Detroit Pistons veteran shooting guard Evan Fournier must be a little happy that he was traded from the New York Knicks before the NBA trade deadline. Going from a playoff contender to a bottom-feeding team certainly isn’t ideal, but it was an opportunity for Fournier to get on the field more consistently.
For more than a calendar year, Fournier has been out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. November 13, 2013 was the last time he was part of the regular game plan, as he was removed from the rotation entirely after being dropped from the starting lineup eight games into the season.
From then on, Fournier’s number was called only under the most dire circumstances. If the Knicks were extremely short-handed, Thibodeau would turn to his veteran sharpshooter in a pinch.
It wasn’t a role Fournier was happy with, but he did everything the team asked of him and, by all accounts, he was the consummate professional. That’s what made Monday night’s scene so bizarre.
On Monday night, he returned to Madison Square Garden as a first-time visitor since the exchange and received a rude reception. Every time he touched the ball on the court, he was greeted by boos from the Knicks faithful.