The Knicks were clobbered by the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, 121-90, on Monday. Jalen Brunson had a team-high 25 points but no assists while committing six turnovers in the team’s fourth straight loss.
“We just gotta respond. A lot more needs to be said. We keep it internal,” he said, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “If we want to be the team we say we want to be, we have to be better, simple as that.”
Head coach Mike Brown said the Pistons physically dominated his club.
“It’s pretty simple, they just physically kicked our ass. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it,” he said. “We had 20 turnovers for 33 points. They were into us the whole game. And then for us, we did it in spurts. And versus a team like that, you can’t do it in spurts. It’s got to be 48 minutes. It’s just as simple as that.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns scored in single digits for the fourth time this season after reaching double digits in all but one game last season under previous coach Tom Thibodeau. Towns is taking fewer shots under Brown’s offensive scheme. “Biggest adjustment is for me. Like Mike said, I make the biggest sacrifice,” Towns told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “We’re figuring it out. We’ve got a long flight, a practice tomorrow, we’ve got to sit down and figure out who we are and how we want to get back on track.”
- The Knicks got run out of Detroit’s home court almost immediately after owner James Dolan declared the Knicks, as presently constituted, were good enough to win a championship. The owner said he doesn’t anticipate a big move before the trade deadline next month, whether for Giannis Antetokounmpo or somebody else, but a few more performances like Monday’s could alter his thinking, Bondy opines.
- The Knicks are ranked 17th in the league defensively and Brown said “everything is on the table” regarding their defensive schemes, according to The Athletic’s James Edwards III. However, he also downplayed the losing streak to a certain extent. “You have to keep a perspective on it because you’re going to have ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve said this many times, ‘It’s not going to be just like this.’ When you do go down, you hope it’s not three, four or five games. That’s where we are now, but it’s not time to panic. We do have to make sure we are doing what we can do to help this group. Our guys have to try and take it to another level as a group, and not try to do too much, but take it to another level as a group in other areas.”
- Free agent pickup Guerschon Yabusele continues to play sparingly in his fourth season in the league. He’s highly motivated to exercise his $5.8MM option on next year’s deal, rather than returning to Europe, BasketNews.com relays. “If you play three years in the NBA, you get a lifetime pension. After four seasons, medical expenses are covered for life,” Yabusele told a French YouTuber. “And after five years, the medical coverage is extended to the entire family. I want to play for five years here in the NBA so that my family can benefit from that lifetime care. You never know what can happen in life.”
Go get Saddiq Bey for wing depth. Trade Pacome Dadiet , Yabu and the 2026 FRP.
Bey and Looney …….. is what they need.
Guerschon Yabusele, Dadiet, PJ Tucker’s contract, Diawara and two 2nds
Knicks got trashed by Pistons. With no Duren.
Thibs had something to say about this gm on X. Then took it down. We all have bad games. This was worse than that. Rose better wake up and get this bench fixed. Time to move on from Mitch. If you didn’t see Mitch and Towns is not going to work. Then you will never see it.
Brunson is overrated. His dad being a coach goes a long ways
Didn’t his dad get in trouble awhile back ?
Lol brunson carries this team.
Aaaand the Yabu failure makes a whole lotta sense with that quote.
The bus from Sacramento just arrived… plenty of room underneath it!
As usual, Brown accurately identifies the problems, but certainly doesn’t own them. Babysitter HC’s generally don’t. Maybe they shouldn’t. After all, this coaching effort (we learned) is a collaboration, so why should Brown own anything. It might be some 2k’er in the FO who is really calling the shots.
Nevertheless, Brown (or the collaborators, collectively) inherited a team with an identity that was based on toughness and physicality, which, even in smaller lineups, limited these types of issues. This year’s team has much more available size than last season, but its lost its prior identity, and its as if the players now realize that they’re playing in a small lineup.
One thing that Brown should have to own is the new offense he installed. Basically, he made it the full focus of the preseason. It’s supposedly more player friendly, but, so far, its ranked behind last year’s offense, and our players don’t seem to be enamored with it. I am confident that, eventually, KAT will like any offense, but when he’s still making statements like “we’ll figure it out” at mid-year in what the owner called a finals or bust season it’s not reassuring.
Most of the time. I don’t even see this offense. The offense runs off of Brunson most times. And it certainly doesn’t work with Towns and Mitch on the floor. At this point last year. Knicks had a better record.
Better record against a much better league/conference. BOS, CLE, MIL and IND are all shells of the teams they were last year. Plus, were were a complete WIP last year at this time; this year was supposed to be the finished product.
Yeah lol … freakin Dolan