Media day allowed new Knick Austin Rivers to share his reasons for coming to New York, his ambitions with the team, his thoughts on his new teammates, and the direction that the franchise is going. Like his play on the court, the Knicks new acquisition let it fly.
Riding The Wave
When asked about his reasons for joining the Knicks, considering many free agents have not wanted to come to New York in the past, Rivers responded by saying that we’re in a new era where people only want to ride the wave and go to places on the rise. He says “people have lost interest in going somewhere and making something great again.” The former Duke guard also expressed his confusion as to why people would pass up the opportunity to play in New York City. He said some of the factors that influenced him to sign in New York included the reputation the city has as the “Mecca” of Basketball, the amazing fans, the coaching hires, and the young talent that the franchise has already assembled.
He expressed his desire to take his experiences from the playoffs and bring them to this team, appreciating the fact that he has the chance to build something here. With regards to free agents not wanting to come to New York, “Our job is to change that,” Rivers said.
Winning Cures All
Rivers preached the idea of having realistic goals and thinks being competitive every night is the best way to build a winning culture. He mentions the fact that he has gone from being one of the youngest on his team last year to being the second oldest player this year – enjoying the opportunity to be the veteran presence that could help a young team take a major step. He sees the fact that there are no all-stars on the roster as an opportunity for some of the young guys to show what they can become. Rivers stated his belief that there is no home-court advantage at Madison Square Garden as every team that plays there is going to bring their A-game and once again asserted that they would have to out-compete everyone to have a chance to win.
Rivers compared the situation the Knicks are in to that of the Clippers the season after they traded away star players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin – leaving them with a team in rebuilding mode. Despite this, that Clippers team made the playoffs and had a competitive series with the Warriors, which left them in a great situation to attract the stars they did, according to Rivers.
“My role is going to be to help the team win.”
– Austin Rivers
When asked if he believed that his role would be that of a starter, Rivers responded by saying that his role is to help the team win however possible. He said he’s ready to buy into whatever the team needs him to do. He later admitted he had offers from playoff teams but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to build something in New York.
“Obi toppin is beyond a freak athlete.”
– Austin Rivers
Rivers was full of praise for what he described as the talented RJ Barrett and called Obi Toppin “beyond a freak athlete”. He also went as far as to compare Mitchell Robinson to three-time all-star DeAndre Jordan.
Eyes On The 8th Seed
Rivers admitted that he was already looking at the teams that could claim the eight playoff spots and who they would have to outcompete to have a chance to claim one of them. He stressed that he is not here to lose, and he believes that coach Tom Thibodeau was not brought in to lose either, stating that Thibodeau was not good at losing.
Rivers believes some people do not understand how hard it is to not only win but to win consistently. He believes that to win you need everybody to buy in and a lot of patience. He made a statement to all the players in the league saying “If you’re a real hooper, this is it,” while comparing the Knicks to the Lakers in terms of prestige. Can Rivers help lead this team to a shock playoff run next season?
Check out CP’s breakdown and reaction to the Media Day interviews and other Knicks news below.
