Cam Reddish sidelined again but close to making Knicks debut, Tom Thibodeau says
Knicks guard RJ Barrett and forward Cam Reddish talk on the bench in the second half of an NBA game against the Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Cam Reddish was sidelined again Thursday with a sprained ankle, the fourth straight game he has been out since the Knicks traded for him and fifth straight overall.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said Reddish is "pretty close. He’s moving around pretty good. Should be any day now."
Reddish is acclimating to a new system after spending the first 2 1⁄2 seasons of his career with the Hawks.
"Yeah, it’s hard to tell, because we haven’t gotten into a game," Thibodeau said. "He’s learning what we’re doing, so that takes a little time. We love his size. He’s been terrific. He comes in early. He studies. He works hard. So he’s doing all the right things, which is the first step."
Rose sighting
Derrick Rose, still rehabilitating from right ankle surgery, was on the court before the game, working with a trainer on strength and flexibility. When he had surgery just before Christmas, the Knicks estimated eight weeks before he would be reevaluated.
"Yeah, he can spot shoot," Thibodeau said. "That’s basically about it. He’s right on schedule for where we thought he would be."
Trouble at the rim
Alec Burks has been struggling with his shooting of late. In the last 10 games entering Thursday, he was at 31.4% overall and 30.8% from beyond the arc.
He also is shooting just 42% on finishing at the rim this season.
"The interesting thing, he probably hasn’t finished as well — he didn’t finish at a high number last year either," Thibodeau said. "It’s off the dribble and it’s his shotmaking. You look at it, he’s always going to be around 40% from three, he’s always going to be a good free-throw shooter and then he’s going to playmake for you. So early on in his career, he was very good at drawing fouls, but I think we’ve seen league-wide that drop-down this year."
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
