We’re almost two weeks removed from the trade deadline, and despite arguably making the biggest move of the day, the Knicks have lost some of their post-trade luster in that time.
New York dealt Quentin Grimes, their promising but unhappy youngster, cap fodder and a second round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Burks has only appeared in three games (all losses) against the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic, while Bogdanovic missed the Orlando matchup. That game marked five losses out of their last six for the Knicks, drawing the ire of some fans -- with a fair share pointed at Bogdanovic and Burks.
It must be noted that New York has been without three starters, not including Mitchell Robinson, throughout this stretch, sporadically missing additional heads as well. Burks and Bogdanovic have essentially zero chemistry with what the finalized rotation is supposed to look like, and have been trying to contribute while learning the ropes.
They’re still adjusting to their new team -- Bogdanovic has averaged 13 points on poor shooting, while Burks is at 13.3, hitting 39 percent of his threes but struggling from inside the arc. Both haven’t looked great defensively, where the Knicks have certainly missed Grimes these last few games.
Still, it’s far too early to judge this trade. It was made to beef up the bench for a playoff run, not save the Knicks from a mass injury event -- so failing at the latter means little.
No trade comes with a seamless transition. Even bringing in OG Anunoby, while resulting in a winning streak, needed a transition period.
Anunoby was originally lost in the offense, just cutting where he could for the first handful of games. Eventually, he learned the sets and Tom Thibodeau began running some for him, integrating him into the offense and resulting in some nice performances.
