Rookie steps into spotlight
Ndour makes his mom proud in first NBA start
MAKING his first NBA start and playing in front of his mother for the first time, Maurice Ndour capitalized with a double-double to help the Knicks to a 100-91 victory over the Bulls Tuesday night.
Ndour is really the last of the rookies to get a chance now that the Knicks’ season is a lost cause. The undrafted 24-year-old from Senegal got the news in the morning that he was going to start in place of injured Kristaps Porzingis.
“First I was like, ‘It is me?” Ndour said. “That was my first reaction.”
Then he finished with 13 points and 12 boards with his mother, who had flown in from Senegal a few days prior, in the Garden crowd.
“Even today, she was singing (songs from the Bible) and she was praying for me before I left the house,” Ndour said. “It was a real special moment. I have joy. I had fun all day and just for her to see me out there, it was amazing.”
The Knicks (30-48) swept the Bulls (38-40) in three games this season and have actually won three of their last five games. But it’s too late to recover much from this season, except for special moments and development from the likes of Ndour.
If anything, The Knicks are costing themselves ping pong balls with this mini surge. The Knicks own the sixth-worst record in the NBA but are only one game ahead of the Kings. They’ve been playing the part of an organizational tank team, alternating games off from Carmelo Anthony and Porzingis. That’s not to mention two other starters – Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah – are out for the season. On Tuesday, the Knicks played five rookies (Ndour, Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Willy Hernangomez, Chasson Randle), and they still managed to blow past the Bulls – leading by as many as 25 in the second half. Ndour, in particular, drew cheers from the Knicks bench. “The first unit set the tone,” Kyle O’Quinn said. “Maurice was in there hyped. “I have been in that situation he’s in – trying to find minutes, being in and out of the rotation, being at the practice early. It feels good when you are in and guys are genuinely going nuts for you.” To land one of the final roster spots, Ndour received a push from Phil Jackson’s top scout, Clarence Gaines. Ndour then settled into a routine of being trained by associate head coach Kurt Rambis, but he hadn’t played more than 19 minutes in a game until Tuesday – when he logged 33 and put on a show in front of his mother. “He played big minutes tonight,” said Anthony, who finished with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting. “I think it is good for guys like that to see that we appreciate the effort. Most people don’t see the hard work people put in.” 19-59 .244 22-56 .282 22-55 .286 27-51 .346 28-50 .359 -- 3.0 3.5 8.0 9.0 31-47 .397 12.0 31-46 .403 12.5 32-45 .416 13.5
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