Enes Kanter Told Knicks Teammate to Fight Opponent, Offered to Pay Fine

New York Knicks center Enes Kanter said Monday night that he offered to pay a fine for one of his teammates if they got into a fight on the court during Monday's 103-91 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, Kanter said the following regarding his idea to improve the Knicks' energy level while trailing during the fourth quarter:

"I'm not going to tell who, but I told somebody, 'Hey man, go out there and fight with somebody. It will get the energy up.' No, I'm serious. If you go out there and just hit somebody or just fight with somebody, get a technical foul, I will pay for the fine, I don't care. Just go out there and do your thing. Because we need that energy, we need that fight. It doesn't matter if we're down by 25, a fight, get a technical foul, the crowd is in it, and they're gonna get nervous."

While Kanter didn't disclose which teammate he spoke to, forward Michael Beasley forearmed Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic in the chin and rookie guard Frank Ntilikina then pushed Nurkic during the fourth quarter, per Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman.

After Tuesday's practice, Kanter disclosed that he was warned not to say things like that, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: "The front office told me I cannot say stuff like that. It's a learning process. This is my second language. When I say fight, it means compete, play hard, compete. You get a tech; you get a tech. They told me I cannot say stuff like that. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry, NBA: my fault."

Kanter, who was born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, missed his third consecutive game Monday due to back spasms.

The 25-year-old center was acquired in an offseason trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder that saw Carmelo Anthony go to OKC.

In 17 games this season, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft is averaging 13.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest.

New York is performing above expectations this season at 10-10, which is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, but Monday's loss marked the Knicks' third consecutive defeat.