Many fans were upset when the Hawks traded Cam Reddish to the Knicks for Kevin Knox and a first-round pick. Fans attached to Reddish’s incredibly high ceiling disapproved of the trade but quickly walked those takes back when reports surfaced that Travis Schlenk obliged Reddish’s demands to be traded in hopes of getting more minutes.
Atlanta would never be a place for Reddish to blossom because there weren’t many opportunities for him to get on the court other than as a role player with the second unit. With the Knicks, many believed he’d be able to carve out a more prominent role. Well, things have taken quite a turn since then.
Tom Thibodeaux’s statements after Reddish’s debut for the Knicks suggested the former Duke Blue Devil could be out of the rotation. Since the Hawks traded him to the Knicks, Reddish has only appeared in three games, averaging 6.9 minutes and only 4.0 points. He’s been inactive for four games and did not play in another four.
Reddish wanted to be in a situation where he could become the player he envisioned he’d be; well, New York hasn’t been that for him. Not playing in eight of his 11 games since becoming a Knick is a serious eye-brow raiser for New York’s front office. Why would you trade for a player you don’t even have minutes to give?
Marc Berman of the New York Post most recently reported that the disconnect between the front office and coaching staff is considerable. Berman specifically said that Thibodeaux didn’t even want the Knicks to trade for Reddish.
“From my understanding, Thibs didn’t want him and they did it anyway,’’ said an NBA source.
“It goes beyond wanting more minutes,’’ an NBA personnel man told Berman. “Cam thinks he should be the No. 1 option on any team. It’s good to be confident, but there was feelings he wanted things handed to him.’’
Travis Schlenk gave Reddish what he wanted, but he obviously didn’t look for the best landing spot for Reddish. Schlenk found the best deal for the team. It is evident Reddish sees himself as a star; however, the rest of the league sees him a bit differently.
This is just another example of Schlenk being a masterful general manager. Reddish went from averaging 23.4 minutes per game this season with the Hawks to less than seven minutes per game with the Knicks. The most important thing I took away from all of this is how dysfunctional the Knicks organization is compared to the Hawks.
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