'Can't F*** This Up!': Knicks Get Victor Wembanyama in Kevin Garnett's Fantasy
One of the dreamiest ... if not somewhat implausible ... fantasies for New York Knicks basketball has spawned not from the imaginations of the loyal attendees of Madison Square Garden, but rather from an old enemy.
Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett expounded upon the potential of future NBA Draft sensation Victor Wembanyama during the latest episode of his "KG Certified" podcast produced by Showtime by placing him in New York. Though Garnett waged constant battle with the Knicks during his six-season tenure in Beantown, the Hall-of-Famer claimed he'd "love" to see the Knicks acquire Wembanyama's services.
Speaking with former Celtics teammate and fellow 2008 champion Paul Pierce, Garnett believes that the French-born Wembanyama's international experience in high-profile leagues and competitions would make him a natural fit for the gargantuan expectations that would be placed upon him in New York.
"This kid is used to the best of the best," Garnett told Pierce. "He's playing around the world, he's playing in Paris, he's playing in all these crazy places, different places, man, can you imagine?"
The 18-year-old, standing at 7'3, has gained international fame for his shooting abilities. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James referred to Wembanyama as "an alien" after watching him partake in an exhibition game against the American developmental team NBA G League Ignite over the summer. Currently representing French club Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama briefly introduced himself to the NBA scene with 37 points and a 7'11 wingspan.
Garnett and Pierce believe that Wembanyama would be the perfect superstar to lead New York into the future and "rekindle and rejuvenate" the downtrodden franchise, especially after so many near misses on the free agency front (including Sunday visitor Donovan Mitchell).
"This would be the superstar that's been avoiding them for decades," Pierce declares.
Garnett, perhaps best known in Knicks circles for his feud with Carmelo Anthony, believes that Wembanyama would have to play "just a little bit halfway decent" to push the Knicks in the right direction. New York has mustered only one winning season in the past nine and its only playoff series victory since a semifinal run in 2000 came against Garnett and Pierce's Celtics in 2013, when each was near the end of their respective runs in green.
"This kid's giving you step-backs, turnaround threes, it's over, it's over (if he goes to the Knicks), it is over. It's prime time" Garnett declares, making hypothetical plans with Pierce to go to MSG to see Wembanyama rep the blue and orange. Pierce counters that, as a rookie, he'd be wary of the massive expectations in New York (something he and Garnett are partly familiar with after a brief but mediocre tenure in Brooklyn during the twilight of their respective careers, but Garnett counters that it "can only get better."
"He can't f*** this up. He can't f*** New York up!"
If the Knicks did want to set their sights on Wembanyama, it appears that even losing is something they can't do right: as it standings, the Knicks (11-13) linger at the cusp of the Eastern Conference's early playoff picture, currently in the first team out of the Play-In Tournament opportunity afforded with the seventh-through-tenth place groups. While the Knicks have built a sizable draft cabinet in hopes of luring an elite talent via trade, the current lottery odds would have them choosing 10th and 14th in the next summer's opening round, where Wembanyama is expected to go in the top slot (currently held by Orlando).
Even if the Knicks were to secure top lottery odds, even that would be no guarantee: save for their initial success in the inaugural lottery in 1985 (winning the Patrick Ewing sweepstakes in a seven-team raffle where all had even odds), the Knicks have not been lucky. They notably had the top odds for the No. 1 pick in 2019 but fell behind New Orleans and Memphis, who respectively chose Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. New York took RJ Barrett with the subsequent third choice.
The Knicks return to action on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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