The New York Knicks are one of the top contenders to have the most ping-pong ball combinations in next year’s NBA Draft Lottery, but Marcus Morris is nowhere near ready to throw in the towel on the 2019-20 season.
The Knicks have now won three of their last four games and improved their record to 7-21 on the year with Tuesday night’s win over the Atlanta Hawks. After the victory, Morris said New York is “trending in the right direction” and still fighting to reach the postseason. He said he’s not going to predict that it will happen, but he believes the Knicks have a “great shot” if they keep playing the way they have been over the past week.
"I'm not gonna go out and say we're going to make the playoffs, but s—, that's what we're fighting towards. If we continue to play like this and pull together, we have a great shot to do it"
– @MookMorris2 pic.twitter.com/Qsr6mTdk23
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 18, 2019
That sounds a bit absurd, but there isn’t really much else Morris can say. If he came out and said the Knicks know they’re going nowhere just 28 games into the season, fans and the media would tear him apart. Having said that, there are only four teams in the NBA with fewer wins than the Knicks. The odds of them blowing up their roster — which could include trading Morris — are much better than them making a playoff run.
This isn’t the first time a player in New York has seemed a little too optimistic about his terrible team’s prospects. But, again, there isn’t a whole lot to say to the media when you play for the Knicks.
