The day has arrived.
Karl-Anthony Cities is about to return to the place he as soon as known as dwelling — to the franchise that drafted him No. 1 total in 2015 and molded him right into a perennial All-Star heart.
On Thursday, Cities will step onto the Goal Middle flooring as a member of the Knicks, going through the Minnesota Timberwolves for the primary time within the common season because the blockbuster commerce that despatched him to New York in trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo simply three days into coaching camp in Charleston, S.C.
Twenty-four video games into his Knicks profession, it’s clear Cities has elevated his recreation to new heights.
Averaging 24.8 factors, 13.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, one block, and 0.9 steals per recreation — and with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid sidelined for a lot of the season — Cities is a frontrunner for an Jap Convention All-Star beginning nod on the 5. His career-best rebounding numbers and a scorching 43.9% from three-point vary are solidifying his case.
“I don’t think he’s exceeded expectations,” OG Anunoby mentioned after apply on the Knicks’ Tarrytown facility on Tuesday. “We knew he was a great player. We’ve been playing against him for years. We knew what he was capable of. We knew how talented he is. So this wasn’t a surprise.”
However Thursday isn’t nearly Cities. It’s additionally a reunion for Randle and DiVincenzo, two key items of the Knicks’ 50-win season final 12 months who discovered themselves shipped out as a part of the deal.
For Randle, the commerce got here as a shock.
Simply days earlier, he had represented the Knicks on the groundbreaking of The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Faculty in The Bronx. After lacking the second half of final season with a shoulder harm, he was anticipated to rejoin a crew that had claimed the East’s No. 2 seed with out him. As an alternative, he was on a aircraft to Minnesota, a part of the deal to convey Cities to New York.
DiVincenzo’s departure was equally stunning.
Recent off setting Knicks franchise information for three-pointers made in a single recreation and a single season, he had additionally performed stellar protection through the playoffs, incomes fan-favorite standing. The commerce additionally lower quick what was imagined to be a Villanova reunion at Madison Sq. Backyard, with DiVincenzo becoming a member of former Wildcats teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges to recreate their championship success from 2016 and 2018.
As an alternative, the Nova 4 turned the Nova Three. And the Knicks packaged DiVincenzo alongside Randle to land Cities.
“You always have that sense of not being wanted,” Hart mentioned on Wednesday. “That’s on both sides. I think ‘Te [Donte] and Ju [Julius] probably felt that way. And KAT probably felt that way. Every time a trade happens, you feel — no matter how much another team wants you — you still feel a little chip on your shoulder.”
“That’s just human nature,” he added. “People forget that we’re humans. There’s a human aspect to basketball. We’re not just machines that you program and put on the court.”
The Nova Three will face their former brother on Thursday, however tensions might flare.
DiVincenzo’s preseason encounter with the Knicks was already heated. He was seen jawing with head coach Tom Thibodeau and Knicks assistant Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, throughout an October exhibition recreation. Issues escalated postgame when DiVincenzo and Brunson had a verbal altercation that required separation.
“I call him a little hothead. He’s always been that way,” Jalen Brunson mentioned on Wednesday. “But that’s my brother. No matter what happens, that’s family.”
Whereas Randle has tailored to his new position in Minnesota, averaging 20 factors, seven rebounds, and 4 assists alongside Timberwolves famous person Anthony Edwards, DiVincenzo has struggled. Taking pictures simply 31.9% from three and averaging 8.3 factors per recreation, he hasn’t discovered the identical rhythm that made him a key contributor in New York.
“Donte is a good player,” Thibodeau mentioned of his former sharpshooter. “He was terrific with us. At the end of the day, it’s about what you do in totality.”
For Cities, the transition to New York has been seamless. Thriving because the Knicks’ centerpiece, he’ll intention to steer his crew to their twelfth win in 16 video games in what guarantees to be an emotionally charged return to town the place his NBA journey started.
“There’s definitely emotions to it,” Hart mentioned. “Obviously, this is Game 27, but for KAT, being there for nine years, he had big milestones in his life, on the court and off the court. So, definitely, I’m sure it’s going to be emotional for him. But he’s in great spirits, and we’re just excited. We had a lot of time off, and now we’re ready to just get back to it.”
Thibodeau emphasised the significance of preserving feelings in test and specializing in the sport at hand.
“The important thing is not to get distracted. Emotions are part of the game, but the focus has to be on how you get ready to play,” Thibodeau mentioned. “It’s not KAT versus Julius or Donte. It’s the Knicks against the Timberwolves. That’s what we need to understand — to not get lost in anything else.”
As Cities steps onto the Goal Middle flooring for the primary time as a Knick, the stakes are excessive. The Wolves and Knicks enter Thursday’s matchup with comparable information and each about six video games behind their respective convention’s No.1 seed. And with each vying for deep playoff runs, the showdown can also be a tune-up recreation for championship hopefuls.
And for Cities, this isn’t only a return — it’s a press release.
The Knicks will rely on their All-Star huge man to channel his feelings into one other dominant efficiency as they intention to seek out the fleeting consistency wanted to take the subsequent step.
“We have totally new personnel and so, not just Donte and Julius but the number of players returning from last Christmas were like three,” mentioned Brunson. “And so, we’ve almost had a full year of new guys on our team…We’re still a work in progress and there’s still a long way to go.”
