Free Agency Memories Part 1: NBA Edition
Going back to 2019 and reliving the time the Knicks / Nets broke my heart on the way back to NYC...
Okay, I’m going to try something a little different today.
With NBA and NHL Free Agency now in full swing, I want to share some specific memories I have of this day from a particular year.
Actually, these memories span a couple of days so I want to lead off with an NBA Free Agency recollection, then I’ll return later with an NHL flashback.
I will no doubt have some actual thoughts on the free agency we just witnessed in both sports, and I will be launching a New York specific feature later this week too.
However, I thought it would be nice for now to take a stroll down memory lane and revisit my favorite personal memory - and a not-so fond memory - as it relates to NHL / NBA Free Agency.
With that, let’s jump into the time machine and head back to the year 2019…
Being a long-term New York Knicks fan, I was already well-versed in the pain and suffering that is part and parcel of following the Knickerbockers before the events of summer 2019.
It was June 30 and the vast majority of Knicks fans were still holding out hope that all their dreams would come true in one breathtakingly beautiful Woj Bomb later that day. The dream being, of course, that superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would both take their talents to Madison Square Garden.
I was one of those star-crossed fans. I had listened to Knicks owner James Dolan’s interview on The Michael Kay Show about players wanting to go and play in New York. I had become intoxicated by the very thought of marquee free agents suiting up for my Knicks and eventually winning championships.
It was those very thoughts that helped to make the very mundane task of packing that much more enjoyable. If you can even squeeze any semblance of joy from jamming clothes into a suitcase, that is. But there I was, rushing around because I had left everything to the last minute before flying back to New York from my hometown of England, listening to Bill Simmons’ ‘The 2019 NBA Free Agency Preview Extravaganza’ episode on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
My flight back wasn’t until the next day, so I was spending my last night in my home country checking I had packed my passport a million and one times and allowing Simmons to get me all juiced up about the prospect of KD landing at The Garden.
Side note - I was more obsessed with the Knicks signing Durant than Irving. Durant’s resume and God-like talent on the court spoke for itself, whereas Irving’s ability to be a pain in the butt was more than a little off-putting.
Anyway, by the time I had completed a full-on workout in attempting to secure my overpacked suitcase, checked my passport was secure in my hand luggage for the one millionth and second time, and triple-checked (multiply that a few times) that I had everything else in order, I was ready to pass out and dream about waking up to the news that Durant and Irving were members of the New York Knicks.
The Basketball Gods had other plans.
Instead, I woke up early the next day to the stunning news that both Durant and Irving had chosen New York, but shunned the Knicks in order to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in a shocking turn of events.
I, like every other Knicks fan on the planet, was crushed.
At that point, it was time to make sure (yet again) my passport was in my backpack and throw all my luggage in the back of the cab. Once on the way to the airport, I put in my headphones and started listening to Simmons’ reaction to KD jilting the Knicks and instead making Nets fans’ dreams come true.
It’s funny; I remember everything about that cab ride to the airport. I felt a wave of excitement as it pertained to getting back to NYC, tinged with a tangible sense of sadness that my Knicks were seemingly destined to be engulfed in basketball mediocrity forever. It was a weird couple of hours. I’m actually listening to that episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast as I’m writing this, and I almost remember it word for word. As it turns out, Simmons was my entire soundtrack for the next week or so.
Once I arrived at the airport, checked my bags in at bag drop, made it through the tedious - and lengthy - process of getting through security, I stumbled upon a no-thrills restaurant where I could grab a cheeseburger and a cold beer (picture below) and finish listening to Simmons rub salt into my already wide open and excruciating wounds.
Crestfallen, dejected, heartbroken, I finished my food, finished the podcast and passed the remainder of the time by aimlessly wondering around the terminal before finally boarding the plane. Now, at this point as I slouched into my seat and prepared for a long seven-hour flight, I began to become consumed by yet another Free Agency nightmare, which I’ll expand on in my NHL edition later.
But, sticking with basketball for now, I’ll never forget the overwhelming disappointment I felt throughout that entire day over Durant and Irving choosing the Nets over the Knicks. I just couldn’t believe it. I had actually convinced myself that the Knicks were getting both superstars. How stupid was I.
I remember walking past Madison Square Garden that same night once I had landed and being sick to the pit of my stomach at the realization that Durant and Irving would not be calling the Mecca of Basketball their home. Instead, they were over in Brooklyn getting used to their new surroundings at the Barclays Center. Although, I will say, I was very happy for an entirely different reason that night, which I’ll explain in my next post. My NBA / NHL Free Agency memories overlap a lot in a big way.
To finish, I deluded myself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, the Knicks were going to rebound by sticking it to Durant and Irving and instead pivoting to Kawhi Leonard. Again, I was only setting myself up for yet more crushing disillusionment. In the wake of Leonard signing with the Clippers, I then tortured myself more by listening to Simmons breaking it all down with Chris Mannix while strolling down Fifth Avenue with a Starbucks clenched in one hand and the remains of shattered dreams in the other.
I told you Simmons was the soundtrack of those two days.
So, there you go. That’s my NBA Free Agency memory from 2019. It is one of those moments in my life I will never forget for a slew of reasons. That entire summer was unforgettable, and my 24-hours of pain and suffering thanks to the Knicks was quickly wiped out thanks to the New York Rangers.
But, and even though the whole Durant-Irving experiment with the Nets blew up spectacularly, I still feel pangs of pain thinking about that whole ordeal in 2019. Talk about a wild rollercoaster full of wide-ranging emotions.
On that, I’ll sign off for now and I’ll be back shortly with an NHL Free Agency memory that I’ll cherish forever.
Talk to you then.