New York Knicks Enes Kanter
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Enes Kanter is growing increasingly frustrated with his situation after the New York Knicks center was told he was starting on Wednesday.

Enes Kanter, once a darling among New York Knicks fans, is voicing his frustration at his current situation. The Knicks are prioritizing player development over all else this year and that is coming at the expense of veterans like Kanter and Courtney Lee.

Now Kanter feels disrespected by head coach David Fizdale because he was told that he was starting on Wednesday. But instead of starting, he spent the night spent watching from the bench.

After the game, Fizdale mentioned that the decision to start Lance Thomas over Kanter was due to the need to stop James Harden. Kanter has been brutalized in the pick-and-roll this season and the coaching staff didn’t want to let Harden loose against the slow-footed Kanter.

That being said, Harden still went off for 61 points, a single point shy of the Madison Square Garden record set by Carmelo Anthony in 2014.

It’s understandable that Kanter is frustrated with the way he’s being used. Prior to coming to the Knicks, Kanter made the playoffs in three of his six seasons.

Kanter endeared himself to the Madison Square Garden crowd with his passion and desire on the court. Sitting on the bench on one of the worst teams in the league can’t be easy for the veteran.

That being said, the Knicks must keep their future in mind and that means developing the young players on the team. It may be best for everyone involved for the Knicks to send Kanter somewhere else by the trade deadline.

In his postgame comments, Kanter basically declares that if he’s not going to be playing, he wants to be playing somewhere else.

 
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.