Media Roundup: Brunson fined, Harden could debut at MSG, and an RJ milestone

This week, Peter Botte (NY Post) reported that Jalen Brunson has been hit with a $2000 flopping fine.

The NBA charged Brunson two large for a flopping infringement that was missed in New York’s game in Atlanta on Friday. Previously, teammate Donte DiVincenzo was similarly charged for an overlooked violation in the opening night game. That makes $4000 of flop money dispensed by the Knicks so far.

Add this to the Jalen Seems Out of Sorts conspiracy column: Brunson had only two technical fouls all last season but has matched that total in three games. In addition to a flopping tech against Boston, he was tagged in the game versus the Pelicans for complaining about another landing area encroachment that was missed by the officials.

That makes two techs and a fine for Jalen over three games. At this rate, he’d beat Rasheed Wallace’s record of 41 techs in 80 games. A player will be suspended after 16, so perhaps this is all an elaborate ploy by Jalen to get a game off.

Meanwhile, over at the NY Daily News, Posting and Toasting alum Kristian Winfield speculated that James Harden might make his Clippers debut in Manhattan.

In an early Tuesday morning trade, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, K.J. Martin, and a package of draft picks that includes an unprotected 2028 first-round pick and a 2026 protected first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Winfield further speculates that the Sixers are not done wheeling and dealing, and that they still could attempt to acquire Zach LaVine (Chicago), OG Anunoby (Toronto), or Fred VanVleet (Horrible Houston).

Harden is not expected to play for the Clippers in their upcoming games, so his debut could happen on November 6 at Madison Square Garden. I’ll take your extra ticket.

Finally, in the spirit of Halloween . . . we have an image of what the Knicks’ In-Season Tournament court will look like. You might want to squint:

And KnicksMuse (always a good follow) brought it to our attention that RJ Barrett will soon eclipse 5,000 Career Points. After 32 more points, “he’ll be the first Knick ever to score 5k+ points before turning 25 years old.” He could reach the milestone tomorrow night at MSG. They grow up so fast.

Knicks at Cavs tonight. Happy Halloween!