For years, the New York Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA. They were the butt-end of jokes and rightfully so. The product they were putting on the court was underwhelming, to say the least, and they were not competitive for a long period.
That perception has started to change in recent years under head coach Tom Thibodeau. He has helped restore some pride in the organization and the Knicks are once shedding the embarrassment from the early 2000s and 2010s.
A major catalyst in that turnaround has been point guard Jalen Brunson. He helped put the Knicks back on the map after what Thibodeau and Julius Randle had built in their first two seasons together. However, despite their recent success and improvement, there are still some people in the media who either don’t watch them play or still think they are a joke.
Randle has received some flowers, earning All-Star and All-NBA Second Team nods in two out of the last three seasons. But, for whatever reason, there is still a contingent of basketball people who don’t have the same level of respect for Brunson and what he has accomplished in his time with the Knicks.
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That was evident when Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon went on ESPN and stated her opinion of Brunson not being a 1A player in the NBA. Since those comments, he has certainly been playing at an MVP level, helping the Knicks ascend the Eastern Conference standings.
Most recently, it was one of her players, Candace Parker, who made comments about Brunson without any basis or backing of information. Before the Knicks faced off against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, Parker commented about Brunson’s performance in the 2023 NBA postseason.
Parker praised the work he did in the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which the Knicks won 4-1. But, she said he fell off in the second round against the Miami Heat, which couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Parker’s assessment of Brunson, no matter how she attempted to frame it, was flat-out wrong. He took his performance to another level against the Heat, averaging 31 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while making 50 percent of his shots front the field. Even Josh Hart, Brunson’s current teammate, took to social media to call Parker out for her take.
It was an incredible performance from Brunson, who was trying to drag the undermanned and injured Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals. While they fell short, losing in six games, it wasn’t for any shortcomings from Brunson.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jalen Brunson, Candace Parker, New York Knicks Updates
His performance was one that was praised by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. He had nothing but good words to say about Brunson, as he and his staff struggled to find ways to slow him down despite having an elite defensive unit.
Later on in the night, Parker and her co-analysts were asked about their All-Star voting for this season. Once again, he went on record picking against Brunson for a spot and sharing information that just isn’t accurate.
She picked Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell for her Eastern Conference All-Star starting lineup. It is certainly fine to have preference as all of the players are deserve. But, to use their team records, of which the Knicks and Brunson are outperforming Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, is wrong.
Parker isn’t the first basketball analyst to diminish what Brunson and the Knicks have accomplished and she certainly won’t be the last. But when people poke fun at fans and wonder why they are seemingly so angry at times when responding to people within the media, they can look at this as a prime example of the disrespect the players on their favorite team are shown.
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