Leave it to Reggie Miller to dampen the championship hopes of New York Knicks fans.
The Knicks have remained active in NBA offseason gossip, with Mike Conley, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Russell Westbrook among the hypothetical offseason arrivals. But the Hall of Fame shooter-turned-TNT analyst dispelled the notion that the Knicks are premiere free agent destination, remarking that he's "not sure guys want to play for the Knicks anymore" in a conference call obtained by the New York Daily News.
Miller believes that the Knicks' futile new century...featuring only one playoff series victory since 2001...has put too much pressure on potential newcomers, who are presented with a championship-or-bust scenario that is only amplified by the relentless nature of the New York media.
"Why go through the headache of the New York media? I hate to say that but they don’t have to do that anymore," Miller said in comments obtained by Stefan Bondy. "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."
Miller's Turner Sports colleague Stan Van Gundy had further criticism for the Knicks, namely through their decisions to hire basketball influencers and agents in their front office. While Leon Rose and William "World Wide Wes" Wesley have represented elite NBA talents, their connections have not landed prized free agents in blue and orange. Their respective positions with the Knicks are their first in an NBA team's front office.
"I don’t think people are going to line up because Leon Rose used to be an agent," Van Gundy, brother of former Knicks head coach Jeff, said. “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.'"
Though the Knicks failed to capitalize on a rare interruption to their playoff drought...finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference last season before they were ousted by the Atlanta Hawks in five games...the team appears to have hope in its young core headlined by RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. The team was recently bestowed the 11th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which could become a bargaining chip in future endeavors this offseason.
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