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Stan Van Gundy views the Zion Williamson-to-New York rumors as just another example of the Knicks’ “arrogance,” taking a rhetorical torch to the idea on “The Dan Le Batard Show.”
“It’s possible,” said Van Gundy, the last person to coach Williamson in an NBA game. “But listen. The Knicks have this thing and it’s amazing. No matter how many times people have proven they don’t want to play for the Knicks, the Knicks have this idea that everybody in the league wants to play for the Knicks. Now what is the last time it actually happened that somebody came and tried to get their way to New York? Like, never in the last 20 years?
“But still the Knicks and Knicks fans think everybody is trying to get to the Knicks. I’m not saying [Zion] won’t end up there — there’s all kinds of ways people can end up somewhere — but this idea that everybody wants to be a New York Knick, I mean if that were the case, then they wouldn’t be as bad as they’ve been for the last 20 years.”
The rumor has been sparked after Williamson, who continues to rehab an injury, was described as “detached” by JJ Redick, a former teammate in New Orleans. The Knicks tanked for Williamson when he was a prospect at Duke, but came up short in the lottery.
Upon getting drafted by the Pelicans, the 21-year-old expressed admiration for the city of New Orleans, but he’s played just 85 games in three years and questions surrounding his fitness continue to swirl.
Whether Williamson would be the player he’s advertised as should the Knicks manage to acquire him is an open question. Along the same line, it’s also worth wondering whether the forward is worth a max extension, which he’s eligible for this summer.
“No one yet has passed on signing the extension,” Van Gundy said. “No one yet. It’s too lucrative. So he’s first got to sign. And then it normally takes a year or two before people are forcing themselves somewhere else. So I think we’re a little premature on all of this.
“And I don’t know what the Knicks would have that New Orleans would jump at right now. I just don’t. Who would they want? Evan Fournier?”
The idea of Donovan Mitchell going to New York — another longtime rumor that’s never come to fruition — also drew Van Gundy’s ire.
“The Knicks’ arrogance as an organization has astounded me the entire time I’ve been in the league,” Van Gundy said. “You would think this is a perennial champion, this great organization that everyone wants to play for. Please. C’mon. Can we stop it? Just because the Knicks fans want a player doesn’t mean everyone is trying to get there.”
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