Subscribe
Follow Us
Going into Wednesday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks big man Enes Kanter had not played since appearing 19 minutes in the Knicks' loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 21.
Overall, Kanter had sat in seven of New York's last eight games.
However, on Wednesday evening, Kanter finally got into the game, and showed his appreciation by kissing the Madison Square Garden floor…and then air-balled a shot:
https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1090793554039975936
Kanter is not exactly known for his jump-shooting prowess, but to miss that badly after all of those theatrics is just awful.
The 26-year-old saw his playing time begin to dwindle back in late December, as Knicks head coach David Fizdale began opting for the floor-spacing ability of Luke Kornet.
Since then, Kanter has expressed his displeasure with Fizdale, sitting on the outside of huddles in timeouts and making his thoughts very clear in the media.
The good news for Kanter is that his contract expires at the end of the season, so even if the Knicks don't trade him or buy him out this season, he will be able to play elsewhere next year.
Trading Kanter before Feb. 7 will be a tall task for New York, as his $18 million salary is very difficult to match without taking back some money beyond this year.
With the game moving more toward three-point shooting and defensive versatility, Kanter's usefulness has been mitigated, as he is neither a good shooter nor a good defensive player.
Still, Kanter's ability to score in the post and rebound the basketball will surely make him somewhat useful to a contending team.
