Guard aims to claim 15th spot on Knicks roster; Thibs not sure yet
WASHINGTON – Dwayne Bacon, based on experience and history, should have the inside track on the Knicks’ final roster spot. But Tom Thibodeau threw cold water on the idea that Bacon is the default 15th man, redirecting a question about the guard to another candidate – Wayne Selden – while highlighting the importance of practice.
“We have a number of guys who are battling it out,” the coach said. “(Bacon) is a good competitor and obviously his length, his wing play. Wayne Selden has been terrific, along with Dwayne. Both guys are really solid veterans that can add to a team.
“And we have a couple young guys in there – MJ Walker has played well. Aamir (Simms) has played well. So it’s what the team needs and how it fits the team and what you’re looking for out of that 15th man. And to me, that position, the thing is probably the most important thing is how you practice each and every day.
What are you bringing to the team? So there’s a lot that goes into it and what fits us best. And we’ll wait till the end to make that decision.”
The Knicks, a franchise stuck in dysfunction for years, feels so put together these days that their biggest preseason roster question is who will earn the 15th spot.
Bacon, who is one of four candidates on nonguaranteed contracts, carries the most impressive resume and a relationship with Kemba Walker.
Asked if he’s confident about making the final cut, Bacon smiled and said, “that’s the plan.”
Bacon, 26, played 72 games last season for the Orlando Magic – starting 50 -- but was waived in the summer with an understanding the organization was pushing a full throttle rebuild. He understood the logic.
“It was what we already talked about,” Bacon said. “They just had a lot of young guys that they wanted to take a look at for a full season and they felt like if I was there then I would be not stunting their growth.
“But they would have to play me and they wouldn’t be able to play other guys like they wanted to. There’s no hard feelings.”
The Knicks were a fit and became a greater opportunity after Luca Vildoza was waived last week. Vildoza had also been vying for the final roster spot, but suffered an ankle injury in the summer and recently underwent surgery. Bacon didn’t play in the preseason opener against the Pacers, as coach Tom Thibodeau kept his rotations somewhat consistent with a regular season contest. Of the four players on nonguaranteed deals (Bacon, Selden, Simms, Walker), only Simms saw the court (and that was the final two minutes).
It was surprising Bacon couldn’t find a guaranteed deal after averaging 10.9 points and 3.1 rebounds as one of only 11 NBA players who appeared in every game last season. But Bacon doesn’t seem to view the circumstance as a great slight or motivating force.
“Maybe this summer just wasn’t my time. It doesn’t mean that I’m done in the league,” he said. “I started 50 games, I played all 72. I’m going to be available. But you know you’ve just got to play it out, do my part, do what I can to be the best me. That’s what I did this summer. Got better, so I feel like I’m a lot better, I’m in a lot better shape than I was last year and I played 72 games. So just got to keep going.”.
Bacon agreed to join the Knicks in August, just after being released by the Magic. The Knicks had also just signed Walker, who was teammates with Bacon in Charlotte for two seasons.
“Me and Kemba had a relationship since Charlotte. He was my vet my rookie year,” Bacon said. “He saw what type of guy I was, a worker, always kept the locker room happy and joyful. It just bonded into a brotherhood.”
BACK TO GEORGETOWN
Almost exactly 19 months ago, the Knicks’ practice on the Georgetown campus was the first with COVID protocols in place. Reporters were mandated to stay six feet away from the players, who weren’t supposed to high-five each other. Some things have changed. Others haven’t. The Knicks returned to Georgetown on Saturday for their morning shootaround ahead of their preseason game against the Wizards, with hand sanitizer stations still scattered inside the John R. Thompson Athletic Center and the six-foot rule in place.
Masks and vaccinations are now required of reporters. Patrick Ewing, the Georgetown basketball coach and Knicks legend, also stopped by the gym.
RANDLE OUT
Julius Randle, who had been expecting a baby with his wife soon, was ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Wizards for personal reasons. Obi Toppin was slated to start at power forward.
Nerlens Noel was listed as questionable with a sore left knee, the same injury that took him out of the preseason opener (Tom Thibodeau said it was just rest).
Mitchell Robinson remains out while rehabbing his broken foot and was running conditioning drills at the end of shootaround in Georgetown.