Ron Baker suffers a dislocated shoulder while Enes Kanter takes a shot at King James in today’s version of the New York Knicks News Mix.
Baked:
According a medical report by the New York Knicks, an MRI revealed that Ron Baker suffered a dislocated right shoulder and a torn labrum in Tuesday’s game and will be out indefinitely.
Baker suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Knicks’ 111-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets while guarding DeMarre Carroll. While his minutes had decreased since the return of Tim Hardaway Jr., Baker had still been getting regular rotation minutes as the backup off-guard.
Medical update: An MRI on Ron Baker’s right shoulder revealed a shoulder dislocation and torn labrum. He will be out indefinitely.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 31, 2018
Enemy of the Crown:
LeBron James and Enes Kanter are at it again.
“I might ask for a trade,” Kanter said to ESPN’s Ian Begley about playing on James’ All-Star team if he were to be named as a replacement for the injured Kevin Love. “If it happens, it happens. If not, I’ll go to break. I’m going to cheer for KP.”
Kanter and James have a history of extra-curricular activities taking to social media to trade barbs and going chest-to-chest earlier this season. Kanter, averaging 14 points per game and a team-high 10.1 rebounds, became only the second Knicks player since Willis Reed and first since David Lee to notch a 20-point, 20-rebound and five-assist game against the Nets on Tuesday.
Enes Kanter was playfully asked about replacing the injured Kevin Love and playing for LeBron James' All-Star team. "I might ask for a trade," he said with a laugh. "If it happens, it happens. If not, I'll go to break. I'm going to cheer for KP."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 31, 2018
Noah’s Ark
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Joakim Noah may have played his final game as a New York Knickerbocker. The Knicks are aggressively looking to deal the disgruntled center, Berman notes, and may just elect not to bring him back should their efforts be unsuccessful.
Noah will not travel with the Knicks to Boston and remains in limbo since being dismissed from the team after multiple spats with head coach Jeff Hornacek. Noah first got into a heated exchange with Hornacek after being removed from a Jan. 23 game against Golden State and again confronted the head coach the following day in practice. In the second year of a four-year, $72 million contact Noah has played sporadically this season.
Lots of Treys
Newly acquired Trey Burke has made “three’s a crowd” true at the point guard spot. Burke, a former lottery pick, has forced his way into the rotation behind starter Jarrett Jack and has battled rookie Frank Ntilikina for minutes as the primary backup. At times, Jeff Hornacek has even gone with Burke alongside the struggling rookie.
In seven games since being signed from the Knicks’ Westchester G-League affiliate, Burke is shooting .581 from the field and averaging 8.3 points per game in just a shade over 13 minutes per game with a 4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, Jeff Hornacek liked what he saw from the Burke-Ntilikina duo and might continue to use that look in the future.
Jeff Hornacek liked what he saw tonight from the Trey Burke-Frank Ntilikina backcourt. It seems like something we might see more of going forward.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 31, 2018
