Miles McBride

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Achiuwa, Ryan, Bridges, Raptors Dispute

March 3rd, 2025 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who missed the first 58 games of the season while recovering from ankle surgery, was “really good” on Friday in his first game back, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The big man had six points and four rebounds and was a +11 in 12 minutes in his season debut vs. Memphis.

Robinson provided the Knicks with some energy off the bench again on Sunday vs. the Heat, grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds, blocking a shot, and making his only field goal attempt in 13 minutes of action. He said after the game that he’s happy about his progress so far.

“It’s coming along. Just taking time. First game, as y’all saw, tired as hell. Second game, not so much. But still a little bit,” Robinson said, per Bondy. “That’s what’s going to happen when you miss 10 months playing ball.”

As Bondy notes in another New York Post story, Robinson has said he believes his minutes limit is 18, but he has been held in the 12-to-13 minute range in each of his first two outings so far. The 26-year-old says he’s OK with that, though he’s looking forward to being able to play a little more.

“I think each week it goes up more and more,” he said of the minutes restriction. “It is [frustrating] because it’s hard to get a rhythm.”

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Robinson’s return has pushed Precious Achiuwa out of the rotation, as Bondy observes. Achiuwa played just four minutes on Friday and was a DNP-CD for the first time this season on Sunday.
The Knicks have a pair of open two-way slots, which they’ll likely fill on Monday or Tuesday before the March 4 two-way signing deadline. Veteran sharpshooter Matt Ryan was among the two-way players waived by the team over the weekend. “I thought he did a really good job for us. Hard worker,” Thibodeau said of Ryan, according to Bondy. “You’re always looking at ways to improve the team. [Team president Leon Rose] and his staff, that’s what they do. And then we’re obviously very pleased with him and wish him well.”
Mikal Bridges‘ up-and-down season continued on Sunday as he was benched for most of crunch time during the Knicks’ comeback overtime win over Miami. Thibodeau said after the game that he stuck with Miles McBride over Bridges – who scored just five points on 2-of-11 shooting in 28 minutes – because the lineup was working, Bondy writes for The New York Post. Thibodeau added that Bridges took the decision in stride. “That’s what you love about the team. Whoever has got it going, we’re going to ride those guys a little bit more,” Thibodeau said. “The most important thing is the team winning. And Mikal is fully engaged in the team and he does a lot of the dirty work for us and it’s much appreciated.”
The arbitration hearing to settle the legal dispute between the Knicks and Raptors will take place during the week of July 21, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The Knicks filed a lawsuit in August 2023 alleging that former video coordinator Ikechukwu Azotam illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to a position in Toronto and shared them with his new club. New York was seeking $10MM in damages from the Raptors, who referred to the suit as “baseless” and argued that the issue ought to be resolved through the NBA’s arbitration process by commissioner Adam Silver rather than in court. That’s what will happen in July, despite the Knicks’ claims that Silver is biased due to his relationship with Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman of the league’s Board of Governors.

Atlantic Notes: Gordon, George, Holiday, Hart, McBride, Anunoby

February 21st, 2025 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers wing Eric Gordon has been out since February 9 due to what the team is calling a sprained right wrist. When word broke that Lonnie Walker had agreed to sign with Philadelphia, Marc Stein reported that the team made the move in part because Gordon’s return from that wrist injury may not happen in the near future. Head coach Nick Nurse confirmed as much on Thursday.

“He’s seen two specialists, and they still don’t know what to do,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

According to Nurse, Gordon is expected to receive more medical opinions on his wrist before he and the team decide on a treatment plan. While there’s a possibility the injury can be managed, there’s also a scenario in which it keeps the veteran shooting guard sidelined for a “long time,” Nurse acknowledged.

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In other Sixers injury news, forward Paul George confirmed last week’s report from Shams Charania, which said that he had been receiving injections in order to play through various health issues, including tendon damage in his finger. “I’m hanging in there,” George said on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m giving this team everything I have. The report is true. You know, I am taking some sorts of medicines to kind of, I guess, play through pain. But yeah, I’m going to try to give everything I got.” As Pompey writes, with George and Joel Embiid both at less than 100% and Philadelphia holding a 20-35 record, it would be “completely understandable” if the team decides to shut down its two stars for the season, though there has been no indication that will happen.
After missing the Celtics‘ last four games prior to the All-Star break due to a right shoulder issue, Jrue Holiday returned on Thursday and played 20 minutes in a win over Philadelphia. As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays, Holiday said the injury had been nagging him “for a little bit,” but that it “feels really good” now after the team’s training staff insisted he take some time off. “Sometimes they’ve got to save you from yourself,” he said. “Especially for me, if it’s a game I want to play. You play through injuries, you play through being hurt but sometimes it’s smarter to take a little bit of time especially since we’re at the second half of the season. Obviously I would have played through it, which I feel a lot of us do, is play through injuries. All testament to the training staff.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart will miss a second consecutive game on Friday in Cleveland due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee), writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. With Hart out on Thursday vs. Chicago, Miles McBride got his first start of the year and scored a season-high 23 points in a tight overtime win, as Peter Botte of The New York Post details.
While Hart will be out on Friday, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – is on track to return to action. Anunoby, who has been on the shelf since February 1 due to a sprained foot, is expected to be available vs. the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, McBride, Hart, Towns, Shamet

February 19th, 2025 at 8:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The return of Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby to today’s practice gave the Knicks a fully healthy roster for the first time all season, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. This was Robinson’s first time participating in a full practice with contact since undergoing offseason ankle surgery, while Anunoby missed the last five games before the All-Star break with a sprained right foot.

New York has already declared Robinson out for Thursday’s game with Chicago, but it appears his season debut won’t be far away. Coach Tom Thibodeau is looking forward to having his defensive anchor back on the court.

“You have to anticipate that the game’s gonna be different, so we’ll see where he is once he’s out there,” Thibodeau said. “He’ll need a little bit of time. But the things that he can bring, the hustle, the ability to see things early, play pick and roll, rim-protect, offensive rebound; those are things he’ll bring right off the bat.”

Thibodeau added that Anunoby was able to heal during the week-long All-Star break. Miles McBride was also back at practice today after a rib issue forced him out of last week’s game with Atlanta.

“It means a lot. Obviously after the break you want everyone to be ready to go,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m excited to get down this stretch. I love this team a lot.”

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Josh Hart will be held out of Thursday’s game with patellofemoral syndrome in his right knee, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. The condition is also known as “runner’s knee.”
The Knicks have been the clear winners of the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, who has become their best center since Patrick Ewing, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. He states that Towns has been far more productive than Julius Randle, who was sent to Minnesota in the deal, while Donte DiVincenzo has suffered through an early-season shooting slump and a recent toe injury. Vaccaro notes that Towns has also shed any reputation he had of being “soft.” He has been able to stay on the court despite knee issues and a sprained thumb.
Landry Shamet appears to be the odd man out of the rotation once Robinson is cleared to resume playing, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Shamet is averaging 11 minutes per night in 22 games off the bench, but Edwards notes that Thibodeau prefers a nine-man rotation at most and isn’t likely to expand that when Robinson becomes available. However, Edwards expects Robinson to start out on a minutes restriction, so there should still be some opportunities for Shamet.
Towns isn’t likely to complain if he has to move from center to power forward to accommodate Robinson’s return, Edwards adds. He points out that Towns’ most successful season came playing alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

New York Notes: Anunoby, Knicks Lineup, Mitchell, Towns, Johnson, Simmons

February 10th, 2025 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks could get one of their starters back in the lineup on Tuesday. Forward OG Anunoby is listed as questionable to play against Indiana (Twitter link via New York Basketball). Anunoby has missed the last three games due to a right foot sprain suffered during a non-contact play on Feb. 1.

The fact that Anunoby’s status was upgraded came as somewhat of a surprise, since ESPN’s Shams Charania reported over the weekend that the three-and-D standout was expected to return after the All-Star Game. Of course, the upgrade in his status doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll return on Tuesday.

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Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went with a smaller lineup in the second half against Boston on Saturday, inserting guard Miles McBride in place of forward/center Precious Achiuwa, the New York Post’s Peter Botte notes. New York did rally from a 13-point deficit to cut the Celtics’ lead to three, but Boston then took command and won by 27. “That was part of the reason why we put Deuce in the second half just to get the shooting, because of the help that was coming from the back side, just to try and open it up for [Karl-Anthony Towns] a little bit more,” Thibodeau said.
On the flip side, the Knicks might go with a big lineup once center Mitchell Robinson finally returns to action, Botte reports. Towns could move to power forward once Robinson, who’s hopeful of suiting up by March 1, settles in. Towns is excited at that prospect. “Just a tall lineup, and it’s gonna be exciting to kind of explore that lineup,” Towns said. “It should give me … I have some familiarity with it with Rudy (Gobert), so it’ll be something that I’ll tap into that kind of potential well.”
Cameron Johnson was prominently mentioned as a trade candidate for months but ultimately the Nets wound up retaining him. He can breathe easier until the offseason. “At least there’s gonna be a little cushion, where it’s gonna calm down and then, who knows? Maybe it picks up again,” Johnson said, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com. “But I just can’t give my energy towards that, I gotta focus on what we’re doing here.” Johnson has been dealing with trade chatter since the Nets-Knicks Mikal Bridges blockbuster last offseason. “It was just different, it was a completely different experience for me,” he says. “I think that the rumors have been moving quickly since Mikal got traded, and maybe even before then. Every time my agent called me over the summer, it’s like, ‘Oh, is something going down? I don’t know.’”
Ben Simmons gave back $1,082,061 in his buyout agreement with the Nets, Hoops Rumors has confirmed, which is the exact amount he’ll earn on his new minimum-salary deal with the Clippers. NetsDaily first reported (via Twitter) that Simmons was giving up a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum.

Knicks Notes: Hart, All-Stars, McBride, Robinson, Centers

January 4th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Josh Hart is having the best season of his nine-year NBA career, averaging personal bests of 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, along with a career-high 57.1% mark on field goal attempts. His 14.6 points per game and 38.2% three-point rate are also well above his career rates, and he has been a positive asset defensively for the 24-11 Knicks.

As Steve Popper of Newsday writes, teammate Karl-Anthony Towns believes Hart has a real All-Star case. Hart himself is less convinced — and suggested he’d be perfectly happy to be excluded and take advantage of his vacation time during All-Star week.

“I can get an All-Star? Hell no,” Hart said. “I feel like they appreciate what I do but like I said, my game is not glitz and glamour that breeds that kind of accolade. And I’m fine with that. I’m a servant to these guys. I want to make sure they’re good. I want them to get the accolades. I want to have my toes to touch some sand come February.”

Hart admitted it would be “amazing” to earn All-Star recognition, but he pointed to Jalen Brunson and Towns as the Knicks’ likely representatives and made a case for the team’s other two starters ahead of himself.

“(Mikal Bridges) and OG (Anunoby) would be more than deserving,” Hart said. “I think that’s on us to continue to win and continue to highlight those guys and show what they can do on both sides of the ball. So we got to continue to win for that to happen and make sure we sacrifice so those guys can be in that position.”

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In a battle of red-hot clubs, the Knicks had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Friday by a Thunder team that won its ninth straight contest. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a closer look at the matchup, writing that the Knicks continue to trend in the right direction despite being unable to record a signature win.
Knicks guard Miles McBride missed a second consecutive game on Friday due to a hamstring strain. Referring to the injury as “frustrating”, he told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he’s playing it safe with his recovery because he doesn’t want to risk making things worse. “Just seeing how it feels. It’s tough with hamstrings,” McBride said. “Those type of injuries, you don’t want to rush it. But I’m progressing.”
A number of teams have been inquiring about the health of Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who says three clubs he spoke to recently didn’t gain any clarity on the subject. Although Robinson is a potential trade candidate, Begley believes New York’s preferred outcome would be for the big man to get healthy and finish out the season with the team, since his value on the court would exceed his value on the trade market due to concerns about his surgically repaired feet.
If the Knicks aren’t confident about Robinson’s ability to get healthy and stay healthy, Jonas Valanciunas, Goga Bitadze, and Nick Richards are among the centers the team may be interested in, Begley says, noting that all three of those big man were on New York’s radar last summer.

Atlantic Notes: Kolek, Knicks’ Starting Five, Quickley, Lewis

January 2nd, 2025 at 9:43am CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks rookie guard Tyler Kolek played a doubleheader on Wednesday. He saw 40 minutes of action with the G League Westchester Knicks during the afternoon, then received 12 minutes of action with the NBA club. The Knicks needed him because Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride sat out.

“It’s fun, man, I love playing basketball. Any chance I get, I’m going to take the opportunity and do it,” Kolek told Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It was good. I had a few hours in between. … Just tried to do what I could to recover and just be ready to go. It’s more mental than anything. Obviously two guys go out with injuries, so you kind of got to step in and be ready for anything no matter the circumstances.”

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Though Brunson sat out Monday, the Knicks’ usual starting five of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges has totaled a league-high 561 minutes together, Botte points out. The team’s starting five has a strong net rating of +6.6, despite having to adjust to newcomers Towns and Bridges. New York has won nine straight.
The Raptors snapped an 11-game losing streak, coinciding with the return of Immanuel Quickley, who hadn’t played since Nov. 10 due to a partially torn ulnar cruciate ligament in his left elbow. Quickley supplied 21 points and 15 assists in 32 minutes against the Nets. “It allows Scottie (Barnes) to play with more force as a secondary guy — not to bring the ball every single time, not trying to get the team organized in a set,” coach Darko Rajaković said, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “It really helps. I’m … really excited to see Quickley being in that role, more pushing the ball and opening up the court for Scottie as well.”
In his first game with the Nets after getting traded by the Lakers, forward Maxwell Lewis suffered a left leg injury. He’ll have an MRI today, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “The toughest part of today is seeing one of your guys going down. We’re all, thinking about the kid, Max,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We don’t know the extent of the injury. Obviously, we’ll MRI, but all our group was thinking about him, and we’re sending all positive energy. So, that’s what’s more important. The rest of the game doesn’t matter right now.”

New York Notes: Nets, Simmons, Bridges, Sims, Towns

December 16th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While dealing Dennis Schröder to Golden State is viewed as a tanking move for a team looking to accumulate assets, the Nets can now play at a faster pace, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.

“Dennis was bottom ten slowest point guards in the NBA – pace doesn’t mean you’re better or worse – and Ben (Simmons) is 18th-fastest,” Fernandez said, per Lewis (Twitter link). “… We’re going to try to play faster. The ball is going to fly. He’s going to push. He’s going to throw it ahead.”

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Simmons, who underwent back surgery in March, hasn’t played more than 27:20 in any game this season. An unrestricted free agent after the season, the Nets‘ new top point guard said his playing time could expand soon, Lewis adds in another tweet. “I think my restriction right now is 27,” he said. “I think it’s around that. So hopefully that changes soon.”
In an era when playing in all 82 regular-season games is a rarity, Mikal Bridges has established himself as NBA’s iron man. The Knicks wing made his 500th consecutive appearance in Sunday’s 100-91 victory over the Magic, a streak that began with his first game with the Suns as a rookie, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. “Everyone talks about offensive traits and talents and defensive traits and talents, but the most impactful and the greatest trait you can have is availability and he has it and he’s shown it,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Shoutout to him. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
Jericho Sims has garnered some trade interest, according to Bondy. Sims, playing on an expiring $2.1MM contract, has seen his playing time cut in recent games. The center position is the Knicks’ most obvious need, even though Mitchell Robinson is expected to return at some point. But the team doesn’t have many assets left after making two blockbuster trades in the offseason, though Miles McBride and/or Josh Hart could conceivably be dealt for the right player, Bondy suggests.
Towns will return to Minnesota on Thursday for the first time since he was traded to the Knicks. He’s not sure how he’ll be received, according to Bondy. “I don’t know (how they will embrace me). But I know that every single day that I put on that Timberwolves jersey I gave the absolute best of me even when I wasn’t 100 percent,” Towns said. “I gave them all of me mentally, physically, spiritually. I was there nine years, so I go there with a lot of pride and joy for the memories that I have.”

New York Notes: Achiuwa, Brunson, McBride, Thomas, Claxton

December 6th, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Earnest Marshall

Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa made his season debut on Thursday after missing the first 22 games of the season with a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps first reported (via Twitter) that Achiuwa’s debut was dependent on how warmups went. He ended up playing 12 minutes in a blowout win over Charlotte, finishing with two points and four rebounds.

Achiuwa’s return is a boon for a Knicks team that has had its frontcourt depth depleted by injuries in the early going. Center Mitchell Robinson has yet to play this season as he deals with an ankle issue, which left Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti as the team’s only true bigs behind Karl-Anthony Towns until Achiuwa’s return.

The Knicks sit at 14-8, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. They opened the season 5-6 before beginning to really click and winning nine of their last 11 games. New York made big offseason swings for both Towns and Mikal Bridges, the former coming right before the beginning of the regular season.

Adding Achiuwa should only help the team continue its climb up the standings. A part of the OG Anunoby deal last December, the former Raptor made 18 starts for New York in 2023/24 across his 49 appearances. He averaged 7.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game for the Knicks.

According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, Achiuwa received an ovation in his return.

“[The reception] means a lot to me. Obviously, New York to me is very dear to my heart,” Achiuwa said. “So just being able to go out there and hearing the crowd, it meant a lot to me. … Watching from the sideline has been very tough, but just being out there and knowing that the crowd is behind me throughout the whole process has been very reassuring.”

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Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson took a hard hit in New York’s win over Charlotte on Thursday, exiting the game late in the third quarter and not reutrning, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper. It doesn’t sound like anything serious though, as the Knicks were up big late when Brunson returned to the bench and likely held him out for precautionary reasons. He was sporting a wrap on his back/ribs, but said after the game that he felt amazing.
The three-year, $13MM extension Miles McBride signed approximately one year ago is looking like a bargain for the Knicks. He became integral to the team in the second half of last season, averaging 11.0 PPG while making 36.8% of his three-point attempts in the 2024 playoffs. Through 17 games this season, McBride is averaging career highs of 11.2 PPG and 2.8 APG on a career-best shooting split of .462/.435/.909. In a subscriber-only story, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post explores what the young guard would earn if he were signing a new contract now, positing that the deal would likely be somewhere in the range of $10-12MM annually. The former West Virginia guard expressed no regrets about signing his contract when he did, though. “There are a lot of people that are out here struggling, and I’m having fun,” McBride said. “I’m playing well. I’m on a great team. I’m more than happy.”
High-scoring Nets guard Cam Thomas has missed the last five games for Brooklyn while he nurses a hamstring injury. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Thomas is still in the early stages of his recovery and there’s no timetable yet for his return. “I’m just doing whatever the performance team has me doing. It’s still early,” Thomas said. “I’m just doing whatever they have me doing, just a little bit here and there. But it’s all right.”
Nets center Nic Claxton — who signed to a four-year, $100MM extension last offseason — fluctuated between the bench and starting unit in the first 14 games of the season while dealing with a back injury. Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily questions whether there’s any reason to worry about Claxton, who averaged just 8.5 points per game in those first games of the season. “I think in professional sports, especially in this league, a lot of these guys play with bumps and bruises. What we need them is to believe that they’re good to go,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And if we feel like a guy is not confident, we’re gonna let them make the decisions, I think that’s fair. If you play and you are afraid to get hurt, guess what? You’re going to get hurt. So we don’t want that for Nic or anybody in our group.” Claxton’s numbers are his lowest since becoming a starter and Kaplan suggests that he isn’t playing with the same level of explosiveness.
On the other hand, Lewis posits that Claxton is rounding into form after averaging 12.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in his last three games (all starts). “Yeah, I’m getting there, for sure. It’s taking a while, but I’m getting there,” the Nets center said.

Knicks’ Bridges After Fourth-Quarter Benching: I’ve ‘Got To Play Better’

November 30th, 2024 at 7:11am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges‘ early-season struggles continued on Friday as he recorded eight points on 3-of-10 shooting and was a team-worst -14 vs. Charlotte. Although he played 37 minutes, Bridges was benched for most of the fourth quarter — he was pulled with the Knicks down by four points and 8:25 remaining and checked back in for defensive purposes with 13 seconds left and New York up by four.

As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau explained after the comeback victory that he went with Miles McBride over Bridges in crunch time because McBride was “fresh” and “making shots,” adding that the Knicks were “sort of in the mud.” Bridges called it the right decision.

“I got to play better. I’ve been inconsistent,” Bridges said. “I’ve had some games where I’ve played good, some I haven’t. Just got to find a rhythm within the team. That’s pretty much it. Not even 20 games in, still just trying to figure it out. … I had a lot of sloppy turnovers. Couple of times (where the opponent) scored on me getting into the middle. I’ll be better.”

Bridges leads the NBA in minutes played (38.1 MPG) through his first 19 outings, but has seen his production decline across the board. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and has career-worst shooting percentages of 30.6% on three-pointers and 61.5% on free throws. After getting to the foul line 4.1 times per game over the previous two seasons, he’s averaging just 0.7 attempts per night so far in 2024/25.

The Knicks acquired Bridges from Brooklyn over the summer by giving up a significant package of draft assets that included five first-round picks (four unprotected) and a pick swap. The return on that investment has been modest so far, but Bridges and his teammates remain confident that it’s just a matter of time until he finds his footing in New York.

“I’m not worried about (Bridges),” Knicks forward Josh Hart said after Friday’s game, per Bondy. “I think the media and people are killing him. He’s in a new situation. He’s in a situation where he’s played 19 games in a different role that he’s played the last four years. So it’s our job to get him going.

“And all the other BS about what we gave up, it means nothing. If we win, if we get a championship, ain’t nobody give a damn about how many picks we gave up. We could’ve given up 15 picks, it don’t matter. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship. He’s going to be a key piece of that.”

Knicks Notes: McBride, Grimes, Offense, Ryan

November 28th, 2024 at 12:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks backup guard Miles McBride returned to action on Monday following a five-game absence due to patella femoral pain syndrome in his left knee. While McBride said he “felt great” after the victory in Denver and praised the organization and training staff, he said the injury — which is more commonly known as runner’s knee — is something he’ll have to manage throughout the season.

“I would say we’re definitely gonna be managing it going forward,” McBride said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “We just wanna be more precautionary I think than anything, just to make sure everything is right. I felt great and I think it’s gonna be behind me, but I just want to be smart with it.”

Here are a few more notes on the Knicks:

Fourth-year wing Quentin Grimes had a tumultuous end to his Knicks tenure last season, ultimately being traded to Detroit at the February deadline before being rerouted to Dallas in another trade over the offseason. Following the Mavericks‘ victory over New York on Wednesday, Grimes praised Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. “Credit to Thibs,” Grimes said. “He gave me a lot of those hard assignments early in my career and I feel like I was able to get a good understanding of how to guard All-Stars, superstars, and it gets me going.” Grimes, who finished with a season-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting starting in place of the injured Luka Doncic, will be a restricted free agent in 2025.
The Knicks currently have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA but are just 24th in defense. One game after scoring a league-high 145 points in Denver, New York’s high-powered offense struggled with Dallas’ switching defensive scheme, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The Knicks shot just 26% from the field in the first half. “We couldn’t buy a basket to save our lives to start the game,” Jalen Brunson said. “Defensively, we just weren’t there. It’s a long season. Honestly, got to limit the highs and lows and be as steady as we can be.”
Winning the NBA Cup will be a financial windfall for players whose salaries are relatively low. Each member of the first-place team will earn about $515K; a two-way player’s full-season salary is about $579K. Reserve forward Matt Ryan, who is on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, plans to put his potential NBA Cup earnings into his startup investment company, according to Bondy (Sports+ link). The Knicks are 2-0 during in-season tournament play so far with a point differential of plus-14.

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