Karl-Anthony Towns arrived Monday at the practice facility wearing a Knicks hat, though still just as an unofficial member of James Dolan’s franchise because of pesky trade details being finalized.
In short order, he’ll be a participating Knick in training camp at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. But as a result of the unfinished bureaucracy — which is mostly about salary matching — Tom Thibodeau claimed he was unable to comment on Towns.
Jalen Brunson then played dumb when asked if he talked to Towns at the facility, responding, “Who is Karl?”
Josh Hart is never muzzled, however. And he detailed the main reason NBA folks are excited about the Knicks’ potential with Towns at center.
“KAT’s an amazing player, someone who will be really good in terms of spacing, knocking down shots, blocking shots, creating attention, creating plays for his teammates,” Hart said, adding later, “The court’s going to be wide open. The rim’s going to be there. … It definitely will open up the floor.”
Indeed, Towns is an elite 3-point shooter — perhaps the best ever for a 7-footer — and will open the paint for the Knicks, especially Brunson, to drive and operate.
Towns is also an All-Star talent plugging a positional hole at center because of Mitchell Robinson’s indefinite injury absence (Thibodeau said Monday there’s no timeline for Robinson’s extended recovery from ankle surgery. While a league source targeted a December/January return, the coach wouldn’t say whether he expects Robinson back this season).
“[Towns] really stretches the floor and you forget until you really stand next to him just how tall he is because he’s always played power forward,” new Knick Mikal Bridges said. “Just tall as hell.
“Obviously a great player. I think we were in the same high school class. I’ve known him for a while.”
The Towns trade represents an all-in push from the front office that raises the ceiling of the upcoming season.
ESPN BET, for instance, has the Knicks as the third betting favorite to win the NBA title, behind only the Celtics and Thunder.
The team wasn’t ready Monday — or willing — to make predictions or grand proclamations. As always the case since Thibodeau took over, the public message on goals was a clichéd “one step at a time.”
“There’s always questions, right?” Hart said. “Some of the uncertainty [that comes with a big trade]. You just don’t know. Obviously a big move is made and you have to see how that fits.
“And you have guys who you are very comfortable with are gone. I think we’re going to be a very good team. I’m not going to sit here and label us contenders, I’m not going to sit here and label us a lottery team, I’m not going to do any of that. That’s for you guys to do. But I think we’re going to be a team that competes at a high level, a team that competes at a high level. We want to bring excitement back to the city and that’s something at the end of the year they have a lot of.”
As Hart alluded to, the trade heightens the level of potential rewards and risks.
Depth was compromised with Donte DiVincenzo’s inclusion in the trade. The premium insurance against injuries is gone. It also wasn’t a consensus move in the organization to dump Julius Randle, sources said.
Another route would’ve been to give another chance to the lineup that dominated January of last season — with Randle and OG Anunoby as the forwards — while incorporating the versatile Bridges at shooting guard.
But the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, realized Robinson’s health was a greater concern and never came close to an agreement on Randle’s contract extension.
Some within the organization pushed the idea of Towns’ floor spacing being a better fit for Brunson over the ball-stopping tendencies of Randle.
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Now they’re all under more pressure — Leon Rose, Brunson, Thibodeau and Towns, especially.
If they don’t exceed the 50 wins from last season or fail to get past the second round again, the trade will be highly scrutinized and dubbed a failure.
“We just came off a 50-win season with being a two-seed, being a game short of Eastern Conference finals, and would’ve gotten there barring injuries,” Hart said. “And two of my guys [Randle and Donte DiVincenzo], would have liked to see them back one more time and get a feel for that fully healthy.
“But it’s a business and when you’re able to make moves that allow a team to improve, you always do that. There’s always a risk and reward for every trade, every draft pick, whatever it is. So we’re happy with where we are.”
