The week didn’t end how us Knicks fans would have wanted it to, but man, was it a fun week for the Knicks. The Knicks do what any good team should, and that’s blowing out the bad teams. The Wizards, outside of that slow third quarter, and Trail Blazers game were complete blowouts. The two teams stood no chance against us, and I loved every second of that massacre. The Knicks stood out against the bottom-tier teams but struggled against the Mavericks.
There was not much they could do in that game in Dallas. Kyrie Irving loves to cook the Knicks. Kyrie was moving around the court with very little resistance, and when that happens, he is bound to score 40+. What also didn’t help was how good the Mavs were in the first half. They were 10/20 from three in the first half. It seemed like they couldn’t miss any shot, especially former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks made a late effort but fell to the Mavericks by 4 points. A win in Dallas would have been nice, but there is no reason to harp on the only negative of the week. Let’s look at the positives because there were a lot for the Knicks.
Of course, the biggest news was the Knicks have the potential to get one of the best defensive centers in the NBA back by the end of the season. All hope was lost for Mitchell Robinson when the Knicks tried to collect insurance on Robinson because of his season-ending injury. But that all changed Wednesday afternoon when the Knicks were denied the Disabled Players Exception, meaning a return for Mitchell Robinson could happen. If the Knicks were to get back a healthy Robinson, they could become the best defensive team in the league. Robinson’s defense and rebounding are at the top of the league, and his injury is a big part of why the Knicks needed to trade for OG. The Knicks defense was abysmal without Robinson, but being able to get him back is game-changing. Having both Robinson and Hartenstein in the same lineup will fortify both the starting lineup and the bench’s defense. And if Robinson can return, I don’t know how teams would be able to score with a lineup consisting of Robinson and OG.
Finally, the last thing I wanted to discuss for what happened this week is the Knicks unsung best defensive player. In an article by Fred Kratz of the Athletic, Kratz writes that Ryan Arcidiacono has been a menace on the bench this year. According to the article, Arcidiacono has called out 13 of the 16 three-second violations against the Knicks this year. It’s an amusing article that features a very sarcastic Josh Hart and shows all the Knick fans out there why a player like Arcidiacono is on the team. He is a good friend with all his former college teammates, but that’s not the only reason he was kept on the team over Taj Gibson. He’s a bench player who does more than just sit on the bench and cheer on his Villanova teammates. He will call stuff out during the game that the refs and players don’t see and is always practicing hard against his teammates. An entertaining article that you should read if you have the Athletic.
Weekly Grades:
Knicks: B+
Jalen Brunson: B
Julius Randle: A-
OG Anunoby: A
Isaiah Hartenstein: A
Donte DiVincenzo: B+
Quinten Grimes: B
Josh Hart: B-
Deuce McBride: B-
Precious Achiuwa: C
Now, let’s see what the Knicks have up next for the coming week.
The Knicks start their week tonight in Memphis against a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies. It sucks to see a player like Morant miss so much time because of off-the-court problems and injuries, but it makes a game like tonight a lot easier to win. This should be an easy fit for New York as they enter the game as 8.5-point favorites. There is some concern as Brunson is questionable with a calf contusion, but even without Brunson, I feel like the Knicks should be able to win this game. They then head back home to take on the Magic. The Knicks lost their only game of the season to the Magic a couple of weeks ago and are looking to take one back. This is a game where the Knicks need Brunson back healthy, so if they want to give him the game off against the Grizzlies, I’m okay with that decision. The Magic are playing well this season, and the Knicks will need Brunson back to win. After that, the Knicks stay home and play the Rockets on Wednesday. I couldn’t tell you much about the Rockets, but the Knicks should win that game. Finally, the Knicks are in New York once again to play the Wizards on a back-to-back. We all know by now the Wizards are an awful team, so this should be an easy blowout for the Knicks. A 4-0 week is not out of the question for this team, but it all depends on the health of Jalen Brunson.
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