Getty Images Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Now that the New York Knicks have re-entered the fray as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they have once again become a highly sought destination for coveted free agents. The Knicks’ breakout season in 2020 was one that nobody saw coming as they finished 4th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-31.
As a result, they are in the running to perhaps land their biggest superstar since Carmelo Anthony. Despite playing in one of the NBA’s biggest markets, landing a star will not be as seamless as it sounds for the Knicks. New York has a lot of potential for the future, but there will be other suitors for those stars who are ready to compete for a title right now.
Earl Monroe Thinks Chris Paul Is ‘Made’ for Madison Square Garden
The Knicks could not have picked a better time to become relevant again. This summer’s free-agent pool features household names such as Mike Conley, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard, and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul who is two wins away from his first-ever NBA Title with the Phoenix Suns.
It is not a guarantee that winning an NBA title this year will keep Chris Paul in Phoenix. After all, he just had a quick one-year pit stop with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. If Paul does choose to move on from the Suns after this season, Knicks’ legend Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe thinks CP3, and Madison Square Garden are the perfect match.
“I would love to see him at the Garden, his game is made for 33rd Street. I would love to see it, but I don’t know if it will happen. You get to a point he’s going to teams — except for OKC — that can compete for the championship. I don’t know if the Knicks can compete unless they get another piece,” Monroe said to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “If they get [Paul] and one more piece I’d love to see him direct that. They have a nucleus of guys. They need a little bit more. They were very competitive all year and didn’t have [center] Mitchell Robinson most of the year.”
Reggie Miller Thinks Knicks Are Still ‘a Superstar Away’
Despite a breakout season in which the Knicks had Julius Randle win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and their head coach Tom Thibodeau win the NBA’s Coach of the Year award, Monroe is not the only NBA legend to think that the Knicks are not elite yet. Hall of Famer Reggie Miller also believes that they are still are a superstar away from being a championship contender.
“They need a superstar above Julius Randle,” Miller said per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “Because what the playoffs showed to me was a lot of his flaws. And Atlanta kind of highlighted that when they pressured him. He struggled to shoot the three — which he was great during the regular season. And it kind of showed his deficiencies. And if they’re going to build around him, that’s one thing. To me, I think they need a superstar.”
Jamal Crawford Details Hilarious Blackberry Story
Former Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford played for the Knicks from 2004-2008. During a March 2021 appearance on NBA on TNT he revealed to analyst Candace Parker that he was one of the few NBA players that still uses a blackberry. Crawford has since made the switch from Blackberry to iPhone as he revealed to Landon Buford.
“So, what happened was I actually dropped my phone. I broke it. So, I needed it & Blackberries are not around like that. So, by the time I got it fixed, I would’ve missed a week. So, went in the store and messed around with the iPhone,” said Crawford.
“With my teammates I couldn’t be on the group texts.” 😂
It’s 2021 and @JCrossover is still rocking a Blackberry.
Did Jamal Crawford finally trade in his Blackberry for a IPhone?:
“What happen was I actually dropped my phone. So, I needed it & by time I got it fixed I would’ve missed a week. So, went in the store to messed around w the IPhone,” says @JCrossover.
Crawford has been out of the league since last summer after a short stint with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Bubble. If the Knicks were able to land CP3, having his ex-Clippers teammate coming off the bench would be a welcomed addition to their second unit.
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