00:00News coming out today about Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, Dexter Henry, Stephen Bondy, our fantastic Knicks beat writer here for
00:07the New York Post.
00:08Jalen Brunson's wrist, major news today, Steph.
00:12He did have a procedure on that wrist.
00:16Six to eight weeks was the timeline we saw.
00:18What more can you tell us about that?
00:20Yeah, I don't know exactly when it happened, but it was something that was bothering Jalen Brunson during the playoffs.
00:27And certainly during the finals run where it was actually a tendon issue where, you know, when he'd shoot, he'd
00:34feel it.
00:34And as you could see, his shooting percentage kind of dipped in the finals.
00:39He wasn't shooting like the normal Jalen Brunson.
00:41But my understanding is he got through it through the adrenaline and he was able to put up an NBA
00:47finals MVP performance, especially closing out game five with 45 points.
00:53So, listen, he was dealing with pain.
00:55It was a tendon issue.
00:56He had to get that corrected in the offseason.
00:59He'll be ready for training camp for sure.
01:02Let me ask you this, Steph, because when you say all that, we don't have clarity on exactly when this
01:06happened.
01:07But for you as somebody around the team every day, does it make it more impressive what we saw from
01:11Jalen Brunson,
01:12particularly closing that NBA finals with the performance that we saw from him in game five?
01:17Yeah.
01:17I mean, listen, you know, every time you hear a new tale about what Jalen Brunson has done and what
01:23he can do and everything,
01:25it's it just makes it more special.
01:27I mean, the guy was dealing with an issue in a shooting wrist where every time he shot, it'd be
01:34painful.
01:34You know, there was pain in that arm and, you know, with the tendon and it needed to be corrected.
01:42And here he is putting together performances like he did.
01:46It does make it more special.
01:48And, you know, imagine what he would have done if he had a fully healthy shooting wrist.
01:54It's hard to say.
01:55Yeah, it's hard to say.
01:56Do from your reporting and what you've been hearing, were the Knicks concerned about this at all?
02:02At least we don't know when it happened, but throughout the playoff run that this could have been something that
02:07could have ended the season.
02:08It could have put the Knicks championship hopes in jeopardy.
02:10Were they concerned about his wrist?
02:12I'm assuming there was some level of concern, but how concerned were they?
02:15Yeah, I don't I don't know about the level of concern from the team, but it was certainly prevalent for
02:22Jalen Brunson as he was playing during this finals.
02:26And he you know, it impacted him.
02:29That's for sure.
02:30So for him to, you know, recover and and, you know, do what he did in the finals makes it
02:37more special.
02:38And I think, you know, the hope is that whatever pain was there, it will be gone by the time
02:45training camp starts.
02:46My one concern, you know, you know, this isn't me talking to anybody, but he's going to have to go
02:51through an entire summer where he's not going to shoot.
02:53Right.
02:54So how will that impact him going into next season, certainly at the start of next season?
03:00That's just something to monitor.
03:01Also, I don't know yet about Josh Hart, but he had said before that he was going to get corrective
03:08surgery on that finger at some point in the offseason.
03:12If, you know, if it didn't get better and it, you know, he played well, but the finger still looks
03:17like it needs help.
03:19Yeah.
03:19You know, Sonny, I almost forgot about Josh Hart's finger.
03:21That was a major talking point for us at the start of training camp.
03:24And he forgot about it.
03:25He had a career year shooting from three and he played well through the postseason.
03:28So maybe Josh Hart won't want to fix the finger, but that's it.
03:31Some fans are going to see the reporting that came out today or watch this video, Steph, and they're going
03:35to say, why did Jalen Brunson say anything about it?
03:38You and I have been around the team and we know Brunson is going to keep things very close to
03:42the vest.
03:42He doesn't want this to come out.
03:45You're not surprised that he kept this close to the vest and didn't let this out and never would use
03:50this as an excuse?
03:51Not at all.
03:51I'm not surprised.
03:52I mean, every time he's had ankle issues, he never talks about it.
03:56He doesn't want, I don't know what the reason is, but one of the potential reasons is you don't want
04:02to give the opponent the advantage of knowing what your injury is and then, you know, playing to counter that.
04:09So, yeah, it does not surprise me at all.
04:13I feel like Jalen Brunson has always kept things quiet.
04:16And, you know, keep in mind, now it's not the same injury at all because he broke that left hand,
04:22but he did have surgery on this left hand three, two years ago.
04:28Twenty-two, twenty-four season.
04:29Yeah.
04:29Yeah.
04:30So it's the same hand, different injury, same hand.
04:33It is a shooting hand, but I expect him to make a full recovery.
04:37And it just adds to the lore of Jalen Brunson winning a championship, breaking a 53-year drought with a
04:44tendon issue in his shooting wrist.
04:47It's crazy to think about.
04:49And I think when you think about now the offseason and where everything is, Steph, some fans are going to
04:54say, well, the Knicks have pretty much brought most of the team back, right?
04:5795% team back.
04:58Mitchell Robinson, the only person that's not back here.
05:00We'll see what happens with Jordan Clarkson.
05:02Jalen Brunson, everything goes well with the surgery.
05:04We should have a healthy hand.
05:06When you look at what else is going on in the East and you factor that in, Steph, do you
05:10feel like the Knicks should be favorites to get back to the NBA Finals again out of the East?
05:14Yeah, I do.
05:15And I think what's happening in Boston impacts them positively because if you're going to run him back with the
05:22Celtics, I think that would be the number one contender.
05:25You know, obviously the Heat, we got to wait and see what happens with them.
05:28LeBron James, where he goes, whether it's Miami or Cleveland, that's going to play a role.
05:34But, listen, when you win the title and you bring almost everybody back, you're the favorite.
05:39And I think the Knicks, you know, deserve that label.
05:45And, you know, my understanding is I feel good about Jordan Clarkson coming back.
05:52I still think they need another center.
05:54I don't know where they'll get that.
05:56Kevon Looney just signed with the Lakers, I saw.
06:00So, you know, Jonas Valanciunas, I don't know what's going on with him, but he's a potential option.
06:05We'll have to see.
06:06But I do think they need some more frontcourt help.
06:08All right.
06:08So you think they need some more frontcourt help.
06:10What do you make of what they've done this offseason thus far and bringing back, like I said, 95 percent
06:15of the guys?
06:15I know they lost Mitch, but what do you what do you make of how they've handled this offseason thus
06:19far?
06:19Yeah, I thought they did a good job, you know, getting good contracts.
06:22And, you know, I know I criticize James Dolan for not going over the second apron, but, you know, it
06:29was really only for Mitch in the end because they were able to bring back everybody else because they got
06:34Landry Shaman on a good deal.
06:36They got Jose Alvarado on a good deal and they didn't hamstring their future because if you look at a
06:41lot of these contracts, there's options, there's partial guarantees, there's non-guarantees.
06:46And I'm talking about for Moe Dior as well, for Alvarado and even Landry Shaman.
06:50So, you know, I think that they've they've set themselves up nicely for this season and moving forward.
06:57Yeah, I was shocked at how they've been able to keep the flexibility, but a good thing for them, too.
07:01Now, you'll be headed out to Summer League in a couple of days.
07:04What are you going to be keeping your eye on out there at Summer League?
07:08Moe Dioro, Pacom Dottier.
07:10I feel like those two guys in particular can take a big step forward.
07:16They need confidence. And those are two guys that can, you know, play really well in the Summer League setting.
07:22You know, Pacom Dottier, I think it's it's time, you know, like he has to show something.
07:29Year three. Maybe, you know, maybe we're past the point, but they're bringing him back.
07:33There's still a lot of optimism about him and his future and his potential.
07:38So he has to start showing it. I think last year he showed up in Summer League.
07:41He got hurt right away and we weren't able to really see what he's capable of doing in that setting.
07:49You know, Tyler Kolak had an up and down Summer League as well.
07:52But, you know, that was really where Moe Dioro last year I'm talking about,
07:55where Moe Dioro really, you know, asserted himself and showed what he can do and kind of put himself on
08:03everybody's radar.
08:05So maybe it's also a rookie or somebody else that can kind of emerge here.
08:10Maybe we'll see. A lot of things to watch at Summer League around the Knicks.
08:13But news coming out today, Jalen Brunson procedure on his left wrist.
08:17That was a tendon injury told to us here by our guy, Stephan Bondi.
08:20We do not know when it happened, but he played through it.
08:23He played pretty damn well when it mattered at the end of the final.
08:26Steph, appreciate the information, man. Thank you so much.
08:29All right, man. Thank you.
