Knicks brace for NBA title defense

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are focused on their NBA title defense now and will worry about contract negotiations later. That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season. The Knicks said on Friday (Saturday in Manila) that won’t happen, perhaps setting up an uncomfortable situation with some of their most important players. “As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season,” according to a statement from a team spokesman. The Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 in June but owner James Dolan said shortly afterward the team would avoid spending enough to trigger the penalties that come when a team reaches the second apron of the salary cap. They re-signed most of their important free agents, but negotiations on extensions with Towns and Hart, plus key reserve Deuce McBride, haven’t gone far. Towns, an All-Star in both seasons since coming to New York, seems particularly disappointed with...