The New York Knicks remain an iconic NBA franchise, but that doesn’t mean they can lure the best talent like other franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and even the Miami Heat do. They have had a hard time trying to get a superstar since Carmelo Anthony left the squad a couple of years ago, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Last season, they put together a solid team that made it to the playoffs before Trae Young took them out in the first round. This campaign, they couldn’t replicate or improve what they previously did, and now fans want them to land a superstar.
Well, that looks pretty hard right now since there aren’t many star players available out there. Moreover, it seems like those players don’t want to play in New York anymore. People like Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard, and Donovan Mitchell have been linked with the Knicks in recent seasons, but nothing has happened with them.
Recently, Stan Van Gundy and Reggie Miller tried to explain what’s going on in New York that prevents players from joining the Knickerbockers:
“Guys aren’t making decisions like, ‘I want to go play for a certain general manager.’ Or, ‘I want to go play for whatever Wes is there with the Knicks.’ Or even that, ‘I want to go play for a coach,’” Van Gundy said via the New York Daily News. “No. 1 is money. And then—am I going have a chance to win? Who am I playing with? And where do I want to live? …..The fact that Leon Rose has ties to somebody, that’s all well and good. I don’t think that means anything. I don’t mean that as a knock on Leon Rose, or a knock on Wes. I just think that’s the way it is. Players aren’t making decisions for those reasons.”
Miller, who has a big story with the Knicks, also chimed in on this situation, blaming the pressure of the media and fans as a major factor for why players decide to join other teams instead of New York:
“I’m not sure guys want to play for the Knicks anymore. That’s the problem,” he said. “Why go through the headache of the New York media? I hate to say that but they don’t have to do that anymore. Then on the flip side, there’s only really one way for the Knicks to go, and that’s up. So if you win in New York, you get a lot of pats on the back. But if you’re mediocre or if you’re losing, that’s a lot of headache for a superstar. I think a lot of these guys are like, I don’t need it. I can go somewhere else and get the same amount of (money) and not the headaches of the media. A lot of players don’t want that.”
New York has some good young players, starting from RJ Barrett. The former No. 3 overall pick is showing flashes of what he could do in the future and the Knicks could be hoping to compete if he stays on the team. Now, landing an established superstar is another thing to do, but we’ll have to wait and see if the struggling Knicks can pull off a big move in the offseason.
