As the New York Knicks start off rough in their championship defense, Knicks head coach Mike Brown said playing time was up for grabs after the team's loss to the Magic, in comments obtained by the New York Post.
“First thing I wanna make clear is we have our starting five. Other than that, anybody can play. When you’re a backup in this league, that doesn’t mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man…It’s competitive. And it’s less so with the starting group if your starting group is established, which ours is, but everybody else after that starting five, I can throw in front of the next guy in a heartbeat.”
Brown seems serious about this philosophy, as Andre Drummond found himself benched for James Wiseman. Drummond has had an interesting start to the season, logging 12 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal against his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, on opening night in 24 minutes. But he's had only 7 minutes on the court in games against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.
In comments obtained by the New York Post, Drummond appeared unhappy about being benched in favor of Wiseman, who had only 2 rebounds and 1 block.
Article Continues Below“Control what I can control. I can’t do s–t about not playing,” Drummond said regarding his playing time over the past couple of games. “All I can do is cheer my teammates on and hope for the best.”
He was vague when asked why he was pulled, saying, “You can make the guess for me.”