Tag: new york knicks

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley mirroring idol Lou Williams

BOSTON — When Immanuel Quickley entered the NBA, one of his favorite players was Lou Williams.

Quickley could be following in Williams’ footsteps if his current surge continues. 

Quickley is becoming a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate — the award Williams won three times with the Raptors and the Clippers — as he plays an integral role in the Knicks’ run up the Eastern Conference standings. 

“Any time you get mentioned with any great players like Lou Williams, anybody that’s won Sixth Man of the Year, it’s definitely something that’s pretty cool,” Quickley said. 

At the very least, the third-year player is in the conversation with Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, Clippers guard Norman Powell and Kings guard Malik Monk, among others.

Only players who come off the bench in more games than they start are eligible for the award. 


Immanuel Quickley is enjoying a career-best season.
AP

Lou Williams
Lou Williams won the Sixth Man of the Year award three times.
Getty Images

Quickley is averaging career-highs in points (13.0), rebounds (4.0), minutes (27.6) and field-goal percentage (44.7).

His 7.2 net rating as a reserve (points differential per 100 possessions with him on the floor) is significantly higher than the aforementioned candidates. He is also one of only three reserves with at least 650 points, 200 rebounds and 150 assists, along with Brogdon and Westbrook. 

The super sub was again a dynamic two-way force Friday in the dramatic win over the Heat, scoring 21 points and going 5-for-9 on 3-point attempts as the Knicks (38-27) ran their winning streak to eight games. While the recent trade for Josh Hart, the star turn of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle’s bounce-back season have dominated the storylines surrounding the Knicks, Quickley’s ascension can’t be diminished. 

The 6-foot-3 guard has been a revelation since coach Tom Thibodeau cut his rotation down to nine on Dec. 4, and expanded Quickley’s role. From that point, he is averaging 14.8 points and shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range. The Knicks are outscoring the opposition by 5.2 points per game in that stretch when he’s on the floor. He has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and 31 of a possible 34 contests. 

“I feel like I’m in a groove,” Quickley said. “Defensively, I think is where it starts for me. And just feeling the rhythm defensively, I know I can get in rhythm on offense through that.” 


Immanuel Quickley is in the running to win Sixth Man of the Year.
AP

His defense has been the biggest change for Quickley. He has a stellar 107.3 defensive rating, the best among the Knicks currently in the rotation, other than Hart. He has played incredibly hard all year fighting through screens and has diligently worked on improving his defense. Quickley has been so effective that he has been closing a majority of games of late. 

“He can guard multiple positions. He’s gotten a lot stronger,” Thibodeau said. “But I also think his understanding of the league, knowing what teams are trying to get to, his ability to think ahead, [is important]. He’s very good at thinking on his feet.” 

After a strong rookie year, Quickley took a step back last season and didn’t start out well this year. He struggled with his shot, shooting just 30 percent from deep in November while averaging south of double figures. But he has been essential to the 180-degree turn the Knicks have made over the last three months, to the point at which a contract extension this summer feels likely. Early this season, the Knicks were looking into trading Quickley for draft capital. That changed by the turn of the new year. 


Immanuel Quickley celebrates during the Knicks’ win over the Heat on March 3.
AP

A Sixth Man of the Year Award would help his side in negotiations, not that Quickley would admit to thinking about the potential honor. 

“For me, honestly, it really all comes down to winning,” he said. “You don’t win, no one gets awards. So, honestly, I really don’t even focus on it too much. I focus on it day to day, trying to get better, and if I win Sixth Man of the Year, then I win Sixth Man of the Year.” 

He’s certainly in the conversation. As Thibodeau likes to say when positively evaluating a player, Quickley has impacted winning.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Knicks’ RJ Barrett has big night: ‘playmaking was terrific’

It won’t solve the problem of his late-game absences, but RJ Barrett found a way to at least redirect attention Saturday night.

Barrett dished out a season-high seven assists and scored 25 points (his most points since he scored 30 on Feb. 2) as the Knicks defeated the Pelicans, 128-106, at the Garden. It marked the sixth time in Barrett’s four-year NBA career he has had seven or more assists. He attributed his facilitation to being aggressive on offense. He also noted that the made shots, a key component, followed from other Knicks after his passes.

“The playmaking was terrific, all-around play, just read the game really well,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Barrett. “Aggressive to start, good rhythm, and then when there was traffic around him, he sprayed it out and created easy shots for us. And when we get our team doing that we’re gonna score a lot of points.”

Barrett’s big game came one night after Thibodeau kept him off the court for the final 7:56 of a tight contest against the Wizards. Before the game Saturday, Thibodeau attributed his decision Friday to “sometimes, another guy’s got it going and that’s the way it is.” But it wasn’t the first time this season the coach has subbed out Barrett, his 22-year-old, $107 million star, in pivotal moments of the fourth quarter.


RJ Barrett, who scored 25 points, drives on Josh Richardson
Noah K. Murray-NY Post

“It’s going to be what goes well, but RJ’s obviously a very important part of the team,” Thibodeau said.

Two of Barrett’s assists came early in the first quarter. Barrett lobbed a pass to Mitchell Robinson, who scored to give the Knicks a double-digit lead. Later, he executed a drive-and-kick to Randle, who hit a 3-pointer from the left wing.

Barrett also found a scoring rhythm early, challenging Brandon Ingram one-on-one and beating him with a crossover and step-back jumper to open the scoring. He added 10 points in the third quarter, including eight points in the first 3:13.

“[Barrett] was great,” Randle said. “Just how he was reading the floor, getting guys open looks early with how they were playing and keeping his feet when he got in the lane.”

Near the start of the second quarter, Barrett curled around a screen from Isaiah Hartenstein and drained a 3-pointer. He sank another 3 later in the quarter, after Jalen Brunson flung a crosscourt pass near the right corner, where Barrett was stationed.

In between those two baskets, he added another pair of assists — facilitating a Robinson dunk and a Josh Hart jumper — that helped him to his most this season since Dec. 11, when he compiled six in a win against the Kings.

“We clicked really well as a team today,” Barrett said.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein continues his strong play

ATLANTA — Three weeks ago, Isaiah Hartenstein made the game-clinching defensive stop as the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers. Afterward, he expressed optimism that his improving health would lead to more consistent play.

He has backed up those words.

The 7-foot free agent acquisition from the Clippers continued to impress Wednesday night in a 122-101 rout of the Hawks at State Farm Arena, notching six points, 11 rebounds and three blocks off the bench. A frustrating Achilles injury has been far less of an issue lately. Over his past 12 games, Hartenstein is averaging 6.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 24.9 minutes.

“That’s been the biggest change,” Hartenstein told The Post. “I feel like I can do the role that I need to do here a lot better with how good my Achilles is now feeling. … My main thing was helping the team win. Now it’s coming back where I’m doing the little stuff to help the team win.”

One particular play stood out Wednesday in the Knicks’ third straight win. In the second quarter, Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu went for a big dunk and Hartenstein stood him up, rejecting the shot.


Isaiah Hartenstein grabs one of his 11 rebounds during the Knicks’ 122-101 win over the Hawks.
Getty Images

“It felt good,” he said. “Me and Okongwu always — since I’ve been in the NBA — have had a lot of good battles. It was good to get one.”

Hartenstein’s improved play and the performance of Jericho Sims jhave enabled the Knicks to stay afloat without defensive linchpin Mitchell Robinson. They are 8-6 since Robinson, who could return after the All-Star break, suffered a fractured right thumb on Jan. 18.

“I mentioned this other night, the big thing is anytime someone goes out, and you hate to see anybody be injured, it’s an opportunity for someone else to step in and grow,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I think Jericho getting into that role has really been helpful for him and for us. I said this earlier, I love the depth we have at that position…. I don’t want to overlook the contributions Isaiah’s made. Isaiah has found a really good rhythm. He’s playing really well on both sides of the ball. So we’re getting really good production out of that position.”

Thibodeau doesn’t have any big plans for the All-Star break.

“I’ll be at Club Tarrytown,” he joked, a reference to the location of the Knicks’ practice facility.

Archbishop Stepinac alum and Ossining, N.Y., native AJ Griffin scored 12 points off the bench for the Hawks.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Knicks’ second unit is finally healthy finding its rhythm

Two games after Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went to his new second unit in early December, Obi Toppin suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right fibula. When he returned a month later, RJ Barrett, a starter who almost always plays with the reserves, was out with a lacerated right index finger. 

Finally, Thibodeau’s second-unit quintet of Toppin, Barrett, Isaiah Hartenstein, Miles McBride and Immanuel Quickley are healthy at the same time, and there are signs they can be productive for the Knicks. 

On Tuesday night, that unit helped the Knicks build an 11-point, second-quarter lead, then keyed a strong fourth quarter as part of a 27-point performance. Two nights earlier, the group was pivotal in the Knicks overcoming an early 17-point deficit, although it also struggled in the fourth quarter of that loss to the Raptors. Quickley, however, didn’t play in that game. 

“Huge. I mentioned it earlier that the bench was playing really well prior to RJ getting hurt, then Obi got hurt and we haven’t found our rhythm,” Thibodeau said. “Now I think we’re starting to find that rhythm again.” 


Obi Toppin #1, Immanuel Quickley #5 and Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks huddle in action against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 2022 in New York City.
Getty Images

Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the New York Knicks celebrates after scoring against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena on January 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Getty Images

The overall numbers of the five aren’t great, although it is a very small sample size. In 53 minutes together they have a minus-6.2 NET rating. Their offensive rating is an even 100, a poor figure, while their defensive rating of 106.2 is solid. 

But there has been much shuffling because of the injuries to Toppin and Barrett, Quickley missing a game with a sore left knee and Hartenstein being slowed by an Achilles injury. They showed what they can do against the Cavaliers, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. 

Toppin scored in double figures for the second straight game, producing 11 points. Quickley continued his ascension as a quality all-around player, notching nine points, six assists, five rebounds and a team-best, plus-14 rating. McBride was aggressive and made quick decisions, dishing out three assists along with his typical quality defense. Then there was Hartenstein, who enjoyed one of his best games as a Knick with nine rebounds, four assists and a block. That included the game-saving stop at the rim of Donovan Mitchell in the final seconds. 

“When they come in and they push the lead like that, it’s tough [or the opposition], because it allows us obviously to get rest, but it just brings a certain momentum and confidence to our team when they play like that,” Julius Randle said. 

Consistency is clearly the key, but so is health. They just haven’t shared the floor enough to develop cohesion. The Knicks need them to be productive, to lighten the load on co-stars Randle and Jalen Brunson. Quickley, averaging career-highs in points (12.4), rebounds (4.0), field goal percentage (42.9) and minutes (27.4), has been a constant. Toppin finding his form of a year ago would be a major boost. Though his 3-point shooting has improved, up to a career-best 37 percent, his other numbers are all down. Lately, though, he has begun to find his game, perhaps as he has shaken off the rust from all that time on the sideline with his leg injury. 


R.J. Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks looks up the court against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on January 22, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Getty Images

“I loved his aggressiveness,” Thibodeau said. “He’s mixing it up, he’s not settling. It’s some drives to the basket, it’s running the floor, it’s shooting the open 3.” 

Overall, the bench is 26th in the league in scoring, but it does have strong advanced numbers: sixth in offensive rating (114.9) and ninth in NET rating (plus-1.8). As the Knicks try to stay afloat amid a difficult schedule while defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson is out for the next month with a fractured right thumb, they will need their bench to make a positive impact on a consistent basis. 

Their latest showing was a step forward in that direction. 

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Mets, Red Sox among MLB teams eyeing January deals

Teams historically run low on spending money at this stage of the offseason. But it’s interesting that a couple of the richest teams (Mets and Red Sox) and a few of the smaller-revenue teams (Marlins, Pirates and Brewers) saved money for January deals. 

After signing Tommy Pham to be their fourth outfielder for $6 million, the Mets are looking for a lefty reliever and there’s interest in Zack Britton. So far the Mets aren’t sure if they can work out a deal for Britton, who threw for teams last week. 

Andrew Chafin, whose market is heating up, is another Mets possibility. 

The Red Sox are working late. After agreeing to terms with Adam Duvall for $7M and with Jorge Alfaro and Raimel Tapia on minor league deals, they are considering Elvis Andrus, Josh Harrison and perhaps Jurickson Profar. 

The Red Sox seem to believe Kiké Hernandez can handle shortstop and like Harrison as someone who can play all over (including occasionally at short). 

Andrew Chafin could be a thrifty option for the Mets bullpen.
Getty Images

Yuli Gurriel, a South Florida resident, is a possible fit for the Marlins, who just added Johnny Cueto for $8.5M. 

Aroldis Chapman, another South Florida resident, seemed to want to be a Marlin, but agreed to a $3.75M deal with the Royals. 

One person said he thought Marlins GM Kim Ng would be reluctant to sign a player with a domestic violence ban in his past. Miami surely considered that issue with Chapman, but it isn’t known whether that was the deciding factor. 

The Marlins seem to sign a lot of Miami area residents (Avi Garcia and Jorge Soler are too). The Braves had interest in bringing 2022 World Series MVP Soler back at the deadline last year after Duvall went down, but wanted Miami to pay the deal down. They wound up dealing for Robbie Grossman. 

The Pirates did well to sign Andrew McCutchen and Rich Hill, and the Brewers to ink Wade Miley and Brian Anderson (the former Marlins third baseman; Milwaukee’s TV announcer is also named Brian Anderson). 

The Cardinals, Twins and Rockies are among the teams linked to Miami’s Pablo Lopez, who seems to be the most likely to go in a trade. 

The Marlins would like Luis Arraez back for Lopez, but the Twins would want two pitchers for the AL batting champ.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Jalen Brunson wears Jalen Hurts jersey before Knicks’ loss

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is one of the top current athletes on the New York scene, but he won’t be rooting for the New York Giants on Saturday night.

Brunson was seen wearing a jersey of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts before the Knicks’ ugly 116-105 loss to the Wizards on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The 26-year-old Brunson, a New Brunswick native, is a big Eagles fan from growing up in southern New Jersey. Brunson has other Philadelphia ties when he was a key member of Villanova’s 2018 national championship team.

“I’m sure Twitter is probably going crazy,” said Brunson, who scored a game-high 32 points in the loss. “It is what it is.”

On Monday, Obi Toppin, a New Yorker, was predicting a Giants win, telling every reporter that walked into the locker room they would “whoop the Eagles ass.”

Brunson, on the other hand, has so far declined to offer a prediction on the showdown.

The visiting Giants are a 7.5-point underdog in Saturday’s NFC divisional clash which begins at 8:15 p.m. on Fox.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Knicks’ RJ Barrett has big night in return from finger injury

No, RJ Barrett said with a smile, he was not surprised to log 41 minutes in his first full game since Christmas Day.

This is Tom Thibodeau we’re talking about.

“Whenever you suit up, expect the unexpected,” the Knicks’ cornerstone wing said after scoring 27 points and adding eight rebounds in their 119-113 win over the Pacers Wednesday night.

Barrett’s lacerated right index finger felt fine after it cost him the last six games, and his conditioning was there. He started hot against the Pacers, scoring 16 first-half points, but struggled a bit late. But for the most part, it was a strong return.

“I was trying to be aggressive,” Barrett said. “I’ve been working, I haven’t been just sitting down. Being able to go out there and my team and my teammates having confidence in me was huge for me. … Could’ve had a better second half, but I’m sure as these games go along, I’ll get better.”

RJ Barrett, who scored 27 points, goes up for a shot during the Knicks’ 119-113 win over the Pacers.
Robert Sabo

Barrett suffered the injury on Dec. 27 in the opening minutes of an excruciating overtime loss to the Mavericks in Dallas. Counting that game, the Knicks went 4-3 without one of their top players.

In a surprise move, Thibodeau went much of the fourth quarter with Quentin Grimes on the bench, opting for Immanuel Quickley instead at one of the guard spots. Grimes did check back into the game with 1:15 remaining, and scored five points late to ice the game. He wound up with a team-high, plus-14 rating in 30 minutes and scored 18 points.

“We can close with ‘Quick.’ We can close with Quentin. Just the way that it unfolded,” Thibodeau said. “The pressure that we were facing, I thought ‘Quick’ gave us a little different look than Quentin. I’m comfortable with Quentin in those situations. I wasn’t going to take RJ out.”

Quickley came off the bench after starting the last seven games and had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in 26 productive minutes. … The Pacers were without starting wing Aaron Nesmith (non-COVID illness) and standout forward Myles Turner (back spasms).

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton haven’t gotten over analyst’s snub

Wally Szczerbiak wasn’t named, but the Pacers clearly aren’t over the MSG Network analyst’s harsh criticism of star Tyrese Haliburton as they head into Wednesday’s clash with the Knicks.

The last time the teams played — a 109-106 Knicks’ win in Indiana on Dec. 18 — Szczerbiak took some unsolicited jabs at Haliburton on the postgame show, saying he was unable to help the Pacers close out the win. Szczerbiak called him a “Mr. supposed wannabe fake All-Star.”

“He’s a very good player, he’s not gonna make the All-Star team,” he said. “A guy like Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson will make it over Tyrese Haliburton. Tonight we saw why.”

Szczerbiak has since apologized on-air, but that didn’t seem to quell Haliburton and his teammates’ desire to prove the former 10-year NBA veteran wrong. Wednesday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden will be the teams’ first meeting since that game. The Pacers come in having won eight of their last 10 and sit a game ahead of the Knicks in the East.

Haliburton said, “yes, yes” when asked by a reporter if he was looking forward to going to New York and showing what a different team the Pacers are than they were that night. Haliburton, who is averaging 20.3 points, 10.3 rebound and 4.3 assists this year, has not made the All-Star team in his previous three NBA seasons.

Guard T.J. McConnell took things a step further while making a passing reference to Szczerbiak.

“I think there was some fuel to that fire after the Knicks game,” McConnell told reporters. “Won’t name any names, but there was some fuel to that fire that sparked our All-Star to come out and take us to the next level. It started with Tyrese. He’s been phenomenal.”

Szczerbiak did “apologize personally” for his comments on air days later.

“He’s a wonderful young player,” he said. “He’s definitely in the All-Star conversation, along with guys like Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. It’s going to be interesting to see who makes it and all those three players are wonderful players.”

When Haliburton was previously asked about Szczerbiak’s initial comment last month by Bleacher Report he said he had “no clue” what sparked the criticism.

“I don’t know, I think he just was excited about a Knicks win and that got him going,” Haliburton said at the time. “But he’s just doing whatever he can to get attention and that’s just the media these days.”



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Knicks’ Julius Randle trying to keep up rhythm after ‘monster month’

Julius Randle enjoyed a “monster month” for the Knicks, in Tom Thibodeau’s estimation.

The power forward averaged 28.3 points and 37.1 minutes in 15 December games, with the Knicks’ 9-6 record for the month featuring the highs of an eight-game winning streak and the lows of a five-game losing skid that was halted with Saturday’s win in Houston.

“Just locked-in, focused. Whatever my team needs to get it done,” Randle said after scoring 35 against the Rockets, his third time in four games with at least that many points. “Really just reading the defense, letting the game decide what I should and shouldn’t do, and just being patient out there.

“I’m in a pretty good rhythm,” he added, “but just trying to play the game the right way.”

For December, Randle shot 47.8 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from 3-point range and averaged 11.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists to raise his overall numbers for the season to 24.1 points, 9.7 boards and 3.8 dimes. He also averaged 24.1 points in 2020-21 when he was named to his first career All-Star team and won the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Julius Randle is preparing to maintain his All-Star level form in January.
Tim Heitman/Getty Images

“Yeah, he’s just had a monster month,” Thibodeau said. “We’re asking him to do a lot, too. He’s scoring, he’s passing, he’s rebounding. He’s playing big minutes, he’s handled it all.”

Randle, who said earlier on the trip that he’s focused more on the Knicks than on making the All-Star team again, also got to the free-throw line often against the Rockets, hitting 12 of 16, to go along with 12 rebounds and six assists with Jalen Brunson (hip) and RJ Barrett (lacerated finger) still sidelined.

“Julius was terrific,” Thibodeau added. “He got us to the bonus early, and we ended up getting a lot of free throws which allowed us to set our defense, too. So that was important. But I also thought he made a lot of good plays that got us into rhythm, got our team into rhythm.”

“He made a lot of good plays. When the double [teams] came, he was very unselfish.”

Brunson is questionable and Barrett remains out for the Knicks’ home game Monday against Phoenix. All-Star guard Devin Booker (groin) and forward Cameron Johnson (knee) are out for the Suns.

Obi Toppin (fractured fibula) said he’s “feeling good” and “doing more,” but the Knicks still have not given a timeframe for his return.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Ex-Knick Kemba Walker on why he shut it down last season

DALLAS — Kemba Walker knew he had to make the decision to shut it down last February, leaving the Knicks to take care of his balky knee with an eye on continuing his NBA career.

Following a salary-dump trade to Detroit this summer and a subsequent release by the Pistons, the Bronx native and former UConn star hooked on with the Mavericks last month. Walker averaged 12.8 points over 23.8 minutes per game in his first five appearances for Dallas.

After sitting out the previous two games for maintenance on his knee, he scored one point in five minutes during the Knicks’ 126-121 overtime loss to the Mavericks.

“It wasn’t that tough, to be honest. It was a selfish decision, actually,” Walker said of his shutdown last season. “I was looking out for myself. I wanted to get right. At that time, I wasn’t playing much at all. So it just didn’t make sense.

Kemba Walker
Getty Images

“To be honest, I just kept working. Working my butt off trying to get myself back. These guys gave me a call. So that’s definitely much appreciated.”

The four-time All-Star, who signed a two-year contract worth $16 million with the Knicks before last season, stressed that he felt “definitely no hard feelings” and “no bad blood” toward the organization.

“I’m from New York. I’m always going to root for my team. Ain’t no bad blood at all,” said Walker, who managed a triple-double at the Garden for the Knicks on Christmas of 2021. “It meant a lot. It was cool. Especially when they were chanting my name at the Garden. That was a super-dope feeling.

“I’m a New York City kid, born and raised. Those were some great memories for me that I will remember and definitely cherish for a very long time.”

Asked about Walker before the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said: “Look, I love Kemba. Kemba has been a great player in the league for a long time. The only issue we had with Kemba was health. If Kemba’s healthy, he’s a great guy and he’s a great player.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version