Getty Scottie Barnes had a good game against the Knicks.
The New York Knicks forced overtime against the Toronto Raptors thanks to a last-second dunk by RJ Barrett, but they eventually lost the contest.
This loss drops the Knicks to 25-20 on the season, and while it’s a tough blow for fans, perhaps the most well-known moment of the game is Raptors star Scottie Barnes being caught on camera telling Quentin Grimes “you is not Him” with a smile on his face while also wagging his finger.
This video is going viral despite the fact that Grimes has been better than Barnes, and Scottie got postered to force OT. Only the Knicks get this type of negative attention.
Taunting the opposing team is nothing new in the NBA as it happens every game, but things tend to get chippy in the closing minutes of close loss in overtime.
Barnes ended up getting the last laugh in this contest, but in the battle between the two teams, it’s looking like the Knicks will end up on top in the end.
Raptors Could be Sellers
At 20-24, the Raptors are under performing and they might end up shedding some contracts in an effort to retool for the future.
The two teams have been linked to each other in trade talks, but there’s been nothing concrete as of yet. For the Raptors, Barnes looks to be one of the team’s centerpieces going forward, and he was even held back from discussions involving Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.
With him off the table, the Raptors do still have plenty of talent they can trade such as Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam. Before Jalen Brunson joined the Knicks, VanVleet was considered to be an option for them, but now it’s looking like the point guard position is solved for New York.
The Raptors are still in the play-in race, but for a team as talented as them, that might not be viewed as enough and it could lead to some trades. If somebody like Trent Jr. did become available, the Knicks would almost certainly be interested.
Are The Knicks Close to Making a Move?
In terms of noteworthy trades, things are awfully quiet at the moment around the league as there have been no big names changing teams.
Names like Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Kuzma are all players who have been linked to talks, but there’s been no movement as of yet.
For the Knicks, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish are all candidates to be traded since they aren’t in the active rotation. Somebody who is playing a lot of minutes for New York is Immanuel Quickley, and he’s been garnering interest from opposing teams.
“The Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley has generated considerable external interest, league sources say, but the strong signals emanating from Gotham indicate that New York is increasingly reluctant to part with him,” Marc Stein wrote on his Substack January 14.
Him being traded is far from a guarantee because it’ll be tough for New York to replicate his production. Quickley is playing 27.1 minutes per game for the Knicks, and he’s been filling in as a starter thanks to injuries to Brunson and Barrett, so it’ll be hard for them to replace that.
If he’s off the table, the Knicks still have the tools to make a trade considering the stable of draft picks they have in the arsenal.
There’s still plenty of time between now and the February 9 trade deadline, so don’t expect things to stay quiet for much longer.