Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns is unapologetically New York

It was like a wrestling promo interrupted.

Friday night time, following New York’s 116-94 thumping of the Milwaukee Bucks, Knicks star Jalen Brunson had his again to his locker and a herd of reporters in his face. The guard was speaking about every little thing New York did proper when, between solutions, music hit abruptly from the doorway — a music by the late MF Doom, an underground British-American rapper raised in New York. Reporters’ necks naturally turned and in got here Karl-Anthony Cities, the four-time All-Star huge man who was traded to the Knicks final month.

From Cities’ telephone boomed a collection of New York rap staples, like “Whoa” by the late Black Rob, after which he had a aspect dialog about Yonkers native Jadakiss, a favourite of Cities’ who was in attendance for the Knicks’ victory.

Cities is from close by Edison, N.J., which is lower than an hour drive from Manhattan on a great site visitors day, and since returning to the town on the most important stage in his occupation, every little thing about him has been unapologetically New York. He has loudly embraced the town, and his roots — from the music he chooses to share publicly, to his wardrobe, which regularly options classic trendy or classic Knicks gear, to his Dominican heritage and obsession with the Yankees. Following Knicks video games, whether or not at dwelling or on the street, Cities was within the locker room, glued in entrance of a tv and watching New York’s most well-known baseball crew within the World Sequence.

Enjoying so near dwelling holds particular enchantment.

“My mother’s household … the Dominicans are very excited,” mentioned Cities, who’s half Dominican. “My dad, my mother, immigrating over right here from the Dominican Republic, Madison Sq. Backyard, to her, was the Mecca. And to our household, it’s all the time been the Mecca. To have the ability to play in a spot that was so revered by her. Clearly, it strikes a unique emotion.”

Since he’s arrived, the New York-centric nicknames “The Massive Bodega” and “Bodega KAT” have been tossed round as attainable different monickers to his typical “KAT,” and he’s advantageous with both. “I’ll let the individuals determine,” Cities mentioned.

“I don’t assume he actually likes being known as, ‘Meow,’” Knicks swingman Josh Hart mentioned when requested if he’s realized something about Cities during the last month. “I realized that. I haven’t known as him that shortly.”

Cities is embracing his roots off the ground and, in flip, it’s allowed him to embrace them on the court docket. There’s each emotion and showmanship following many buckets. There’s nothing extra New York than that. He tries to dunk on opponents. Exhausting. And he’s succeeded a couple of instances. He’s one of many league’s finest rebounders by means of the early a part of the season and, per NBA.com, no participant has been higher at getting rebounds in site visitors. Nobody ought to query his toughness.

Many gamers would come into a brand new state of affairs and be timid to start out. Many gamers becoming a member of an already profitable crew would attempt to conform to attempt to slot in. But, Cities has come to New York and stood out. He’s been among the finest offensive gamers in basketball, averaging 24.3 factors on 53/56/90 taking pictures splits. He’s nonetheless among the finest huge males ever to shoot a basketball.

Cities, in New York, has been, properly, Cities.

“The blokes on this locker room have welcomed me with open arms and made me really feel snug,” Cities mentioned. “They need me to play my recreation. Clearly, there are going to be instances once we’re going to have to seek out the cohesiveness as a result of we’re nonetheless not used to play with one another, however I feel, you understand, each single day we’re getting higher and each single day we’re engaged on ourselves and as a crew.

“My teammates have been a key half within the transition and the teaching workers has achieved a tremendous job, however it’s the fellows on this locker room, with the jerseys, who’ve made it very straightforward for (my recreation) to translate.”

A type of teammates is Brunson, who Cities solely ever refers to as “Cap,” which is brief for “Captain.” The 2 are within the early phases of forming a partnership that, with extra time, ought to current of one of many deadliest pick-and-roll/pop combos in hoops. The 2 are nonetheless looking for consistency, that excellent steadiness, the one the place each get to do what makes them particular whereas becoming a member of forces and creating one thing unstoppable. That’ll include time.

“We are able to nonetheless get rather a lot higher,” Brunson mentioned.

In getting traded to the Knicks, Cities reunited together with his outdated coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached the large man in Minnesota and helped him attain heights hadn’t but beforehand achieved as a participant. The rockiness of their relationship again then has been well-documented, however when the chance to affix forces offered itself simply earlier than the beginning of the common season, each males had been keen to provide it one other go. In any case, each are dedicated to profitable, and Cities was properly conscious that his first style of success as an expert, each individually and in a crew capability, got here beneath Thibodeau’s watch. Thibodeau, in the meantime, is greater than conscious of the particular dynamic that Cities can convey to a basketball crew offensively.

Thibodeau has as observe document of maximizing his facilities. Isaiah Hartenstein earned himself a hefty contract with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder this summer time due to how he carried out beneath Thibodeau in New York final season. Thibodeau additionally has helped flip Mitchell Robinson into one of many extra feared rim protectors in basketball. Thibodeau’s success with huge males might be traced all the way in which again to Taj Gibson in Chicago.

Through the second go-round with Thibodeau, Cities may very properly have the very best season of his profession. Offensively, the coach has put Cities in positions to get downhill, be a hub on the prime of the important thing and empowered him to unleash his deadly 3-point shot with much more regularity. The Knicks are a greater crew when Cities shoots extra. Previous to this weekend, New York is 3-1 in video games the place Cities shoots at the least 5 3s in a recreation.

“We’re fourth in offensive score, we’re prime 5 in field-goal proportion, we’re No. 1 in 3-point proportion and free-throw proportion, however we want extra,” Thibodeau mentioned. “We have to get the quantity up.”

Cities can try this, and with every passing recreation, he has been.

The 28-year-old huge man has adjusted properly to life in New York, even when the private whirlwind of getting traded simply earlier than coaching camp from Minnesota, the one place he’s known as dwelling as an grownup, took some time to decelerate, even when he’s nonetheless in search of a bodily dwelling.

In New York, Cities is embracing who he’s, as each a participant and particular person, and what’s essential to him. A part of that embrace is acknowledging these round him whereas nonetheless carrying what makes him particular. That is New York in any case, the place everybody looks like a person however issues can’t get achieved with out everybody working in unison.

The Knicks might be higher due to how Cities is approaching this chance. It’ll simply take time, as all nice issues are inclined to do.

(High photograph: Evan Bernstein/Getty Photos)