New York fans are giddy with the thought of New Orleans superstar guard Chris Paul playing alongside his buddies Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in the Big Apple this year. However, the chances are slim that the Knicks will pull the trigger on such a trade. While it is no big secret that the Knicks lack the necessary trading pieces to acquire Paul, the real reason the move is unlikely to happen is because Knicks owner James Dolan has his eyes on a different prize.
And the elite point guard Dolan has in mind plays for the Chicago Bulls.
“John. Lucas. The Third,” replied Dolan when asked who his top choice was to add to the Knicks’ roster. “Did you see this guy at Rucker Park? Well I didn’t because I’m afraid to go there, but I saw it on YouTube. He dominated Kevin Durant!”
Dolan was referring to summer exhibition games played at New York’s famous Rucker Park, where the two-time league-leading scorer Durant dropped 66 and 41 points on consecutive nights. That second night, John Lucas III played up to Durant’s level, scoring 60 points himself and often with Durant “guarding” him.
That was enough to capture Dolan’s attention. “I mean, if you can outplay a player like Kevin Durant, then you can play for my team any time. Forget Chris Paul. Get me John Lucas III,” Dolan said.
When reminded that Lucas III has played all of ten minutes in two NBA games in the last four years, Dolan defended himself to reporters.
“What, do you guys think I’m stupid? My people tell me we can’t get Chris Paul or Deron Williams without gutting our team. So that means we move on to plan B. And the next best thing, in my opinion, is John Lucas III,” said Dolan. “You put a guy like that on our team, with Carmelo and Amare? I think we can score 200 a night, easily.”
