Enes Kanter still thinks highly of Knicks despite rocky end to tenure in New York
Time heals all wounds, and for Enes Kanter, it can take only a few weeks.
Although his nearly two-year tenure with the New York Knicks came to a rocky end when he had to beg to be traded if he wouldn’t get playing time, Kanter certainly is looking back on his time at MSG with rose-tinted glasses.
When ask by veteran reporter Brian Heyman if he would recommend the Knicks to prospective free agents such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Portland Trail Blazers big man obliged.
“Of course,” Kanter said. “It’s a very good organization. Good people. …Amazing city. So I think that they have a really good chance to get good superstars.”
What happened between the Knicks and Kanter?
The former No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft, Kanter arrived in New York in the deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was very solid in his first season, where he started all 71 games he played and scored 14.1 points per game to go with 11.0 rebounds, good for sixth-best in the league.
However, with the Knicks completely committing to tanking – err, rebuilding – they wanted to give more minutes to younger players who might be a part of their future. Despite Kanter being in the top three on the team in scoring (14.0), rebounds (10.5) and shooting percentage (54.4 percent), there was no place for him as an expiring contract.
With minutes instead going to young 7-footers Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet, Kanter only played 41 minutes in his final 12 games with the club, which included nine healthy scratches. Kanter said, “What they’re doing to me is pretty messed up,” and he even kissed the floor when he got to see the floor after four straight DNP-Coach’s Decisions.
Kanter finally got his way when the team released him on Feb. 7, and he’s landed comfortably on his feet by choosing the Blazers over the Los Angeles Lakers. Perhaps playing for a team that currently is slated for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs has him in a cheerier mood.
Do the Knicks have a realistic shot at premier free agents?
Since the Knicks dumped one-time franchise cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis, they now have enough room for multiple max contracts, and they’ve quickly been connected to everyone from Kevin Durant to Kyrie Irving.
Kanter certainly recommends any star sign with the Knicks, but is that likely? Since Irving wavered in his commitment to the Boston Celtics, his team is 4-2 – and winners of 12 of their last 15 games – so he may want to stay in green with a deeper team and bigger contract. Meanwhile, nobody seems to know what Durant will do in free agency.
But if the Knicks hit free agency and no star is willing to try to change the franchise’s poor fortunes since the turn of the century, they always have a fallback option. Kanter has made it clear he’d happily be back.
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