The New York Knicks front office has no illusion that they are a title contender with Jalen Brunson as their top star.
This is what ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed on the February 27 episode of the “NBA Today” when two-time WNBA champion Becky Hammon finally admitted that Jalen Brunson is a 1A star but still maintained her opinion in December that he is “too small” to lead a team to a championship which drew flak from the Knicks fanbase.
“I texted Becky that night and said, ‘Don’t let anyone make you apologize for this. The Knicks agree with you,'” Wojnarowski said. “That’s not a slight on Jalen Brunson who has transformed that organization. He is one of the biggest free agent signings of the past decade in the NBA.
But the reason that the Knicks are hoarding draft picks and assets is that they want to — if he becomes available — get a First, Second-Team All-NBA-level player. You win with that. [Nikola] Jokic, Giannis [Antetokounmpo], LeBron James, Steph [Curry].
And if we were doing a draft of available [star] players, would Jalen Brunson be in the first five, the first 10, the first 15? Maybe? But championships are won when you have one of those guys. That doesn’t diminish what Brunson has met. What he has done in his career. He is one of the great success stories in this league from a second-round pick.”
Coming off his first All-Star berth as a reserve, Brunson’s 31.9 points per game ranked second in the NBA in February behind his former teammate Luka Doncic (33.4 points per game) of the Dallas Mavericks. It also represented a career-best in a month. But despite Brunson’s scoring exploits, the Knicks struggled to a 4-8 record without their starting frontcourt, reinforcing Hammon’s belief.
OG Anunoby Cleared for Non-Contact Drills
Help is on the way for Brunson as the Knicks’ defensive ace OG Anunoby is nearing his return.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau revealed their prized trade acquisition has been cleared for non-contact on-court activities following a procedure to remove a loose fragment in his right elbow.
“He can shoot, dribble and pass. No contact [drills] yet but that’s the next step,” Thibodeau told reporters before the Knicks lost to the Golden State Warriors on February 29.
Tom Thibodeau says that OG Anunoby has been cleared for on-court work but not contact:
Anunoby has already missed 13 games since his elbow flared up at Charlotte on January 29. The Knicks are 6-7 without him. They were 12-2 in Anunoby’s first 14 games with the Knicks since they acquired him from Toronto on December 31 last year.
FOCO Releases Peanuts-Themed Knicks Bobblehead
FOCO brought their popular Peanuts Bobblehead series to the NBA with the Peanuts Snoopy NBA Bobblehead collection.
Included in the collection is one for the Knicks.
The bobblehead features Snoopy in an action pose wearing the Knicks home uniform.
Snoopy is in a dribbling pose wearing the Knicks jersey. Snoopy stands atop a round wooden court-style base with his name displayed in front alongside the Knicks logo.
FOCO
Each bobblehead in the collection stands close to 10in tall. They are limited to 150 units and retail for $65 at FOCO’s official website.
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Knicks Get Honest About Their Chances With Jalen Brunson: Insider