All summer he hoped to be traded and finally Evan Fournier will resume the season with the Knicks. He had warned that it would be a “disaster” to stay in New York after around sixty matches on the bench, but the Frenchman is still there, and he is surprised.
“Like everyone, I’m frankly a little surprised. It’s like that. I am under contract » reminds the Frenchman New York Daily News. “I have a job to do, and I remain a Knicks player as long as I’m with the Knicks. This is an aspect that I cannot control. I try to control what I can control. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. »
“I may be dreaming but I can help the team”
His primary motivation: to change Tom Thibodeau’s mind about his case. The back of the French team remains convinced that he has a role to play in this team, and in particular because he has a very particular profile.
“To be frank, and I may be dreaming, but personally I can help the team“ , Evan Fournier said on the final day of Knicks training camp in Charleston. “ I’m a good player. I can play. I bring things that this team doesn’t have. So I’m hoping to play, to be honest. I hope to play. Maybe I’m crazy, I don’t know… Maybe Tom Thibodeau has already made his decision, but my goal is to put him in a position where he will have to think about playing me. And I’m going to treat every workout and every opportunity I get like it’s my last. and we will build on that. Honestly, that’s how I approach things.”
His coach has already warned that he would not change his rotation, and that he would give priority to those who had allowed the Knicks to have a great second half of the season and reach the conference semi-finals. Clearly, Evan Fournier must expect to relive the same season if his teammates perform as well as last season. The hardest part will therefore be to fight against frustration.
The Frenchman will not go to arm wrestling
“It’s a natural feeling. Of course, as a competitor, as a guy who wants to play and compete and win, that’s what it feels like when you’re not playing.” he admits. “But it never changed my daily behavior. My approach with the guys, my teammates, the way I trained, etc. If some people are surprised that I’m upset about not playing, I don’t know what to say. Again, the most important thing is to remain professional and do what is right for the team. »
Evan Fournier thus warns that he will not go to arm wrestling as others have done before him. He will remain pro until the end.
“I don’t want to flaunt it, but what Jae Crowder did last year is not a smart way to approach things »concludes the Frenchman. “When you are under contract, you have to honor your contract. You create connections with others. You try to stay in the team and which is better: working with the team or working alone? I’m not sure that’s the smartest approach.”
