"Finger surgery" - NBA fans react to Karl-Anthony Towns reportedly getting medical procedures 

The NBA season is just around the corner. The New York Knicks had their media day on Tuesday, and it didn't take long before they made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Knicks insider Stefan Bondy asked Karl-Anthony Towns about an alleged procedure on his finger, wondering whether he was ready to go.

Upon hearing that, the former No. 1 pick seemed to be in disbelief, and he was quick to shut down that story:

“Huh? No, I did not,” Towns responded. “Where are you hearing this? You came on media day to come and put that out here? Who did that, Centel?”

Bondy later showed him a June report by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that said that Towns had undergone treatment in his finger and knees. Again, the big man wasn't having it:

“That don’t even say procedures,” Towns responded.

Needless to say, it didn't take long before the fans took notice of this hilarious exchange, and they took to social media to share their thoughts and poke some fun at them.

Here are the best reactions:

CrisJordanMusic

@CrisJordanMusic

@SbondyNBA I don’t see the word knee up there. And he had a procedure on his finger right after the season ended.

jeremy harlen

@jharlen00

@SbondyNBA Players and teams are notoriously shady about this stuff.

Others started questioning ESPN's credibility:

Jared Dowdell

@3BuckChuck35

@SbondyNBA Maybe ESPN was wrong too. They don’t have the best of track records. Lol

It’s YamamotOver

@midfifecrisis

@SbondyNBA ESPN is basically Centel at this point

chalupabatmann2

@chalupabatmann2

@SbondyNBA Well who reported it from ESPN

At the end of the day, all that matters is that Towns seems to be fully healthy and ready to go. It'll be the start of the post-Tom Thibodeau era, and they need their starting big man out there.

Towns opens up on criticism

Towns is one of the most talented and impactful scoring big men in the Association. Unfortunately, the same can't always be said of his defense and aggressiveness.

His critics have constantly attacked him for that, but instead of shying away or clapping back at them, he's actually thankful. In a September 16 interview, he shared his honest thoughts on that:

“All criticism is good criticism. It gives me a chance to go back in the lab and then understand what I’ve got to work on,” Towns told TIME magazine. “Every year I’ve shown the fans and the sports world and NBA world that I’m always continuing to find another level, reinventing myself for the betterment of the team’s success. And I’m going to continue to do that until I have the ring.”

Towns' defensive miscues were a major talking point last season as well, but coach Tom Thibodeau usually did a good job of hiding him with his solid defensive schemes. Now, with Mike Brown at the helm, he might have to step up.