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Former Center Pleased With How Knicks Replaced Him

A former New York Knicks center approves of the way the team moved on after he inked a massive contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Nov 7, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) battles with Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) for a loose ball in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Nov 7, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) battles with Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) for a loose ball in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
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As he prepares to make his return to Madison Square Garden, Isaiah Hartenstein won't stop gushing about the New York Knicks' past. Even though it's no longer his concern, he's giddy about their present as well.

Hartenstein returns to MSG with his new friends on Friday night, as the Knicks battle the Oklahoma City Thunder is what some view as a potential NBA Finals preview (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV). It'll be the second that the Knicks (25-13) face the Thunder in seven days but it's Hartenstein's first visit to MSG since his two-year tenure with the Knicks ended over the summer.

It'll be Hartenstein's job to take down what team president Leon Rose assembled to replace him on Friday, but the veteran center and two-year Knick would be remiss if he didn't admit he liked what he saw.

"I think Leon did a good job of navigating the situation," Hartenstein said in video from SNY. "When I left, he got an All-Star center ... He has been doing a great job of finding the right pieces. I think it's definitely a good move. They just came off a nine-game winning streak before they played us [last week]. I think he does a good job of finding players that can play for [head coach Tom Thibodeau] and thrive under [him]."

When Hartenstein signed with the Thunder, the interior situation he left behind looked somewhat dire: Mitchell Robinson continued to deal with ankle issues (which have kept him off the floor for the whole season so far), Precious Achiuwa lingered on the free agency ledger, and Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti weren't (and still aren't) viewed as rotation pieces. Re-signing Achiuwa and trading for Towns, however, has turned Hartenstein into a welcome distant memory.

Towns has lived up to his billing and them some in New York, leading the league with 14 rebounds per game and pairing them with 25.3 points. Though viewing himself more as a power forward rather than a pure center, Achiuwa has been a reliable spell option after some early injury woes, averaging 5.9 and 5.6 boards and points respectively in just under 20 minutes a game.

Though the Thunder got the best of the Knicks last week, ending the nine-win tally that Hartenstein mentioned, Towns pulled in 22 boards with 17 points. Hartenstein had 14 boards en route to one of the final additions of Oklahoma City's 15-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday in Cleveland.

The winner of the interior battle will do themselves plenty of favors in a game packed with storylines: the Western Conference-leading Thunder will be looking to start a new winning streak while the Knicks will be looking for a statement victory, as they have not defeated an opponent currently stationed in the top six of their respective conference at home since Nov. 8 against Milwaukee.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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