Knicks Bulletin: “This is when we make stupid-a** trades and everything’s messed up.”

The Knicks bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to the Sixers by putting the clamps on Philly and beating them in a rematch played Tuesday before onboarding a plane on their way to the West Coast for a week-long trip.

New York won’t return to the Garden until Sat., Mar. 23 when they’ll host the Nets, and perhaps by then, Julius Randle is fit enough to join the already-back OG Anunoby on the court. Who knows!?

For now, here are some quotes and thoughts heard round the Knicks world that I could find in the wild during the past few hours.

Tom Thibodeau

On the Knicks' ongoing three-game streak of holding opponents to fewer than 80 points...

“The thing is, 20 years ago that really was the style of play. So to be able to do it in today’s game, it’s a credit to the team.”

“You have to be tied together and you have to be working together and you have to be able to count on each other, and I think that’s the way our team is playing, and we’ve had to use that most of the year when you’re down players.”

On the Knicks' collective effort to keep winning games while navigating injuries...

“You’re not replacing Julius, you’re not replacing Jalen and OG, those guys, but we can do it with our team.”

“We can do it with our team defense, we can do it with our team rebounding. We can do it by taking care of the ball. That puts you in position to win regardless who you have, who you’re playing, where you’re playing. So if we hang on to those three things, some nights we don’t shoot it as well as others—I think that holds true for every team in the league—but you’ll be in position to win if you do those three things.”

Stephon Marbury (Former NBA Player)

On what type of player the Knicks need to avoid adding and who would fit the team best (appearing on No Nonsense With Tim Thomas & Scoop B)...

”Adding another piece I think is something that can help on the scoring side but because Thibs is a defensive-minded coach—I’ve played in his system and I know how he constructs the defense when I played in Boston for a little bit, so I understand his philosophy on what he wants. So he needs players that will buy into that type of system.”

“You need players that will buy into that type of system. You’re gonna have two or three guys that are gonna take the majority of the shots. I think it would be disruptive.”

“Adding another piece,—a guy that has that same defensive mind frame, that can score the basketball but (is) not a prolific scorer—I think that can help.”

“I don’t think that I would trade and disrupt, you know what I’m sayin’? Because they have really good energy and normally this is when we make those types stupid-ass trades and then somebody comes and then everything’s messed up.”

Candace Parker (WNBA Player)

On the Knicks potentially running out of steam by the time the playoffs come...

“There’s more optimism with guys coming off injuries—or potentially coming off injuries—but you also have to think about the amount of minutes the main guys have had to log.”

“If you look at Josh Hart, he’s averaging over 40 minutes. Jalen Brunson, 35 minutes. You talk about DiVincenzo.... you go down the line, so, I just wonder if they’re going to be able to get to the finish line healthy.”

“There’s no doubt what noise the Knicks can make in the playoffs if healthy, but you have to get your guys there. But with them logging as many minutes, up and down, playoffs are different. It’s gonna be tough.”

“Maybe not resting games, but playing limited minutes—that can benefit you in the postseason.”

Precious Achiuwa