New York Knicks Hit Rock Bottom, Get 3 Games Pulled From ESPN
The Knicks have the worst record in the league at 5-33. They traded Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cavaliers for almost nothing in return earlier in the week, and they're considering shutting down Carmelo Anthony for the season.
And despite their national draw from playing in New York, the Knicks aren't a hot TV commodity this season. It's gotten so bad for the Knicks that ESPN announced they were changing seven games on their TV schedule, three of which were Knicks games.
According to Deadspin, ESPN also dropped the Knicks' December 10 game against the San Antonio Spurs and their December 16 game against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Knicks are on pace to have their worst record in franchise history, and without Anthony playing, there's little draw to the national audience. Instead, ESPN has replaced their games with playoff contenders squaring off, which at least adds a more interesting narrative to the games.
Ben Cafardo of ESPN told Business Insider, "One key element of our NBA deal is that we have the flexibility to regularly re-evaluate and update our schedule to showcase the most compelling matchups throughout the season."