The Knicks are back oh-so-back.
Also, it seems like New York only knows how to operate in streaks—winning two, dropping three, and now again winning two consecutive games.
Anyway, here’s what your superheroes
and a certain Melo had to say yesterday.
Mike Brown
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ performance:
“KAT was a monster. He was a monster on the glass, he was really good defensively, he was a monster inside, outside. He’s starting to feel and find his rhythm in what we’re trying to do. I’m telling you, there’s a lot of room there to grow, not just for him but for us around him.”
On adjustments and team growth:
“He’s starting to feel and find his rhythm and what we’re trying to do, but I’m telling you, there’s still a lot of room there to grow. Not just for him, but for us to learn him, starting with me, and us to continue learning the different points or parts of what we’re trying to do offensively.”
On the Knicks’ defensive effort:
“It was led by Josh, Josh had a heck of a game defensively. He guarded all types of guys, from CJ McCollum to Alex Sarr at times. He was our defensive player of the game. He deserved it because of his activity, his awareness throughout the course of the entire ballgame.”
On managing players and rotations:
“It’s just part of his load management. We’ll keep doing that throughout the course of the year. Whatever they tell me, I’m gonna do.”
On the need for accountability and leadership:
“Got to keep telling them the truth. I’m going to keep coaching them. I’m going to keep trying to keep putting them in the best position to win.”
On holding each other accountable:
“I don’t really know the dynamics of last year, so it’s hard for me to compare it to last year. Just, in general, everybody needs to hold everybody accountable. And there may be times where somebody comes at me and I can’t take it personal. I’ve got to just be in the moment and understand how to handle it then. So we need players and coaches to hold each other accountable, and none of us should take it personal when it happens. So if it happens, it’s great. I’m all for it.”
On finding consistency game to game:
“Just consistency. We didn’t play great last night, but we played good for most of the game, so trying to begin to not only string some quarters together throughout the course of one game but string some games together. There’s a lot of talented teams and people in this league, and the thing that separates the great ones from the talented ones is the great ones are consistent. So you’re trying to figure out how to bring a level of consistency to whatever we’re trying to do on both ends of the floor is what I want to start seeing from our guys.”
On Yabusele’s role and fluid playing time:
“He may play a whole bunch of minutes at times, he may play a few. He may not play at all. And that’s part of what our guys have to accept until we can figure out what we’re gonna do.”
On looking for rim protection and making defensive adjustments:
“I’m still kind of finding my way and we were down, and they were doing a great job of touching the paint. So I’m trying to find guys that can — and not that he can’t — but switch and possibly stay in front of the ball, especially the way they were getting downhill and getting out and going.”
On respecting every opponent:
“These guys [the Wizards] are in the NBA for a reason. They’re talented and their record doesn’t speak well for them right now. They probably wish it was better or probably could be better and it’s not up to us to decide whether or not they’re good or bad. It’s up to us to know it’s a back-to-back, we’ve got an NBA team in front of us, let’s play how we’re capable of. And I’m a firm believer in worry about yourself. If you’re able to take care of yourself at the highest level, everything else will fall into place… So no matter who’s in front of us, we’ve gotta come to freaking play, and if we expect to be great, then we will.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s load management and absence on Monday:
“It’s just part of his load management. We’ll keep doing that throughout the course of the year. Whatever they tell me, I’m gonna do.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On his offensive aggression on Monday:
“Just saw opportunities to get some good shots up and be aggressive. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Jalen Brunson requires a lot of attention, took what the defense gave us and tonight I saw that I had an opportunity.”
On his mindset against Washington:
“Just win the game. Got us chances tonight to get some good shots up, so I just went and capitalized on it.”
On a slowly-but-surely improving Knicks:
“We are all figuring it out. Getting better every day, understanding what our roles are and what we got to do. It’s good, we got two wins in a row but we’re obviously still a work in progress.”
Josh Hart
On the Knicks’ improving defensive adjustments:
“I think we were just locked in. We were protecting the paint. We gave up a lot of weakside rolls, dunks, stuff like that in the first half. So we just kind of cleaned it up and then got stops and got going.”
On playing through injuries:
“Obviously frustrating. Basically been banged up and hurt for what, three months? It’s a little frustrating, but it comes with the territory. It comes with being in a contact sport, so it is what it is.”
On his mindset amid early-season frustrations:
“I was frustrated about some things. Obviously, injuries and all that, so I’m trying to figure it out. It was just a, you know what, let me make sure I go out there and play the game with joy and get back to being just me.”
On navigating emotional intensity and accountability:
“It’s who I am, and Mike and I talked about that the other day. It’s what makes me, me. There’s a good side to it, and there are also times there’s a bad side to it. And in Chicago, that was the bad side to it. I was visibly upset. My body language was terrible. I was frustrated. And I got to take accountability for that. I was terrible. So that’s the one thing about me — I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ve got to try and control it, which I have been trying for 30 years now. But I’ve got to make sure, no matter the situation, I’m breathing life into these guys and not taking life.”
Jalen Brunson
On seeing fans wear his jersey for the first time:
“The first time I saw a fan wear my jersey was in New York. That was pretty cool.”
On seeing teammates’ jerseys:
“This summer, I was walking down on the boardwalk and I saw a kid wearing a Josh Hart shirt. He had no idea who I was. I just showed him the phone with Josh. He was like, ‘Oh my god, Josh Hart.’ Then I walked away. Ten seconds later, he realized it was me. It’s cool seeing, not just me, but seeing Josh, Mikal and guys you obviously worked hard with from a young age. Even seeing Donte DiVincenzo jerseys around. It’s really cool.”
Deuce McBride
On seeing his jersey worn by a fan for the first time:
“That was probably the coolest thing I’ve seen. That was crazy.”
Guerschon Yabusele
On adapting to his role and showing effort:
“No, no, it’s been pretty good. Lots of effort over here. We have great guys playing together, trying to get the win and create something with the team. We have a great bonded team. Some of the guys know each other, so I’m just trying to come out here and learn and fit perfect so I can try to help the team.”
On his international experience helping him adapt to play under Mike Brown’s fluid system:
“It’s been amazing so far being able to learn the four, the three, the five, differently in different countries, so my understanding when I’m in the game is completely different the way it clicks because most of the situations I feel like I’ve seen it. I kind of [need to] make less mistakes and be efficient when I’m out there.”
On contributing from the bench:
“Just over there trying to be aware when I’m out there on the court — or even if I’m out there on the bench — about what the team is doing and trying to find a way to impact the game and the team in a positive way.”
Jordan Clarkson
On fitting into Mike Brown’s system:
“I think I’m just trying to figure everything out honestly, and that takes time, but definitely wanted to help from Day 1 and get it rolling. But it’s part of the process and we’re still locking in and trying to figure it out.”
On adapting to a new role in his career with the Knicks:
“It’s a little bit of an adjustment. I wouldn’t say it’s not. But like I said, just trying to figure everybody out, figure this team out, as well as guys trying to figure me out. This is my 12th year in the league. A lot of guys have a reputation or whatever about me. I think they know what I can do, so I’m just trying to get comfortable.”
Carmelo Anthony
On Phil Jackson’s criticism:
“I’m sick of these folks. That was bugged out. C’mon bro, what are we doing here? As a man, if I was that much of a hindrance to you, why didn’t you have a conversation with me when I was there? Instead of bringing me in your office, showing me Michael Jordan clips of the triangle and telling me what not to do in a triangle — because he did it wrong, this the s–t that he told me. Instead of doing that, let’s have a real man conversation — ‘Melo, listen, I want to go in a different direction.’”
On the Knicks during Jackson’s tenure:
“We had a poorly structured team, teams, rosters, those years. And [Jackson] was at the helm of that. Nobody told you who to go get. You had this certain vision of wanting to play in a certain type of system, which is the triangle, which I love the triangle offense. At the time, it didn’t fit the style of the NBA. We was the laughingstock of the NBA for being in the triangle. And I had to fight that, and I had to take those bullets. Not you Phil Jackson. While I’m taking those bullets, you are in the stands tweeting, talking about ‘Melo breaking the triangle.’ This is the s–t that I had to deal with. I never spoke on him, I never spoke about him. I had probably three conversations with the man his whole tenure. We didn’t have a relationship. So if I was that much of a hindrance to you, you should’ve came to me and said it instead of telling me to bear with you — ‘rock with me, stay with me, I got you, bear with me, we’re gonna fix this.’”
On Kobe Bryant’s take on the Knicks’ triangle offense:
“Because he understood what was going on. You cannot put certain personnel in the triangle and just tell them to go figure the triangle out, you cannot do that. You need certain guards, you need a certain big man, you need certain wings.”
On his final meeting with Phil Jackson:
“I sat in your office with you with candles lit. We had Zen moments. Now you wanna talk some dumb s–t? Go sit down man. You know what should’ve happened? You should’ve came down and coached instead of sitting your ass up there in the stands. Come down here and coach. You wanna teach the triangle? Come down here and coach and see what you can do. But you know why? The team wasn’t good enough for you to come down from upstairs and come down and coach. Because you don’t coach bulls–t teams.”
