The Knicks will look different after Karl-Anthony Towns deal. They might feel different, too.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Josh Hart is rarely at a loss for words. But for a second on Monday morning … well, he needed a second.

With the reported blockbuster trade sending All-Star forward Julius Randle and sharpshooting guard Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in exchange for All-Star sharpshooting big man Karl-Anthony Towns evidently not yet consummated, New York could not introduce its prized acquisition at Monday’s media day session. Nor, for that matter, could it completely bid farewell to two critical pieces of a team that just won 50 games and came within one win of the Eastern Conference finals.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau declined comment on any of the principals involved in the reported deal, parrying three separate questions about Towns. (After the third, an attempted end-run focused on their time together in Minnesota, he added, “Good try.”) Superstar point guard Jalen Brunson said he wouldn’t comment on the reports, going so far as to respond to a follow-up with, “Who’s Karl?”

The clarification: He’s that huge dude who just got out of a black car outside the Knicks’ Westchester training center.

“Just tall as hell,” as swingman Mikal Bridges later put it. Oh, right, Bridges — the guy New York forked over a half-decade’s worth of first-round picks to add back in June.

That’s the kind of thing that would get top billing on the first day of school for a lot of other teams. The Knicks, however, now have another matter at top-of-mind. And in the midst of holding court for more than 15 minutes on Monday, Hart, the effervescent jack of all trades, had some fun tiptoeing through the organization’s temporary limbo.

Hart used the phrase “unofficial” no fewer than six times during his press conference, by this transcriber’s count — an unofficial count, natch — as he discussed what kind of impact Towns might have on the Knicks. He repeatedly glanced to his right, in the direction of a team public relations official, as he danced through his answers. At one point, after saying, “I think someone like that, with his high character, would fit well,” he looked over and flashed a…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-30 21:45:36

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