SAN FRANCISCO — It’s not weak to apologize.
As the Knicks prepared to face the Warriors on Saturday — a little over a week after Draymond Green’s callous and erroneous comments about Karl-Anthony Towns — forward Josh Hart said he doesn’t believe there will be carryover on the court but wished Green was more contrite.
“I think KAT handled it the right way. For me, I have my own podcast and all that stuff. Whenever I’m wrong about something, I’ll sit there and say I was . For me, I wish he kind of did that, just apologized,” Hart said. “You don’t got to be embarrassed or feel like apologizing when you’re wrong isn’t manly. I wish he did. Now that’s in the past and we’re moving on.”
Citing unnamed sources, Green said on his podcast that he heard Towns skipped their matchup on March 4 because the Knicks center was ducking longtime nemesis Jimmy Butler.
Green hinted that Towns might’ve faked an injury but acknowledged, “I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was.”
In reality, Towns missed the game to attend the funeral of a close family friend who died after a long battle with breast cancer.
Green, upon hearing that update, offered a nonapology and plug for his podcast.
“We all experience death in one way or another and we’ll all experience it in the same way one day,” he said. “So, it’s unfortunate and you never wish that on anybody.
“But the ‘Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis’ must go on.”
Towns had taken the high road, saying earlier this week, “I choose to approach that with love and not hate.” He added after Friday’s practice, “I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about winning. I’m worried about playing [the Warriors on Saturday]. I’m not worried about that.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau also dismissed the idea it will spill onto the Chase Center floor.
“It’s just chatter,” he said.
Still, the outside attention will certainly be focused on the Towns-Green matchup, as well as the Towns-Butler head-to-head.
The last time the latter faced off in October, Butler was still with the Miami Heat and Towns scored 44 points.
Green, a veteran agitator and four-time champion, has targeted Towns previously with insults and randomly tweeted about his lack of “mental edge” while watching a Knicks-Nuggets game.
“KAT [defending] in a full front on Joker … even if you win the game it don’t matter,” Green tweeted in January.. “You will never hold the respect from an opponent to win at the highest level … pride must make you sit down and guard, even if you give up 40. … Winning is a mindset, and in order to win a championship. … You have to win the mental edge … that’s why only a few guys per era win all the championships. … They understand that Thing.”
Towns said last week he didn’t know why Green held an apparent grudge.
The Warriors (38-28), meanwhile, have reclaimed a position as a contender since acquiring Butler from the Heat, winning six straight and 11 of their past 12.
In the game Towns missed last week, Golden State dominated the second half in a 114-102 win at MSG.
“Didn’t have KAT, and this time don’t got [Jalen Brunson], who is out with a sprained ankle,” Hart said. “So it’ll be a little bit different.”
The consistent problem is trying to stop Curry, who dropped 28 points against the Knicks but needed just 11 in Thursday’s beatdown of the Kings.
Green dropped a team-high 23 points, the first time he led the Warriors in scoring since 2016.
“That’s who they are,” Thibodeau said. “They’re just playing basketball, they’re playing winning basketball. A guy [Curry] can have 11, but when a guy has 11 at the forefront of the team, obviously you’re talking about a championship-caliber team that’s been in a lot of wars together, they don’t get wrapped up in how many points this guy got, or how many points that guy got. Having coached Jimmy (with the Bulls and Timberwolves), I actually coached all three of them (Curry and Green as well) for Team USA, winning is at the forefront for those guys.”
