"I'm The Official Knicks Hater": DeMarcus Cousins Expresses Serious Doubts Regarding New York's Title Chances

In the early goings of this season, the New York Knicks have stayed near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They look primed to make another appearance in the conference final, but as far as one analyst is concerned, the Knicks don’t have what it takes to win the biggest prize.

Appearing on a recent episode of “Run It Back,” DeMarcus Cousins expressed serious doubts about the Knicks' title contention this season. The former Sacramento Kings center went so far as to call himself a New York nemesis.

“I’m the official Knicks hater,” Cousins said. “I think they’ve been a consistent team, up until recently. One day, this team looks like they can be the top seed in the East, and the next day, it looks like they take two steps back.”

Cousins, a four-time All-Star during his NBA career, was responding to a recent statement by Knicks owner James Dolan, who said in a radio interview that he expects his team to get to the NBA Finals this season. According to Cousins, there’s something that the Knicks roster needs in order to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.

“I think they need one more go-to guy to take some pressure off Brunson,” he said. “A lot of pressure is on Brunson every night to deliver. It’s almost like, if he doesn’t score 25 or 30, they’re not the best versions of themselves.”

Is Cousins implying, then, that Karl-Anthony Towns is not a go-to guy? Towns, who arrived in New York prior to the 2024–25 campaign, is averaging 21.5 points and 11.5 rebounds this season. The five-time All-Star, in fact, is the only other Knicks player aside from Brunson to put up 20+ points per outing.

It’s also worth noting that Towns’ debut season with the Knicks coincided with their return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Still, in Cousins’ view, the Knicks’ present roster does not provide sufficient support to Brunson in crunch time. Should the Knicks front office decide that they agree with this perspective, they’ll have one month to take a big swing before the trade deadline arrives.