Knicks’ depth faces more tests after Jalen Brunson’s injury scare

Knicks’ depth faces more tests after Jalen Brunson’s injury scare

All right let’s get an update on Jaylen brunson’s health and talk all things Nicks with New York Post Nicks beat reporter Stephan Bondi uh Stefan it’s the news that I guess every Nicks fan can kind of breathe a sigh of release with Jaylen Brunson only having a knee

Contusion or knee bruise can you give us what you’ve heard from your sources about his availability for Tuesday night well um it’s still questionable um that’s was the status heading into this game and that’s what it remains I think we’ll find out more when Tom Tibido

Speaks uh before they play the Hawks but listen I think it’s like you said breathe a s relief that’s how you’ve got to feel about this after watching the original injury in Cleveland I mean it looked just from you know watching it observing it from where I was from the

Press Box to be a non-c cont injury and I’m sure everybody you know that has followed Sports and especially in New York understands when there’s a non- contct injury that’s very scary you fear the worst you fear ligaments being torn um and then you know for him to only be

Diagnosed with a bone contusion um a knee contusion actually that’s positive news considering where my mind went and where I’m sure a lot of Nick’s fans Minds went right after that injury yeah this team has kind of been banged up within the recent months and you know I

Kind of want to talk to you about that because since none of the injuries to the Stars the Julius randles the ogs are season ending you think that’s kind of helping this squad in the long run because guys are getting some live auditions for more playing time and game likee action rather than

Practice maybe um but you know there are two sides of that the other side is that they’re not building the cohesion that they need necessary with the starting unit and the guys that will be eventually playing a lot of minutes in the playoffs so you know you could look

At it two ways I think I tend to look on the side of it being negative just because when the playoffs come around Tom Tibido is going to cut it probably cut it to an eight-man RO anyway starters are going to be logging heavier minutes so I think the continuity um and

The chemistry that would be being developed right now between Julius Randall ogan noi and jayen Brunson is more important than developing guys like you know miles McBride who I think you know will have a little bit of a role in the playoffs just not very much I didn’t

Even think of it on that side of things but when you break it down like that that does make sense a lot of guys playing time is going to get cut in the playoffs I was kind of Twitter stalking you last night and uh Toronto Raptor Senator Kelly oick agreed on a two-year

26.25 million contract extension you quote tweeted that tweet and you kind of previewed what the market for Isaiah hartenstein could look like after that extension can you break that down for us sure well first I’d like to see um how exactly that money breaks down for Kevy

Olen I know that W um said it was um two years a little bit over over 13 million per now if that’s all that’s if all that’s guaranteed for Kelly Olen and I’m Isaiah hardenstein I’m looking at it like all right well I’m younger than Kelly olick I uh protect the rim better

I rebound better I’m an overall better player more valuable to my team so I’m going to be asking for more than that um and he’s going to be a unrestricted free agent in the summer the Knicks have his early bird rights which means they can only give him a certain amount I think

It’s somewhere in the realm of 16 to 17 million uh per year without going over without going over the cap and listen the Knicks are are going to be over the cap so it’s going to be a tricky situation with Isaiah hartenstein in the summer the Knicks have already locked up

Um Mitchell Robinson next season they have him under contract they also have Jericho Sims so I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens with Isaiah hardenstein and how they prioritize him in the summer yeah I’m all about players going to get the back

But iHeart has been a fan favorite like every my timeline is just a whole iHeart fan page of of people just because the guy comes out there he plays his ass off and he gives you good minutes uh another thing I’m I’m gonna when I read this I

Was like let me ask Stan about this because Shake Milton the Knicks have has has announced that they’ve signed uh Shake Milton can you kind of tell us what he’s going to bring to this banged up Nick Squad right I think he’s being pitched right now as a depth piece I

Mean listen he played very well during spurts with the 76ers um specifically during that pandemic season I think he averaged over 13 points per game but then he got to the Timberwolves he signed that deal I think only one year was guaranteed of five million and he never really cracked the rotation my

Understanding is listen they the timber worldes played really well and they didn’t want to change anything when it was going well so he just never really got a good shot there he was sent to the Pistons and you know they waved him and he was looking for an opportunity to

Play for a team that has a chance and the Knicks have a chance now I don’t think he’s going to come in here and start playing you know big minutes immediately in fact I you know I think that when you look at the depth chart he’s going to fall somewhere below miles

McBride and Alec Burks just on the guard depth chart so he’s a depth piece for the Knicks and you know he has I think his strength is in his defensive versatility he’s got a massive Wings span for his for his height um and I think you know he’s got as long as he

Has his confidence I think that’s a big aspect with him in his his jump shoot is his confidence as long as he has that I think he can contribute to the Knicks my bad Shake I wasn’t familiar with your game but Welcome to New York my man

Stephan Bondi thanks for uh coming on with us all right thanks a lot

The Post’s Knicks beat writer Stefan Bondy joins New York Post Sports anchor Brandon London to discuss Jalen Brunson’s outlook after leaving Sunday’s game against the Cavaliers at the start with a knee injury, how the Bockers’ depth may play a factor down the stretch, Isaiah Hatrenstein’s looming free agency and what the newly signed Shake Milton can bring to New York.

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