Sims against Cleveland. Cleveland is big, man! Then I wouldn’t be surprised to see RJ (Randle Jr.) getting significant minutes at the four until the real Randle returns.

    I watched almost all of Hart’s Nova games back in the day (my son went there) and he was a leader and a big time winner back then too. So I’m not overly surprised he’s showing those qualities now, but obviously the efficiency is a bit insane.

    (And he did wave bye bye to Tatum so he’s not always calm, cool and collected (-:)

    I think Obi will start because that’s the least disruptive option when it comes to our rotation and Thibs tends to go with that when injuries strike, but if he’s not doing much I could easily see him being a 12-15 minute “starter” with the Brothers Hart and maybe Sims/Deuce depending on the lineup soaking up the rest.

    For the love of god if he’s going to start, please drop the Davis Bertans shtick. It is mind boggling that *57%* of Obi Toppin’s shots have been 3s this season. It’s a very bizarre situation that has understandably flown under the radar due to all the good vibes.

    Opening Day is upon us,
    I wish a good baseball season to all!
    (but especially to Yankees’ fans 😉 )

    Justin Verlander headed to the IL with a teres major strain. That’s a shoulder injury. From what I’m reading it takes months to heal.

    This is not looking like it’s going to be a great year for the Mets, who are already being forced to use their #7 starter and of course have already lost their closer.

    From what I’m reading, the Verlander thing seems like a grade 1 tweak and he can still throw while dealing with it. Where did you see anything about “months to heal?

    The general timeline for returning from that injury is three months. But perhaps it is, like they are saying, a very minor strain.

    Velo was down in his last outing though, and the Mets have a long history of downplaying injuries, so…

    It’s rough when those ancient athletes everyone talks about are younger than I am….

    It’s rough when those ancient athletes everyone talks about are younger than I am…

    Darts, Owen, darts. I believe there are a number of places in Greece where you will be held in high esteem.

    Max Fried had to leave the ATL game with a hamstring injury. So it’s not just Mets, and not just old players, getting hurt

    The only positive is that if they have to start the playoffs without him they will have had time to get ready for it. Which is sort of important considering that Randle has not missed a single game and they haven’t had to do it even once.

    OTOH if he is unavailable it seems unlikely that we would have enough talent to advance.

    it does, especially bc they didn’t release any indicator of severity. if you’re the knicks and you think randle is out for 4 weeks but want to keep your opponent unsure, you say this. on the other hand, sitting him for rest of the regular season in almost any case also makes sense.

    Yeah, without knowing the grade of the sprain, it’s hard to know much about where he will be in two weeks. But lots of guys do come back in that 2-3 week time frame so at least there’s hope he’ll be around for the first home games in round 1.

    Seems probable we’ll need to get through the first round without him. Which is possible, if not likely…

    The sprain didn’t look good from the start,
    Julius is a tough guy and he was clearly in pain.

    I’m a bit surprised they didn’t release the grade of the strain, maybe there’s too much swelling to properly evaluate? Or, as Ptmilo wrote, they’re raising some smoke for our playoffs opponents.

    Anyway, in the last few years the “re-evaluation” is when they really give a timetable for the ramp-up/return to play so there a good chance his season is over, but let’s keep some semblance of hope, maybe if the first round goes more than 4-5 games…

    This sucks but I’m staying hopeful he can return during the 1st rd of the playoffs.

    In seeing the replay of his injury it’s really hard to guess about the severity, but he wasn’t coming down with a lot of force and his legs were kind of splayed out, so it gives me more hope that he’s on the shorter end of the grade 2 timeline, i.e. 3 weeks. Obviously just rose-colored thinking on my part, but I’ve seen so many players go down (and sprained my ankles like a million times each) that I’m cautiously optimistic.

    Winning last night was so incredibly important. It now looks like Thibs can tinker with things, and will have a nearly a week between our last game on April 9 and the first playoff game on April 15 to prepare for a known round 1 oppponent without Randle (which is one of the nice things about finishing 3-6, you know exactly who you are playing).

    The bad thing is that if they get off to a good start in the playoffs without him and then he comes back and you need to re-incorporate him on the fly, that could present all kinds of problems with chemistry, continuity, etc., especially if he is still stiff and sore and his 3pt shot flattens out or he’s vulnerable to getting beat to his left. Would Thibs have the nerve to tell him to take his time coming back?

    Knicks beat the Heat in the 1st rd of the 1998 playoffs without Ewing so no reason this Knicks team can’t beat the Cavs without Randle! It would help to have LJ and Allan Houston though….

    I chatted with LJ during a pre-game event last night. Told him to talk to Randle about keeping his cool like he did and to tell RJ to keep his head up. He laughed and agreed. He looked great and I asked him if he could go out there and give us just 10 minutes. He laughed and said “No way, man..”

    Well, this is Obi’s last, best chance. The minutes and shots will be there if he can seize them.

    Obi might literally be the only player I’ve ever wanted to take fewer threes, though RJ is teetering on the brink. The math is usually too overwhelming, even for a middling shooter like Randle.

    But it’s hard to shake the feeling that the Bertans shtick has completely drained Obi of the energy he used to bring to games. By all means he should take the open ones, but someone with his skillset all but abandoning the rim is a failure on someone’s part.

    There is no one more Greek than a man married to a Greeek woman. But I am not Greek myself. Also, I have more hair than that guy.

    I grew up in Astoria but was only 10yo when we moved to Miami and it wasn’t until I was older that I realized I grew up in a Greek neighborhood. Dunno why that’s relevant just thought about it with Owen posting about being Greek or not lol

    To be “re-evaluated in two weeks” makes me think of Zion Williamson, who is still being “re-evaluated in two weeks” for the third month in a row.

    “To be “re-evaluated in two weeks” makes me think of Zion Williamson, who is still being “re-evaluated in two weeks” for the third month in a row.”

    Exactly! He’s not coming back in 2 weeks and a day. Think about the Knicks handle all injuries.

    “…tell RJ to keep his head up.”

    Z–Man, is that like “Don’t feel too bad that you suck,” or is it “Pass the fucking ball you narcissistic turd”?

    “Raven is a Big Black Bird says:
    March 30, 2023 at 22:15
    “…tell RJ to keep his head up.”

    Z–Man, is that like “Don’t feel too bad that you suck,” or is it “Pass the fucking ball you narcissistic turd”?”

    More like “Grandmama, try to talk some sense into sonny before the other boys don’t want to play with him anymore…”

    PS seemed like there were more RJ jerseys on kids than any other…

    But seriously, LJ looked fantastic, he wore a dapper buckskin fedora and a royal blue sweater, and not a hint of retirement body on him…

    Larry Johnson was afflicted with having a generic name. In the age of Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron he just couldn’t be expected to sell a lot of shoes, no matter how good he was at basketball.

    The Randle news sucks big time. I was really looking forward to seeing this team in the playoffs and thought they had a legitimate shot at the 2nd round, maybe even the ECF if they could avoid Giannis.

    Thibs has given us our 2 best seasons in the last decade. He still might be the first coach ever fired for lack of load management

    I chatted with LJ during a pre-game event last night. Told him to talk to Randle about keeping his cool like he did and to tell RJ to keep his head up. He laughed and agreed. He looked great and I asked him if he could go out there and give us just 10 minutes. He laughed and said “No way, man..”

    peak KB

    i thought sprained ankles were like some duct tape and maybe an extra pair of socks or something…

    julius is a pretty durable dude…depending on the grade though, yeah maybe a month…except it’s the playoffs…so, maybe game 4 of the 1st round…

    Hopefully, it’s just an abundance of caution.

    We’ve got the 5th seed all but locked in do there’s not much reason to trot him out there.

    Thibs will be forced to design some actual plays for Obi.

    Is this a real quote from Thibideau? I agree Sims could defend a 4, but how would he score?

    “We have a lot of confidence in Obi. We have a lot of confidence in Josh Hart at the 4. We know Jericho can play the 4 as well. It’s different. But it’s still very effective”

    Sims played the 4 next to iHart when Obi went down. He’s probably talking about that. We averaged 7 more ORebs/100 than our opponent in 124 min.

    We were outscored by 1.7pts/100 but that’s not at all terrible.

    I chatted with LJ during a pre-game event last night.

    Wow, that must have been great. 😉 And guys, don’t forget Spree on the 99 run, he was also a force behind that team. About Randle, i think the Knicks PR handles injuries poorly, there was a player that went down because of one foot and they listed the other foot on the injury report. Was it a foot or a hand? I can’t remember, but i think it was Brunson. And one time the report made it look like Brunson was going to miss games and he didn’t, but on the next he missed more games than we were expecting. So, we have to hope it’s not serious and that they’re handling this poorly. Be it on purpose, like Milo said, or just because the PR guys don’t seem to understand the doctors very well. 😛

    Thanks guys!

    So apparently Okoro is out and Allen is listed as doubtful. If Allen doesn’t go, this becomes an eminently winnable game. Unfortunately, if we get the 5th seed it would have been nice to see what they have at full strength but I’d rather get the win and clinch at this point.

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