Knicks Notebook: OG Anunoby still sidelined, Mitchell Robinson cleared for more contact

Knicks caput manager Tom Thibodeau provided cardinal wounded updates aft signifier connected Friday, shedding airy connected the presumption of 2 important players arsenic New York enters a pivotal agelong earlier the All-Star break.

Starting guardant OG Anunoby, who has been retired since spraining his close ft successful a Feb. 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, participated successful “parts of practice” but did not sorb overmuch contact. His constricted workload suggests his instrumentality remains successful question arsenic the Knicks attack the Feb. 13-19 NBA All-Star interruption successful San Francisco.

Thibodeau described Anunoby’s controlled interaction arsenic “precautionary” and noted that the versatile defender is moving well. However, it’s wide he’s not yet acceptable for crippled action.

With lone 3 games remaining earlier the interruption — Saturday against the Boston Celtics, followed by a Monday-Tuesday back-to-back astatine Indiana and location against Atlanta — it appears improbable Anunoby volition instrumentality earlier precocious February.

“Just instrumentality it time by day,” Thibodeau said aft signifier astatine the team’s Tarrytown grooming facility. “Obviously, we’re hopeful helium volition beryllium back, but if he’s not, adjacent feline get successful determination and get the occupation done. We person bully prime depth, but evidently OG is simply a immense portion of our team.”

ROBINSON PROGRESSING, BUT NO TIMETABLE

Thibodeau besides provided an update connected Mitchell Robinson, who is ramping up his rehab pursuing a 2nd surgery-inducing accent fracture to his near ankle past May.

The Knicks’ rim protector participated successful “quite a spot of practice” connected Friday, marking a important measurement forward. While helium has yet to prosecute successful afloat five-on-five drills, Robinson has attacked his rehab with intensity, keeping his value down and conditioning up.

Thibodeau noted that Robinson was among the archetypal players to get astatine the installation connected Friday morning, completing idiosyncratic enactment earlier squad practice. He said his conditioning is “pretty good,” considering Robinson has not played since Game 1 of past season’s second-round playoff bid against the Indiana Pacers.

Robinson’s instrumentality could consciousness similar a midseason acquisition, providing the Knicks with a ascendant antiaircraft beingness successful the paint. The Cleveland Cavaliers, presently sitting atop the Eastern Conference, bolstered their ain roster astatine the commercialized deadline by acquiring De’Andre Hunter from Atlanta successful speech for Caris LeVert — adding size, physicality, and three-point shooting to their extent chart.

The Knicks are banking connected Robinson’s instrumentality to supply a akin boost. When healthy, he’s 1 of the league’s premier rim protectors and violative rebounders, a cleanable complement to Karl-Anthony Towns, who has shouldered the bulk of New York’s halfway minutes.

Towns, who spent 2 seasons alongside four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert successful Minnesota, expressed excitement astir pairing up with different elite antiaircraft anchor.

“Just a gangly lineup. It’s gonna beryllium breathtaking to benignant of research that,” Towns said Friday. “I person immoderate familiarity with it with Rudy, truthful it’ll beryllium thing that I’ll pat into that benignant of imaginable well.”

Towns said Robinson is bringing vigor some to the locker country and the signifier level present that he’s backmost successful the fold.

“Seeing Mitch is great. Being astir him since I got here, it’s been awesome to beryllium capable to get to cognize him much connected the person broadside alternatively of conscionable being his competitor,” said the All-Star center. “I respect him tremendously for what helium does for this team. So it’s been large to beryllium capable to physique a enslaved with him.”

Team skipper Jalen Brunson besides said Robinson and Towns could beryllium a beardown four-five punch but emphasized patience for the spry large man’s recovery.

“They person the imaginable to beryllium precise good,” Brunson said. “I conscionable privation Mitch to travel backmost afloat steadfast and acceptable to go. That’s my main absorption — conscionable making definite he’s 100 percent.”

DELON WRIGHT JOINS PRACTICE

New Knicks defender Delon Wright practiced with the squad connected Friday, giving Thibodeau an other enactment successful lawsuit of injuries oregon backcourt absences.

“Just a bully coagulated veteran. He’s been around,” Thibodeau said. “Gives america security astatine that position. Can defender aggregate positions. So, we felt it was bully for us.”

The Knicks acquired Wright, a beardown perimeter defender, successful the woody that sent embattled halfway Jericho Sims to the Milwaukee Bucks. The seasoned defender has consistently ranked among the league leaders successful deflections.

While his antiaircraft instincts could beryllium valuable, helium is improbable to ace the regular rotation implicit the three-guard 2nd portion of Miles McBride, Cam Payne, and Landry Shamet.

“[Deflections have] been his strength,” Thibodeau said. “We similar his size astatine the position, truthful we’ll conscionable spot however it goes. We person bully prime extent there. It gives america a small much insurance.”

THIBS ON CAVALIERS’ TRADE

The top-seeded Cavaliers strengthened their roster by acquiring Hunter, a versatile two-way guardant who should bolster Cleveland’s antiaircraft schemes portion adding extracurricular shooting.

“They were a bully squad before. They are a bully squad now,” Thibodeau said. “I deliberation players alteration teams, and past you person to recognize who they are with their caller players and however that changes them. So, we volition woody with them erstwhile we play them.

“There are a batch of bully teams successful the league. The important happening for america is to absorption connected ourselves. [We person to absorption connected what we] person to bash to hole to play Boston tomorrow.”

THIBS ON TRADE DEADLINE FRENZY

The NBA saw a flurry of movement earlier Thursday’s commercialized deadline, headlined by the stunning blockbuster woody sending Luka Dončić from Dallas to Los Angeles.

Thibodeau acknowledged the league’s increasing involvement successful commercialized play and however it fuels engagement with the sport.

“It shows you the popularity of the league and societal media and everything. It’s large for the league and business,” helium said. “You consciousness for the players that are involved. It’s not conscionable them — it’s their families. There’s a batch going on.

“I personally preferred erstwhile the deadline was implicit [the All-Star] break.”