Knicks Bulletin: “He is the least athletic player in the NBA.”

It was a nice day off in New York City for the Knicks as they didn’t have to play basketball for a minute, whether that was inside Madison Square Garden or in the Tarrytown practice facilities. They got the monster dub against the Magic on Friday, so hey, it can’t be said they didn’t deserve it!

Of course, that’s good for our boys but bad for us here at the P&T HQ trying to find soundbites and quotes from the guys getting paid for giving us that sauce. We’re so trained at this stuff that even doing it for the love of the game we still find ways to dig deep into the waters of reporting and to find hidden golden nuggets.

Here is what we found during the past few hours; quotes coming from coach Thibs as well as a couple of players and an undercover Aussie insider!

Tom Thibodeau

On slowly but surely bringing players back from injury through March and April...

“As you move forward, you need everyone. Ideally, you have everyone. That’s the goal.”

“If you have a full roster, you’re asking guys to sacrifice. We’ve asked that all year. That doesn’t change. Put the team first. That doesn’t mean you’re less valuable to us. Everybody on the roster is valuable to the team.”

On Deuce McBride’s progress this season...

“He’s done terrific. He continues to get better. He’s played really well, he plays both sides of the ball. He’s getting valuable experience. He can play with Jalen [Brunson], he can play without him. He’s done a really good job.”

On Isaiah Hartenstein’s nagging Achilles issues and increasing his playing time during the final month before the playoffs...

“He practiced really well [Thursday]. I always say when somebody practices well, they play well. [The Achilles pain] is something he’s managed for two years. So hopefully it moves forward.”

Isaiah Hartenstein

On the Knicks' deep roster and everybody stepping up to replace the injured players...

”People don’t get how difficult it is to stay ready. A great example is Deuce—come in and play 47 minutes. Your body has to be able to be ready for that. I think that’s just a staple to the organization.”

“It says a lot about the culture. I think we’re building a good culture here and that’s also important, just making sure guys are always ready.”

Josh Hart

On veteran Aussie Joe Ingles ahead of the matchup against the Magic last Friday...

“[Joe Ingles] is the least athletic player in the NBA.”

On Ingles talking smack to him throughout Friday’s game...

“That’s my guy. I knew he was going to be talking s–t. So I was ready. I got a lot of love for Joe. He’s a guy who has helped me, even this year. Texting me, telling me to stay confident and all that stuff. So that’s my guy.”

“And if you know Joe, Joe’s a s–t talker. I was ready. I was waiting for him to check him. And I was hoping he was going to guard me ’cause I was going to bust his ass.”

Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic Player)

On former teammate Donovan Mitchell eventually playing for the Knicks (comment from last summer)...

“I think [Mitchell will] play for New York one day, whether that’s sooner or later.”

On his opinion of Mitchell potentially joining New York...

“For me, it would be cool. Anybody who gets to play at home, it would be a pretty special thing for him. If he does, great. If he doesn’t, it’s not going to change my life one bit.”

On his comments about Mitchell’s move to New York, clarifying his statement...

“I think when there was talk about him coming to New York, the team wasn’t doing that great.”

“I think the way the [Cavaliers] are now—he’s pretty happy with the way the things are going in Cleveland. But it still wouldn’t surprise me. He’s a New York kid. If I could play in Melbourne and make the same amount of money, like, why wouldn’t you think about it?”

“Even when we were in Utah, we would hear Donovan-to-the-Knicks rumors all the time.”