The Knicks Are Planning to Win With the Best of Villanova.
Like all NBA teams, the Sixers have deep scouting capabilities that can reach across the globe to evaluate prospective talent.
It seems like the Sixers-Regional-Talent-Evaluator didn’t extend to just ten miles outside of Philadelphia to cast its gaze on the promise of Villanova.
However, the New York Knicks have noticed, as they sent Bojan Bogdanovic along with five first-round draft picks to the New Jersey Nets for Forward Mikal Bridges this week.
Bridges — who was originally drafted by the Sixers in 2018 before being almost immediately and inexplicably dealt to the Phoenix Suns — joins other former Villanova stars, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo. After defeating the Sixers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs and losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals — New York has decided that the addition of one more former Wildcat is exactly what they need to capture the NBA Championship in 2025.
While the Knicks strengthened their roster against the divisional rival Philadelphia with NCAA Championship caliber quality from Lancaster Ave.— the Sixers’ loss may be Villanova’s gain. The national attention once again being cast on the two magical NCAA Championship runs that Villanova had in 2016 and 2018 will no doubt be a reminder of what is capable for Kyle Neptune’s squad as they look to improve on an 18–16 record and 6th place finish in the Big East during the 2023–2024 campaign.
Villanova — one of America’s finest college basketball programs — can consistently achieve that Championship level of greatness.
Villanova basketball made other news this week, too. The Nets looked to another former Villanova star by signing former Wildcat Guard Mark Armstrong. The Milwaukee Bucks signed former Villanova Guard Justin Moore.
And what of the Sixers, who now turn to their 2024 NBA Draft Selections in an attempt to compliment one of the best big men in the NBA and one of the finest young guards in the NBA with a pin-point precise jump shot and the lightening-fast speed that strains TNT cameramen to catch up?
When it came to this group of Villanova Wildcats, who are now together on the Knicks, it was a complete mess.
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