Get ready for the hell month of the schedule.
Yes, the Knicks have already played an inordinate amount of back-to-backs (five sets), prompting coach Tom Thibodeau on Friday to crown his team “the king of the back-to-backs.” But they’ve also benefited from head-to-heads against terrible teams (Wizards, Hornets thrice, Spurs, Pistons) and long stretches at home.
Not in December.
From Dec. 5-30, they have three games against the Bucks, quite possibly the premier team in the East. As of now (before the In-Season Tournament shakes out), they’re scheduled for nine of 11 games on the road for the rest of the month.
Eight of the 11 opponents are at .500 or better. They hit all four time zones.
The Knicks make up for it at the end of January/early February with about four weeks that includes just one plane trip to Charlotte and back.
Here’s a mind-blowing fact: If Mitchell Robinson finishes next season with the Knicks (his seventh), he’ll have the longest career with the franchise since Allan Houston.
That’s certainly an underdog story for a player who was drafted in the second round in 2018 and struggled to last 10 minutes without fouling out as a rookie.
He also has a great chance to get there with a contract guaranteed until 2026.
Carmelo Anthony played 6 ¹/₂ seasons with the Knicks before being traded to the Thunder in 2017. Before that, Jared Jeffries, Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury were on the roster for six seasons (though none of them were on the roster for six full seasons).
Houston totaled nine seasons with the Knicks but managed just 70 games combined in his final two.
A source denied the specific numbers of a report that Immanuel Quickley wanted an average salary of $25 million in contract extension negotiations, while the Knicks were only willing to offer around $18 million per.
It’s still unclear what the difference was. Regardless, the sides couldn’t reach an agreement, and Quickley will become a restricted free agent in the summer. If his production continues, the 24-year-old guard should exceed an average salary of $20 million.
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