Knicks' Cam Reddish making his presence known
Knicks forward Cam Reddish goes to the basket against Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu during the second half of an NBA game on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
MINNEAPOLIS — Cam Reddish came to New York seeking an opportunity last season, asking out of Atlanta for a chance to prove himself. However, he did little to earn that after the midseason trade that brought him to the Knicks for a first-round draft pick.
And it might not have come this season if Quentin Grimes hadn’t suffered a foot injury that has limited him to rare appearances. But given this opening, Reddish has begun to open eyes.
Asked if he thinks people finally are finding out what he can be, he paused for a long time. “Um, yeah,” he said. “I guess. I’m just going to leave it at that. Yeah.”
The Knicks let the chance to give him a rookie contract extension pass, meaning Reddish will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so it’s understandable if even he believed he might not be in the rotation. But with Grimes out for all but two games entering Monday night’s meeting with the Timberwolves, it was Reddish, not Evan Fournier, who was given the starting assignment against Boston on Saturday.
“I didn’t really have any expectations,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest with you. I worked extremely hard from the day I got into New York until now, I guess, but I don’t really know.”
To win over the coaching staff and earn his time, Reddish has focused on defense, and after games with the Hawks in which he topped 30 points, he has adjusted his offense, taking a complementary role.
“I’ve kind of been doing that my whole career, so it’s definitely not what I was used to from high school and stuff like that,” Reddish said of the reduced offensive role. “But you got to make it work, make the best of it. When I’m on the floor, I’m just trying to do the best I can to make my presence felt.
“It’s been cool, man, it’s been fun. It’s obviously been a journey, and I’m just trying to continue to grind. I don’t feel like I’ve done much of anything up to this point, but every single night is a new opportunity to prove myself at both ends of the floor. So I’m just trying to go out there and do that. I don’t really think about all the other stuff I can’t control. I just try to go out there and give my all.''
Grimes still sore
Grimes, who was held out Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back after making his first start, worked out on the court before the game but was ruled out after he again felt soreness in his left foot.
“Yeah, he just has some soreness,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We want to make sure it’s cleared up.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
