Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t get the extension he wanted during training camp, but the Knicks center has found plenty to like about his new backup.
Andre Drummond, who signed a one-year minimum deal with New York after his stint in Philadelphia, has already won over Towns.
“He’s amazing, he’s amazing,” Towns said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “In my opinion, one of the best rebounders of our generation, and to be able to have him on our team, and be able to expand on what he could do that people haven’t been able to see. It’s a testament to his trust in us, and a testament to the coaching staff, seeing what he could be.”
On the roster front, the Knicks are also facing some decisions that could shape the next few months. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post predicts Miles McBride will be traded before February’s deadline, pointing to the lack of movement on extension talks and the possibility that his expiring deal gets moved.
There’s also a spotlight on Mohamed Diawara, whom the Knicks committed to on a four-year contract this offseason with two fully guaranteed seasons. Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News writes that the second-year forward now has to prove that investment was worth it.
Mike Brown said, “He’s one of those players that needs to take a step forward,” adding that “everything should go up, especially his rebounding.” Diawara may not get a long runway, though, with veteran options ahead of him in the rotation.
Across town, the Nets are staring at a bigger-picture question: how long it takes them to shift from rebuild mode to real playoff contention. Brian Lewis of the New York Post says that answer depends heavily on the growth of consecutive lottery picks Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. in the backcourt, plus the rest of the team’s recent draft class.
Lewis also points to Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle as key swing pieces in that equation, writing that both can raise the Nets’ floor before one or both are eventually moved. In a separate preview, Lewis predicts at least one of Porter or Randle will be traded before the February deadline, with MPJ as the likelier candidate to go.
In Other News...
Jose Alvarados Knicks Fit Suddenly Looks More Complicated
Jose Alvarados early Knicks audition has been a little messier than the energy he brings usually suggests. Through four preseason games, the guard has had trouble getting it going offensively, knocking down just 36.0% of his shots and coming up short on most of his looks from deep, which has made the fit around him feel less straightforward than it might have looked on paper.
The bigger question is where he actually slots best in New Yorks rotation. His impact has been noticeably better when he shares the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns than when he is paired with other centers, a reminder that lineup context matters as much as individual effort. Alvarado has dealt with shooting slumps like this before and also has a track record of working his way out of them, but for now the Knicks are still trying to sort out what his most effective version looks like. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Have Every Right To Side-Eye Dallas Over Moussa Cisse
The Mavericks handling of Moussa Cisse has given Knicks fans another reason to roll their eyes at Dallas. After matching New Yorks offer sheet, the Mavs now may look at removing him from the roster in order to keep Dwight Powell, a twist that makes the original decision look less like a clean basketball call and more like a move made with the Knicks in mind. For a team that has crossed paths with New York before in player and coach movement, the optics are hard to ignore.
From the Knicks side, it is the kind of episode that fuels the old suspicion that rival front offices sometimes care just as much about blocking a competitor as improving their own roster. If Dallas does end up moving on from Cisse after matching the offer, it would only sharpen the sense that the Mavericks first choice was driven by something beyond the player himself. For a Knicks fan base already attuned to every slight, it is the sort of front-office drama that is easy to side-eye. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Lost A Veteran Big Man They Could Have Used
Tony Bradley is headed back to Utah after the Jazz claimed the veteran center off waivers following his release from the Knicks. Bradley had been in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, and the move gives him another chance with the franchise that knows him well while also filling Utahs 15th roster spot.
For New York, it is a small but notable loss of depth in the frontcourt, especially with a veteran big man available on the market. For Utah, the timing makes sense as the team looks for help at center with Jusuf Nurkic injured, and Bradleys contract will now convert to a standard non-guaranteed deal that gets more expensive by the day until the January guarantee date. [Read more 🡒]