The Knicks made the only respectable decision
The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Cup on Tuesday night, and according to ESPN's Shams Charania, they've decided not to hang a banner at Madison Square Garden. That's the correct move. The NBA Cup is a made-for-TV midseason tournament that's barely two years old. It's not a championship. It's not a conference title. It's a cash prize and bragging rights for December. Treating it like a historic accomplishment by raising a banner to the rafters would be embarrassing.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau initially suggested a banner would go up, saying: "There's a lot of positives. But the most positive thing is being able to hang a banner at MSG, the most iconic arena in the league." According to ESPN, that decision was reversed shortly after the game. Someone in the Knicks organization had the sense to pump the brakes and remember that Madison Square Garden's rafters are reserved for actual achievements, not participation trophies dressed up as tournaments.
The Lakers and Bucks hung banners—that's their problem
The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks both hung NBA Cup banners after winning the tournament in its first two years. That's their choice, but it cheapens what a banner is supposed to represent. The Lakers have 17 championship banners. The Bucks have two. Adding a banner for a midseason tournament that most casual fans barely remember is diluting your history, not celebrating it.
The Knicks haven't raised a team banner since winning the Eastern Conference in 1999. That's 25 years of drought, which is painful for one of the NBA's most storied franchises. But that absence also means something: when New York finally hangs another banner, it'll be because they accomplished something meaningful. Breaking that drought for a tournament that didn't exist three years ago would be ridiculous. The Knicks have standards, even if the Lakers and Bucks apparently don't.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson get it
According to ESPN, most Knicks players were largely indifferent to the banner question. Karl-Anthony Towns said the team would celebrate for one night before returning to their normal routine—they play in Indianapolis on Thursday. That's the right mindset. You acknowledge the win, pocket the prize money, and move on because there's real basketball to play.
Jalen Brunson, named tournament MVP, was even more direct: "I don't think we're having a parade. We're going to enjoy it. But once we leave tomorrow, we move on." Brunson's perspective reflects what the Knicks are actually chasing: an NBA Finals appearance for the first time since 1999. That's the goal. The NBA Cup is a nice detour, but it's not the destination. You don't hang banners for detours.
What the NBA Cup actually is
The NBA Cup is a revenue generator for the league and a ratings boost during a typically slow part of the schedule. It gives teams something to compete for in November and December beyond regular season seeding. The prize pool is real—players get bonuses, which matters to guys not making max contracts. But it's still a midseason tournament with a paint job that makes it feel more important than it actually is.
The games count as regular season wins in the standings. The knockout rounds happen on neutral courts. The champion gets a trophy and some cash. That's fine. It's entertaining basketball. But it's not a banner-worthy achievement. You don't raise a banner because you went 7-0 in a December tournament. You raise banners for titles that required four playoff rounds and beating the best teams in the league when it actually matters.
Madison Square Garden's rafters should mean something
The Knicks play in the most famous arena in basketball. The Garden's rafters hold banners for two NBA championships (1970, 1973) and four conference titles. Those banners represent years where New York was the best team in basketball or at least the best in the East. They represent Willis Reed limping onto the court, Walt Frazier dominating Finals games, and Patrick Ewing dragging the franchise to the brink of glory in the '90s.
Hanging an NBA Cup banner next to those accomplishments would be insulting to the players and teams who actually won championships. It would be admitting that the Knicks are so desperate for success that they'll celebrate anything, no matter how manufactured. That's not the look for a franchise trying to restore its reputation as a serious contender. You don't build a winning culture by celebrating midseason tournaments. You build it by demanding excellence and refusing to settle for anything less than real titles.
Why the Lakers and Bucks got it wrong
The Lakers hanging an NBA Cup banner is particularly embarrassing because they have 17 championship banners. Adding a midseason tournament trophy to that collection is like putting a participation ribbon next to Olympic gold medals. It doesn't honor the achievement—it diminishes the legacy. Milwaukee's decision is slightly more understandable given their shorter history, but it's still wrong. You either believe banners are for championships or you don't. There's no middle ground.
The NBA is trying to manufacture importance for this tournament by encouraging teams to treat it like a major accomplishment. Teams that fall for that are doing themselves a disservice. The Cup is fun. It's competitive. But it's not banner-worthy, and pretending otherwise just makes your franchise look desperate for validation.
The Knicks are chasing something bigger
New York won the NBA Cup, and that's great for the players who got bonuses and for fans who enjoyed the run. But Brunson's comments after the game reveal what this team is actually focused on: "I don't think we're having a parade." That's not dismissiveness—that's perspective. The Knicks haven't been to the NBA Finals since 1999. They haven't won a championship since 1973. Those are the droughts that matter. Those are the banners worth chasing.
By refusing to hang a banner for the NBA Cup, the Knicks are sending a message: we have higher standards than this. We're not celebrating manufactured achievements. We're building toward something real. That's the mentality championship teams have. You don't get distracted by shiny midseason trophies. You keep your eyes on the real prize and refuse to settle for anything less. That's what makes this decision so smart—it shows the Knicks understand what actually matters in this league.