NBA Exec: New York Knicks 'Engaged in 'Civil War'

Former NBA executive Amin Elhassan suggested that the New York Knicks will make no progress until they solve a "civil war" on the roster.
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The New York Knicks have not had the start to their 2023-24 season that they were probably hoping for, beginning the year with losses in four of their first six before prevailing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. It's certainly a tough follow-up to a year that saw them win 47 games and their first playoff series since 2013.

During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio's "Give&Go" show, former NBA executive Amin Elhassan theorized that the Knicks' slow start could be a result of of differing opinions on how the game should be played.

"Starting in the playoffs last year, I think the Knicks are a team that's engaged in a civil war,'" Elhassan, who served as the Phoenix Suns' assistant director of basketball operations after interning with the Knicks, said. "That war is between the guys that know how to play and the guys that don't."

New York Knicks on the floor during the 2023 NBA Playoffs
New York Knicks on the floor during the 2023 NBA Playoffs / USA TODAY SPORTS

The guys that "don't know how to play" that Elhassan refers to are the guys that play more impulsively and play with more of their emotions involved. Elhassan placed prominent franchise faces like RJ Barrett and Julius Randle in the latter category. 

"I think, on one side, you got (Jalen) Brunson. You got the Villanova guys, basically," Elhassan continued. "You got, I believe (Quentin) Grimes, I think (Isaiah) Hartenstein is in there. Mitchell Robinson ... he’s very limited in what he can and can’t do on the floor, so he’s not really asked to make any decisions."

"Guys are just playing emotional, impulse basketball.  You can get through a regular season on impulse basketball. You can’t get anywhere in the playoffs on impulse basketball."

This divide in the team's mentality could lead to some problems on the court, perhaps manifesting in the form of early shooting woes. Entering Wednesday night action, the Knicks are 29th in scoring at 104.4 a game and still dead last in field goal percentage at 40.8. 

New York's next chance to get back on track lands on Wednesday night when they face the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).


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