Kevin Durant Is Apparently In Love With Godzingis, Calls Him A Unicorn, Probably Wants To Sign With The Knicks
NY Daily News- However innocuous and innocent, the line of communication was open between the Knicks and top free agent Kevin Durant. The topic was familiar to the discussion around New York these days: Kristaps Porzingis. “When they made the pick I texted (Knicks coach Derek Fisher) and immediately said, ‘I like this kid, he can play,’” Durant told reporters Monday. “A lot of people were down on him, but he can play.” Durant went on to compare Porzingis to a mystical and beautiful creature. “He’s a skilled player. He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend. He’s a 7-footer who can step out to the 3-point line and hit shots. And block shots. That’s rare. That’s like a unicorn.”
Barring an NBA Finals miracle, Durant will make his final appearance at the Garden on Tuesday versus the Knicks before becoming the biggest free agent not named LeBron James. Fisher’s friendship with Durant — which stems from their season as teammates with OKC — will figure to play some role, though probably nothing major, as New York will command enough cap space to land the transformational star.
The Knicks are more enticing to stars than last year because of Porzingis and the vast improvement from the 65-loss disaster of 2014-15. But they can’t offer as much money as the Thunder or the prospect of playing with Russell Westbrook. They also aren’t a fit for a long dynamic scorer because they already have Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony. What the Knicks can offer is the spotlight of New York, “the Mecca of basketball,” as Durant described this week, which is something he doesn’t need for endorsements (he has plenty of those) but perhaps craves nonetheless. Durant hinted recently at his annoyance for the lack of attention to the Thunder (33-13), something he expanded on Monday. “We are in Oklahoma City, we don’t have a lot of guys coming to cover us,” he said of playing in the NBA’s smallest market. “But we have been quietly doing our thing and just working and winning games.”
What a time it is to be a Knicks fan. Our (alleged) adulterer of a coach is friendly with some of the best upcoming free agents in the league. Sure there is a chance he may smash your wife’s guts. But that’s beside the point. Our beloved rookie is being compared to mythical creatures. I bet players that haven’t seen Porzingis in person may think he’s an actual unicorn. Hell, I’m not even convinced that he is definitely not a unicorn. I just had my first “meet Kristaps and we became best friends” dream last night and it’s the best dry dream I have ever had. And free agents just may want to play here again. Oh yeah, and guess what? We have cap space! It’s like the Zen Master actually knew what he was doing.
Now I understand there is a decent chance that Durant doesn’t sign with the Knicks. I imagine he wants to go home and is a better fit in Washington than New York. And while I’m sure he will forever loved Oklahoma City, the Thunder’s time may have run out in the West while the Warriors and Spurs continue to thrive on another planet. But the mere thought of a front court of Melo, Durant and Porzingis would give any basketball fan a boner. Hell even throw RoLo’s goofy ass in there and we can call them The Skyscrapers or something. It’s a long shot, but just the fact that it looks like the Knicks actually have a bright future despite Dolan owning the team is nothing short of amazing. And yes, as always, I am ready for the other shoe to drop.
Also, after reading this excerpt from the new SI column about Porzingis, all New Yorkers have to make a pact to not ruin him like we did with LT, Doc, Darryl, and countless others. There is too much at stake for the city. This goes double for pro hoes, drug dealers, and rabble rousers.