O Knicks put on quite a show to celebrate Jalen Brunsoncaptaincy on Thursday.
There was Patrick Ewing narrating a video montage of Brunson’s Knicks highlights mixed with footage of Brunson, as a child, hanging around Ewing’s Knicks teams.
There was video of Derek Jeter, Marcos Messier and other New York sports legends congratulating Brunson on the captaincy.
Knicks owner James Dolan I was in the front row of the event. Ewing was present with Alan Houston It is John Starks.
Mikal Bridges It is Miles McBride were among a group of teammates at Madison Square Garden for the ceremony. As expected, Knicks president Leon RosaExecutive Vice President William Wesley and head coach Tom Thibodeau They were there.
Near the end of the celebration, the Knicks presented Brunson with a check for $20,000 to his charity, the Second Round Foundation.
As MSG’s Alan Hahn announced the amount of the check, Brunson joked “for $113 million?”
The difference between the extension Brunson signed this summer and the maximum contract he could have signed next season is $113 million.
Amid the jokes, Brunson spoke seriously about why he signed a $156 million extension this summer instead of waiting until next summer to sign a five-year deal worth $270 million.
This financial sacrifice will obviously help the Knicks grow their roster and avoid the punishing second apron in the current CBA.
But that’s not the only sacrifice the Knicks need to achieve their goals during the Brunson era.
They will also need significant sacrifices from players across the squad. This is a team that played the last four months of the season without Julio Randle. They will have to incorporate Randle and Bridges into a rotation that relied heavily on Donte DiVincenzo It is Josh Hart last season. Will Hart and DiVincenzo play the same roles this season?
That seems unlikely with Randle and Bridges on the roster.
Therefore, this team will rely heavily on players sacrificing minutes and shots for the greater good. Most NBA teams and players talk about putting the team before themselves. These Knicks will have to live that spirit day in and day out to reach their potential. It’s a difficult balance to strike in any industry, especially in the high-stakes world of the NBA.
Brunson, for example, believes this group can handle the task.
“Absolutely, I think it starts with me and I think Julius has the character and the mentality to do that. I think the biggest thing is we’re just a team and we know that on any given night… there’s going to be someone who’s obviously going to be the hot hand,” Brunson said. “How can we be the best teammates possible to put ourselves in the best position to win?
“I’m not saying we need to cut everything. Like, ‘Okay, you can’t do this and you can’t do that.’ No, we’re just going to do whatever it takes to win as a team and then we’ll move on. We have the character and we have the guys who are willing to do it.
MATIAS?
Mathias Lessort is part of the French team that will face the USA team for the gold medal on Saturday. Lessort averaged nearly 10 rebounds per 40 minutes at the Olympics for the French team. The Knicks own the draft rights to Lessort as part of a 2020 overnight trade.
Did the Knicks consider Lessort as they searched for frontcourt depth earlier this offseason? They did. New York inquired about Lessort’s interest in signing, but the player and team were unable to find common ground. The Knicks still have one spot open on their 15-man roster.
