The New York Knicks had an outstanding 2020-21 NBA season. They earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which means homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
It was a remarkable turnaround in the first season under head coach, Tom Thibodeau. He got the players to buy in and it culminated in the most success the team has had since 2013, the last time they made the postseason. However, could this renaissance have occurred three years ago?
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The Knicks being linked to big-name players in recent years has almost always been media-driven or players using them for leverage. Every offseason, New York was rumored to be a destination for All-Stars and it never came to fruition. Now that the team has seemingly turned things about, news about LeBron James wanting to play in New York when he last became a free agent stings a little less.
While making an appearance on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, Lisa Robinson of Vanity Fair shared some shocking news about LeBron’s free agency tour in 2018. According to Robinson, James wanted to play for the Knicks before signing with the Lakers, but his wife was not on board with the decision.
“We heard that LeBron wanted to come to New York. And I have really good sources about this, that he was thinking about coming to New York but that his wife wanted to be in Los Angeles, wanted the kids to go to school in Los Angeles, and that just kiboshed the whole thing.”
That would have greatly altered the landscape of the Knicks and NBA. New York could have worked harder to rebuild the relationship between the organization and Kristaps Porzingis. Or, could they have swung a deal for Anthony Davis, as the team LeBron James chose, the Los Angeles Lakers, accomplished in 2019.
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Had the Knicks been in the doldrums of the Eastern Conference once again, this news would be devastating. But, now that they are on the right track and competitive again, it is a lot easier pill to swallow as the organization is on the up and up.
