The Knicks have a 7-foot, 250-pound problem on their hands.
That’s according to WFAN host Gregg “Gio” Giannotti, who torched the Knicks’ big man on Monday as the dust continues to settle from Saturday’s season-ending loss to the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“[Towns is] a loser. That is their biggest problem — the guy is a loser,” Giannotti said. “He’s a losing player, he complains, he is soft. He shows you flashes where he’s the best player on the court — not enough — he doesn’t play enough defense, he bitches and moans. He is, up until this point in his career, a loser who is making $50 million.”
Towns averaged 21.4 points and 11.6 rebounds on 48.8% shooting from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range throughout the Knicks’ playoff run — all down from his regular-season averages of 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds on 52.6% from the field and 42% from deep.
While Towns, 29, was still an impact player for the Knicks this season, he was also a source of frustration for many, including Giannotti.
“He is getting to the point now as one of the most frustrating players I have ever watched in the uniform of a team that I root for,” Giannotti said Monday. “I know how good he can be and it’s just so damn annoying watching him not realize his full potential. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen, I really don’t know.”
Across his nine-year career, Towns is a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection.
But that didn’t shield him from being caught in Giannotti’s fire.
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“The biggest issue that the Knicks have going forward to get to the next level is the fact that they waited and waited and waited to go all in on a couple of guys, and the biggest one being Karl-Anthony Towns,” Giannotti explained. “[He] is going to be a logjam as far as them trying to get to the next level.”
The blame game started in the aftermath of the Knicks’ 125-108 loss to the Pacers on Saturday, with Towns and captain Jalen Brunson accounting for two of the biggest letdowns of the series.
“That is their biggest issue, is the fact that they thought this Towns thing was going to work better than it did,” Giannotti said. “And it hasn’t.”
Towns, whom the Knicks acquired from the Timberwolves in an October blockbuster, expressed disappointment over not delivering a championship to the city that welcomed him with open arms.
“It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room, and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.”
Towns will earn a base salary of $53 million in 2025-26, per Spotrac.