Knicks continue to look for consistency and chemistry
Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks huddles with teammates Cameron Payne #1, Josh Hart #3 and Miles McBride #2 of the Knicks during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It’s something no one wants to see, let alone see over and over as it goes viral on all of your social media feeds.
The image of the Hawks’ Trae Young kneeling and pretending to throw dice on the floor of Madison Square Garden as he celebrated a win over the Knicks in an NBA Cup quarterfinal game on Wednesday was still being talked about two days later. Maybe that’s because it’s not the type of thing the Knicks expected to have to endure this season after adding some big-time pieces to their team.
““Do I care that he did it? I don’t know if I care if he did it. I didn’t like it,” Josh Hart said after practice on Friday. “At the time, I didn’t see him do it. But I’m not going to talk about something that happened two days ago that no one can change.”
What the Knicks are hoping to change, and hoping to change quickly, is the inconsistency that has plagued the team all season. How can the same team that beat the Nuggets in Denver behind a career-high 40 points from OG Anunoby be the same team that lost by large margins to Utah and Detroit?
Here we are 25 games into the season and the Knicks (15-10) are still struggling to find their identity, which you can bet will be mentioned quite a bit in the coming week as they fly to Orlando for a game on Sunday, then head to Minnesota for Thursday’s game against several of their key former teammates.
When the Knicks sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns in October, they clearly were signaling to the rest of the league that they intended to be a championship contender, or at least push the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference title.
Yet while that trade and the deal for the Nets’ Mikal Bridges made the Knicks a better team on paper, even with the departure of free agent Isaiah Hartenstein, it messed with the chemistry they established last season, when they made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals despite suffering injury after injury.
“Obviously, Donte leaving or being traded was a huge part of our identity,” Hart said. “[Hartenstein] was a huge part of that identity. Just the way they played. They played great defense. Their energy. They made plays like it was contagious. They knew.
“It takes a while to do. It takes a while to get to know each other in those kinds of roles, so you have to go out there and make that the norm. Last year, we knew at times we might not be able to go out there and score, but at the end of the game, we are going to keep it close and we’ll still win.”
The Timberwolves (13-11), who reached the Western Conference finals last season, also have struggled to establish chemistry since the trade. Neither DiVincenzo nor Randle has contributed at the level each did with the Knicks.
Towns, who leads the Knicks in scoring (24.9) and rebounding (13.6), said he plans to treat the game against his former team like any other, but he understands that there will be a lot of scrutiny of both teams because of the deal.
“It’s a big trade, so you expect people to be comparing it for the end of time,” he said Friday. “It’s just my job to do what I can control, which is be the best version of myself possible for this team and help this team succeed. Obviously, the comparisons will be up to ya’ll. My job will be making sure I take care of my end.”
When the two teams met in the preseason, DiVincenzo got into a yelling match with Rick Brunson, the Knicks’ top assistant coach and the father of point guard Jalen Brunson. Hart said he expects players to be fired up again.
Said Hart: “I think Donte is going to try to come in and kick our [butt]. I think Julius is going to do the same. As they should. I think KAT will probably come in with a chip on his shoulder also. You know it’s going to happen. You know it’s going to be a fun game.”
Hopefully more fun than watching an opposing player roll imaginary dice on your home floor.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
