Bucks Dismiss Head Coach Adrian Griffin
2:46pm: The Bucks have made it official, announcing in a press release that Griffin has been dismissed from his position with the team and that Prunty will serve as the interim head coach.
“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”
1:43pm: The Bucks are making a head coaching change, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is dismissing Adrian Griffin.
It’s a shocking turn of events for a Bucks team whose 30-13 record is tied for second-best in the NBA, and for Griffin, who was in his first year as a head coach, having been hired by Milwaukee last June. The former Raptors assistant reportedly had the support of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo at the time of his hiring.
Still, while the Bucks have an excellent record and the NBA’s second-best offensive rating (120.6), the club’s defensive performance has fallen off sharply under Griffin. Milwaukee’s 116.8 defensive rating ranks 22nd in the league; last season, the team had the NBA’s fourth-best defense.
Setting aside the Bucks’ defensive struggles – which can be partly attributed to personnel changes, including losing perimeter stopper Jrue Holiday – it hasn’t all been smooth sailing in Milwaukee so far this season.
Griffin’s top assistant coach, Terry Stotts, unexpectedly and abruptly stepped down from his position just before the regular season began; Antetokounmpo and Griffin had a heated on-court disagreement in November; and Bobby Portis reportedly challenged the head coach during a locker-room meeting following December’s in-season tournament semifinal loss to Indiana.
According to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), there have been “steady rumblings” in NBA circles in recent weeks that multiple Bucks veterans, including Giannis, had been losing faith in the first-time head coach.
We’ll likely hear more details in the coming hours or days about why the Bucks felt the need to make a change, but the move feels reminiscent of the 30-11 Cavaliers replacing David Blatt during the 2015/16 season. In that instance, the team recognized that things weren’t quite right with Blatt at the helm and made a move in the hopes of increasing its championship upside — Cleveland won the title a few months later.
Griffin will exit his first head coaching job with the fourth-best winning percentage (.698) in NBA history, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via Twitter). Bucks assistant Joe Prunty is expected to take over as Milwaukee’s head coach on an interim basis, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), this will be the third time that Prunty has taken over as an interim head coach during a season. He also did so in Milwaukee following the firing of Jason Kidd in 2018 and last season in Atlanta after Nate McMillan was let go.
Prunty likely won’t be the long-term answer on the Bucks’ bench though. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) both say that Doc Rivers is a strong contender for the permanent job, while Wojnarowski tweets that Milwaukee is expected to look at a pool of “accomplished and available” veteran coaches, including Rivers.
The Bucks’ next game is on Wednesday at home vs. the Cavaliers.
Hornets Trade Rozier To Heat For Lowry, First-Round Pick
1:30pm: The trade is official, according to announcements from both the Hornets and Heat.
“I want to thank Terry for all his efforts since coming to Charlotte,” Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “On the court, he was a true professional and a great competitor who set a positive example for our young players. He also made himself a staple of the Charlotte community with his commitment to giving back. We wish him all the best in the future.
“The acquisition of a future first-round pick provides us an asset as we look to build long-term sustainable success around our young core of talented players. We believe adding this future pick and the additional financial flexibility from this trade will be beneficial as we continue to build our team moving forward.”
9:13am: The Hornets are trading guard Terry Rozier to the Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and Miami’s 2027 first-round pick, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the two teams were closing in on a deal.
The 2027 first-rounder will be lottery protected, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). If it lands in the top 14 of the ’27 draft, the Heat would keep it and would instead send the Hornets their unprotected 2028 first-round pick, Fischer adds.
Rozier is in the midst of a career year. His 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game through 30 appearances (35.5 MPG) are both career highs, as is his 45.9% field goal percentage.
While the 29-year-old has played a key role in Charlotte in recent years – starting all 298 games he has played for the team since 2019 – the 10-31 Hornets are far from contention, so it makes sense for the team to move on from him and recoup future assets.
Fischer reported last week that Rozier had a “known preference” to end up in Miami if he were to be traded this season. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Rozier’s favorite player growing up was Heat star Dwyane Wade.
The Heat have had a solid first half despite dealing with injuries to several starters and rotation players — they currently sit in a tie for the sixth seed in the East, with a 24-19 record. Still, the club could use the sort of offensive punch that Rozier will provide. Miami’s 113.4 offensive rating ranks just 20th in the NBA and 10th among Eastern teams.
Rozier is earning approximately $23.2MM this season, while Lowry is on a $29.7MM expiring contract, so the deal will save the Heat a substantial chunk of money in the short term. In addition to trimming its 2023/24 team salary, Miami will reduce its projected luxury tax bill by approximately $15MM and will move well below the second tax apron, as cap experts Yossi Gozlan and Bobby Marks observe (Twitter links).
The move will add some money to the Heat’s books in future seasons, however. Whereas Lowry will reach free agency this offseason, Rozier is owed $24.9MM in 2024/25, and his $26.6MM cap hit for ’25/26 features a significant partial guarantee ($24.9MM).
The Hornets, meanwhile, will create some cap flexibility for future seasons by moving Rozier’s multiyear deal for Lowry’s expiring contract. As Gozlan points out (via Twitter), the team could generate approximately $45MM in cap room this summer.
However, Charlotte likely isn’t done dealing and remains in asset accumulation mode, as Wojnarowski tweets. Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, and Gordon Hayward are among the other veteran candidates on the Hornets’ roster. Additionally, the front office is expected to see if it can flip Lowry in another trade before the February 8 deadline, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Lowry won’t have positive trade value on his own, but his expiring money may appeal to a team looking to move off a player on a multiyear deal. The Hornets could potentially extract an asset or two if they’re willing to take back an unwanted contract.
If no trade emerges for Lowry, he’d be a buyout candidate after the trade deadline. Because his salary is above the mid-level exception, the 37-year-old wouldn’t be permitted to sign with a team whose salary is above either tax apron. He’d also be ineligible to return to Miami.
It’s worth noting that the Heat owe a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick to Oklahoma City and can’t leave themselves without first-rounders in consecutive drafts, due to the Stepien rule. So if that ’25 pick lands in the lottery, Miami would owe the Thunder an unprotected 2026 first-round selection and would send Charlotte its unprotected 2028 first-rounder.
The Heat will create a $6,477,319 trade exception in the swap — that’s the difference between Lowry’s outgoing salary and Rozier’s incoming cap charge.
Former Rocket Kevin Porter Jr. Reaches Plea Deal
Former Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was arrested in September following an altercation with his then-girlfriend, ex-WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, reached a plea deal in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, according to reports from ESPN and Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle.
Accused of assaulting Gondrezick in a New York hotel, Porter was originally charged with felony counts of assault and strangulation. He ultimately agreed to reckless assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, as well as harassment in the second degree, which is considered a violation.
If Porter completes a court-ordered 26-week counseling session program and abides by a restraining order, he’ll be able to withdraw his plea to the assault charge in one year.
“The resolution will allow Mr. Porter to put this incident, which involved false felony allegations and false facts, behind him with no criminal record and move forward,” Porter’s lawyers said in a statement.
Several weeks after Porter’s arrest in September, Gondrezick disputed Manhattan prosecutors’ characterization of the incident that took place on September 11, telling Priscilla DeGregory and Emily Crane of The New York Post that Porter “never balled his fists up and hit me” and “definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times.”
A second-degree assault charge against Porter was dropped at that time after it was determined that Gondrezick’s vertebra fracture was a congenital defect and not caused by the former Rocket.
“It happened very fast, not to the degree of what was reported,” Gondrezick said of the altercation. “And it was an argument that occurred in the room for not even 10 seconds.”
Porter was asked not to report to the Rockets for training camp following his arrest and was eventually traded to the Thunder, who waived him. He has been an unrestricted free agent since then.
In cases like these, the NBA typically waits for the legal process to play out before conducting its own investigation and making a decision on a potential suspension for the player, so Porter can probably expect to hear from the league at some point.
The 30th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Porter was Houston’s starting point guard last season, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 59 appearances. He posted a shooting line of .442/.366/.784.
While I wouldn’t expect NBA teams to aggressively pursue the 23-year-old now that his case has been resolved, he’s a candidate to land a new contract later in 2024 due to his performance on the court. Still, it’s worth noting that Porter’s tenure with the Cavaliers – his first NBA team – also came to an end due to concerns about his off-court behavior, so it’s safe to assume any potential suitor will do plenty of background work before deciding whether to offer him a deal.
Cavs’ Tristan Thompson Suspended For 25 Games
Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been suspended for 25 games by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
According to the NBA, Thompson violated the terms of the league’s anti-drug program by testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033. Both drugs are on the list of prohibited substances in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, under the “steroids and performance enhancing drugs” section.
Under the current CBA, a 25-game ban is the standard for a player who tests positive for a SPED and hasn’t been suspended for a past violation.
Thompson, 32, spent the first nine years of his NBA career in Cleveland from 2011-20, winning a championship with the franchise in 2016. After bouncing around the league in recent years, he rejoined the Cavaliers as a free agent this past September, signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Thompson has played regular minutes as Cleveland’s backup center behind Jarrett Allen this season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game across 36 appearances.
With Thompson unavailable and Evan Mobley still sidelined due to a knee injury, the Cavs may turn to center Damian Jones for rotation minutes. Jones has seen some action in recent weeks, albeit almost exclusively in garbage time. Two-way player Isaiah Mobley – Evan’s brother – is another frontcourt option, but he has only appeared in three NBA games this season.
The suspension will cost Thompson more than $726K of his $3,196,448 salary — he’ll forfeit 1/110th of his salary per game. Cleveland will be able to move him to the suspended list after five games, opening up another spot on the 15-man roster until he’s eligible to be reinstated.
Pacers’ Haliburton Out For At Least Three More Games
The Pacers will be without their star point guard for at least three more games, according to the team, which announced this morning (via Twitter) that Tyrese Haliburton will be unavailable vs. Denver (on Tuesday), Philadelphia (Thursday), and Phoenix (Friday) before being reevaluated on Saturday.
Haliburton missed five games due to a left hamstring strain earlier this month. He beat his projected recovery timeline by returning to action on Friday in Portland, but was ruled out for Sunday’s contest in Phoenix and will now remain on the shelf for a few more games due to what the club is calling left hamstring injury management.
It’s an unfortunate setback for the Pacers, who are in the midst of the Eastern Conference playoff race (they’re tied for sixth at 24-19) and are looking to establish chemistry with a revamped lineup that features newly acquired forward Pascal Siakam.
It’s also a potentially significant financial development for Haliburton, whose five-year, maximum-salary extension would increase in value by a projected $41MM if he makes an All-NBA team this season. As we outlined over the weekend, Haliburton would receive a starting salary worth 30% of next season’s cap – instead of 25% – if he earns All-NBA honors, but he’ll have to appear in at least 65 games to qualify.
By the time he’s reevaluated on Saturday, Haliburton will have missed 12 games this season. Additionally, he logged just 13 minutes in a 13th game, so it won’t count toward his 65-game minimum. That means he’d become ineligible for All-NBA consideration if he misses five more games after this Friday’s contest.
With Haliburton unavailable, the Pacers figure to continue leaning more heavily on T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Bennedict Mathurin for ball-handling and play-making responsibilities.
Trade Rumors: R. Williams, Knicks, Lakers, Hawks, Wizards
Trail Blazers center Robert Williams won’t play again this season after undergoing knee surgery in November, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s off the table in trade talks. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT suggested during the latest episode of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that Williams is a trade candidate to watch.
“There are some teams that are pondering making a move for Robert Williams,” Haynes said (hat tip to Blazer’s Edge). “Now, I know Robert Williams is out for the season, had another surgery on his right knee. But teams feel like he would be somebody they could get on the cheap right now and allow him to continue recovering, continue rehabbing in hopes that next season he can blossom back into the Robert Williams that we’ve seen when he was playing at a high level with the Boston Celtics.”
Williams was one of the players acquired by Portland in October’s Jrue Holiday deal with the Celtics. While he has shown some promise in his first few years in the NBA, is still just 26 years old, and is on a multiyear contract, there was a sense that the Blazers could be willing to flip the big man to a new team, given that they already have their center of the future in Deandre Ayton. Haynes confirms that’s the case.
“The Blazers will be very open (to moving Williams),” Haynes said. “That’s not up for debate. They’ll be very open. If they feel like they can get the right deal in place, they’re open. The Blazers, they’re in a youth movement right now, so they have nothing but time on their side. Some players don’t fit the development arc of most of the youth they have on that team. Robert Williams is somebody who is definitely available, given the right price.”
While Haynes didn’t specify exactly which teams are potential suitors for Williams, he noted that Ime Udoka is “very fond” of the big man after coaching him in Boston and speculated that the Rockets could have interest.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Discussing the Knicks‘ approach to the trade deadline on the Katz and Shoot podcast, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said Trail Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon is the player he has heard most frequently linked to New York (Twitter video link). Fred Katz of The Athletic cited Pistons guard Alec Burks as another player the Knicks had their eye on and confirmed the team has looked into Dejounte Murray, but isn’t sure whether that interest in the Hawks guard is serious or just a matter of the Knicks doing their due diligence.
- Murray, Bruce Brown, Terry Rozier, and Tyus Jones are potential Lakers trade targets to keep an eye on, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). The team’s interest in all four guards has been previously reported.
- Charania also confirms a previous report about the Lakers and Hawks discussing Murray, adding that a pick swap was part of those negotiations. The talks stalled due to Atlanta’s desire to reroute D’Angelo Russell to a third team, but Charania expects the two teams to resume those discussions before the trade deadline.
- Only one Wizards player is truly off-limits in trade talks at this season’s deadline, according to Charania (Twitter video link): 2023 lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly. Washington would be open to inquiries on anyone else on the roster.
Southeast Notes: Trae, Gafford, Wizards, Howard, Haslem
Hawks guard Trae Young has been diagnosed with a concussion and placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, the team announced today (Twitter links).
Young suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to Cleveland when he was defending an Isaac Okoro drive to the basket and drew an offensive foul (video link via NBA.com). The Hawks’ leading scorer left the game after taking a shot to the head on that play and didn’t return.
As the Hawks noted in today’s announcement, Young will have to pass all the checkpoints in the return-to-participation process before being cleared to play again. The timeline varies from player to player, but it often requires a multi-game absence.
That was the case for Wizards center Daniel Gafford, who missed two games this week while in the concussion protocol but isn’t listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game vs. Denver, suggesting he’s set to return, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- The Wizards, who have a 7-34 record at the season’s midpoint, didn’t expect to be quite this bad on the court, but they still see some positive signs in the early stages of their rebuild, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. The team’s strong locker room chemistry, for instance, has been encouraging. “Even though we’re not having a great season and [there are] people struggling and we’re still trying to get in rhythm, I feel like everybody’s still so supportive and happy, and we’re there for each other,” forward Deni Avdija said.
- Although he has played just 39 minutes as a rookie so far after being drafted 11th overall, Magic guard Jett Howard is staying positive and views his stints in the G League as productive, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I’ve pretty much benefited a lot from Osceola and the playing time I got down there,” said Howard, who has averaged 22.4 points per game on .473/.402/.818 shooting in 12 appearances for Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate, the Osceola Magic. “It’s been great for my development so far. I’ve been loving the process and just falling in love with it at this point.”
- Following his retirement as a player, Udonis Haslem is working with the Heat as the team’s VP of player development. However, he hasn’t given up on his goal of becoming a shareholder in the franchise’s ownership group. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel details, Haslem has floated the idea of partnering with Rick Ross, a rapper and record executive with roots in Miami, to buy a stake in the Heat.
Poll: NBA’s First Half Most Valuable Player
Sixers star Joel Embiid sits atop the latest Most Valuable Player ladder published by Michael C. Wright at NBA.com. Embiid was also Dan Devine’s choice for first half MVP in a half-season awards roundup for Yahoo Sports this week.
There’s certainly no question that Embiid has submitted an MVP-caliber performance when he’s back on the court. He’s leading the NBA in scoring for a third straight season with a career-high 35.0 points per game to go along with 11.4 rebounds and a career-best 5.9 assists for the 28-13 Sixers. On Saturday, he scored 30 or more points for a 20th consecutive game, becoming only the third player in NBA history to achieve that feat (Twitter link).
But Embiid has also missed 10 of Philadelphia’s 41 games so far, putting him on track to sit out 20 for the season. Maintaining that pace would mean he’d fall short of the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season award winners, making him ineligible for this year’s MVP award, as we covered in detail yesterday.
Even if Embiid does reach that 65-game minimum, he may not be a runaway choice for MVP, given that several other NBA superstars are having transcendent seasons for contending teams.
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has been providing the defending champion Nuggets with his usual All-NBA caliber production, including 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per night.
Jokic has also played in 42 of 43 possible games, logging 348 more minutes more than Embiid so far. That’s not an unimportant detail, given that the 29-14 Nuggets have a +11.0 net rating when their star center is on the court, compared to a -7.5 mark when he isn’t — Jokic’s ability to stay on the floor has been crucial to the team’s success.
The surprising Thunder are a half-game ahead of Denver in the standings at 29-13, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been fueling that ascent by putting up career highs in points (31.1), assists (6.3), and steals (2.2) per game to go along with a 54.9% field goal percentage. Like Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander has only missed one game this season and has led his club to a +11.0 net rating during his minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s elite production has become routine by this point, but his incredible production – 31.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 6.0 APG with a .609 FG% – shouldn’t be overlooked. The 29-13 Bucks have a -4.6 net rating when Antetokounmpo isn’t on the court; that mark increases to +7.3 when he’s playing.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has boosted his scoring average to a career-best 33.6 points per game this season while also contributing 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds, with a .485/.376/.778 shooting line. Dallas will likely have to improve its place in the standings to help earn Doncic a real shot at this season’s award though — currently the team sits in sixth place in the West with a 24-18 mark.
Conversely, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has certainly had an impressive statistical season so far (26.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, .472/.367/.812 shooting), his numbers aren’t quite as gaudy as the ones posted by the players mentioned above. But his team has a 32-10 record, which is the best in the league. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins referred to Tatum on Friday as his pick for first half MVP (YouTube link).
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, and Kings center Domantas Sabonis are a few of the other players hovering on the fringes of the MVP race, but they’re dark-horse candidates for now.
We want to know what you think. If you were voting for an MVP based on the season to date, who would you pick? Is Embiid’s missed time a deciding factor for you or has he been valuable enough in his 31 games to earn the top spot on your ballot?
Vote below, then head to the comment section to share your two cents!
Who is your pick for first half MVP?
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Joel Embiid (Sixers) 28% (481)
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) 23% (389)
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Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) 22% (370)
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Someone else 9% (157)
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Luka Doncic (Mavericks) 7% (121)
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Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 6% (94)
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Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 5% (90)
Total votes: 1,702
Trade Rumors: Murray, Sixers, Mavs, Brown, Pelicans
Shams Charania of The Athletic said a few days ago during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) that he has “not gotten the sense” that the Sixers will aggressively pursue Dejounte Murray, despite being identified earlier this month as a potential suitor for the Hawks guard.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype also cast some doubt this week on the idea that Murray will be a top target for Philadelphia, suggesting that he’s a “questionable fit” next to rising 76ers star Tyrese Maxey.
However, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer isn’t ruling out the possibility, exploring the idea of the Sixers going after Murray and positing that he would be a better fit alongside Maxey than he has been with Trae Young in Atlanta, since Maxey wouldn’t be uncomfortable operating off the ball and focusing on scoring.
Still, Pompey acknowledges that the Hawks’ reported asking price for Murray – two first-round picks and a quality player – would be steep for a Philadelphia team that isn’t necessarily loaded with valuable assets. It’s also unclear whether the Sixers view Murray as the sort of player for whom they’d be willing to sacrifice future cap flexibility, including 2024 cap room.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Brad Townsend of The Dallas News previews the trade deadline from the Mavericks‘ perspective, noting that minority owner and head of basketball operations Mark Cuban confirmed during a recent radio appearance that the team would like to further fortify its frontcourt. “If we can get a big who can also create off the dribble, that’d be a plus,” Cuban said. “Six-eight or bigger.”
- After being sent from Indiana to Toronto this week, veteran guard Bruce Brown knows that he’s considered a candidate to be moved again before the trade deadline, but he tells Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) that he’d be fine staying with the Raptors and hasn’t asked them to seek a deal. “I don’t know anything. I’m not requesting anything,” Brown said “… That’s up to (team president) Masai (Ujiri), whatever he wants to do. If he moves me he moves me. If he doesn’t, I’ll stay. It is what it is.”
- After ducking below the luxury tax line by sending Kira Lewis to Toronto (via Indiana), what’s next for the Pelicans on the trade market? Christian Clark of NOLA.com explores that topic, suggesting that the team will almost certainly continue to keep an eye out for a center. Cavaliers starter Jarrett Allen has long been a top target for New Orleans, but he’s unlikely to be available, so a player like Wendell Carter of the Magic or Onyeka Okongwu of the Hawks could be a more viable option, suggests Clark. The poison pill provision applies to Okongwu, which could complicate any deal that involves him.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Achiuwa, Hartenstein, Trade Rumors
There were good vibes in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as Knicks fans gave Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett a warm welcome in their return to New York as Raptors, then watched stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle lead the home team to a dominant 126-100 victory. After the game, Brunson and Randle both spoke about how much they enjoyed playing with Quickley and Barrett, who said they appreciated the reception they received from Knicks fans.
“Love those two. Being teammates with them the past couple of years has been special,” Brunson said of Barrett and Quickley, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “Great character dudes. They both work really hard. Everything you want in a franchise player. Toronto has a couple good dudes over there. I wish them nothing but the best.”
“Those guys are special talents,” Randle added, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “It’s a special relationship I’ve built with them. I know they talk about how much I meant to them, but they mean a lot to me, to be honest. Talking about leadership, how I carry myself, how to be open, how to be honest, how to be motivated — those are things I didn’t necessarily have coming in vocally. I always wanted to lead by example, just play hard every night. But those guys with me brought a different side out of me. … The relationship that I have with them is extremely special.”
While Quickley and Barrett are missed by their former teammates, Saturday’s game was a reminder of why trading them was the right move, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. As Bondy notes, OG Anunoby continues to show he’s a perfect fit alongside the Knicks’ ball-dominant players, who have been on a tear this month.
Following a 38-point showing on Saturday, Brunson has now averaged 28.9 points and 8.4 assists per game since the arrival of Anunoby, who in turn has been an NBA-best +190 during his time on the court as a Knick. Randle had a triple-double in Saturday’s victory and has put up 25.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.1 APG since Anunoby’s debut.
Here’s more out of New York:
- While Anunoby continues to be lauded by his play for the Knicks – including by super-fan Spike Lee, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca details – another former Raptor had a big night vs. his former team on Saturday. Precious Achiuwa established new season highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
- Achiuwa was playing an increased role due to the fact that starting center Isaiah Hartenstein left the game in the third quarter with an ankle issue. According to Bondy (Twitter link), head coach Tom Thibodeau called it as a sprain, though the team later referred to it as just “sore.” Whether or not Hartenstein has to miss time as a result of the injury, Bondy expects Jericho Sims to see more playing time. Sims logged three minutes on Saturday after sitting out the past five games.
- Discussing some of the potential trade targets who have been linked to the Knicks, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) says the Jazz‘s asking price for Jordan Clarkson is very high and that he hasn’t heard anything to suggest that the Knicks and Trail Blazers have had serious talks about Malcolm Brogdon.
- On the other hand, Begley keeps hearing “again and again” that New York has strong interest in Raptors guard Bruce Brown. Asked on Saturday about those rumors, as well as the belief that Thibodeau is a fan of his play, Brown said he has “nothing but respect” for the Knicks’ head coach and can do “just about whatever [Thibodeau] needs me to do,” per Schwartz. “I play extremely hard,” he said. “I would think [I’m] the type of player that he likes.”