Knicks Look to Halt Disappointing NBA Cup Trend

The NBA Cup is upon us once again, and fans of the New York Knicks have reasons to be excited.

Looking past the comically gaudy court designs and the festivities attached to the pumped-up stakes, the Knicks have another chance to be one of the best teams out east to start the fall, and they've answered the call of the Cup fairly consistently through the in-season tournament's first pair of campaigns.

Like all of the other participating teams, the Knicks have been tasked with tipping off against each of the four teams within their tournament group for seeding purposes. The four best teams in each conference advance to knockout rounds, and New York's never had much trouble reaching the tournament playoffs, having won at least three of four games in both of its past two Cup gauntlets.

Knicks Don't Want to Repeat NBA Cup History

As impressive as their seven-game win streak in regular season games cross-listed with seeding matches is, they've yet to capitalize on the chance to advance to the championship game, or even the semi-finals. The Knicks are 0-2 in the Cup's first round, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks two years ago before coming up short yet again to the Atlanta Hawks this past December.

The Knicks won't be cruising into Cup action like many fans would have anticipated, though, with tomorrow's game against the Chicago Bulls expected to test the contenders in their ability to shake off a brief spell of losing. They haven't been healthy to start the year, and it's shown in their 2-2 record through four games.

Knicks Missing Pieces Could Affect NBA Cup

The biggest missing piece has been Mitchell Robinson, the starting center who was expected to ease Karl-Anthony Towns' load as a defensive anchor and hard-fighting rebounder. The oft-injured veteran has yet to suit up in a game, with the Knicks clearly prioritizing caution with Robinson's left ankle, and Towns' production has dipped while he balances time as the full-time center alongside dealing with his own physical ailments.

Josh Hart missed time himself before taking a new bench role, and he's struggled to find his place within the offense since the coaching staff pulled him from the starting five. Fellow guard Miles McBride has been in-and-out himself as he tends to a personal matter, and it hasn't helped that new signees Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson have each struggled mightily to shoot at the productive clips they were brought in for.