With the Boston Celtics’ set to matchup with the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, Kemba Walker was home. Well, not exactly home, as New York City is a half-hour’s drive away from The Bronx, and Boston — where Walker lives now — is a three and a half hour drive from the Big Apple.
Nonetheless, Walker was born in The Bronx and went to high school in Harlem, so New York for him — in general — is home.
Consequentially, nobody should be surprised that Walker considered signing with the Knicks in free agency.
They’re no longer New York’s best basketball team, with the Brooklyn Nets leapfrogging them in that area even before signing perennial All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. However, they’re New York’s most historically relevant team (the Nets were based in New Jersey until 2012).
They also haven’t had a star point guard suit up for them for the long-term since arguably Stephon Marbury was still hooping stateside.
Prior to Boston’s matchup against New York on Saturday, Walker discussed his free agency process and confirmed that he had interest in signing with the Knicks this summer. His interest in playing for his home state team was originally reported in late June, just days before the moratorium period began.
“It was (a consideration). It was. They were definitely one of the teams I was looking at in free agency. But I picked Boston. I just felt it was a better fit for me,” Walker said before the Knicks home opener against Boston on Saturday.
What likely made the Celtics a better fit was that Boston had an established, and recent, culture of winning and striving for playoff success after having reached the Eastern Conference Finals in two of the last three postseasons. The Knicks, for comparison, haven’t been to the NBA Playoffs since 2013 and the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
“It’s a very winning organization,” Walker says of the Celtics.
Walker also was drawn to Boston’s system, which is point guard-friendly and allows them to put up great numbers. Stylistically, his play wasn’t all to different from Irving or Isaiah Thomas, the point guards that suited up for the Celtics just before him.
Boston, as Walker concedes, was just the right team at the right time.
“They have great players I enjoy being around. Definitely think it’s the best fit for me,” the three-time All-Star finished.
