Read and React: Are KD and Kyrie really up to saving the Knicks?

Wed, May 8, 2019, 2:17 PM

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There’s no doubt New York Knicks fans are a thirsty bunch. They haven’t seen a title since 1973 and they’ve watched their team exist as little more than a punchline for most of this century.

And yet it looks like relief might be on the way! The Knicks have a shot at winning Zion Williamson in the May 14 draft lottery and there’s a lot of chatter all that cap space will help them land both Kevin Durant AND Kyrie Irving in free agency.

It all sounds great in theory, but about that last part … is anyone else concerned it might be a mirage?

Don’t get me wrong. You get a chance to add two of the top 10 players, you take it. KD and Kyrie make the Knicks instantly relevant and they tip the NBA’s balance of power back toward the Eastern Conference for the first time in a generation.

But I’m also not convinced this is a marriage that sends the Knicks back to the top — or even past the elite Eastern squads.

Irving might be playing in his final game with the Celtics in tonight’s Game 5 against Milwaukee and his time in Boston hasn’t been great. He’s turned in a total stinker of a series against the Bucks and his leadership has been called into question after the Celtics were expected to be the class of the East this season. He’s a fantastic player with a championship ring, but is he ready to be a player who elevates a franchise to the next level? He wasn’t with Boston.

Then there’s KD. He’s been arguably the best player in this postseason, but he’s also the most thin-skinned superstar in recent memory and he bristles at what he perceives to be shoddy media treatment in a generally fawning atmosphere. How’s he going to deal with the New York tabs the first time the Knicks drop three straight and Kyrie starts doing his thing? I’m skeptical.

One Vegas sportsbook doesn’t believe the Knicks are the favorite to land Irving (it’s not the Lakers either).

Either way, it’ll be fascinating to see how this all plays out. The rewards seem great, but are they all what they seem?