Even if they haven’t won an NBA Championship in decades, Madison Square Garden and its mysticism kept luring players to the New York Knicks. NYC was considered the Mecca of basketball and, like the song says… if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
Sadly, the Knicks’ struggles to stay competitive and the way James Dolan managed the team took a toll on that image, up to the point where superstars no longer dream of wearing the blue and orange and pumping out the crowd at the MSG.
In fact, former NBA Champion Robert Horry even says that New York City is no longer the Mecca of basketball and that California has now taken that spot:
“I guarantee you Madison Square Garden was a place he wanted to play in. Now he’s accomplished that, but when he goes to Staples…’Wow, they’ve got a nice arena’ Then he’s gonna go over to other arenas. Madison Square Garden ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be. It had a rain delay, my guy. A rain delay!! This is not the Mecca of basketball anymore,” Horry said on ESPN’s The Jump.
I’m from Alabama, but California to me is the Mecca of basketball now. There’ so many great guys that come out of California that don’t get the recognition that they should. New York is still great, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not the Mecca anymore,” Horry concluded.
It’s not all bad news for New York fans, though. The Garden will always be the Garden and the team is finally piling up some wins and putting together a decent run to make the playoffs.
Should they continue to go down this course and if Julius Randle and RJ Barrett continue their development, it could only be just a matter of time before stars want to join them at the Big Apple.
