PHOENIX — Wednesday brought a cautiously optimistic update to the Knicks' frontcourt.
Precious Achiuwa, who hasn't played since injuring his hamstring in the final preseason game, is expected to be cleared to practice during the Knicks' five-game road trip, manager Tom Thibodeau said in the 138-122 win over the Suns. revealed before.
Mitchell Robinson, who accompanied the Knicks on the trip, has also started shooting with a surgically repaired ankle, but his coach said he has not yet been cleared to practice or run.
“It's going to be a long progression,” Thibodeau said. “So obviously he's started, but he's got to be patient and take it step by step. He hasn't been cleared to practice, but he's been shooting and things like that. He can do conditioning in the weight room. So he's making good progress. He just has to be patient.”
Robinson, who underwent a second surgery on his left ankle in May, is not expected to return until December at the earliest, but his return is likely to be after the new year.
Achiuwa is close to being able to play again. Thibodeau said it's a matter of how he feels after contact practice.
“He's moving pretty well right now,” Thibodeau said.
Without Achiuwa and Robinson, the Knicks have moved with a center rotation of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti.
Miles McBride, who missed his fourth consecutive game Wednesday due to knee inflammation, is considered to be playing his days right and could play in Utah as early as Saturday.
Cam Payne, who scored 12 points in the Knicks' win on Wednesday and is back where he broke out in the NBA, declared this summer's arrest a one-time incident.
“That was a little mistake on my part,” Payne said. “I wish that never happened. It won't happen again.”
According to reports, Payne called police to his Scottsdale, Arizona, home on June 14th after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. When police arrived, Payne refused to give his name, instead identifying himself as “Terry Johnson,” and was handcuffed for giving a false name and filing a false report.
The incident, which occurred less than a month before Payne signed with the Knicks, would have been impossible to forget without Josh Hart's intervention.
Shortly after Payne signed a one-year, $3.1 million contract, Hart wrote to X, “Shout out Terry.”
Apparently Payne didn't understand the joke.
“I hadn't even talked to him yet when he made that tweet,” the guard said, adding, “That's okay.”
Payne, 30, spent four seasons with the Suns, earning a regular rotation spot and solidifying his role in the NBA after a rocky start in which he was drafted 15th overall in 2015.
Payne, a first guard who came off the bench in McBride's absence, scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting in Wednesday's win.
“They make me feel comfortable being here,” Payne said Wednesday. “J Hart, he's funny and he loves to play, but at the end of the day, I think there's great chemistry on this team. I feel like we all like being close to each other, And that's a good thing. It's like when I was in Phoenix a few years ago. I feel the same vibe here.
“Everyone wants to win, so it's great to be together. And when you joke, you know it's from the heart, because when we step on the court Because when we hold everyone accountable, we're allowed to talk to each other in any way, and that's how it goes, be it on Twitter or in person. Sometimes I goof around, but when I'm on the court, I'm all serious and all I care about is winning.”
