The Loop

Today in "Why the Knicks stink": That time they didn't even scout Giannis Antetokounmpo

February 13, 2019
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Gary Dineen

The notion of the New York Knicks being a dumpster fire of a franchise is nothing new. Since the start of the 2001-2002 NBA season the team has posted just two winning records (one of which was 42-40) and won one playoff series. ONE! As a disgruntled supporter of the orange and blue, I'd like to say the Knicks have been cursed with bad luck. But that couldn't be further from the truth of why this team has been so pathetic for so long.

To put it mildly, the Knicks have brought this extended wretchedness on themselves through horrendous player evaluation (Drafting Frederic Weis 15th over Ron Artest in 1999 kicked off a series of dumb draft mistakes), overpaying players (I loved Alan Houston as much as anyone, but a MAX contract?!) overtrading assets for selfish players (Hi, Stephon Marbury and Carmelo Anthony), and giving away prized possessions like Kristaps Porzingis last week.

I was just getting over the loss of New York's Latvian savior when I came across the following tweet. It's an outtake from a documentary on Giannis Antetokounmpo called Finding Giannis, which will air this Saturday on TNT. And now I'm more upset than when the Knicks didn't re-sign Jeremy Lin. Check it out:

"Every team came, you know," Giannis' agent says in the clip. "Twenty-nine teams, except Knicks. New York Knicks."

Good job, Knicks! SMH as the kids say. SMH.

The Knicks couldn't even be bothered to scout the guy who would go on to become the "Greek Freak" and who has a great chance of winning his first of many NBA MVPs this year? How is that possible?! Isn't that what scouts are paid to do?!

To be fair, Giannis was only 18 and the Knicks only had the 24th pick in the first round (Of course, this was the one draft after they had a good record). But still, they could have traded up. They could have at least tried! It's not like Giannis even was a lottery pick. He went 15th.

But no, Knicks management sat on their hands and drafted Tim Hardaway Jr., probably because they didn't have to go all the way to Greece to see him play. Flying across the Atlantic was too much of a hassle to see a potential once-in-a-generation talent.

And now that skinny, raw talent has grown into an absolute terror. Just look at him standing next to arguably the PGA Tour's buffest player, Brooks Koepka:

What a monster. And what a nightmare. Being a Knicks fan, that is.