Tough one to sit through
Though shorthanded, Knicks keep Kemba on bench in Bucks’ romp
BUCS 112
KNICKS 97
It’s official: Kemba Walker has been demoted to the farthest end of the bench.
Even with three rotation players unavailable, including the starting point guard, Tom Thibodeau gave Walker a seventh consecutive healthy DNP on Sunday afternoon as the Knicks were blasted by the Bucks, 112-97.
In the past, Thibodeau insinuated he wouldn’t play Walker unless he’s starting.
When asked if that was indeed the arrangement, Thibodeau responded Sunday,
“It’s basically a coaching decision, yeah.”
It’s a bizarre situation that likely means Walker played his final game with the Knicks, less than two months after the four-time All-Star debuted at home as the starting point guard. The issue is Walker has little value around the league on a two-year, $18 million deal, especially if the bar is starting. He needed to be attached to draft picks in a salary dump by the Celtics after last season, then was bought out by the Thunder. With the Knicks, he’s a shooting threat and unafraid of drawing charges, but still carries the worst net rating on the squad.
Still, Walker clearly wasn’t the only problem.
The free-falling Knicks (12-15), losers of eight of their last 10 games, are 1-6 since Walker was removed from the rotation. On Sunday afternoon against the defending champs, Alec Burks was inactive for personal reasons (reportedly the birth of a child) while RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin were sent into COVID-19 protocols. The latter of the two could be out multiple games.
Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox and Miles McBride all got minutes over Walker, who again was active on the bench in uniform.
Grimes started at wing and represented the Knicks’ lone bright spot while setting the franchise’s rookie record with seven 3-pointers. He finished with 27 points but scored only two in the final 20 minutes. Derrick Rose replaced Burks as the starting point guard.
“Just based on the previous two games and the groups that played well in those two games,” Thibodeau explained of his rotation decisions. “And then how the game unfolded and the size of their guards and things like that. We thought that would give us the best chance to win.”
The Knicks, in reality, never stood a chance. Not with their best player still dallying through the season and Leon Rose’s 2021 summer turning into a complete dud. Julius Randle committed seven turnovers and managed just eight points on 2-of-9 shooting in 35 minutes, outplayed by Milwaukee’s frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 points, triple-double) and Bobby Portis (19 points, 10 rebounds).
Randle said his intentions are in the right place, if not for the execution.
“I just try to continue to make the right plays,” he said. “Like, I can start forcing it, but what would that say about my trust in my guys? So I just try to go out there and make the right plays. At least my intentions are to make the right plays. Just try to take what the game gives me.”