A palpable enthusiasm for something new ”” the Westchester Knicks ”” filled the venerable Westchester County Center as the team opened their inaugural season Nov. 19.
Founded this past off-season to develop prospects for the New York Knicks, the Westchester Knicks play in the NBA Development league. The league, which was founded in 2001 as a direct developmental pipeline to the NBA, has stabilized minor league basketball and kept NBA prospects and players who can fill out a big league roster from having to go overseas to earn a paycheck.
Player development, despite being part of the league”™s name, is only one aspect of the league”™s mission, the other being affordable entertainment.
“This is good basketball, these are players who may end up playing in Madison Square Garden a week from now, a month from now or a year from now,” Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said. “This is quality basketball at a real affordable price. Madison Square Garden is expensive, a (New York) Knicks game is expensive, but here you can get in for $10 and watch great basketball.”
“We really want to make an environment that is great for families,” Westchester Knicks general manager Bill Boyce told the Business Journal during the off-season. “Families can bring their kids out and the kids can take away a memory that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.”
That aspect was on display when the team played its first home game at the sold-out County Center. Players exchanged fist-bumps with fans on their way to the court, and former New York Knicks star and current assistant general manager Allan Houston signed autographs, mingling among the crowd.
“It”™s fantastic to be here. My mom was a public high school teacher here in White Plains, so it”™s especially gratifying,” NBA commissioner and Rye native Adam Silver told the Business Journal after taking photos with fans. “I came to events here when I was in high school in the ”™70s, so it”™s special.”
While the Westchester Knicks dropped that first home game to the Canton (Ohio) Charge, the D-League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team was able to get its first win Nov. 21 against the Grand Rapids Drive by the score of 97-83. While the second home game drew a slightly smaller crowd of 1,553, the County Center”™s intimate seating arrangement for Westchester Knicks gets fans close to the game.
“There isn”™t a bad seat up here,” Boyce told the Business Journal as he walked the balcony concourse during the home opener.
“We negotiated probably for six months to get a contract that was favorable to both sides,” Astorino said. “We started from a position where we wanted to do it and the Knicks wanted to do it, and we said, ”˜Let”™s get it done”™ and we did. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people.”
Astorino, who attended the Nov. 19 game with his children, said that the goodwill for the county generated by the Westchester Knicks is invaluable.
“Westchester is one of the famous counties in America ”” it”™s recognizable. But when you add the Knicks name to it, it adds a lot of cachet,” he said. “In the papers around the country tomorrow, it”™s going to say ”˜Westchester Knicks”™ ”” hopefully that they won.”
