Los Angeles Lakers veteran Jared Dudley played with the Brooklyn Nets last season and was part of the turnaround in Brooklyn. Living in New York City, Dudley was around New York Knicks fans a lot and could sense how desperate the supporters were for the Knicks to be good again.
This past summer was a tough one for the Knicks. Despite having the worst record in the NBA last season, they didn't get the No. 1 overall pick. They also saw superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sign with the Nets and not even take a meeting with Steve Mills and Scott Perry.
In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Jared Dudley says there's a reason the Nets got Durant, Irving and DeAndre Jordan, and it has to do with how the organization is run and where the practice facility is located.
“Listen, we bash on the Knicks because of how they’re run as an organization,” Dudley said. “Seventy percent of the league would want to play for the Knicks. I lived in New York. New York is one of the best cities to play in. The Knick fans, besides Lakers fans, are probably No. 2 when it comes to popularity. People are just waiting for it to be, in their eyes, a competent (franchise).
“The first thing I would be doing? I’d be getting rid of that practice facility in Westchester. Nobody wants to live there, no one wants to commute there. You have to get as close to the city as possible. That’s why Brooklyn got Kevin Durant. I told DeAndre Jordan who told Kevin Durant: The practice facility is two minutes from (Barclays Center). They didn’t even know that. I lived in the city. It took me 12 minutes to get to the practice facility. That’s a huge bonus.”
Most people believe the Knicks will be a walking disaster until owner James Dolan sells the team. Dudley says there are other factors in play.
The Knicks are on their way to missing the playoffs again this season, while the Nets are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
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