The Knicks had lost a few games in a row, on the road, against the two recognized beasts of the NBA East. They would have got crushed in Milwaukee in the quarterfinals of the tournament in season, being taken by 24 and giving up 146 points, followed with a 133-123 humiliation in Boston.
Much of the momentum from earlier in the season had collapsed.
Then came the anvil on the head, on December 11: Mitch Robinson, who had landed awkwardly on his ankle in Boston, was absent. For a while it seemed like a few months. Later it was revised for the whole season when it turned out to be a stress fracture; later still, Robinson was announced would probably be back for the playoffs. he is I started training again last week.
Monday night marked the Knicks’ 50th game since Robinson went down. To celebrate, they received the NBA equivalent of a game purchase, a 124-99 breeze against exhausted Pistons. Over those 50 games, the Knicks went 31-19. When Robinson came out, they were seventh in the East — tied with the Nets, who were also 12-9.
(Yes. I had to watch that last part twice to make sure it was accurate.)
Those 50 games could have made things spiral, especially considering the other two-thirds of the Knicks’ starting frontcourt are missing Julius Randle injured since the end of January and RJ Barrett exchanged at the end of Decemberand that Barrett’s replacement, OG Anunoby, has only played in three games since late January.
“No season is perfect,” Donte DiVincenzo said the other day. “You always make adjustments, things you didn’t see coming, but we have a group of guys on this team that are looking forward to their number being called and stepping up. It was amazing to see us get together so often.
You can start with DiVincenzo himself, who started the season coming off the bench and has become a vital part of the Knicks’ core, averaging 18.7 points since Robinson’s injury, which occurred in the same game as DiVincenzo permanently replaced Quentin Grimes as the starter. five.
(DiVincenzo saw the yard bite off his hands when he drained a team-high 11 3s Monday night on his way to 40 points — and actually had what would have been a 12th until the replay reveals that he pulled it with his foot out of bounds. That’s when you know you’re hot.)
Deuce McBride was also a welcome find. Two weeks after Robinson went down and immediately after the Knicks sent Immanuel Quickley to Toronto, McBride signed a three-year, $13 million contract with the hope that maybe he could provide about 85 percent of what Quickley did. But after a match in which he played all 48 minutes and scored 26 points (five days after hitting a career-high 29 in Golden State), it’s fair to say he’s been an equal replacement for Quickley.
And also, for now, for Anunoby, who sat out again Tuesday to nurse his faltering right elbow.
“I’ll do whatever is asked of me,” McBride said after his complete game against the Nets. “Any way I can, I will.” »
What the Knicks are doing is not an easily calibrated dance. They are currently trying to make the most of a soft stretch of the schedule as they inch closer and closer to avoiding the play-in round and also closer and closer to overtaking Cleveland for the lead No. 3 seed in the East (the Cavs). beat Charlotte on Monday, maintaining a half-game lead).
A lot of what the Knicks are right now, you buy on spec. They still haven’t had a game where all of their ideal rotation players are available, and that might not happen until just before the playoffs — and maybe not until the postseason begins.
rotation once everyone has returned. USA TODAY Sports
That means Tom Thibodeau has to make some clever maneuvers with his ego. For now, it’s about reducing the minutes of Precious Achiuwa, who spent many nights in February and early March logging huge minutes but whose run has been diminished. When Anunoby returns, that means McBride will for sure leave the starting lineup; when Randle does, Josh Hart – another triple-double Monday, his sixth since Jan. 29 – is the sixth man.
And of course, there’s Robinson, who started this whole carousel 50 games and 74 days ago. He has already tried to ease the transition, saying on social media that he would prefer to come off the bench. In any case, Thibodeau was already leaning in this direction, given the quality of play of Isaiah Hartenstein in his absence (8.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 66 percent shooting) despite often playing with Achilles pain.
“You’re always going to put the team first,” Thibodeau said Monday. “So whatever contributions they can make to help the team, that’s where we’ll go.”
Considering all the real problems he’s had to deal with, it will be a relief for the coach to be able to tackle the “good problems.” Like how to deal with a surplus of healthy players. It will be a nice change of pace.
