Even though the Brooklyn fans were chanting for him, Knicks C Enes Kanter remained on the bench throughout the game as he watched his team lose 109-99 on the Barclays Center court.
Head coach David Fizdale addressed why he decided to sit out Kanter yet again after the game, saying he simply doesn't fit the "versatile" style of play he's looking to build.
"We're fighting for a certain style of play to start building for our future," Fizdale told reporters. "I want to be able to play a very versatile style in the future and I don't want to wait to start working at that. And start building that out."
Well, that seems like news to Kanter, who admitted he hasn't heard Fizdale reiterate that to him.
"I wish that he [would] communicate with me," Kanter said. "I'm seeing [him] every day but he does not say a word to me. I wish. We are grown men. He could just come up to me and say, 'You're not fitting our whatever, you're not fitting what we're doing.' I would just go, 'OK, coach, I'm just going to practice and try to get better and try to make my teammates better.' He has not communicated with me anything yet."
This rift between Fizdale and Kanter has grown recently, especially with Kanter saying either play him or "just get me out here" after earning a DNP against the Rockets. The Knicks have until the Feb. 7 trade dealdline to deal Kanter away if that's their intention, or they will have to buyout his contract so he could sign elsewhere.
Kanter opted into his $17 million player option for this season, and a lot of it had to do with his love for the Big Apple.
"I love New York. I love the fans. I love the atmosphere here," he said. "But it's very tough for me to see my teammates out there not getting wins and I know I can help, but they're just not letting me help. It's pretty tough."
The Knicks were getting killed on the boards tonight, with the Nets hauling in 60 rebounds compared to New York's 33. Fizdale thought about bringing in Kanter in the fourth quarter, however, he didn't pull the trigger on letting him take off his warmup.
"All right. If that's what the coach said, you've got to respect the coach," Kanter said almost in disbelief. "I respect the coach."
Even if he respects Fizdale, Kanter -- who is 26 years old -- isn't fond of his current situation for the Knicks. And after learning Fizdale wants to create this versatile style that Kanter clearly doesn't fit in his eyes, the Turkish center's playing time doesn't look to cbe changing anytime soon.