Knicks' RJ Barrett sidelined by sprained left ankle
A trainer tends to Knicks guard RJ Barrett after he fell to the floor late in the second half of the team's NBA game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday in Denver. Credit: AP/David Zalubowski
SAN FRANCISCO — If the morning was a disappointment for the Knicks, who were unable to swing a trade before the deadline, the night wasn’t any better with the news that RJ Barrett would not play Thursday because of a sprained left ankle.
Barrett was at the Knicks’ morning shootaround receiving treatment and left the Chase Center in a walking boot, an indication that he likely could be sidelined for at least the remainder of the trip.
"It’s day-to-day," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It’s a sprained ankle."
Barrett was injured in the final minute Tuesday as the Knicks were blown out by the Nuggets. The Knicks were expected to start Quentin Grimes, who missed the previous two games with a sore left knee.
Shooting woes
Kemba Walker has managed to shoot at about the same percentage as he has throughout his career. But of late, as the Knicks have struggled, so has he. While he is at 40.1% overall and 36.5% from three-point range for the season, he is shooting 28.6% overall and 15% from three-point range in the last six games.
"Just missing," he said. "That’s it. Just missing, you know. That’s it. I’ve got to find the rhythm. That’s all I can really say.
"You just keep working, just keep shooting. Keep working on your jumper, try to find your rhythm. You’ve got to just try to see one or two fall in. But you know, it’ll come."
Just as he’s confident it will come for himself, he remains confident it will come for the team.
"We just haven’t been putting it together," he said. "Myself, I haven’t been playing really well to help the team as much . . . You gotta continue to go, continue to stay as positive as we can and try to put some wins together."
Rosas with Knicks
Gersson Rosas, who worked with Thibodeau in Houston before succeeding him as team president in Minnesota, was with the Knicks in Denver and again Thursday at Golden State. There have been reports that he has been hired as a consultant by the Knicks, but the team has yet to make it official. Rosas was dismissed in Minnesota just before the start of the season.
"I don’t know where that stands other than I worked with Gersson, who is a great basketball guy," Thibodeau said. "He’s a friend. I know he’s been making the rounds in his time out. He and Leon have had a great relationship. I don’t know where that stands. He’s a terrific basketball guy."
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.
