'I Can F***ing Play!' Evan Fournier Makes Another Case for New York Knicks Career

Evan Fournier once again made a case for re-entering the New York Knicks' rotation as his metropolitan saga continues to drag.

Like many potential divorces, the New York Knicks and Evan Fournier are going to try their best to hold it out and make it work.

As the Knicks wrap up the Charleston portions of training camp, Fournier once again made his case for inclusion in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation, reasoning that he has plenty to offer a team looking to build upon its most lucrative season in a decade.

"I might be dreaming or stuff, but, to me, I can be on (the Knicks)," Fournier said in video from Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. "I'm a good player, I can f***ing play. I bring stuff that this team doesn't have, too. I have hope to play, to be honest. I have hope to play."

"Maybe I'm crazy, I don't know. Maybe (head coach Tom Thibodeau) has made up his mind. But my role is to put him in a position where he has to think about playing me. I'm going to treat every practice and every opportunity like it's the last and we'll take it from here. But that's honestly how I take it."

Little more needs to be written about the Fournier drama in New York, one that saw him go from the Knicks' primary shooting guard to a complete exile from the team's nine-man rotation. Fournier mostly kept to himself while he sat on the bench during the season but has routinely made a case for either a trade or an on-court opportunity when placed in front of a microphone during the down months.

Fournier started off as the Knicks' primary shooting guard last season but was benched in the early stages / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Fournier's latest plea comes shortly after Thibodeau defended the exorcising of Fournier from his rotation, reasoning that the Knicks improved once Quentin Grimes took his spot in the team's starting five. The French-born sharpshooter was one of several regular veterans to be removed alongside Cam Reddish and Derrick Rose, both of whom have long found new homes.

As the holder of the single-season franchise record for most successful three-pointers, one could potentially argue that Fournier perhaps could've helped the Knicks when they struggled from deep in an ultimately futile quest to get past the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals. But Fournier's defense has been a liability on several occasions and the Knicks' backcourt picture only became more crowded with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo. If Thibodeau opts to keep the nine-man set that sustained the Knicks over their final 50-plus games, it's hard to see Fournier getting back in anytime soon.

Teammates have sympathized with Fournier's situation. Point guard Jalen Brunson, for example, referred to him as the "ultimate professional." 

"It’s a very tough situation to be in, but he gets his work in, he gets extra work in,” Brunson said, per Winfield. “He stays ready. You just never know when your number’s gonna be called. He’s been a great teammate and that’s the one thing I’m very proud of him for. We all respect that and we all see that.”

The first chance to see where Fournier stands on Thibodeau's depth chart lands on Monday night when the Knicks open their preseason slate against the Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).