New York Knicks: Emmanuel Mudiay is hopeful for love from MSG

The newly acquired Emmanuel Mudiay is hoping for plenty of love and support from his new home crowd at Madsion Square Garden with the New York Knicks.

Valentine’s Day is a special holiday meant for spreading love and cheer to all, and this day could be the mood changer needed for a struggling New York Knicks team. The Knicks stumble back home riding a seven-game losing streak with the most recent defeat on Monday night against their division rival Philadelphia 76ers.

The Knicks will be bringing back the recently acquired Emmanuel Mudiay with them, looking to capitalize on the early promise he showed in two road games. The third-year point guard has already established himself well into the team’s rotation, causing an immediate drop-off in minutes for starter Jarrett Jack. Mudiay is showing flashes of being an athletic and physical point guard that can cause match up problems for defenders.

After practice Tuesday, Mudiay shared his thoughts with reporters on playing at Madison Square Garden in front of the home fans and adjusting to the new playbook.

"“I’m excited to be here, somewhere I want to be. The love I’ve been getting, I’m trying to send it right back to them. All I can do is play as hard as I can for the fans of New York. It’s definitely a different atmosphere that brings out the best in you.’ I’m going to watch a lot of film, I’ll talk to coaches as much as I can and learn the system on defense. I’m used to the Denver play-calls defensively. So I got to adjust real quick to that. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but you got to use team systems and what they’re trying to do. It’s been a little difference.”"

Mudiay’s performance against the Indiana Pacers almost put him in the record books as he was one assist shy of tying the record for most assists in a Knicks debut. In a surprise move by head coach Jeff Hornacek, Mudiay played 28 minutes, including plenty of time at the end of the game excusing the fact that he hadn’t practiced with the team since being traded.

Hornacek has hopes of inserting Mudiay into possibly the starter’s role after Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards. He spoke with the media after the Pacers loss, praising the 21-year-old’s playmaking ability.

"“You see the moves he can do to get past guys, Once he gets more familiar with our players and guys understand, ‘Hey, get open because he’s going to get it to you.’ I said beforehand, if he’s playing well, we’ll let him stay in there. I thought he had good court sense, made some great passes.’’"

The New York City crowd is always very vocal and unafraid to share its thoughts about the Knicks for better or worse. Mudiay’s debut performance at MSG as a member of the Knicks will be critical in hopes for him surviving the criticism that will definitely follow in the media. He played two seasons with the Denver Nuggets and faced criticism over his play and could only have that amplified to the highest degree while in “the city that never sleeps.”

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Cupid will hopefully be very kind for the Knicks as they look for any way to break their dreaded seven-game losing streak. Entering the All-Star break on a positive note will do wonders for the team’s morale moving forward.