Knicks Radio Host Brushes Off Isaiah Hartenstein Departure

The New York Knicks are looking from the sidelines as Isaiah Hartenstein moves on to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.

While some are frustrated with the move, others are acting as if it isn’t much of a big deal, like WFAN radio host Keith McPherson.

“Act like you’ve been there. I know you literally can’t act like you’ve been there…but understand that back-to-back years, you were bounced in the second round,” McPherson told his listeners. “As fun as those years were and some of those games were, you failed. So your attachment to iHart, I don’t understand. Not only can they still thrive without him, they might actually do better.

“‘We can’t win a championship without iHart.’ What are we talking about?”

Hartenstein, 26, emerged to become a key piece of what the Knicks became over the past two years, especially in the 2023-24 season when he stepped in as the starting center for Mitchell Robinson, who needed ankle surgery midway through the season.

Hartenstein’s stats in the box score weren’t glamorous. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, but he made a massive impact in rebounding and rim protection, which aren’t quite seen in statistics.

Analytics pointed to Hartenstein being one of the better centers in the league, which is why the Thunder gave him a three-year, $87 million contract earlier this week. The Knicks couldn’t afford the contract as they were only able to offer a four-year, $72.5 million contract, which Hartenstein declined.

It remains to be seen if the Knicks can win without Hartenstein. With Robinson taking his place and Mikal Bridges being added to the team, perhaps New York is better than it was before. Sure, the Knicks wanted to keep Hartenstein. But the reality of the situation was that the Knicks couldn’t have their cake and eat it too.

If Hartenstein stayed, perhaps OG Anunoby couldn’t or the Bridges trade wouldn’t have happened. There’s always a domino effect in the NBA, and Hartenstein ultimately wasn’t able to stay with the Knicks. New York has to build a “bridge” and move on.

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