The New York Knicks, just a year ago, exceeded expectations by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in two decades, and with the likes of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and others, the Mecca feels like the Mecca again. They even started the 2025\/26 season hot, signaling that this time they were thinking about going all the way. However, since winning the NBA Cup in December, the Knicks have been in a downward spiral, and Towns is being blamed for it.<\/p>\n
The Knicks are just 2-8 over their last 10 games and are currently stuck on a four-game losing streak. The offense looks clunky, the confidence feels shaky, and the vibes are not what they were a month ago.<\/p>\n
This team has issues, and everyone, including the Knicks franchise itself, knows it. Now, they have Kendrick Perkins<\/a> calling them out on the Road Trippin podcast. Big Perk is never shy about laying out his criticisms, and on this latest episode, he pointed the finger squarely at Towns as the core of the Knicks\u2019 issues<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that the damn problem is Karl-Anthony Towns, but you just don\u2019t want to say the quiet thing out loud,\u201d claimed Perkins. \u201cKarl-Anthony Towns gotta grow up and be a grown a** man. That\u2019s what they need him to be. He\u2019s the one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Perkins is not wrong here. KAT used to be viewed as a feared big man who could shoot the deep ball with ease. Now, for some reason, his presence in the paint or on the perimeter would not even strike fear into a YMCA basketball team.<\/p>\n According to Perk, it\u2019s not because of a lack of chemistry with Brunson but because of coach Mike Brown\u2019s new offense<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not a Karl Anthony-Towns and Jalen Brunson issue. It\u2019s a Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown issue. Because if you noticed, everyone is benefiting from this new offense except Karl-Anthony Towns. He averaged 24 points last year. He\u2019s averaging 20 points this year,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n The rest of the panel pointed to players on the court, like Brunson or Bridges, for not feeding KAT. And as easy as it is to put the blame on Brown or whoever else, at the end of the day, it is the players who produce on the court, while the coach simply guides the way. Still, Perkins did not hold back on how pivotal it is for the Knicks to succeed with KAT returning to tip-top form.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Karl-Anthony Towns is not getting touches, he\u2019s not engaged in bringing to the table what you need him to bring defensively. And the problem is that when you talk about getting through the Eastern Conference, when you talk about Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, or we talking about those two gorillas over there in Detroit, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, you gonna have to lace your shoes up,\u201d added<\/a> Perkins.<\/p>\n