Now a member of the Trail Blazers, forward Cam Reddish spoke to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News about his disappointing stint with the Knicks, explaining that he felt as if the decision to bench him for his final 33 games with the team wasn’t about his on-court performance.
“It was tough but at the same time, it ain’t even about basketball,” Reddish said. “It had nothing to do with basketball. It was all the politics, all the favoritism. S–t like that. That’s why I wasn’t too worried about it.”
Reddish didn’t expand in any detail on that response, repeatedly telling Bondy that he’s simply happy to be in a better situation following the deadline deal that sent him to Portland. Reddish has started 10 of his 12 games for the Blazers, averaging a career-high 13.8 points per game on .464/.382/.857 shooting in 30.8 minutes per night. The 23-year-old added that he felt as if he had very little margin for error when he was a Knick.
“I can shoot a shot — and in New York, I feel like I HAD to make it,” Reddish said. “I know I’m not the only person that felt like that. I was putting too much pressure on myself. Now I can relax and play my game. You’re going to see it. The more I’m on the court, the more I’m going to grow and play. I’m happy.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (left foot soreness) has been ruled out for Saturday’s game vs. the Clippers and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for either of the last two contests of the team’s road trip (on Sunday and Tuesday), writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Brunson’s status going forward is a real cause for concern, Botte notes, given that the Knicks are far from locking up a top-six spot in the East and Brunson has been the team’s most indispensable player this season.
- The Nets knew they were adding a talented player when they acquired Mikal Bridges as the centerpiece of their return for Kevin Durant, but they weren’t expecting the kind of offensive production they’ve gotten so far from the fifth-year forward, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Bridges has put up 25.8 PPG on .514/.492/.900 shooting in 12 games (34.0 MPG) since arriving in Brooklyn. “I don’t think anybody knew that Mikal was this amazing offensively. Just being completely real,” new teammate Spencer Dinwiddie said. “It’s our job that he can get to his spots and get his shots and continue to stack up these (30-point nights) as much as he possibly can.”
- In last month’s trades of Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets were focused on getting back as many current and future assets as possible. Soon, they’ll need to make some major decisions about their direction, including which of their current players are keepers and whether they plan to shop or hang onto their newly acquired first-round draft picks. In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Lewis takes a closer look at the decisions on tap in Brooklyn.
Politics and favoritism? Pretty sure Rose is one of Thibs all time favorites and he’s on the bench most of the time
He flamed out in ATL. He flamed out in NYK.
At some point, the player has to look in the mirror and ask honestly, “Is it really the team or is it me?”
Talented player but I think he thinks little too highly of himself.
In atlanta it was a horrible fit and thibs is known to hate young players and have his favorites. I’d say let him get some time on the blazers actually playing basketball before we judge him to critically. I’m skeptical he will ever be more than a 1-2 vorp player. But time will tell.
Thibs hates young players? Is that why Grimes is starting over Fournier and Quickly is getting the minutes Rose thought he would have???
Stop singing the same tired old song.
It goes both ways. When guys are so terrible and/or so old and injury prone that they have little else to offer, it forces the head coach to make decisions they might otherwise not make.
Let’s not pretend Thibs is some sort of rotation expert now. He’s still stubborn and inflexible at times. Maybe not quite as bad as his reputation, but still not great. And it will get exposed in the playoffs.
“I can shoot a shot — and in New York, I feel like I HAD to make it”
Well, from team perspective, if you are choosing to shoot the ball (and a lot), we hope you can make them. smh
Also doesn’t every player fighting for playing time feel that way?
I never forget ….. especially when it comes to ball …..
For the Dinwiddie detractors ….. all of them. Including the media who said he was done. You believe me Now …….
“Dinwiddie, who had 29 points, 11 assists and only one turnover, who made the huge plays down the stretch. “
link to nypost.com
Even a blind squirrel will find a nut. He’s on an ‘eh’ team where he’s one of the stars, so yes, he’ll put up numbers. Put him in the same basket as other PGs and doubt he’s even in the top 50% of starters. Look at Westbrook – triple doubles all day long but he can’t hit the side of a barn beyond 18 feet. D’Widdie is just a product of a team with no other stars. And if he was that good, why do teams look to move him? As soon as the Nets acquired him, they almost sent him packing again to Toronto.
He’s good, but he’s not all that. Outstanding 6th man in my opinion.
Still singing this clowns praises I see Al
In a way I can see what Cam means. But it’s all sour grapes. Knicks were, are building a core here. Takes more than talent to build that. And Cam may need time to find his NBA gm. (not a hater so I hope he does). But Knicks don’t have the option of time to wait for it. I take Hart for TWO Cams right now. He’s a player we need Now.
Absolutely agree with the “favoritism” comment. Thibs doesn’t just show it in the score box, he shows it on the sidelines during the games. IQ is his new fave, which is one reason you don’t see Rose anymore. Randle is another. I believe he feels he has to play RJ, Brunson and Grimes for the obvious reasons, but he does play faves for sure.
As for Reddish, he didn’t help his cause, but I also believe he wasn’t suited for either of the systems he was in. That to me is a sign of poor coaching. Pops can get anyone to perform. If you look at Reddish in Portland, he’s doing relatively well. More time in an open system and you could eventually see what was to be expected of him. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but he does need to prove it when given the chance – consistently.
Isn’t it literally his job to play his favorites? Otherwise let a computer determine the lineups. He is the coach he is trusted with selecting who to play.
Not in Thibs system. His favorites don’t always equate to being the best on the team.
Yeah, but he’s never trying to lose, i.e. he is always going to roll out the lineup he thinks will win. Whether they’re the “best” is besides the point.
Reddish is really just saying that Thibs tried to coach him, and he doesn’t want that. He prefers to be handed roles/minutes, without the pressure of the same needing to give the team the best chance to win.
Not surprising. That’s basically what he told the coaching staff (and his reps told the FO) when he was here. Hopefully, for Reddish & Co., POR will be in tanking mode for awhile.
Nons who don’t understand the game. Use so called stars. As some form relativity. Westbrook is a HOFer. UFI ….. you got absolutely nothing….
Dinwiddie left his shorts for you. Smell what balling looks like.. learn the gm respect yourself.
Playing ball is not about the stars. Playing ball is about building a winner. Not everyone can do it. No matter how many stars you got.
Totally agree with you Al