New York Knicks dodged a bullet as rookie Quentin Grimes avoided surgery after a scary knee injury Friday night against Miami Heat.
Grimes will only need rest and undergo physical therapy to heal the subluxation of his right patella, according to multiple reports, and was first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Ashley Nicole Moss.
Shortly, the Knicks announced that the 3-and-D rookie would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
It could have been worse.
Grimes suffered the injury with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter. Video replayed showed Grimes was trying to fight off a PJ Tucker screen on the baseline moments after he checked in. He immediately grabbed his knee and was visibly in pain.
?????? up for Quentin Grimes! pic.twitter.com/NZODcdXqph
— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) February 26, 2022
Grimes had been one of the few bright spots in what is quickly turning out to be a lost season for the Knicks. He’s averaging 6.3 points on 39.8 percent shooting behind the arc while providing the toughness on defense that earned him a rotation spot under Tom Thibodeau.
Meanwhile, there is optimism that Derrick Rose can return in one to two weeks, according to top ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rose underwent a minor procedure on his right ankle Friday to address a skin infection in the area of his December surgery. The motivation to bring back Rose immediately might not be as strong as it was earlier, as the Knicks are quickly fading from contention.
They lost for the 14th time in their last 17 games and are now 10 games under .500 despite RJ Barrett’s career-high 46-point effort against the Heat. The Knicks are 3.5 games behind Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot with 22 games left, most of them against teams over .500.
Only three other players scored in double figures aside from Barrett. Center Mitchell Robinson was held scoreless and only attempted once in a one-sided matchup against Heat center Bam Adebayo, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds. It was Robinson’s first game since his father, Mitchell Robinson, Jr., was found safe in Missouri Tuesday morning after being reported missing since Feb. 11.
Following his first zero-point effort in the season, Robinson posted a video on his Instagram story, which appears to be a veiled shot at Knicks coaching staff. The video shows Charlotte Hornets center, Miles Plumlee, attacking the paint off the dribble, and Robinson put a cryptic caption: “I love it…. green light.”
Following his scoreless performance last night vs Heat, where he only had a one field goal attempt, Mitchell Robinson posted this on his IG story. pic.twitter.com/rrcACm1OZw
— alder almo (@alderalmo) February 26, 2022
Robinson was exclusively scoring off putbacks and lobs since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. He showed flashes of brilliance against weaker competition but frequently got overmatched against the elite big men in the league.
The 23-year old Robinson is eligible to sign a contract extension up to four years, $55.6 million before the end of the season. But the Knicks appear reluctant to pay him that much. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but could be signed and traded to a new team.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo