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Sports
The Knicks head West with a roster that is not yet playoff caliber
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
At 24-27 before hosting the Memphis Grizzlies and their spectacular 22-yearold franchise altering point guard Ja Morant last night (Wednesday) at Madison Square Garden, ahead of a fivegame, 10-day Western Conference road trip beginning this Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Knicks sat 11th in the East, one-half game behind the 24-26 Atlanta Hawks.
Their record and other metrics are indicators the Knicks are not a bona fide playoff contender as they were last season, when Tom Thibodeau won Coach of the Year honors in his first season as the franchise’s head coach. Thibodeau squeezed every ounce of talent and effort out of a group that went 41-31 in the abridged 72-game season and finished as the No. 4 seed in the East. But their athletic weaknesses were subsequently exposed in the first round of the playoffs by the Hawks, as the Knicks were thoroughly beaten by their electrifying point guard Trae Young and a mix of young, versatile players and solid veterans, losing the series 4-1. The Knicks’ best player over those five games was unquestionably Derrick Rose.
Rarely does a day pass that Knick fans don’t dwell on the 2019 NBA draft lottery, when their team entered with the NBA’s worst record at 17-65 and the highest probability to land the No.1 overall pick but dropped to No. 3. They selected RJ Barrett, who has shown himself to be a solid piece to build with.
Yet at No. 2, the Grizzlies gained a transformative talent in Morant, who has become not only one of the league’s best players, but has elevated the Grizzlies, who were 33-49 in the 2018-’19 season, into a force. They were 35-18 entering the Garden, third in the West with the third best record in the NBA. Morant is to the Grizzlies what a young Rose was to the Chicago Bulls when he came to them as the No. 1 overall pick in 2008. Fifteen years into his career, the Knicks have clearly not been the same team in the 33-year-old Rose’s absence, unable to adequately replace his production and ability to adeptly close out games.
Rose has been shut down with an ankle injury since last playing Dec. 15. He has been sidelined for half (26) of the Knicks’ 52 games. The Chicago native is working his way back from Dec. 22 surgery to remove a bone spur from his right ankle. Speaking with the media from the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown (Westchester County, N.Y.) on Monday, Rose said he is targeting a return to the lineup soon after the All-Star break. The Knicks’ last game before the NBA’s annual showcase event is Feb. 16 against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden and their schedule resumes Feb. 25 at the Garden versus the Miami Heat. “Taking it one day at a time, been grinding, just trying to get back,” said the Knicks’ leading scorer in last season’s playoff series against the Hawks at 19.4 points per game, in addition to four rebounds and five assists in averaging 35 minutes. Before surgery this season, Rose’s per game averages were 24.5 minutes, 12 points, three rebounds and four assists. “…Just being appreciative of the moment,” Rose reflected. “Just trying to take everything in. I look at it as a reset where I get a chance to clean up my routine, I get a chance to alternate a couple of things within my workout. “…Right after surgery I felt the relief,” he expounded. “Like I said these moments right here slow you down, so[I’m] being very, very appreciative of just where I’m at.” Following the Lakers, the Knicks will face the Utah Jazz (next Monday), Denver Nuggets (Tuesday), Golden State Warriors (Thursday) and Portland Trailblazers next Saturday on the Western swing.
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Kyrie Irving has played at an All-Star level since his season debut Jan. 5 and must continue to excel as the Nets face a rash of injuries to key players (Bill Moore photo)
By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews
The Brooklyn Nets’ current road trip facing Western Conference opponents, which began with a 110-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, was initially viewed as an opportunity for Kyrie Irving to consistently be in their lineup with the team dealing with injuries to Kevin Durant, James Harden, LaMarcus Alridge and Joe Harris.
Unable to play games at home at the Barclays Center due to New York City COVID-19 vaccination mandates, the unvaccinated Irving doesn’t have those restrictions on the road. He was sensational in scoring 32 points versus the Warriors and has been playing at his four rebounds in a 129-121 Brooklyn win. But Irving is now in a situation that calls for carrying an even heavier load due to so many key Nets sidelined. Durant is recovering from a sprained MCL in his left knee, suffered on Jan. 15 versus the New Orleans Pelicans, and there is no timetable for his return. James Harden missed the matchup at Golden State with a strained right hand and it could be an ongoing issue for him on the road trip, which had the Nets taking on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Suns had the NBA’s best record at 40-9 going into the game. Alridge injured his left ankle in the fourth quarter against the Warriors and the Nets have not indicated when he’ll be ready to return. Along with Durant, Harden and Alridge, guard
Joe Harris is still trying to make his way (Bill Moore photo) back into the lineup after recently experiencing a setback in his rehab from ankle surgery in November. Harris AMNEWS hasn’t played a game since Nov. 14. The injuries make Irving even more vital 01/20/22 to his team not dropping too far in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Nets were 29-20, sixth in the East, before playing the Suns. They had lost four in a row and were 4-6 in their previous 10 games. After Phoenix, the Nets met up with the Sacramento Kings last AMNEWS night (Wednesday) and will have games 01/27/22 versus the Utah Jazz tomorrow and Denver Nuggets on Sunday to end the trip. The Nets will be home for the first time since Jan. 26 when they host the Boston Celtics next Tuesday.
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