Knicks Bulletin: Burks and Bogdanovic first words, Thibs on loss, “Belieber” Brunson...

The Knicks kept their pre-All-Star slogging going on Saturday as they welcomed and fell to the Indiana Pacers inside Madison Square Garden, 125-111 in favor of the visitors.

Taj Gibson started at the five—which is all you need to know to get an idea of how we arrived at that final score—after not doing so since Jan. 11, 2023, when he was still a member of the super-lowly Wizards.

Here is what the protagonists of the game had to say about the affair as well as the two new Knicks (Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks) thoughts shared with the free world as they were introduced to the Knickerbocker faithful before their debut on Saturday.

Tom Thibodeau

On losing to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday with a shorthanded roster...

“We’re short-handed and we’re going to have to play a lot harder and a lot tougher. I’m disappointed in the result, but I’m not disappointed in our team.”

“Our margin of error’s small right now. We have to play extremely hard, tough, smart... The thing I love about our team is there’s no quit in us. They’ll continue to fight.”

”For the most part, this team gives you everything they have, every single game.”

On how he introduced Bojan Bogdanovic to the Knicks playbook one day before his debut...

“Just like with OG, you give him a very basic package. There are a lot of sets that are similar from each team—they may be called something different. They’ll pick that part up quickly. But don’t overload it.”

”When you get a player in a trade like this, there’s some defaults you can go to. ‘Well, if you’re not sure, run into this. If you’re not sure, an out-of-bounds play, well, you take the ball out of bounds.’ There are things we can do to help them. But I think they’ll adapt very quickly.”

On Alec Burks' return to New York after leaving in the summer of 2022...

“Alec’s been here before, everyone is familiar with him, he’s familiar with us.”

“We saw that when Alec was here before, his ability to play the point, play the two, play the three.

On getting a seasoned veteran in Bojan Bogdanovic along with Burks...

“Bojan has been around, understands the game, plays it at a high level. I think he can fit in in the same way that OG did.”

“Bojan can play multiple positions, as well, so I think that that’s a big plus because both guys can play with the starters, can play with the second unit. They’re interchangeable, and we liked that about them.”

On bringing Taj Gibson back on another 10-day contract through the All-Star break...

“I think it’s important just because of his understanding of what we’re trying to do. I think that helps your team.”

”He can step right in, he understands the defensive schemes, he understands the screening component. And so give us what you have. And I think he’s great for our young guys.”

“That’s what I like about Alec, and Bojan (Bogdanovic), as well. It’s great veteran leadership. We have a good blend, we have good young guys, we have some guys in the middle and we have a couple of older guys. Taj will be upset with me, but…”

On Isaiah Hartenstein’s Achilles injury...

“No (new information), just it’s gonna be day to day. Just see where he is.”

Jalen Brunson

On the loss to the Indiana Pacers and how the team might look when everybody is back healthy...

”For us right now, we just have to be better at rebounding and on the defensive side of the ball.”

“We can’t keep looking ahead to how we’re gonna be good and not be good now.”

On adding Burks and Bogdanovic to the team...

“I’m really excited they’re here. Get to know them, get more acclimated to what they do... I mean, they’re great.”

On the ankle injury that forced him to miss the game against the Dallas Mavericks last Thursday...

“It was a game-time decision. When I feel that I can do the things I do, making sure I can go out there and be who I am for as long as I am out there, when I feel that type of confidence, that is when I know I’m ready to play.”

On his musical preferences and the reasons behind them...

“I listen to Justin Bieber right before I run out. Every game.”

“I listened to [him throughout the NCAA tourney], we end up winning, and then it happened again, so I was like, ‘This might be a thing.’ And then we kept winning and winning, we won the national championship.”

“And then my junior year, same thing—we won it again. And so, I was like, ‘I gotta keep this alive.’ Great guy. Great music.”

Bojan Bogdanovic

On his past postseason experience and how that can help the Knicks...

“I missed one [year of] playoffs in my career, so I’m used to big expectations and playing for a playoff team and contenders.”

”I think it’s early, we need time to adjust but All-Star [break] is coming as well so going to be kind of easier to learn set plays and what coach [Tom Thibodeau] wants us to.”

On being ready to play from the moment he arrived in New York last Friday...

“We are in game shape. We’ve been playing all season, so we will see how the coach will approach the game.”

On finding his footing in New York during the remainder of the regular season and heading into the playoffs...

“I’m just trying to see the way how my new team is playing, what shots I can get. I know that we’ve got two ball-dominant guys that are two All-Stars on the team, so I just try to see how they play with the ball and try to show myself and be in the right place at the right time, but it’s all about the system and practicing the shots that I might get here as well.”

On having Tom Thibodeau as his coach in New York...

“I’ve been around a lot of old-school coaches, but I’ve heard he’s one of them. So it won’t be a big adjustment for me. I even prefer old-school coaching, that’s kind of European style.”

On becoming a New York Knicks player...

“Just super excited to be part of one of the biggest franchises in the world, probably, and to be a part of the Knicks family. It’s huge for me to be here, and really excited to be back in New York.”

On playing for the Knicks, not the Nets in New York City...

“I played with the Nets, but all my friends are New Yorkers and they’re all Knicks fans so it’s going to be even better for them to see me in a Knicks jersey.”

“It’s a big Croatian community here in New York so I’ll have a lot of these guys from my country supporting [the] Knicks from now on.”

On calling MSG his new home...

“It’s a playoff atmosphere every single game. Being able to be part of the Knicks, it’s really special for me. The building was on fire the whole game.”

Alec Burks

On what is different between the last iteration of the Knicks he played for and this team...

“[Thibodeau] didn’t really change much, so I know how he wants to play on both sides of the ball, so I think it won’t be as hard of a transition.”

“[It’s mostly] just the difference Jalen (Brunson) has made. I mean, he’s an unbelievable player. I feel like bringing him helped the rebuild even better. With Thibs and Julius playing at this level, it’s great to see that I was a part of the start of it.”

On his relationship with Tom Thibodeau...

“I don’t know [why Thibodeau loves me], man. We connect. We just connect.”

“He likes how I play on the court, off the court. I like how he coaches. We talked off the court a lot when I was here as a Knick. He’s just a good guy, man.”

On finding his name in the rumor mill and finally landing (for a second time) in New York...

“It’s hard not to hear it, but I didn’t pay it no mind. Trade rumors happen all the time in this league. But I always knew I had a fan in Thibs and the organization, a lot of people in the city, I know I got a lot of love here. You never know and then it happens. A lot of emotions, it’s just crazy. It’s how the world goes, right?“

“I’m glad to be back. I get a lot of love out here. So I’m glad to be back with everybody. I had a lot of fun, what was it a year and a half ago? My two-year stint was a lot of fun here, we won a lot of games, connected with a lot of fans, the playoff series. Just a lot of different times I had as a Knick, at that point. Just remembering all those times, I’m just glad to be back.”

Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers Head Coach)

On Tyrese Haliburton’s off-the-backboard action to dish a dime to Pascal Siakam on the corner...

“One characteristic that all great players have is resourcefulness and the ability, in a split second, to invent something special. And he did just that. That’s a play that created momentum for us. And, if for some reason that possession was unsuccessful, it could have created a lot of momentum for the Knicks. The only word I can really say is just, it’s just special… just special stuff.”

Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers Player)

On his And 1-type assist...

“I’ve never done that before. You see so many guys in the NBA trying [to make plays off the backboard].”

“I was gonna try it in the first half, a little off the right slot, but it was kind of a weird angle. In transition, it just felt like there was a lot of room in the paint. So, yeah, just playing basketball, having fun.”