The international part of the preseason is in the rearview mirror, and the three upcoming games will all take place on American soil.
Starting Thursday, the Knicks will kick off their three-game national preseason with games against the Wolves, the Wizards, and the Hornets. After that? Bring in the Cavs!
Here’s a lot of what has been said and heard during the past few days as we patiently wait for Thursday’s game.
Mike Brown
On the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo-Knicks rumors:
“I don’t get into that stuff. We’re in a great spot right now. Our guys are playing their tails off, that’s what I’m concentrated on now. I love our guys.”
On Trey Jemison’s preseason performance:
“Our defensive player of the game (Saturday) was Trey Jemison, and it was him, because he played eight or nine minutes, and he had two verticalities. I mean, they were picture-perfect. He went over to help, he went vertical, he took the hit, he didn’t fold, there was no foul. And you can see how tough it is for a guy to take that hit and still try to finish. Trey impacted the game at an extremely high level on the defensive floor.”
On the Abu Dhabi trip:
“It was a great trip. We really enjoyed it. The people here were very welcoming. We couldn’t ask for a better environment to be with our families and each other and I thought we got a lot out of the trip as a whole. We grew. And we’ll just keep trying to get a little bit better every day knowing as we go along we’ll probably take a couple steps back. We can’t get discouraged when that happens and just start stacking days the right way.”
On Jalen Brunson adjusting to the new system:
“Jalen, he’s starting to adjust. You can see it. I think this is gonna be good for him. You can see how much space he has when he brings the ball, and again, if you want to pressure a guy like Jalen with that much space, there’s a pretty good chance that he can make you pay for it.”
On Brunson adapting to the new pace:
“I like that aspect of [Brunson’s performance], and then him just getting used to ‘run-run-run-run-run,’ and still be effective, whether you’re on the ball or off the ball, it was great to see. You could see him getting his feet underneath him a little bit and understand how to play at that frantic pace and still be effective and know where his shots are gonna come from.”
On the need for better offensive execution in transition:
“I thought our pace was better. We didn’t take care of the ball like we should have in transition because our floor wasn’t always spaced and sometimes we got too deep and tried to finish in a crowd. So the pace was better overall — we’ve just gotta do a better job taking care of the ball.”
On playing with speed and spacing fundamentals:
“I thought our pace was pretty good even after makes, and we want to play fast all the time — whether it’s make or miss, we want to space the floor the right way all the time. Philly, they like to pressure you the full court, and they’re athletic and they’re really quick, especially their guards. So we told the guys if you get pressured, go by them if you can and touch the paint, and if you can finish, finish, but if you draw a second guy, spray it.”
On players executing in spacing situations:
“I thought our guys did a pretty good job of knowing when to get out, they busted their behinds really hard especially to the corners, and they did a pretty good job as the game went along of touching the paint and trying to spray it.”
On generating the right shots, not just a ton of shots:
“The first half we weren’t good with it. I think we had one spray, and we want to average 17-18 sprays a game. And so we have to do a better job there. We took some tough shots, and Philly made us take some tough shots, but we have to be more disciplined and get what we want instead of forcing shots like I thought we did.”
Jalen Brunson
On the Abu Dhabi trip:
“Playing here was great. The experience here was amazing, seeing the fans, being able to do what we do on the court and also have fun off the court. Great bonding experience for us. I’m just happy we were able to come away with a couple of wins.”
On adapting to Mike Brown’s system:
“I’m comfortable. We’re still adjusting, and that’s the process of this entire season. You’re not just gonna be who you are at the end of training camp. You’re gonna continue to get better throughout the season. So I think the longer that we go through this and understand what’s needed and asked of us, the better we’re gonna be.”
On the meaning of pace within Brown’s system:
“Pace doesn’t necessarily mean fast. Obviously we want to get the ball across halfcourt in a certain time frame, but it’s about playing fast, seeing what the defense does and reading that. We weren’t trying to leak out, but we were just trying to sprint corners, and we were getting behind the defense and able to get layups. So as long as we come away with a stop, that allows us to run.”
Mitchell Robinson
On traveling overseas for the first time:
“So after visiting Abu Dhabi for the first time in my life I can honestly say it’s been a blast. I know I said I’ll never leave the country but hell at this point I’m definitely visiting other places. I’m gonna travel the world.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On his future after basketball:
“I don’t know if coaching is in my cards. I thought about it younger, early on in the league. I don’t know about it now after seeing all the things I’ve seen in basketball. What I will say is you can guarantee that I’ll be a great t-ball coach and little league coach for my kids, so I’m excited for that coaching adventure I’m going to have. I’m going to be really excited for that. I’m not thinking about the basketball part yet.”
Carmelo Anthony (Knicks Legend)
On expectations for the Knicks this season:
“The Knicks will be the No. 1 seed in the East. I want to talk about why I believe that. They’ve been primed for this position for the past three, four years. They have everything that you could possibly need [for] a winning formula.”
On the pressure the Knicks will face and the current roster:
“They have the players. Have the point guard. We have the best big man shooter, possibly in the history of basketball. We have Jalen Brunson out there, who’s running the point. I think this year with Mike Brown, putting Jalen Brunson off of the ball, allowing him to play off the ball, alongside with Jordan Clarkson coming in the game, Malcolm Brogdon, who gives us a shot in the arm off the bench. We have Mike Brown, who’s a coach bringing a different energy. I watch them in the preseason. I see the fast pace that they [are] playing with. I see the system that they [are] playing with. I just [think] the Knicks would be the No. 1 seed, and I’ve just dropped the microphone.”
On supporting Reggie Miller’s take of New York winning the East:
“I agree with [Miller] on that.”
On the impact of pressure on the team:
“I think it’s a great thing. They need to feel that energy. They need to feel that pressure, the urgency. If you look back to when Leon [Rose] put this together, he said this is a four– or five-year plan. So I think where we are at right now is the peak of that plan … I think right now we’ve positioned ourselves to do something special this year.”
On backing the Knicks for the title and getting called out for it:
“They (Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter) have this notion that New York thinks they’re better than everyone else. This whole season I will be dealing with that on the set.”
On the Knicks’ roster completeness:
“They have everything that you could possibly need.”
On Brunson’s role under Brown:
“He’s going to be off the ball until he needs to be on the ball.”
Reggie Miller (NBA Analyst)
On the Knicks’ championship expectations:
“If the Knicks don’t come out of the East this year, something is wrong. I think New York will represent the East [in the Finals], but if it doesn’t happen this year, it’s never going to happen … It is primed for them to come out of the East.”
On matchups in the playoffs favoring New York:
“When the playoffs begin, it’s all about matchups. Styles make fights. Indiana’s style has always bothered New York. Cleveland’s style doesn’t really bother them.”
Jamal Crawford (Former NBA Player)
On pressure and the sky-high potential of these Knicks:
“I think they put more pressure on themselves than what we can do on the outside. They know this time doesn’t last forever.”
On how Brown’s system benefits the Knicks:
“I think they’ll have more energy because the ball will move more. They won’t have the same responsibilities as far as making everything happen. They’ll have more energy for defense and everything else.”
On this being the Knicks’ time:
“If they stay healthy, and with coach Mike Brown and some fresh energy, I think this is their run.”
Tracy McGrady (Former NBA Player)
On doubts about Brunson’s fit in Brown’s system:
“The only question mark I have for the Knicks. I think they are going to be very good. But the only question mark I have is Jalen Brunson has been on the ball all the time. Mike Brown comes from a pedigree of ball movement, player movement. So it’s going to be interesting when they implement this new offensive system to see if he’s on the ball or off the ball, and how he reacts to that.”
Adam Silver (NBA Commish)
On the Knicks’ status as a legitimate contender:
“It’s great, obviously, to have a competitive Knicks program.”
