Knicks Bulletin: ‘It starts now. You’ve got to put the work in now’

New York welcomed KAT and kept gearing up for their first exhibition scheduled for Sunday.

The New York Knicks stayed at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. to keep gearing up for the new season at training camp away from bustling NYC.

It was the third day there for all but one Knickerbocker as Karl Anthony-Towns was finally, officially, allowed to join his new teammates, get some reps, and speak to media members in attendance on Thursday.

And if you’re curious about what KAT and the rest of our folks said, here’s some of what was heard.

Tom Thibodeau

On coaching Karl-Anthony Towns again:

“There is some benefit to having coached him before and to know who he is as a person, but, also, that was more than five years ago.

“He’s in a different place, he’s a different player. There is going to be a learning curve and we have to adjust quickly.”

On the current version of Towns compared to the one he coached in Minny:

“He’s gotten a lot more experience. He’s now been deep in the playoffs and knows what that’s like. As much as you try to prepare for something like that, until you go through it, you don’t fully understand what that is.

“His understanding is so much further along now than in his second year in the league. And his skill set is so unique that it fits well with everybody.”

On what adding Towns to the Knicks will mean for the team:

“You get a player of his stature, we’re excited about the team we have. You have a guy who can not only shoot the 3 but put the ball on the floor and play with his back to basket so he’s very hard to switch against.”

On his relationship with KAT:

“We’ve maintained a relationship through the years. It’s always good to see him and I’m happy to have him on our team.”

On what he expects from Towns:

“I just want KAT to be KAT. When you have good players, they all have to sacrifice. No one is doing this individually.

“So I think if we say that our ultimate goal is to play at a championship level, that’s gonna require everyone to sacrifice and put the team first.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On joining the Knicks:

“These guys have something special here. Last year, (Brunson), he and them have built something special. I’m here to help and be the best teammate that I can be.”

On his relationship with Thibodeau and how that could help him get in rhythm quickly:

“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start. I know the offense that he runs, I know the way that he likes to play defense and I know what he expects from his players. I just think it gives us a little bit of a head start.

“I think over time you just learn a lot about each other and mature. Obviously, our relationship has been good. I think for us, we just want to win. I think none of you all doubt Thibs putting the work in and wanting to win. So our conversations are all about winning and doing the best we can do every single day.

“When I was with Thibs, I learned a lot. He helped move my career forward.”

On the work needed to contend for the title in the summer:

“I think most importantly to get to a position like that, it starts now. It’s not during the season. It’s not, you start tuning up second half of the season after the All-Star break. It starts now. You’ve got to put the work in now. You’ve got to get your body, your mind prepared to play basketball that deep into the season. So just staying focused, working on our discipline, working on our habits. I’m just here to amplify everybody as much as possible.”

On his first interaction with Jalen Brunson and the rest of the Knicks employees:

“The first thing I did was walk up to Jalen and introduced myself to say, ‘Hi, my name is Karl.’ Because I know that was a struggle for him.”

On getting notified he’d been traded to the Knicks:

“Shocked, shocked. The word ‘flabbergasted’ comes to mind.”

On personal benefits of joining the Knicks and playing at MSG:

“I’ll be able to see my grandmother more, and I can see my niece and nephew grow up.”

On having the right to call MSG his home:

“This is not my home, it’s our home. JB has been building something special here. This is our home.

“I’m here to amplify them and be the best teammate I can be.”

On his first Thibodeau practice:

“It was great. A Thibs practice.”

Precious Achiuwa

On the Knicks’ defense:

“We can become a monster.

“Looking at guys like myself, OG [Anunoby], high defensive-minded players. Defensively we can take the life out of teams. I think we can bank on that to win games.”

Julius Randle (Knicks Extraordinaire)

On being traded from New York:

“It was a lot of emotion. You spend a lot of time in a place, New York, going there five years ago and having a goal in mind to accomplish great things. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into that organization and uniform.

“Initially it’s always going to be a shock. But for me, afterward, I woke up the next morning and I was just really, really excited. A breath of fresh air.”

Donte DiVincenzo (New York Folk Legend)

On his transition from New York to Minnesota:

“When I was in New York, I was fully there. I wanted to be there. And when this kind of picked up, I realized it was an opportunity. And when (the trade) became an actual thing, my mind just completely went straight to Minnesota.

“I immediately thanked everybody from my time in New York. There’s so much love there. But once I realized this is a real thing and actually happened, my mind transitioned to Minnesota.”