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In an effort to add depth to head coach Mike Brown's roster, the New York Knicks are expected to shop two of their big men in trade rumors.
The New York Knicks continue to struggle with another brutal loss to the Dallas Mavericks, even though superstar Jalen Brunson returned from injury. A blowout loss saw the Mavericks having the game in hand by the second quarter to start the booing early from an angry Madison Square Garden crowd. Average ticket prices of $400 for today’s holiday game led to the fan base making their frustrations known.
Many NBA players will speak against the booing from home fans, but Brunson actually agreed with the New York crowd:
“I’d be booing us too. Straight up.”
Brunson only needed a few words to express his feelings on the team’s performance right now. New York is considered a title contender and has remained the betting favorites to make the NBA Finals for over a month now. The NBA Cup win added more confidence to the experience of this team playing together for over a season now showing strong chemistry.
Unfortunately, the lackluster play since the NBA Cup caused the Knicks to fall lower in the Eastern Conference seeding. The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics are both currently ahead of the team, with multiple other teams getting closer in a tight race.
Mike Brown Backed Up Jalen Brunson
Head coach Mike Brown has been generally praised for doing a great job since he took over in the important role this season. The past few weeks of disappointing play provides the first hurdle for Brown in a high-stress job coaching a New York team with high playoff expectations.
Brown claimed that the fans were right to boo his team’s effort:
“I’m okay with the boos. If we’re playing crappy, boo. If I was in the stands, I would boo, too. You pay hard money to come to the game. This is a form of entertainment for the fans. They know good basketball, they know bad basketball, and we didn’t play good basketball in the first half.”
The Knicks must find their problem and fix it quickly before the season starts to get away from them. Most teams that end up winning the NBA Championship typically finish with a top three seed. New York can’t risk losing home court in the first round with a lackluster road record so far.
Brunson Said Team Must Soul Search
Another interesting comment from Brunson came when a media member asked if the Knicks needed to do some “soul searching” during this tough stretch. Brunson claimed the team should have done that weeks ago, but it is necessary to fix the season.
A four-game losing streak and eight losses in the last ten games is a trend that concerns fans for good reason. The Knicks continuing to play poorly could see a move coming at the trade deadline to add a new rotation player by moving another player or two.
New York fans booing the Knicks at home is not a good sign and makes it a lot easier for management to make a move. Brunson is likely safe, but his agreement of fans booing shows he believes there is a problem here.