Marcus Morris, Knicks might not be good, but they’ll be tough

Let’s be honest, the Knicks probably aren’t going to be a playoff team this year. 

 

They’re not even the best team in New York anymore after the emergence of the Brooklyn Nets. 

 

But for a fan base that has been devoid of good times for decades, this season’s edition of the Knicks might be one of the most enjoyable since the 1990s. 

 

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Marcus Morris helped secure that notion in the team’s very first preseason game. 

 

The veteran forward was ejected on Monday night for purposely hitting Justin Anderson of the Washington Wizards in the head with the ball while attempting to create some space behind the three-point line. 

 

Just seconds before, Morris caught Anderson — who was playing tight defense on the Knicks forward — with an elbow.

 

A funny moment, and not really a necessary one given that it’s the preseason,  but Morris is helping set the tone that this Knicks team isn’t going to be a pushover like last year. 

 

Or the last two decades, for that matter. 

 

“We’re not taking no s—t,” Morris said after the game. 

 

This is days after the 30-year-old said that “every time I’m on the court it’s bully ball,” thanks to a big lineup the Knicks could roll out.

 

“I’m going to use that to my advantage. Guys like Bobby Portis, you know that [Julius] Randle’s a bulldog, Taj Gibson…we got a lot of guys, man, to keep throwing at people. I think it’s going to be a very, very fun year and it’s going to be surprising.”

 

That’s the kind of attitude Knicks fans have been yearning for ever since the days of Anthony Mason, Charles Oakley, and even Larry Johnson. 

 

For a majority of blue-collar Knicks fans, it’s going to be a sight for sore eyes.

 

In an NBA that is now dominated by finesse and long-range shooting, maybe Morris and the Knicks look poised to introduce a bit of throwback grit to the game. 

 

The league could use it.