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New York Notes: Knicks Injuries, Nets, Johnson, Sharpe, Thomas

March 7th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau gave injury updates on multiple players on Thursday, as Fred Katz of The Athletic relays (All Twitter links).

Thibodeau said forward OG Anunoby, who is recovering from right elbow surgery, has been doing contract drills and is playing five-on-five, which indicates he’s getting close to returning. He’ll be day-to-day moving forward, though he hasn’t yet been fully cleared to play. Anunoby last suited up on January 27.

According to Katz, Thibodeau gave a brief update on Mitchell Robinson, who has been sidelined since December 8 following foot surgery, saying, “Mitch looks good. He told me to tell everyone that.”

Thibodeau also said star guard Jalen Brunson was able to participate in most of Thursday’s practice, but he wasn’t sure what his status would be for the injury report ahead of Friday’s game vs. Orlando, Katz adds.

Here are a few more notes out of New York:

With 20 games remaining, the Nets are three games behind the Hawks for the No. 10 seed in the East — the final spot in the play-in tournament. As Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post writes, Brooklyn has the league’s second-easiest remaining schedule, but is embarking on a stretch with 10 of 11 games on the road, where the team is just 9-19 thus far in 2023/24. How the Nets fare over that stretch could determine whether or not they make the playoffs.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson exited Tuesday’s victory over Philadelphia with a right ankle sprain and was unable to return, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Yeah, it’s just a right ankle sprain and we’re gonna evaluate him [Wednesday],” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “I imagine they’ll evaluate him [Tuesday night], but we’ll have more information [in the morning].” Johnson is officially out for Thursday’s matchup in Detroit, Lewis tweets. On the NBA’s latest injury report, backup center Day’Ron Sharpe has also been ruled out due to a right wrist contusion he sustained during a hard fall Monday.
In more positive news for the Nets, their second-leading scorer could return this weekend, according to Lewis (Twitter link). Cam Thomas has been battling a right ankle/midfoot sprain and will be out Thursday, but he might be back either Saturday vs. Charlotte or Sunday vs. Cleveland. The third-year guard will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Knicks Notes: McBride, Hart, Milton, Schedule

March 7th, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

With Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson nursing a left knee contusion, backup Miles McBride has been thrust into an iron man role, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes.

McBride has been on the court for at least 40 minutes in three of the last four games. After playing 47 minutes and 13 seconds against the Cavaliers on Sunday — when Brunson was injured during the opening minute — McBride logged 45 minutes and 38 seconds in a loss to the Hawks on Tuesday.

“I’m glad Coach (Tom Thibodeau) trusts me to be playing me those minutes. Just wish we would’ve got the job done,” said McBride, who signed a three-year extension in late December. “Honestly, I feel fine. I think I’m more mad about losing than worrying about how my body feels.”

We have more on the Knicks:

Wing Josh Hart is the league’s top rebounder among player who stand 6’7” or less. Hart is just 6’4” but he’s pulled down an average of 7.6 rebounds per game. “Josh is the king of stealing rebounds,” Donte DiVincenzo told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “He loves stealing them. But I don’t care. As long as we get it, he can steal them all day long.”
Shake Milton has looked for guidance from Knicks executive William Wesley during his career and that played a factor in his decision to sign with the Knicks, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Milton became a free agent when the Pistons, who acquired the reserve guard at the trade deadline, bought him out. “He’s there anytime I need him. Whether it’s to talk, do whatever. He’s always there,” Milton said of Wesley.
The banged-up Knicks have three pivotal games coming up, Botte notes. Looking to avoid the play-in tournament, the Knicks face the Magic on Friday and the Sixers on Sunday and Tuesday. “Obviously, you don’t want to be in the play-in. You’d like to have that three or five days of rest going into the first round,” Hart said. The team is hopeful Brunson can return soon but frontcourt regulars Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson remain out, though Randle and Anunoby have been cleared for basketball activities.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Randle, Anunoby, Hart

March 4th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The left knee injury that knocked Jalen Brunson out of Sunday’s game in the first minute appears to be minor, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. There was extreme concern when Brunson had to be helped off the court after air-balling a jump shot and falling to the ground in pain. However, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that X-rays came back negative and hinted that Brunson might be available for Tuesday’s game against Atlanta.

“Anytime someone goes down like that you have concern, but then he felt a little better, he had the X-rays, he was examined by the doctors and so that news is good,” Thibodeau said. “… “I guess [it’s possible that he plays Tuesday against the Hawks]. It’s a knee contusion and everything was negative so we’ll see where he is [Monday].”

Replays showed that Brunson was injured when he collided with teammate Isaiah Hartenstein while running around a screen, Bondy adds. He appeared to suffer a jolt of pain as he released the jumper and called for the trainer as he grabbed his knee and shin area.

Donte DiVincenzo told Bondy that Brunson didn’t appear concerned after the game.

“I asked him if he was OK. And he said he’ll be fine. And that’s everything to me,” DiVincenzo said. “Like I said the last time he went down [with a sprained ankle earlier in the season], I don’t worry about Jalen. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league. … Whatever it is, he’s going to bounce back. He’s tough as nails.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

New York was able to pick up an important road win without Brunson because of the gritty play of Miles McBride, Bondy states in a separate story. The backup guard replaced Brunson after the injury and never came out, logging more than 47 minutes while serving as the primary defender on Darius Garland and sinking a clutch three-pointer in the game’s final minute. “I feel fine honestly. That’s what I put in the offseason work for. I prepare my body for this,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. [Brunson] should be fine hopefully, but got to be ready for anything.”
Thibodeau said Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby all took “the next step” on Sunday by traveling with the team for the first time since going down their respective injuries, Bondy adds in another piece. Randle and Anunoby have been cleared for basketball activities, and Bondy says there’s continued optimism that Randle will be able to avoid surgery on his dislocated right shoulder.
Josh Hart tied his career high with 19 rebounds as part of a triple-double on Sunday. He also took a playful jab at the Cavaliers’ bench after nailing a corner three-pointer with 1:36 remaining, grabbing at a chain worn by Donovan Mitchell, who was in street clothes, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “Me just kinda being a competitor and just having fun, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s tough,’” Hart said he told the bench. “And then I saw Donovan and obviously that’s my guy and then I saw the chain and I was like, ‘Ooh! That’s nice!’ But nah, I wanna play this game with competitiveness but also grace and joy.”

New York Notes: Anunoby, DiVincenzo, Simmons, Graham

February 29th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward OG Anunoby has been cleared to do some on-court work, but still isn’t doing any contact, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link) and other media members on Thursday.

Anunoby underwent elbow surgery earlier this month. At that time, he was ruled out for at least three weeks. He hasn’t suited up since Jan. 27.

Isaiah Hartenstein is returning to action against Golden State on Thursday evening after missing Tuesday’s game against New Orleans due to Achilles soreness. Jalen Brunson, who also sat out Tuesday due to neck spasms, will play tonight too, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

We have more on the New York teams:

Donte DiVincenzo‘s impact on the Knicks’ offense during this injury-filled stretch can’t be overstated, Popper writes in a subscriber-only story for Newsday. DiVincenzo is averaging 22.2 points and 3.2 assists this month.
The Nets’ Ben Simmons is sitting out against the Hawks on Thursday due to left leg soreness, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Simmons has appeared in eight games this month, averaging 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 18.8 minutes.
With the Nets losing assistant general manager Jeff Peterson, who is heading to the Hornets as their head of basketball operations, Pelicans assistant GM Bryson Graham could be a candidate to replace him, according to Net Income. Graham is currently working under GM Trajan Langdon, who was also a candidate for the Hornets job.

Knicks Notes: DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Randle, Injuries

February 28th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves were a serious suitor for Donte DiVincenzo and had a real chance to sign him when he reached free agency last summer, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic. DiVincenzo, who was also weighing “significant” offers from a few other teams in addition to the Knicks, reached out to former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry to ask his advice, according to Katz.

As Katz writes, DiVincenzo was leaning toward the Knicks and Curry helped him finalize that decision, confirming that New York would be a good fit for his skill set.

“Just looking at the depth chart and the role he could play, what they needed,” Curry said. “They were already a playoff team, starting to trend in the right direction. Then (there is) his familiarity with their players from college. That made it so he’d have the opportunity to go in and do exactly what he did for us. He’s a smart, high-IQ basketball player who plays defense.”

DiVincenzo, who said he would’ve liked to stay in Golden State if the Warriors had been in position to make a competitive offer, appreciated Curry’s input.

“I’m a grown man. I make my own decisions, but to have somebody of that stature to almost voice the opinion that I’m thinking — it makes you feel good about the decision you’re making, rather than if he says something way out of left field and you kind of start to question things,” DiVincenzo said. “… He reinforced what I was thinking about New York.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Ian Begley of SNY.tv checks in on several Knicks injuries, exploring where things stand for OG Anunoby (elbow), Julius Randle (shoulder), Jalen Brunson (neck), and Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles). Begley thinks Anunoby will likely return to the court before Randle, barring setbacks, and suggests that mid-March is viewed as a realistic target for Anunoby.
Despite being hit hard by the injury bug in recent weeks, the Knicks aren’t griping about their bad luck, Josh Hart said on Tuesday after the team lost for the sixth time in its last eight games. “We’re not going to complain about injuries. … Whenever you go through adversity, you got two choices,” Hart said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “You got the first one to kind of face it head on. And don’t complain, just work. And then you have the other one that’s just go into a ball and complain and cry about it. So I don’t think that’s what anyone in this locker room is doing.”
There are two ways for the Knicks to silence the speculation about the possibility of a trade for a superstar, according to Andrew Crane of The New York Post (subscription required), who says the club could either make a trade for a star or continue to win without needing one. As Crane notes, if the Knicks can get healthy by the playoffs, the group that flashed its potential following the Anunoby addition in January – and has since added two more solid role players in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks – will get a chance to show what it’s capable of this spring.
As we detailed in a separate story this afternoon, the Knicks’ protest of their February 12 loss was formally denied by the NBA, as expected.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Hartenstein, Injury Updates, Anthony

February 27th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The already depleted Knicks will go without two more prominent players tonight against New Orleans. All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson and center Isaiah Hartenstein won’t play, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.

Brunson woke up with neck spasms this morning after taking some hits in the controversial win over Detroit on Monday. Hartenstein is experiencing Achilles soreness, SNY TV’s Ian Begley relays. (Twitter links).

The Knicks have already been dealing with injuries to OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson.

We have more on the Knicks:

Regarding those above-mentioned injured starters, The Athletic’s Shams Charania shared some updates on FanDuel’s Run It Back program: “I’m told [Randle’s] rehab is going well, his goal is still to play this season. He has not had any setbacks yet. … I’m told the hope – and pretty much the expectation – is over the next two to three weeks, OG Anunoby will be be back on the floor. … [Robinson] has got to keep hitting check marks, we know he’s been dealing with foot issues over the course of his career.”
Health is one of the team’s major issues if it wants to make a sustained playoff run, The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy opines, adding that the Knicks will go as far as Brunson takes them.
Carmelo Anthony is happy that his former agent, Knicks top exec Leon Rose, has mended fences with Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, according to The New York Post’s Peter Botte. Anthony made his comments during a “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. “No matter what, you need New York. You can’t go around New York. You can try to, but you gotta come back here. Especially when you’re in certain industries. When you’re in music, when you’re in sports, you gotta come through New York. So when you don’t have no relationship with the Knicks, you ain’t got no relationship around. Your relationship game ain’t strong around the NBA. So I’m happy, that’s honorable that those parties came together and settled their differences, because it’s gonna benefit everybody in the industry.”

New York Notes: Bridges, Ollie, Hart, Randle, Anunoby

February 24th, 2024 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets resisted opportunities to trade Mikal Bridges at the deadline and they still view him as a cornerstone of the franchise, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bridges is seen as a potential All-Star with a team-friendly contract that will pay him $23.3M next season and $24.9MM in 2025/26.

Bridges is also considered a strong recruiter who can help bring more talent to Brooklyn, Bontemps adds. Besides Bridges, only Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are signed beyond next season, giving the Nets potentially more than $70MM to chase a 2025 free agent class that could include Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram, Rudy Gobert, Lauri Markkanen and Jimmy Butler.

The Nets have slumped badly after a 15-15 start and have the second-worst record in the league since December 27. Still, Bridges told Bontemps that he believes in the organization “100%” and has no desire to go anywhere else.

“Things ain’t going good right now, and that’s life,” he said. “… I know a lot of people might think about different situations and teams, and obviously I got my boys (from Villanova) over there in New York and stuff, so obviously everybody goes with that. But I was never the type of guy to (want to leave when) things get tough and it’s time to cry out and get out.”

There’s more from New York City:

Brian Lewis of The New York Post traces Kevin Ollie‘s journey to his first NBA head coaching job. Ollie, who was named the Nets‘ interim coach when Jacque Vaughn was dismissed on Monday, had the makings of a coach back in college, according to former Connecticut mentor Jim Calhoun. “It’ll be no question that if you don’t put good effort in — I have no idea what his verbal responses will be — I do know that you’ll probably be sitting beside him,” Calhoun said. “There’s going to be purpose and work, because that’s how he played and that’s how he coached for us at UConn.”
Josh Hart may complain about what he’s asked to do, but he has been one of the Knicks‘ most reliable players, observes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart has said publicly that he would prefer a larger role in the offense, but he keeps providing the intangibles the team needs, including a strong defensive presence and constant effort, while missing just one game all season. “I think he just talks the talk, if that makes sense,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s like a — I’m going to be nice — he says whatever he wants to say, but when he goes out there, when it’s time to compete, it doesn’t matter who or what is in front of him.”
Knicks forward Julius Randle is still determined to return from his dislocated right shoulder before the end of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Saturday on NBA Countdown (video link). However, Wojnarowski cautioned that Randle’s situation remains “fluid” as no decision has been made regarding surgery. Woj adds that OG Anunoby is “right on schedule” following a recent procedure on his right elbow and will be reevaluated at the end of next week.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Anunoby, Robinson, Hartenstein, More

February 21st, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday that Julius Randle continues to make “good, steady progress” in his recovery from a dislocated right shoulder, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. One day later, speaking publicly on Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury, Randle told reporters that he’s feeling “better and stronger” than he was earlier in the month, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post.

However, neither Thibodeau nor Randle indicated that the possibility of season-ending surgery is off the table.

“I mean, we’ll see. There’s still necessary steps. It’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything ultimately and decide from there,” Randle said. “But right now I’m just focused on trying to avoid (surgery), obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”

Even if Randle is able to return to action this season without undergoing surgery, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to avoid a procedure on the shoulder in the offseason, Botte writes.

“I’ve heard many different opinions. Both, so we’ll see,” Randle said when asked about that scenario. “I like how I feel today as far as getting better, feeling stronger, progressing to where I need to be, as far as getting on the court.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

While Randle’s recovery timeline remains very much up in the air, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – said on Tuesday that he “for sure” expects to return before the end of the regular season and be available for the playoffs, according to Botte. Anunoby, who underwent a procedure on his right elbow a couple weeks ago, is expected to be reevaluated around March 1 and to resume on-court activities not longer after that, a league source tells Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Within that same Athletic story, Katz says center Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) is on track to resume on-court work not long after the All-Star break, though it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll return this season. Katz adds that big man Isaiah Hartenstein doesn’t view the Achilles injury he has been nursing as a serious issue.
Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring), and Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) all returned to practice on Tuesday and went through a second day of workouts on Wednesday, according to Thibodeau, who said that all three players remain on track to return on Thursday (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday).
During a Boardroom.tv discussion (YouTube link) between Kevin Durant and longtime business partner Rich Kleiman, the duo confirmed that Kleiman badly wanted Durant to sign with the Knicks as a free agent in 2019, when the star forward instead chose to join the Nets.

Knicks’ Anunoby Out At Least Three Weeks After Elbow Surgery

February 8th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks forward OG Anunoby underwent right elbow surgery to remove a loose bone fragment and is out at least three weeks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team confirmed the news (via Twitter), stating that Anunoby will be reevaluated in three weeks.

According to Woj, the procedure is considered relatively minor. Anunoby tried to see if rest would heal the injury, but it was determined surgery was ultimately the best route to take to be fully healed ahead of the playoffs (Twitter link).

Anunoby last played on January 27 and has missed the past five games with the injured elbow. Based on the three-week timeline, he will miss a minimum of eight more contests, including Thursday’s game vs. Dallas.

The good news is that the All-Star break is next week, and the Knicks don’t play from February 15-21.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported earlier today that New York was motivated to add wing depth in part due to concern over Anunoby’s injury. Prior to the deadline, the Knicks traded for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

Anunoby, 26, was acquired from Toronto in a previous in-season trade. The defensive stalwart had an excellent start to his Knicks career, averaging 15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .516/.391/.842 shooting. He’s set to hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason.

With Anunoby and Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) sidelined, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, Bogdanovic and Burks will likely receive the majority of the minutes at the two forward spots, though Burks also plays guard.

New York Notes: Simmons, Nets’ Defense, Knicks’ Injuries, Randle

February 5th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ben Simmons will sit out the Nets’ game against the Warriors on Monday due to injury maintenance for his lower back, according to Andrew Crane of the New York Post. Simmons is expected to return on Tuesday when the Nets host the Mavericks in the second game of a back-to-back. Simmons has appeared in two games since missing 38 consecutive contests due to a nerve impingement in his lower back.

We have more on the New York teams:

Entering Monday’s game, the Nets had shown defensive improvement in recent weeks. They had the league’s eighth-best defensive rating (114.0) since Jan. 5. However, they were still only 5-8 during that stretch. “We’ve got guys who can play defense,” Simmons told Crane. “I think it’s a collective thing, and we can’t get lost in the offensive piece of it. I think when we play defense and we get stops, the offense is easy.”
Injuries to Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes are starting to take a toll on the Knicks, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. It showed in the Saturday night loss to the Lakers, when they were outscored 33-19 in the fourth quarter and their nine-game winning streak was snapped. “We’re missing [Anunoby]. We’re missing his ability defensively, able to knock down shots,” wing Josh Hart said. “We’re missing [Randle], an All-Star for a very good reason, 25 [points] and nine [rebounds] every night. Quentin’s ability to space the floor. I don’t think we’re missing just one guy. We’re missing three big guys, and obviously, Mitch has been out for months. But you know, when you’re missing four key players, three of which are starters, it’s always tough.”
Randle has started rehabbing from his dislocated right shoulder with the purpose of playing this season, Bondy reports in a separate story. He’ll be reevaluated in two or three weeks, but the early signs are positive. “You know his makeup. That’s what you love about the guy,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’ll be full bore. He’ll give it everything he has. … We’re gonna make sure he’s healthy before he gets out there. But we’re encouraged.”