THERE’S MORE QUINNEY TO COME
BRIEF STINT IN NHL FOR HOMETOWN GOLDEN KNIGHTS WAS JUST THE VALIDATION WOLVES FORWARD NEEDED
The season is in jeopardy for the Wolves and the AHL as a whole. Because of concerns over coronavirus, the schedule has been suspended, and it’s anybody’s guess when the Wolves will take the ice again.
Although it’s trivial in comparison to what’s going on elsewhere, the interruption short-circuits a breakthrough season for forward Gage Quinney.
When he made his NHL debut Feb. 22 with the Golden Knights, Quinney became the first Nevada-born player to play in hockey’s top league. In three games for his hometown team, Quinney acquitted himself well, picking up an assist and averaging almost 10 minutes of ice time.
“It was a dream come true,” he said. “I just learned they’re all really good. Everything is perfect all the time, and to make all the right plays and bringing that down here . . . that’s what I try to do.”
After returning to the Wolves on March 1, Quinney continued the form that got him the NHL chance.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “These guys are my best friends. So being able to come back and play, it’s just as good. I’m excited for the playoff push, and we’ve got to get it going.”
That playoff push may or may not continue now, but Quinney was certainly doing his part to help the Wolves try to solidify a spot in the postseason. In three games, he had two goals and an assist during an especially difficult time of NHL call-ups and roster issues. He returned to his usual role of playing in all situations and gave the Wolves another reason to feel optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“Really carrying us offensively,” coach Rocky Thompson said. “He’s stepping up. It’s required of him, and that’s what I love, is you do your best when your best is required. He’s doing that, and he’s proving that he can take that next step, in my opinion.”
The call-up to Vegas last month wasn’t just a way for the Golden Knights to generate positive headlines. Quinney had 14 goals and 18 assists at the time of his promotion and caught the eye of the parent team with the same traits that always bring praise from Thompson.
“We had a chance with the game tonight to reward someone, and he was the player we thought deserved it,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on the night of Quinney’s debut. “Happy for Gage, excited for his family. It’s a neat story with him being Nevada-born, and yet it’s not why this is playing out like it did. He’s here tonight because he’s earned the opportunity.”
Because of hockey’s growth in the Las Vegas area, Quinney likely isn’t the last native player to skate in the NHL. But even though he’s now a part of sports history for his home state, he isn’t thinking about that too much anymore.
“Maybe the first game because of all the questions I had to answer,” he said. “The goal is to play in the NHL. All of that stuff doesn’t really cross my mind.” ✶
NBA commissioner Adam Silver did his best Thursday to plunge into the great unknown that has gripped the league, the sports landscape and the world. Discussing the eventual resolution of the coronavirus crisis has become a series of what-ifs and leaps of faith, and a whole lot of hope. The hope from Silver and NBA owners is that the league will continue play after a self-imposed 30-day hiatus. How that will look — or if it’s even plausible — is still just speculation.
What impact, good or bad, will the time off have on players? What does it do to the rhythm of a team or an individual? How much practice will be allowed between now and the eventual restart?
That’s the quandary each NBA team is facing, including the Bulls.
Before COVID-19 became a household term, little was going well for the Bulls. But there was Coby White. The No. 7 overall pick from last June’s draft had gone from a rookie finding his way to an impact player off the bench to learning how to be a point guard. He was finally named a starter last week.
If there’s a poster boy for a season suddenly cut short, it’s White. In his last 10 games, he was averaging 33.8 minutes with 24.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point range.
In his one game as a starter, the North Carolina product scored 20 points with five rebounds and five assists but also committed nine turnovers — a reminder that his decision-making is still a work in progress.
But mostly, White has shown adaptability. Back in the Summer League, he seemed overwhelmed by the distance of the NBA three-pointer, but he figured it out. He admittedly hit the rookie wall in December and January, looking worn down far too often, but he figured it out.
The Bulls were hoping that with more practice time and 17 regular-season games left, White would counter his inconsistency with better decision-making and figure it out.
More specifically, with guard Zach LaVine about to return from a quadriceps injury, the Bulls expected White and LaVine to be an early glimpse at their future backcourt.
That’s how LaVine was looking at it when asked about White joining the starting unit.
“It’s going to be real exciting,” LaVine said last weekend. “He’s obviously proven and played his way into it. I’ve [said] from the get-go that I thought Coby was going to be a special player . . . . We’ve got a good little bit of a chemistry going, having played with each other. But obviously, starting a game, you’ve got to come out ready to go. It’s a little different.
Just like with anyone else, you’ve got to figure out that chemistry and how to manage it.”
Figuring out that chemistry sooner rather than later would have been nice for a team that always seems to have more questions than answers about its roster.
Now, the Bulls have to play the waiting game with White. Could they get a more detailed fingerprint of his skills 30 days from now? Maybe. But there’s also a chance they have to wait until next September.
The great unknown. ✶