Sources: Knicks’ Quentin Grimes drawing interest from Hawks, Rockets, Grizzlies, Jazz and others
Some notes on the Knicks with three weeks to go until the NBA trade deadline:
GRIMES DRAWING INTEREST
The Knicks may trade Quentin Grimes ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline, as he’ll certainly draw interest from opposing teams.
The Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets are among the teams with interest in the 23-year-old shooting guard.
The New York Post reported that the Mavericks are also interested in Grimes.
Grimes lost his starting job to Donte DiVincenzo earlier this season, and his minutes off the bench have fluctuated.
I don’t know if the Knicks will ultimately pull the trigger on a deal involving Grimes, but he has value on the market, and it may be in both parties’ best interest to find a trade.
One of the Knicks’ objectives at the deadline is to bolster their bench, and Grimes is one of the most valuable trade-eligible players on their roster.
The former first-round pick is difficult to trade on his own because he’s making $2.3 million, so it would be tough for the Knicks to find a player who helps them win immediately and makes a commensurate salary.
New York can obviously add other players to their package to make the math work -- including Evan Fournier’s $19 million expiring deal is an option.
Some people with the Knicks see Bruce Brown as a trade target after he was traded from Indiana to the Toronto Raptors in the Pascal Siakam deal.
Various reports have linked the Knicks to Portland’s Malcom Brogdon, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier and other bench scorers, but SNY has not independently confirmed those reports.
As of late last week, the Knicks had not made significant contact with Portland on Brogdon, but obviously things can change quickly at this time of year.
HART'S KNEE BEARS WATCHING
Josh Hart has experience dealing with knee soreness.
He says the knee pain usually hits around Game 50-55 and he is able to rest during the All-Star break, but this year’s knee issue is different because Hart played two rounds in the playoffs last season and then played with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
"Every (previous) year, I was on vacation April 13th (and had) .... two and a half months that my body normally has to recover and strengthen. I can do all that. This year is going to be a consistent battle of trying to have maintenance and just get me through,” Hart said on Thursday when he missed the Knicks’ win over Washington.
The veteran is confident that he can navigate the knee issue, as he also dealt with it last season, when he played at a remarkably high level with New York.
"I think I know how to manage it pretty well,” Hart said. “Sometimes, the frustrating part is trying to balance the rest and the getting up extra shots and extra work. You don’t want to feel like you’re getting out of rhythm. But you don’t want to put your body through too much. There’s a constant battle with that. But I think I have a pretty good feel of how to manage it during the season.”
Hart is officially day-to-day, and he will probably get treatment on Friday with the hope of playing Saturday against Toronto.
OG OK WITH MINUTES
OG Anunoby played 43 minutes on Wednesday night against Houston, followed by another 43 minutes on Thursday against Washington.
In all, he’s played 130 minutes in three games this week, but he said after Thursday’s game that the minutes load is a non-issue for him.
“In Toronto I played like 58 minutes one game,” Anunoby said. “… I’ve played a lot of minutes before… I’m used to this.”
Tom Thibodeau had this to say about Anunoby’s workload: “Right now, we’ve got to find our way as we’re adjusting. So, find a way to win & then build our rhythm…Just go day by day and some guys are playing big minutes (because) we’re shorthanded.”
DIVINCENZO STAYS HOT
Donte DiVincenzo hit five of his 12 3-point attempts in the Knicks’ win over Washington on Thursday.
In his first 41 games as a Knick, DiVincenzo has hit 110 of his 259 3-point attempts. That’s a rate of 42.5 percent, which would be a career-high.
His remarkable perimeter shooting has been a big factor in New York’s strong start, with the Knicks now sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 25-17 record.
If you like what you’ve seen from DiVincenzo thus far, you should thank Steph Curry and the Warriors.
When he was asked about it on Wednesday, DiVincenzo said he improved his shooting approach during his time in Golden State.
“Absolutely, working with (Warriors development coach) Chris Weems. Got a lot of reps up, I think that was the biggest thing,” DiVincenzo, who hit 150 of 378 3-point attempts (40 percent) last year in Golden State, said Wednesday night. “Just watching how Steph goes about (his preparation). Steph, Jordan (Poole) and Klay (Thompson) were huge for me in just seeing how they prepared every day.
"I watched Steph go 1-for-12 and come in the next day and shoot 1,000 shots. And I’ve seen him go 12-for-12 and come in (the next day) and shoot 1,000 shots. So it just taught me the preparation (needed) to be able to have the confidence in-game. Coming over here, I’m not changing anything about my routine….Good game, bad game. Good shooting night, doesn’t matter. I’ll just come in and do the same thing every night."
So far, that routine has worked well for both DiVincenzo and the Knicks.
