Knicks Notes: Julius Randle's absence being felt in playoffs, Pistons considering New York's former GM Scott Perry
PHILADELPHIA – When analysts and fans talk about playoff teams dealing with injuries, they should include Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle.
That was one point Josh Hart made on Thursday when he was asked about Randle, who is out for the postseason following shoulder surgery.
Hart was asked where the Knicks miss Randle the most.
“Oooh, that’s tough. Where do I start?” Hart said. “I mean: he’s an All-Star. He [averaged] 24-9-and-5 or whatever it is, so that playmaking, shot making, is something that we’re missing. It’s funny: when people talk about us they somehow forget the big void we have of 24-and-9 gone.
“It’s not like he’s out there with us 70-80 percent. He’s not out there. So that’s something that’s a big void that we knew was gonna be hard to fill; but his playmaking, his shotmaking, his energy is something that we definitely miss.”
Several stars have been sidelined by injuries in this postseason. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, New Orleans’ Zion Williamson, and Miami’s Jimmy Butler are among the players who are out due to injury.
Hart has certainly stepped up in Randle’s absence. His play following Randle’s injury was pivotal in the regular season; he’s had a strong series so far against the Sixers, averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds (4 offensive), three assists, and one block per game.
Hart was one of several Knicks to make mistakes in the final minutes of their Game 5 collapse against the Sixers. He and his teammates have stressed the importance of learning from those mistakes and moving on from them ahead of Game 6 on Thursday.
“I think what this team is really focused on is being prepared when the ball tips,” Hart said. “At the end of the day, like I said, (Game 5) was a gut-wrenching loss for us. But when that ball goes up at 9 (pm) or 9:06 (pm) or… whenever that ball goes up, that game is wiped away and there’s nothing we can do about it. The only thing we can do is face adversity head-on and just play our game.”
PERRY ON PISTONS' RADAR
Former Knicks GM Scott Perry is under consideration for the President of Basketball Operations opening with the Detroit Pistons, per people familiar with the matter.
The Pistons are hiring a top basketball executive to report directly to owner Tom Gores, and the team is consulting a search firm to assist in the hire.
Perry and the Knicks parted ways after the 2022-23 season, and he has been working as an NBA analyst for ESPN this season.
The Detroit native is among a group of executives getting significant consideration for the Pistons opening.
Well-regarded around the league among executives and agents, Perry was hired in New York during the 2017 offseason by then president Steve Mills. He spearheaded an 18-month cleanup of the Knicks’ salary cap.
As with most executives, his tenure in New York featured some shrewd transactions and others that didn’t work out as intended, but Perry left the Knicks in a better place than they were when he arrived.
Perry also has organic ties to the Pistons.
A Detroit native, Perry was part of Joe Dumars’ front office with the Pistons. Those Pistons teams reached six Conference Finals, two NBA Finals and won an NBA title in 2004.
According to Marc Stein, the Pistons also have Minnesota’s Tim Connelly, Milwaukee’s Jon Horst and Mavericks consultant Dennis Lindsey on their radar.
