Knicks News: Taj tells hilarious Thibodeau story, Achiuwa's qualifying offer
When Mitchell Robinson injured his ankle in December, New York Knicks fans knew what move was coming next. With the team needing another big man, Tom Thibodeau turned to one of his all-time favorites.
The Wizards waived Taj Gibson before the 2023-24 season, making him a free agent. A few months passed without him signing with a team, but then the Knicks called.
Gibson was recently a guest on the "Club 520 Podcast," where he recalled Tom Thibodeau calling him after Robinson went down.
🤣 Taj on Thibs signing him last year:
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 17, 2024
"I see the player get hurt. I'm like 'I know this fool ain't gonna call me.' I go to sleep.
"I wake up it's 3am: 'Yo you in shape?…Can you be ready tomorrow?…'
"Next thing u know I'm on the court…He don't care he like 'Stay out there'" pic.twitter.com/Nblq4UCBRM
The soon-to-be 39-year-old said Thibodeau assured him that the Knicks would let him take some time to get back into the swing of things but that the next thing he knew, he was on the floor. That's how life with Thibs goes!
In other news, Precious Achiuwa will be a restricted free agent. He's eligible for a $6.3 million qualifying offer. On "The HoopsHype Podcast" with Michael Scotto and New York Post's Stefan Bondy, SNY's Ian Begley said he thinks the Knicks will give Achiuwa the qualifying offer. If the Knicks lose Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, they may decide to keep Achiuwa around.
"With Achiuwa, I think you give him the qualifying offer and see what his market is. If you need to rescind the qualifying offer for financial reasons, you can. That’s probably how it’ll go. Hartenstein’s deal is going to happen before Achiuwa, so you’ll have a chance to know whether he’ll be back before making a final decision on Achiuwa."
-Â Ian Begley, HoopsHype
More Knicks news
- If Donovan Mitchell doesn't sign an extension with the Cavaliers and hits the trade market, don't expect the Knicks to pursue him as strongly as they did in 2022.
- The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft will be held in one week. New York has three picks (Nos. 24, 25, 38), but that could change if the front office makes a trade.
NBA news
- Former Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis is the first Latvian player in NBA history to win a championship.
- After the Celtics won their 18th title, Joe Mazzulla said that he'll undergo surgery this offseason after tearing his meniscus in March. He said the injury happened after the Celtics lost to the Hawks.
- ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Jeff Van Gundy will join the Clippers as Ty Lue's lead assistant after serving as a senior consultant for the Celtics in 2023-24.
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