Giddens Makes Knicks Debut in Defeat to Celtics
J.R. Giddens has a shamrock tattoo behind his ear. It only makes sense that he made his Knicks debut on St. Patrick’s Day in Boston, where he spent the first year and a half of his career playing for the Celtics.
Giddens was finally cleared to play following knee surgery in February and became the latest Knicks newcomer to show promise, scoring four points, dishing out two assists and grabbing two rebounds in a 109-97 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday. He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Celtics forward Bill Walker, who has been shining for the Knicks since coming over in the same trade.
“I wanted to be a little careful with him,” Coach Mike D’Antoni told MSG. “But he’ll start playing a little bit.”
Giddens, who hasn’t had a chance to practice with his new teammates yet, announced his return to the court following the team’s shootaround earlier in the day. He entered the game to start the second quarter and quickly showed his toughness and offensive firepower, taking Paul Pierce off the dribble for a layup before hitting a long jumper over the former Finals MVP for his two baskets.
Walker, meanwhile, made his fourth start in 13 games since joining the Knicks and finished the night with eight points and a pair of assists. The second-year player had also made his Knicks debut in Beantown, where he scored seven points in 13 minutes in a defeat on Feb. 23.
“There wasn’t a lot of looks, but that happens sometimes,” said Walker, who only took eight shots. “I just didn’t want to force anything.”
Giddens did not get a video tribute or a standing ovation like Eddie House did in the Knicks’ visit to TD Garden last month. But the Celtics will always be special to Giddens for the fact that they gave him an opportunity to become an NBA player when they selected him with the 30th pick in the 2008 draft.
Therefore, there’s no reason to get rid of his green shamrock tattoo, which honors his former team.
“With the shamrock, it took me 22 years to get drafted to the NBA and the Celtics were the first team that gave me the opportunity to go on and play professional and follow my dreams and my heart,” Giddens told WEEI.com after the Feb. 18 trade. “Every one of my tattoos means something so that’s always going to be my first, so the shamrock stays.”
Both Giddens and Walker did not get a chance to play big minutes in Boston while sitting behind veterans Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Pierce on the depth chart. But both players have a great chance with the Knicks to prove they belong in the league during the final stretch of the season.
Walker, who had an injury-plagued start to his career, entered the final game of the Knicks’ five-game road trip averaging 10.6 points for New York, including four 20-point efforts.
“One thing I always thought with Billy was that he has an NBA feel,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers told a group of reporters before the game. “He doesn’t necessarily play at the pace at times that you want him to, but his feel is terrific. And you can see that. The problem is he’s always under the knife.”
Giddens played a total of 13 minutes as he slowly finds his way into the Knicks’ rotation. He went to the bench for good with 7:48 left to play despite the Knicks trailing by double digits throughout the second half. He was replaced by Jonathan Bender, who scored eight points and had three boards.
