The New York Knicks are the third-best team in the Eastern Conference right now. But will that be enough to keep them in the playoff race? Maybe… if all the Knicks’ stars are healthy. Well, sorry to disappoint you fans, but we have some bad news on that front concerning one Karl-Anthony Towns vs the Warriors tonight.

KAT is not playing in the Knicks’ game against the Warriors due to personal reasons. Unfortunately, the Knicks’ head coach, Tom Thibodeau, and the fans are in the same boat. When asked whether Towns would travel with the team to LA on their road trip, Thibs revealed he couldn’t say because he didn’t know.

“When he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now,” said Coach Thibodeau. And it’s all we’ve gotten from him so far. But it’s likely KAT won’t be joining the Knicks on their West Coast trip.

The Knicks stare down a tough schedule over the next 5 days. First up are the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by the LA Clippers in a gruelling back-to-back. But don’t think it gets any easier for ‘The Big Apple’, as the Sacramento Kings are the last team they’ll face for this trip.

Knicks fans will be hoping and praying that KAT is back soon from whatever it is that’s keeping him off the court. However, there’s probably a world out there where the Knicks faithful are lamenting Joel Embiid getting shut down for the rest of the season. Here’s the scoop on that.

NBA Insider reveals that the Knicks were looking to sign Joel Embiid before signing Karl-Anthony Towns

If you needed a double take for this one, you’re not alone. The NBA landscape right now would be so different if the New York Knicks had chosen to pursue Embiid. But it seems the ball was in Philly’s court the entire time.

Here’s what NBA insider Jake Fischer said, “Once upon a time, Philly presumably could have extracted every draft pick that New York possessed before it splurged on trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.” He continued, “The Knicks were always the rival threat, sources said, that Sixers officials knew was waiting to pounce if Embiid ever reached the trade market.”   

What a crazy trade this would have been! The Knicks would’ve turned the NBA upside down, much like the Dallas Mavericks did when they traded away Luka Doncic. And before anyone downplays this trade due to recent events, let’s not kid ourselves. A healthy Joel Embiid is the best center out there, not named Nikola Jokic.

Joel has averaged more than 30 points for the last 3 out of 4 seasons. Even so, the Knicks are probably glad not to have signed him. They would have lost all their Draft picks only to receive a player who’d soon miss the rest of the season. Moreover, by not signing him, they got KAT!

And Karl-Anthony Towns has been fantastic for the Knicks since his trade. He’s taken a lot of the offensive burden off of Jalen Brunson with his 24.5 points per game this season for the Knicks. Moreover, he’s second in the league for rebounds, which helps the Knicks tremendously when it comes to controlling games!

Perhaps it’s a good thing this trade never happened. Particularly, considering the struggles the Sixers are facing with Embiid right now.