Knicks’ Kanter: DeRozan one of the most respected in the NBA

New York Knicks centre Enes Kanter is never one to shy away from an opinion.

When the seven-footer joined Good Show on Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Tuesday afternoon, he didn’t pull any punches when asked his opinion on the biggest hoops story in Canada — the DeMar DeRozan trade.

“I feel really sad about that trade,” Kanter said, “because DeRozan is one of the most respected guys in the NBA and I heard the organization told him ‘We’re not going to trade you in the summertime’ and then a couple months later they traded him. It just shows there’s no loyalty anymore. He was one of the most loyal guys in the whole league and what happened to him was pretty sad.”

He repeatedly lamented the lack of loyalty in sports, but things took an interesting turn when he was asked about new Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard, whom Kanter said he’s never heard speak on the court:

“This is crazy because he was in the same draft year as me,” he said. “He came into the league in the same year, 2011. It’s now 2018 and I have not heard that guy speak one time on the court — calling pick and roll, charges, complaining to the ref, nothing. He is like a robot… That’s his personality.”

Kanter gave his pick to win the East (and no, it wasn’t his own team): “Toronto is pretty up there, but if I had to pick one team I’d pick Boston…If they can stay healthy they can take the East.”

And he hinted that there could be a major superstar headed to New York City to join the Knicks in the near future:

“I have one more superstar coming to New York. He plays in the West… I’m not talking about Jimmy Butler. There’s one guy, I can’t talk about it [because] it will break the internet.”

It’s an entertaining, wide-ranging interview and certainly worth a listen: