Knicks made serious mistake by allowing Quentin Grimes to play in preseason

Oct 14, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) controls the ball against Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) controls the ball against Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

After making his 2022-23 debut in the New York Knicks’ preseason finale against the Washington Wizards last week, Quentin Grimes was out for the team’s first two regular season games. Grimes has been dealing with a sore left foot, but because he played in the preseason, fans rightfully assumed that the injury was no longer an issue.

However, that wasn’t the case. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Grimes said that the injury “flared up” after the Knicks took on the Wizards. New York’s plan is to now wait for the guard to be completely pain-free before he steps on the court again, which should’ve been the plan in the first place.

It’s especially perplexing that the Knicks were willing to play Grimes in a meaningless game. Given that his foot pain is still lingering, it’s clear that he shouldn’t have been out on the court. The most important thing is Grimes’ health, and New York has mishandled the situation.

Quentin Grimes is still dealing with a sore foot and won’t play for Knicks until he is pain-free

Questions have been asked about how Quentin Grimes sustained the injury in the first place, and he addressed that on Wednesday. He said:

"“They said it was kind of a overuse thing. Just being in the gym a lot (in the summer). Coming back at night, going back to Houston, working on it and working on it. Then (Tom Thibodeau) had us in there for sure, working out (presumably in training camp)… It was an overuse thing really.”"

According to Thibodeau, Grimes is day-to-day. The goal is for Grimes to not feel any pain in his foot at all, and until that happens, he won’t be playing.

Grimes hasn’t been able to compete for the starting shooting guard spot with Evan Fournier, and perhaps if Grimes wouldn’t have played last week, he might’ve been able to play in one of the Knicks’ first two games of the regular season. There’s no way of knowing, but New York is lucky that the injury hasn’t turned into something more serious.

Fans are eager to get to see the Quentin Grimes that they all know and love back on the floor, but patience is a virtue. The last thing that the Knicks should want is for Grimes to spend the majority of his second season in the NBA dealing with an injury.