Robinson on guard against COVID-19
Mitchell Robinson was in-andout of COVID-19 protocols without ever testing positive. But now he’s more concerned about the virus. The Knicks center quarantined for two days and missed Sunday’s loss to the Raptors following an inconclusive test, he said. Robinson was cleared after just two days and returned with vigor in a win over the Pacers, when he played 25 productive minutes with (four offensive).
“[The test] was inconclusive,” the 23-year-old said. “So, it wasn’t a yes, it wasn’t a no. Then I got two tests back that were negative, so I didn’t have it. That’s just stuff you’re gonna go through. It’s been a couple years with this corona stuff going around.”
Robinson wore a mask during his interview following Wednesday’s practice and said he’s now ultra careful. The Knicks were decimated by COVID-19 — with as many as eight players in the protocol at one point — but have since cleared everybody.
“I keep this mask on even more,” Robinson said. “You see I warm up with it on. I don’t want that. I don’t want that COVID stuff. I heard it from different people [how it can affect you]. I don’t want that at all, no.”
NO RANDLE LOVE
eight rebounds
Derrick Rose was the only Knick to crack the NBA’s list in the first returns of the fan All-Star ballots, as Julius Randle’s struggles this season were felt at the polls.
Rose, who remains a popular figure nearly over a decade after becoming the youngest MVP in league history, was seventh among Eastern Conference guards with 232,501 votes. Fans account for 50% of the final vote for starters, with current players and media dividing the other half.
Fan voting runs until Jan. 22.
In the first returns, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry led their respective conferences. If that holds up, they’ll be captains and draft from the pool of All-Stars.
Randle was voted in last season by the coaches as a reserve, but he also finished seventh in fan voting among East frontcourt players. This season, his numbers are down across the board as the Knicks entered Thursday’s game against the Celtics with an 18-20 record. Players with more votes in the first returns included Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Charlotte’s Miles Bridges and Brooklyn’s LaMarcus Aldridge.
Rose, who finished 12th among East guards last year, was recently cleared to start physical therapy after undergoing ankle surgery on Dec. 22. He’s averaging 12 points in 26 games.
KEMBA STILL OUT
It’s been day-to-day for over a week.
Kemba Walker missed his fourth consecutive game Thursday with his sore arthritic knee, with still no clear idea on when the point guard will return. Still, Tom Thibodeau said Walker progressed to more workouts in Thursday morning’s shootaround.
Walker’s knee was inflamed during warmups on New Year’s Eve after six straight games with heavy minutes, including both sets of a back-to-back. Thibodeau indicated he’ll ease the burden on Walker’s knee when he returns.
“Whatever he can handle, that’s what he’ll get,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll go from there. We were down bodies [to COVID-19 protocols] and now we got guys back and I like the depth at that position.”
Still, Walker’s knee issue isn’t going to disappear. A source with knowledge of the injury described the onset of pain as “not a matter of if, but when.”