Kyle O’Quinn had some choice words for the New York Knicks, but while they sound harsh, he has a good point.
Kyle O’Quinn was a beloved member of the New York Knicks. But he wasn’t sticking around in New York to spend another season playing for nothing. O’Quinn told Charlie Clifford of WISH-TV, “I wanted to play for something more than next year’s draft.”
That’s decidedly harsh and a little petty, but the man has a point. The Knicks have little to play for next season other than letting young guys gain experience. Despite what Knicks Twitter will tell you after the team’s first two summer league games, this team won’t be anywhere near the playoff picture. Even in the dreadful Eastern Conference, the Knicks have no shot at making the playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers, on the other hand, are almost a shoo-in for the playoffs. They could even be a sleeper to emerge from the East. That may sound crazy with the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers lurking, but Victor Oladipo will have the Pacers nipping at their heels.
On its face, this quote portrays O’Quinn as a disgruntled former player. Everything he said is true, but it’s petty nonetheless. He’s a veteran who hadn’t sniffed the playoffs as a New York Knick. Year in and year out he had to watch from home.
Playing for a perennial lottery team has to be frustrating as a competitor. It only makes sense that KO would want to leave New York considering that the team is focusing on the youth movement. But most Knicks fans understand where the team is at. They don’t need O’Quinn shoving it in their faces.
