1 MANGLED FINGER, 2 THUMBS UP
Pelle earns praise from Thibs after grisly injury
Norvel Pelle left his Knicks debut with a mangled finger and an impression of toughness on coach Tom Thibodeau.
Having just signed a 10-day contract Saturday morning, Pelle couldn’t practice with the Knicks but was inserted into garbage time of Saturday’s 125-81 blowout victory over the Pistons.
Two minutes into his appearance, Pelle jumped for an alley-oop dunk and banged his hand against the rim as he was hacked. He then lay down against the basket stanchion while holding his right pointer finger, which was either dislocated or broken — and certainly bent in an unnatural direction.
Instead of subbing out, Pelle had his finger taped and hit one of two free throws. Then he finished the game with consecutive blocks on the following defensive possession.
“Pretty remarkable because the guy hadn’t gone through any practices. He was ready to go,” Thibodeau said. “It looked ugly but you appreciated that he wanted to stay in and that’s why we brought him in — the rim protection. And so it said a lot about him. Obviously pleased with the way he played in that short stint there.”
The Knicks added Pelle for depth at center in the wake of Mitchell Robinson breaking his foot. He was previously signed this season on a 10-day contract with the Nets, who host the Knicks tonight.
When Pelle’s deal expires, the Knicks can either offer a second 10-day, sign him for the rest of the season or waive the 28-year-old.
“He’s a Knicks type of player with his fight and his grit,” Reggie Bullock said.
Pelle wasn’t the only end-of-therotation player to get an opportunity in a blowout. Kevin Knox, the former lottery pick, played for the first time in four games and hit all three of his shot attempts — all 3-pointers — in five minutes. It was Knox’s highest scoring total since Jan. 13.
“It was important for those guys to get minutes and at some point you need everyone,” Thibodeau said.