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Anybody else see how Zion lit up and talked about New York as the Mecca of basketball? Wasn't the last time New York was anywhere close to a basketball Mecca well before Zion was born?
Knick fans are probably now dreaming of Zion in a Knick uniform; who knows, maybe someday in the not too distant future it will happen. He and RJ can 'get the band back together.'
I think he is quoting Coach K about the Mecca thing.
For the most part Knicks fans are rolling their eyes because the media is already talking and writing stories and in whatever years when he doesn't come they will write stories how delusional we were thinking he was coming.
Were Dolan and front office confident about Durant and Irving? Yes but the average Knicks fan doesn't trust Dolan so his boasting meant nothing. It was the media and 'insiders' that was writing articles about 95% or 100% of Durant to the Knicks and Durant already recruiting players to join him and whatever that got people's hopes up.
Knicks fans made the mistake of thinking they knew anything, we certainly don't buy they can predict this future. Woj can say it's something to watch but we don't care.
Not sure why it's a surprise it's still the Mecca, no matter how bad the Knicks are opposing players love to come and put on a show.
We’re not so bad anymore. Playing competitive ball, and appear to be redeveloping a culture under Thibs. Not contenders, but making progress.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eternal Outlaw
We fans are also tired of the “XXX will be coming to the Knicks” mantra, starting with LeBron a few years ago. If players want to come, and believe they will be joining a winning team, great. If not, life goes on.
I’m enjoying the moment and resurgence.
Even before his parents were born!Quote:
Originally Posted by rsvman
Finally the Knickerbockers have been given some encouragement, yes. Even the hard-boiled NY sports press corps is taking a measured stance which is a bit of a miracle in itself.Quote:
Originally Posted by duke74
Quote:
Originally Posted by rsvman
NYC will always be the Mecca. And let's not forget that one of the best teams in the league is in Brooklyn right NOW.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eternal Outlaw
But it's more than that. It's gritty and flashy. It's Coney Island. It's Rucker park. It's Lincoln High School. It's Earl "the Goat."
And the literal BEVY of NYC kids who have made it to the NBA.
I grew up in the Midwest and have lived in NYC for a few years now. Walking into the Garden to watch a game for the first time a few years ago, it was special. Maybe that's just me as a mid-30's guy that grew up watching John Starks and Patrick Ewing take on MJ and Scottie. Still, it's a special place. There aren't many historic basketball stadiums in the NBA. There is no "Cameron Indoor Stadium, but for the Washington Wizards," like there is with Fenway or Wrigley Field in baseball. MSG is about all there is. Jordan had big games there. It continues to have cultural relevance. You can be sure that all those young players in the NBA that don't know who Alex Rodriguez or Joe Montana are have watched Last Dance and they know Madison Square Garden. Maybe they think of Carmello Anthony instead of Walt Frazier. It doesn't matter. They have seen He Got Game. NYC is still the biggest city with the brightest lights and MSG is the center of the NBA universe. That doesn't mean it is has the gravity of a supermassive black hole like we think about Lambeau Field as a connection to the roots of the NFL. It's a shadow of that, but it still has a draw.Quote:
Originally Posted by rsvman
Zion knows this. He probably talked to RJ about playing there in front of the Knicks fans. Lord knows the fans at the Smoothie King center aren't getting into a frenzy every time the Pelicans are above .500. It's different in NYC because there are so many die-hards. Spike Lee is courtside. Movie and TV stars sit in the stands. It's different, even if they've had a bad quarter century. And Zion is just a really happy, upbeat dude. He still acts just like he did as a freshman at Duke, wide eyed and grateful that everyone is still interested in talking to him. The kid is grounded. He's got a remarkable persona. Him gushing over playing in NYC, it's partly him being him and partly the NBA soap opera doing what it does. In the end, the Pelicans are going to offer Zion a supermax because he's a big draw and a generational talent. He's not going to play for the Knicks unless he decides he wants out of New Orleans. That won't happen unless they fail to build a team around him over the next 5 years. Until then, it's all chatter.
The above is the truth... the Pels control him for the next 2 seasons and then he is a restricted free agent. There is no contract New Orleans will not match for Zion so, in reality, they control him for the next 6 seasons (unless Zion does something unusual and signs for less than 4 years after his rookie deal is done). It is possible, at some point, that Zion could force New Orleans to deal him much in the way Harden, PG13, AD, and others have in recent years but that seems unlikely for a guy still on his first NBA deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidBenAkiva
If New Orleans is still struggling to make the playoffs in a few years, then this Zion to NY talk could start to be meaningful, "until then, it's all chatter."