Jimmer Fredette won’t get 2nd 10-day deal with Knicks
Jimmer Fredette of the New York Knicks controls the ball late in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Jimmer Fredette won’t be back with the Knicks.
The Knicks confirmed Fredette won’t be signed to a second 10-day contract. His 10-day deal expired Wednesday.
The sharpshooting guard from upstate Glens Falls played in just two games for the Knicks, scoring seven points in five minutes.
Fredette, who was the MVP of the D-League All-Star Game last month, was signed by the Knicks from their D-League team in Westchester.
Garden fans chanted “We Want Jim-mer!” in all four home games he was with the Knicks. Fredette played the final 3:13 of Tuesday’s loss to Portland. The fans cheered every time he touched the ball.
“I’m appreciative of the fans and the support that I’ve been able to get everywhere that I’ve gone in my career,” Fredette said after Tuesday’s game. “I’m appreciative of that but at the same time I don’t want it to be a distraction to anybody. I don’t let it distract me and I know my teammates and the coaching staff doesn’t let it distract them.
“We try to focus in on what’s going on in the game and making sure that we’re dialed in and playing good basketball. That’s the focus.”
Fredette, who was the 10th pick in the 2011 draft, was a long shot to make the Knicks’ rotation or stick with the team. Interim coach Kurt Rambis noted how Fredette “got pushed around a little bit” during a physical practice, and repeatedly said he would have to outplay the guards ahead of him to land a spot on the team.
On Tuesday Fredette didn’t sound confident that he would be back with the Knicks.
“I worked as hard as I could in practice and stayed competitive and went out there and just played my game and just tried to show that I know the system and know how we play,” Fredette said. “So we’ll see what happens next, but I try to compete every day.”
The Knicks are expected to fill the open roster spot with a guard. Among the candidates are former Spurs point guard Ray McCallum, Tim Frazier, who’s played for Portland and Philadelphia, and former 76ers guard Tony Wroten.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
