The Life of an ''Orphan NBA fan'' & Why I'm Dropping it, plus the ''Nova Knicks''
By Samson Sanders Jr
My ‘‘Nova Knicks’’ Take
Have you been living under a rock? or maybe, just possibly, you might actually have a meaningful life outside of following every waking moment of the NBA. If that’s the case, The Sports Nerd has you covered.
Last week, the New York Knicks traded for Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges, completing the ‘‘Villanova Knicks’’. (While writing this, I was thinking about inserting a bunch of nerdy niche references to equate to the Knicks capturing their fourth piece to their puzzle, but I have willpower.) Anyway. The Knicks have Mikal Bridges! They acquired Bridges via trade that saw them send Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first round picks, a 2025 protected first round pick, a 2025 second round pick, and a good-ole 2028 pick swap.
My first thoughts after the trade:
How well do they match up against the Celics?
I need to call my dad
They were able to keep their core together and add an unselfish, all-star level guy, basically for Bogdanovic. Who I like, but on a Tom Thibodaux-coached team, unless he’s Ray Allen from three, he’s noting seeing the floor.
I’m not ready to give you a 2024-2025 Knicks prediction or anything like that, (Just yet); it’s way too early, and as I’m writing this, day 1 of free agency is going on, and Philly just signed Paul George. So, who knows where we’ll be a week from now
But what I can tell you is that the Knicks are back. No more flashy short-term decisions, weird coaching hires, or missing out on big name free agents. Instead, this regime of the Knicks is smart and patient; they seem to have a long-term and short-term plan, and most importantly, they have their long-awaited superstar in Jalen Brunson. So who knows how next season plays out for the Knicks, but whatever happens, I feel confident in saying that for the rest of the decade, Knicks fans are in good hands.
Life of ‘‘An Orphan NBA Fan’’ and why I’m leaving:
Being an ‘‘Orphan NBA Fan’’ is fun; you can hop from team to team, your emotions are controlled by the level of care you choose to put in. You don’t get too high or too low when your new team loses or makes a bad trade. And when there’s a new team on the block, you can always hop on their bandwagon.
Oh, James Harden just got traded to Houston? I guess I have to get Rockets jersey now. Lebron’s back with the Cavs? I guess I’ll be rooting for them to win the title. And if those teams fall short of expectations, you can always briefly disown them like a parent who’s embarrassed by their kid.
You see, there’s only upside to being an “Orphan NBA Fan” but I’m giving up all the privilege and comfort to commit to the New York Knicks for a full season. That’s right, I’m leaving the orphanage, but unlike an orphan, I’m not getting picked; I’m showing up at a family’s doorstep and telling them that I’m joining their family.
I’ll be invested in every trade, every win, the coaching mishaps, the win streaks, the losing streak, the comeback wins, the heartbreak losses, the injuries, and hopefully, an NBA championship.
It was round 1, game 6, Knicks at Sixers. When I really realized that this fandom thing is actually pretty cool, being invested in every possession was so fun and torturing at the same time, but I would do it all over again just to get the satisfying road win (especially against the Sixers). I was on phone with my dad for the entirety of the game (we watch all Knicks games this way). He was on a slight delay, so when something bad would happen to the Knicks, I wouldn’t say anything, but when something good would happen, I would be the first to let him know.
It’s different than rooting for the Cavs in a game 7 against Golden State; I don’t know anyone from Cleveland, and besides being a fan of Lebron and Kyrie, I don’t have any personal connection to them. I’m from New York and my dad’s a huge Knick fan. so yes, I was rooting hard for the Cavs against the Warriors in 2015, 2016, and 17. I had sweaty palms, nerves, heightened anxiety, the whole nine, but when the Cavs lost in 15 & 17, I didn’t have to go take a walk to cool down my emotions like I did when Tyrese Maxey went off in game 5 in garden. Seriously, I had to go take a walk to think about what just happened and if a heart attack was worth rooting for this team.
But when you’re all in, you’re all in; you take the good with the bad, like a marriage. So I dust myself off, walked back to my house, and starting thinking about game 6. That’s what being a true fan is about. Full commitment. And that’s what I’ll be for the entirety of the 2024-2025 NBA season. Go KNICKS!!!