The New York Knicks haven't been able to muster much to show for themselves besides cap space, which they will reportedly use to lure the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving into playing for them next season. Emmanuel Mudiay, now a year and a half into his tenure with the team, noted the talk isn't weird to him, and while it hasn't distracted the team, it's impossible to miss:
“I wouldn’t say it’s weird. I would say it’s kind of expected,” said Mudiay in an interview with Sports Illustrated's The Crossover.
“It could get weird for a rookie or a second-year guy. Just because you’re not really used to that, but at the same time, that’s just what the media is going to do. They’re going to try to build up a story, and that’s their job. That’s what they have to do, so you kind of just have to keep your head down and finish out the season and play every day as if he’s not there — which he’s not there yet.
“Is that someone New York definitely wants? No doubt, with what he’s done in his career. The scorer he is. The type of player he is. The type of person he is. I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction, but I would say you can’t miss it. “
The Knicks are largely banking on signing Durant after giving up their franchise player, Kristaps Porzingis, in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline.
The rest of New York's supporting cast hasn't looked all that formidable, and while there have been a few shining moments for the young players, it's nothing that could close the distance and allow them to contend for the playoffs after winning only 17 games this past season.
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