NBA reporter urges Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns to follow former LeBron James teammate's path to glory
After spending nine seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks on Oct. 2. A player who followed a similar trajectory was Chris Bosh. After spending the first seven years of his career with the Toronto Raptors, Bosh entered into a sign-and-trade in 2010 to be with the Miami Heat.
Bosh won two titles alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. On “The Kevin O’Connor Show,” analyst Tom Haberstroh urged Towns to model his game after Bosh:
“What I want Karl-Anthony Towns to do is just to sit down and watch Chris Bosh tape from 2013. Because Chris Bosh was similarly skilled as Karl-Anthony Towns. A lot of hype. Was a 20 and 10 guy over in Toronto and then came over with the Miami Heat and had to sacrifice a lot of touches offensively. Like Karl-Anthony Towns should be Chris Bosh.
“Locked down defensively and hit every shot down the floor. I mean, he is going to be a guy that I think could be the Chris Bosh of this New York Knicks team and that's not a knock.”
As Haberstroh referenced, Bosh was the alpha in Toronto but had to give up on his production to co-exist with LeBron James. Similarly, the New York Knicks are Jalen Brunson’s team after leading them to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
KAT might not be opposed to Haberstroh’s advice, as he played a similar role last season alongside Anthony Edwards. Minnesota made it all the way to the Western Conference finals, where Edwards was clearly the best player. While Towns averaged just 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds in 16 playoff games, Edwards averaged 27.6 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns said he was “shocked” after learning of trade
Having spent nine seasons in Minnesota, Towns had developed deep roots in the local community and with the fans. Thus, when he first heard of the trade, he was unsurprisingly shocked. He said (via SNY):
“Shocked. Shocked. The word flabbergasted would be more correct, but just shocked.”
However, a familiarity with TomThibodeau’s coaching system could ease the transition for the big man. Towns said (via ESPN)
“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start. I know the offense he likes to run. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”
While being traded is never fun, Towns is in a unique opportunity to succeed with the New York Knicks. If he can continue his shooting efficiency as a center, the Timberwolves could be left rueing trading their former No. 1 pick.