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“So, next up on the list: the Knicks made a mistake by getting rid of Tom Thibodeau.” Stan Van Gundy “Yeah, they totally did. That was a big mistake. Tom Thibodeau—one of the best coaches in this league—did an unbelievable job with that team this year. Maximized virtually everyone on their roster. I mean, OG Anunoby—best year of his career. Karl-Anthony Towns—probably the best year of his career. Jalen Brunson, a guy who was what, a 15–16 point-a-game scorer in Dallas, has become a star. Josh Hart went from a backup to a triple-double-type of guy in New York. I mean, he just maximized this roster and took them places they hadn't been in a quarter of a century. And they make a coaching change? Made absolutely no sense to me.”
He's obviously not on their radar now, but the Knicks also did some background work on Deandre Ayton. Some decision makers viewed Ayton as a good fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of their background work included talking to the Trail Blazers about Ayton.
New York went into the initial stages of the hiring process with Brown’s name circled. Per league sources, the Knicks liked Brown’s extensive résumé and the fact that he’s worn many hats in the NBA. Brown’s willingness to collaborate and the leadership qualities the franchise examined were also big selling points, league sources said. New York, led by stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, liked that Brown has worked with James, Bryant and Curry.
The Knicks had been among the teams linked to a potential trade for Antetokounmpo -- with New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns often mentioned as the centerpiece -- but league executives said the Knicks simply don’t have the assets for such a blockbuster. “The Knicks cannot get Giannis,” the NBA executive said. “They don’t have enough assets.”
Kyrie Irving: "And by the way, before I forget—y’all got to stop making fun of my brother, KAT. I'm done with y’all. Stop making fun of my brother KAT. It’s over for that. It’s a wrap. I’m letting y’all know: if you repost that again or you meme him up, I’m attacking you. Not like that physically—in GTA—but I’m attacking you, all right? I’m attacking you. Y’all got to leave KAT alone, okay?" "Cuz y’all don’t know what it’s like to grow up in Jersey and have all of these cultures that you’re a part of. Trust me on that. Jersey is literally 130 miles long. It is a very, very small state. But when I get back to my point, I’m going to explain this to you. But I’m just saying—leave him alone, all right? Leave our Jersey light, because he’s Dominican, he’s Black, he grew up in, you know, a certain area in Jersey just like me. And you got to survive out here, and you have many different demographics of people. So you got to survive out here, all right?" "Sometimes I don’t—I don’t agree all the time when he be, you know, changing up his tone sometimes. I don’t always agree and all that, you know what I mean? That be funny. But on a serious note—he is a man. He’s my brother, and I protect him all the time. All right?"
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Tommy Beer: the weird part about Karl-Anthony Towns seemingly being scapegoated by some is that it's difficult to imagine KAT having a more productive or impressive debut campaign in New York. Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 boards, 3.1 dimes and 2.0 made three-pointers, while shooting 52.6% from the field, 42% from three and 82.9% from the free-throw line. The only other player in NBA history to average 24 & 12 and slash 50/40/80 or better in a single season is Nikola Jokic
Overall, though, Towns’ first season in New York was a success. He was one of the 15 best players in the NBA, finished second in the league in rebounding with 12.8 rebounds per game and delivered one of the most memorable moments of the season when he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals to rally the Knicks to a win over the Pacers. He was given the nickname “Bodega KAT,” his Dominican roots and late mother’s affinity for the Knicks fostering a natural connection with the city. However, with the franchise’s determination to bring a championship back to the Mecca for the first time in over 50 years, anything could be on the table this summer. “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Rose said in a statement following the firing of Thibodeau, the most successful Knicks coach this century.
Suns not interested in Karl-Anthony Towns
We’ve never talked about the Clippers before, but they’ve got Zubac, they’ve got Dunn, they’ve got Powell, they’ve got Derrick Jones. I’ll have to look at what their draft capital is, but the Clippers are a team that I’ve heard. I’ve also heard that the Suns don’t have interest in Karl-Anthony Towns. Thank God—I did hear that today. I was told today that they wouldn’t have interest."
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has undergone treatment on his bruised left knee and to repair ligament damage on his left finger, both injuries suffered during the team's playoff run, sources told ESPN. Towns suffered the finger injury in Game 3 of the second round against the Boston Celtics and the knee injury in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Not every NBA player has a WikiFeet profile, but enough do for me to conclude that KAT does not have the best looking feet in the NBA. In fact, KAT has the 31st ranked feet among NBA players with at least 10 ratings. That’s not bad for a big man, but it’s right around average for an NBA player with their own WikiFeet profile.
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Draymond Green: If they want to win a title, the Knicks need to bring in a great player
Draymond Green: I think in order to win, the Knicks need to bring in a great player. I can't talk specific names because I'm not going to give my money away for that. But if the Knicks want if if the Knicks want to win compete for a championship, I think they need a great player and I'll just leave it at that.
Karl-Anthony Towns: This city. These fans. Thank you. The best is yet to come 🟠🔵
Jon Krawczynski: Tim Connelly on Chris Finch, said he is "great," and they've asked a lot out of him w/Rudy trade and KAT trade in last 3 years. "So it’s a testament to his intelligence, his ability to be creative and to coach any group we put in front of him."
Speaking on a recent episode of the "Hoop Collective" podcast, senior ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps suggested that the University of Florida alum could seriously consider decamping to the Knicks this offseason given Horford is a free agency with a murky future with Boston after the Achilles tendon tear to star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum threw a monkey wrench into Boston's short-term contention window. "Al Horford is a free agent," said Bontemps. "I don't think at this point it makes a lot of sense for ... Horford to be back in Boston. Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he's now much more in play than he might have been a month ago." "Horford is a longtime friend of (Karl-Anthony Towns and) has played with him with the Dominican National team for a long time," added the ESPN analyst. "If they go get Al Horford this summer, who I think would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster."
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