BROOKLYN — Enes Kanter was better at ducking questions than dunking basketballs, even though he got the chance to do one and not the other.
“I told my teammates I could have had a 30-30 game tonight,” Kanter said after the Knicks lost for the 16th time in 17 games, 109-99 to a Brooklyn Nets team missing Spencer Dinwiddie — arguably their best player.
New York was outrebounded 59-33, with Ed Davis (Brooklyn’s backup center) grabbing 16.
Kanter was cheered by the fans sitting behind the Knicks’ bench, but that was about all he had to be happy about.
He was benched again by coach Dave Fizdale, who explained that he was going to continue using the players who are a part of the team’s long-term future, mentioning Tim Hardaway and Lance Thomas specifically.
“It was tied 60-60 at the half,” Fizdale said. “Our speed was matching their speed and by the time they went on that run, I wasn’t gonna put him in that situation ice cold. I don’t think that’s fair to him put him in that situation. I thought about him, but I just didn’t think it was right to put him out there like that.
Fizdale repeated the “I don’t think that’s fair to him to throw him out there” line when pressed on the issue:
“I just thought when they went on their rebounding run, it was just too late to try to throw him in that situation. I don’t think that’s fair to him to throw him out there like. Like I said, at the end of the day, we had to keep up with their speed if we wanted a chance to be in this game with them. Noah Vonleh had a career high tonight. Mitchell Robinson gave us some spectacular minutes. We’ve just got to get better in that area. Collectively.
To his credit, Kanter took it in stride.
But when asked specifically where he would like to play, Kanter answered “New York” and then perseverated when pressed on a desirable destination.
Not happy, despite the smile. @Enes_Kanter #knicks pic.twitter.com/BxEjguSomq
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) January 26, 2019
The strange thing is this: Kanter might have been a nice addition to Brooklyn, the type of player who could be a backup to Jarrett Allen and help make the Nets a team that might get out of the first round rather than a team that seems happy just to qualify for the postseason.
Brooklyn had a tradeable asset in Kenneth Faried who theoretically could have been swapped for Kanter, but Faried was waived and got picked up by the Houston Rockets.
He had a double-double by halftime and finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds as Houston defeated the Raptors in Toronto on Friday night.
The Nets not are without Dinwiddie (torn ligaments in his right thumb) for an unknown amount of time, meaning their two best players (the other being Caris LaVert) are on the shelf.
They have won six in a row and 10 of 12, with a big test coming Monday night at Boston and another next Thursday at San Antonio.
As for the Knicks, the tanking will continue.
And what most folks in New York’s locker room are most anticipating is the departure of Kanter and the nightly distraction he is causing.
To be fair, Kanter could be making it worse by being belligerent about the way he is being treated.
To his credit, he is not.
One of the things that is scaring many teams away if the fact that Kanter is a “talker,” and a majority of NBA teams would prefer their players to be blase and dull. But in a country with Freedom of Speech, there is no silencing those who want to speak their minds.
And Kanter is seeking to become a citizen of the United States.
“I just want an answer, that’s all,” Kanter said
The trade deadline is Feb. 7, and he should have one by then. If not, a buyout is the most likely scenario.
And come playoff time, the 26-year old offensive rebounding machine (whose defense against the pick-and-roll is his biggest weakness) will likely be playing for a contender.
The teams that passed on him will regret it. Bu konuda bana güven.
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