The New York Knicks scorer is approaching the red alert level, while Immanuel Quickley (sore ankle) joins Elfrid Payton (thigh muscle) and Derrick Rose (health and safety protocols) on the sidelines and Thursday’s game against the visiting Orlando Magic turn on.
Injury Report, per # Knicks:
Outside – Elfrid Payton (tense right thigh muscle); Immanuel Quickley (viewer left single); Austin Rivers (personal reasons); Mitchell Robinson (right hand surgery) and Derrick Rose (health and safety protocols). https://t.co/gW73qMnPmA
– els almo (@alderalmo) 18 March 2021
The Knicks are left with Frank Ntilikina and two-way player Jared Harper as the only point guards. New York coach Tom Thibodeau just broke the emergency glass and stabbed Harper as he pressed. But against the Magic, who are also without their leading two-point guards, Thibodeau can survive with Ntilikina in the starting line-up. RJ Barrett and forward Julius Randle will assist with the play. Alec Burks will once again be the Knicks’ part-time point guard from the bench.
But this patch solution will not get the Knicks over the hump in their playoffs.
John Hollinger, the former Memphis Grizzlies vice president of basketball operations and now a frontman of The Athletic, has proposed two brands that could help the Knicks immediately and set them up for the future.
Solving Knicks PG Misery
In a trade deadline with William Guillory, The Athletic’s New Orleans Pelicans beat writer, Hollinger threw a wild trade scenario that would land Lonzo Ball in New York.
Hollinger’s trade proposal:
Knicks will acquire
- Lonzo Ball
- JJ Redick
- Jaxson Hayes
Pelicans will acquire
- Mitchell Robinson
- Elfrid Payton
- Austin Rivers
- Ignas Brazdeikis
- Dallas’ first round in 2021
- light protects 2021 Knicks first round
Hollinger noted that it was overpaid, but that’s the only way the Pelicans should be tempted to separate from Ball, who made the turnaround after a slow start to the season.
Ball scored a career-high 17 assists and 11 points in the Pelican’s one-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers the other night. His shooting, which was the weakness of his game, comes in handy this year. He is a reliable three-point shooter of 39 percent on 7.7 attempts this season. More importantly, he shoots 47 percent of his angle 3s, per Cleaning the glass.
According to Hollinger, this trade will help the Knicks’ playoff game with Ball and Redick. It would also be easier for Knicks to retain Ball’s services in the off-season, as it could match every listing page he can get in the market.
It should be noted that after a slow start, the Mavericks have now entered the playoffs of the Western Conference. They have now won seven of their last ten matches. If the Mavericks continue their upward trend, the first round of 2021 they owe the Knicks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade will end up outside the lottery.
Fireplace help
The other deal Hollinger proposed in his column today is for Victor Oladipo of the Houston Rockets.
Hollinger’s trade proposal:
Knicks will acquire
- Victor Oladipo
- Sterling Brown
Rockets will acquire
- Frank Ntilikina
- Kevin Knox
- Detroit’s second round in 2021
- Minnesota’s second round in 2021
- $ 5.2 million in cash
Hollinger noted that Oladipo’s Bird Rights would give the Knicks some leeway in grid building next season because they could keep him without using the hood.
Oladipo comes out of his best game in Houston uniform against his former coach Nate McMillan and the rising Atlanta Hawks. Oladipo played like an All-Star last Tuesday in the 109-117 defeat, winning the Rockets tournament by 34 points at 13-for-20 shooting championships, including 4-out-6 of 3. had three setbacks grabbed within 41 minutes.
Before the game, McMillan gave clues as to why he believes Oladipo may soon return to the elite level he once was.
“I was with him last season,” McMillan said. ‘I know what he did to commit to getting his body as close as he was before the injury. He has invested to make sure he has everything he needs for trainers and doctors and to do the work to get to that point. ”
Oladipo proved McMillan right in court that night.
It depends on the Knicks whether they believe Oladipo under Thibodeau can consistently return to the level.
If so, a profit from the Mavericks pick, as Hollinger suggested, could do the trick.
Follow this author on Twitter: @alderalmo