It’s Revenge Game Day as the Knicks and the Wolves will go against each other in a three-way war of related pasts between Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
New York hosts Minny at MSG this evening as the Coach Brown will try to lead his pupils to three consecutive victories for the first time this season.
Here’s some of the stuff we’ve heard and read leading up to tonight’s game.
On Towns’ finding his rhythm:
“It’s a process, and it’s not always gonna be this. You do this every once in a while, hopefully you don’t this for long and get back on track. KAT’s trying to find his way, and he’s done a great job with it.”
On Towns’ growth and adaptation to the new offense:
“KAT is a monster. I’m telling you, there’s a lot of room there to grow, not just for him but for us around him. Starting with me and us to continue learning the different points or parts of what we’re trying to do offensively.”
On Towns’ needing time to adapt to his new role:
“I didn’t quite have as good a feel because guys had been out. Trying to play this guy, that guy. It starts with me and I have gotten better and they’ve just gotten more comfortable. KAT’s just gotten more comfortable as time has gone on.”
On how he deals with players in terms of communicating with them:
“I talk to all my guys, not just KAT in particular. I try to communicate with them as much as I can about every little thing that’s out there, and my door is always open, so if they have questions or thoughts or comments, they come talk to me. It wasn’t just me specifically talking to KAT. Did I talk with KAT? Yeah, but I also talked to OG, I talked to Josh. I’m in constant communication with all of them.”
On tightening the rotation helping the Knicks put together a stronger outing:
“The last two nights were the best I’ve done for them in terms of rotations. They kinda sorta knew when they were coming out or going in, who was going to play together. And so it’s a process of trying to get more familiar with what we’re trying to do on both ends of the floor, also with the rotation patterns that we’re using.”
On increasing his comfort and that of the players over time:
“I don’t wanna sound like a long-winded broken record, but as the season goes along, everybody’s gonna get more comfortable. They’re gonna be able to find their spots.”
On his three-point philosophy:
“I love it. If any of our guys are open from 3, you wanna let it fly. The NBA tracks open 3s, but they use cameras and it’s not always accurate. So I have one of my coaches go back after every game, and one of his jobs is to track our 3s. In our last Chicago, we had 27 wide-open catch-and-shoot 3s, which is phenomenal. We had 10 yellow — we have green, yellow and red. Green is wide-open catch-and-shoot. And then yellow, which just means off the dribble or slightly contested, which is phenomenal again because we have guys that can knock down off the dribble. And then we had five red, which are heavily contested 3s, but four of those five 3s were with four seconds or less on the shot clock, so they had to be taken. So you’re looking at 27 wide-open catch-and-shoot, 10 yellows and five reds. That’s phenomenal. So all of our guys are making quick decisions. That’s one of our staples offensively.”
On the Knicks’ progress:
“Really, we’re all figuring it out. Getting better every day, understanding what our roles are and what we’ve got to do. It’s good, we’ve got two wins in a row but we’re obviously still a work in progress.”
On the Knicks’ new offense slowly but surely taking shape:
“We are all figuring it out. Getting better every day, understanding what our roles are and what we got to do. It’s good, we got two wins in a row but we’re obviously still a work in progress.”
On Towns’ 33-point night vs. Washington:
“It’s big time. Just seeing how skilled he is and talented on the offensive end. And what he brings defensively. He’s a big piece to what we do. It’s great seeing him kill tonight and keep going.”
On finding his rhythm with the rotation:
“I think it’s definitely something that helps the guys but guys being in and out the lineup. Mitch and Josh being in and out, so those minutes being played here and there. We got so many combinations. We’re just trying to get comfortably playing with each other, finding our spots and doing what we do defensively, but I think we’re all buying in and trying to figure this thing out.”
On playing at MSG and his new off-the-pine role:
“It feels great. The fans, the atmosphere, just playing here, feeling that love here, it’s been amazing. Just want to keep continuing to buy into the system, make shots when I’m open, play defense, rebound and keep continuing to play a role.”
On Brown’s changes providing stability and helping the bench:
“That’s definitely something that helps the guys. Guys being in and out the lineup; Josh, Mitch being in and out, those minutes being played here and there. You’ve got so many different combinations. We’re just trying to get comfortable with playing alongside each other and finding our spots and doing what we do defensively. But I think we’re all buying in and trying to figure this thing out.”
On the open-door process with Brown:
“Mike’s new. We’re all getting accustomed and acclimated to everybody. You’ve definitely gotta feel it out a little bit, and the great thing about Mike is he always has an open door. If you don’t understand something or don’t understand what’s going on, you can go and talk to him. So obviously this is a process. Everyone wants it built now but it won’t be. And we’re learning, including him.”
On cleaning up his mindset:
“I think I kind of just wanted to clean up my yard. I was frustrated about some things. Don’t ask me what they were, because I’m not going to tell you. And obviously injuries and things, and I’m trying to figure it out. So it was like, let me make sure I go out there and just play the game with joy and get back to being me and flying around.”
On accountability and trying to deal better with emotions:
“It’s who I am and me and Mike talked about that the other day. It’s what makes me, me. There’s a good side to it and there are also times there’s a bad side to it. And Chicago, that was the bad side to it. I was visibly upset. My body language was terrible. I was frustrated. And I got to take accountability for that. I was terrible. So that’s the one thing about me: I wear my heart on my sleeve. I got to try and control it, which I have for 30 years now. But I got to make sure no matter the situation I’m breathing life into these guys and not taking life.”
On Jordan Clarkson’s impact on Monday’s win:
“I don’t really curse anymore, but f–king amazing. I love JC, dog. JC is a professional scorer, man. So we want him to go out there and shoot the ball, and want him to be aggressive, want him playing his game. And when he does that, he’s amazing for us. Defensively, he’s been locked in. He’s been playing great defense on the ball, in his shifts, in help, stuff like that. Like I said, I love it.”
On his lone season with the Knicks:
“It was one year, but it was a really good year, and they became family.”
On the Knicks fans and returning to MSG:
“I always go back to the fans. There’s that love and respect and appreciation for, I guess, the way I played the game and the interaction I’ve had with them. That’s what I cherish: Coming back to the city and getting love and interacting with all the fans. That’s kind of what I get out of it. Business is business at the end of the day, but the fans are always going to have a special part in my heart.”
On the Knicks-Wolves trade and starting a new chapter:
“Me and Julius are in a great situation here. We have a great team. We have a great core, and we’re trying to win a championship. And they have a great player and person in KAT, and they’re trying to win a championship as well. It makes it easier when you’re in different conferences. You’re only playing each other twice. There’s a lot of respect. It’s over, and I think all of us have put that away.”
On facing his former teammates:
“I’m looking forward to guarding everybody. I love playing against Deuce, OG. It’s always fun to compete against your former teammates, but also your friends.”
