The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to make it seven straight wins on Saturday night when they head to the Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks.
The 16-11 Knicks, on the other hand, are doing everything they can to keep up the pace in the Eastern Conference as they find themselves five games behind the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics.
You just know that there’s going to be a lot at stake in Saturday’s showdown.
Knicks Star Jalen Brunson Blasted Ahead of Milwaukee Bucks Showdown
There’s no denying that the Knicks’ success against Milwaukee will rely heavily on Jalen Brunson and how effective he will be on Saturday night. This has been the case for New York throughout the season, which according to Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, is a problematic issue that will ultimately lead to their downfall:
“[The Knicks] don’t have enough personnel, they don’t have enough manpower, that they need to hang with (the East’s best),” Hammon said on Thursday’s edition of NBA Today (h/t Geoff Magliocchetti of FanNation). “I think you’re going to get a consistent team, like they’ve been. They’ve been a pretty good team, they’re well-coached, they’re going to be on their defensive game. But, at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude. You’ve got to have a dude, you’ve got to have a 1A dude and they’re missing that at the end of the day, if we’re just getting down to brass taxes.”
Kendrick Perkins refuted Hammon’s statement by stating that he believes Brunson is indeed “that dude.” The former Gregg Popovich assistant then responded by saying that Brunson is “too small.”
“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” Hammon declares. “John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you could go down the list. Steph Curry is the only dude … he’s the greatest shooter to ever walk the planet.”
Becky Hammon: [The Knicks] don't have a dude… you got to have a 1A dude."
Kendrick Perkins: "They do have that dude."
B: "Who?"
K: "Jalen Brunson."
B: "He too small. If your best player is small, you're not winning… Steph Curry is the only dude."pic.twitter.com/XWhJHZXpxT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 21, 2023
Knicks Coach Claps Back
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau caught wind of the slander against his star guard, and he was quick to come to Brunson’s defense:
“Anyone who doubts him doesn’t really know him,” Thibs said, via Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Needless to say, Thibodeau completely disagrees with Hammon’s take.
You can be sure that Brunson himself has been made aware of this criticism, and he will have a point to prove against the Bucks.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
