Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart's hilariously different motivations for NBA Cup

12/02/2024 03:25 PM

Players on the winning NBA Cup team are awarded over $500K each, and even players on the losing quarterfinals teams are given $50K. Consider it a holiday bonus since the NBA Cup concludes on December 17. What players do with that money is their business, and when you consider the disparity between guys on a supermax contract compared to the NBA G League guys on two-way contracts, the motivating differences are huge. When asked what they’ll do with their bonus money, New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart had comically different motivations to win the NBA Cup, per NY Daily News’ Kristian Winfield.

“Jalen Brunson said he wanted to win the NBA Cup in part to help teammates on min. salaries and 2way deals to get a $500k payday. Asked Josh Hart after practice today about winning the Cup so those teammates could get paid: ‘No. I wanna win cause I want a damn watch. The new AP.’

For those of you who aren’t high-end watch connoisseurs, Hart is referring to the brand Audemars Piguet. The nearly 150-year-old Swiss watchmakers are world-renowned for their luxury timepieces, which range from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Last year, the Knicks advanced to the knockout stage and qualified as the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed at the bracket stage. They lost to the East’s No. 1 seed in the quarterfinal round. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Cup championship game, 123-109, against the Indiana Pacers.

Knicks are a tier below in the East

It’s a long season, and situations can change, but New York doesn’t quite seem to be at the same level as the top of the Eastern Conference. In the top tier, there are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. In the second tier are the upstart Orlando Magic and the Knicks.

In Brett Siegel’s latest NBA Power Rankings, New York climbed one spot up to No. 10.

“When the New York Knicks have 33-point victories like they did over the New Orleans Pelicans, or even 27-point statement wins on the road against the Denver Nuggets, they look like one of the best teams in the league. Then there are the hiccups that have existed this year for the Knicks, like a 15-point road loss in Dallas or a one-point win in Charlotte. The Knicks have won four straight conference games, yet inconsistencies that lie on the defensive end of the floor are a concern for this group.”

The Knicks are a starter-heavy team and must continue to ingratiate role players off the bench like Miles McBride and Cameron Payne. The latter, a 10-year vet in his first year in New York, is shooting well at a .439 clip from three-point range at about 18 minutes per game.

Getting guys like Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson back on the court will only help keep the Knicks’ stars healthy later in the season.

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