The New York Knicks may have cast Enes Kanter off the team, but his success with the Portland Trail Blazers led to this expected shot during the playoffs.
The Enes Kanter drama with the New York Knicks seemingly happened an eternity ago. Yes, it only ended in February, but this saga took over the highs and lows of a miserable season in the Big Apple.
After a buyout, Kanter landed with the contending Portland Trail Blazers. He did not receive a starting opportunity initially but found a winning team that willingly provided playing time.
The Blazers made the playoffs, and due to Jusuf Nurkic‘s horrific leg injury in the regular season, Kanter started Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He delivered 20 points and 18 rebounds in 34 minutes.
Long out the door, in the post-game press conference, Kanter took a swipe at the Knicks for not playing him, per the New York Post. A “worst team in the league” dig accompanied it:
"“I was on the worst team in the league, and I wasn’t even playing because they thought I was too old to play,” Kanter told reporters after Game 1. “… It was so frustrating because I just wanted to go out there and win."
Blazers' Enes Kanter (20 points, 18 rebounds) after Game 1 win over Thunder on turnaround since Knicks tenure: "I was on the worst team in the leauge and I wasn't even playing because they thought I was too old. ... I feel blessed." pic.twitter.com/8iiQCwxMeC
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 14, 2019
Kanter played the 2018-19 season at age 26, which was among the oldest players on the Knicks. He started the first five games of the year at center, but was removed from the lineup in favor of the youth movement and Mitchell Robinson, who blossomed into New York’s most exciting piece.
14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds were nice numbers, but the Knicks were not winning and they wanted a longer look at players with a future on the team. Kanter made $18.6 million this season, and while he may not replicate that number next year, general manager Scott Perry and president Steve Mills were bound to renounce the Turkish center’s rights and let him walk for cap space.
The in-season breakdown was inevitable. Kanter voiced his displeasure, with each game he did not start, and once head coach David Fizdale removed the veteran big man from the rotation, it became an explosive situation.
After the buyout, Kanter gave an eye-opening endorsement for free agents to join the Knicks. So the reversing nature of his comments are interesting, to say the least. Now, it is on a negative path, as he wins with the Blazers and eyes a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Kanter and the New York Knicks worked fine for a full season, but different directions of thought caused this break-up. It was eventful while it lasted, but New York has its center, and Kanter has a home in the Pacific Northwest. Everything worked out for both sides.