New York Knicks fans may be agonizing over losing out on Kevin Durant now, but ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson feels that it might actually be a good thing in the long run:
"This might be the best thing that has happened to them."
—@Rjeff24 on Knicks losing out on KD pic.twitter.com/kCUz4rp19z
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 1, 2019
Jefferson doesn't even cite Durant's injury concerns as to why this might be a positive thing for the Knicks, instead saying that this may provide an opportunity for New York to “grow up” as a franchise and to realize that players don't care about playing in Madison Square Garden anymore.
Jefferson makes some very good points.
The Knicks seem to still be banking on the fact that they are New York's marquee team and are using that as what they feel is leverage to try and lure free agents, but it doesn't work that way these days.
He then goes on to mention the Brooklyn Nets (with whom Durant has agreed to sign) and the Los Angeles Clippers as franchises that may not have a history, but have recently been building a good culture that is attractive to free agents.
In today's NBA, guys prioritize stability and winning above all else, and the Knicks simply do not have that at the moment. After all, this is a franchise that won just 17 games this past year, has not made the playoffs since 2013 and has won just one playoff series since 2002.
Maybe now, New York will stop relying on its status to try and land big-name players and will instead begin to build its team the right way in order to cultivate a winning culture moving forward.
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