The New York Knicks have not come out of the All-Star break as expected. They scraped by the Chicago Bulls in overtime, lost by 37 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and got beat handily by the Boston Celtics. The Knicks are now 0-7 against the top three teams in the NBA (Thunder, Cavaliers, Celtics), and many fans are starting to doubt the star-studded New York squad.

Former New Orleans Pelicans star and two-time All-NBA honoree DeMarcus Cousins dropped his bold take on the Knicks, calling them an “average” team despite all of their talent.

“We’ve been bamboozled,” Cousins said about the Knicks. “We sat here and allowed the Knicks to put together a championship college team, and try to run it back in the NBA. When they initially did it, we thought it was a good idea. Now we look at it, and they look like an average team. I hate to be rude, upfront, or blunt about it, but that’s literally what it is.”

The Knicks reunited a few guys from the 2016 Villanova NCAA Championship squad in Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, but the new-look Knicks have not been as great as expected. While New York has had no trouble getting to 37 wins through 57 games, they have struggled to beat the best and that will haunt them.

Cousins gave the Knicks props where they deserved it, but continued to get honest about where they stand in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

“I think they have a talented starting five, so let me say that, but it’s just not enough,” Cousins said. “It’s not enough for what they’re matching up with in the East.”

The Knicks have built a solid core of Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunonby, but they gave up so many assets to string this lineup together that they could be in a tough place moving forward if they cannot win now.

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