Jose Alvarado is pegged to return tonight against Washington, the first good health news after a 120-97 beatdown at Philadelphia. The bigger story stays off the floor, where Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride both wait on extensions with the opener 12 days away.
Alvarado's Back
Jose Alvarado's day-to-day knee is set to clear tonight, with an estimated return of October 8 against Washington at the Garden on NBA TV. He'd be a lift after New York dropped the preseason opener 120-97 at Philadelphia on October 5, with Anunoby and Brunson the only Knicks to reach double figures.
An Easy Mark
Washington is not a measuring stick. The Wizards went 17-65 last season with a minus-11.8 net rating, and Anthony Davis managed only 20 games before everything else fell apart around him. Alex Sarr is day-to-day with a foot issue, and two more Wizards are already out, which should make tonight look better than it is.
The Real Fight
McBride called his own extension talks disappointing last month, and nothing has changed since. Towns got the harsher label from Hoops Rumors, who tagged him frustrated twice in the five days since Media Day. New York's bill sits at $227.7 million against a $200.4 million tax line, and every day without a signature makes the math harder, not easier.
What's Left
Four preseason games remain before anything counts: Minnesota on October 12, then Toronto twice, October 13 and 15. The real opener is October 20, a rematch with Philadelphia on NBC. That's the deadline this front office is actually working against, extensions or not.
Bottom Line
A healthy Alvarado and a soft opponent make tonight look like progress. The Towns and McBride contracts, both stalled since September, are the actual test, and the Knicks have less than two weeks left to pass it.
Is Jose Alvarado playing against the Wizards tonight?
He's listed as day-to-day with a left knee issue, with an estimated return of October 8, which is tonight's game.
Why haven't the Knicks extended Karl-Anthony Towns?
Talks stalled after Media Day on September 28, and reports since have described Towns as frustrated with no new terms reached. New York's payroll already sits above the luxury tax line at $227.7 million, which complicates any new deal.
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