DREAM TEAM
With trade to Knicks, Bogdanovic, Burks see their wishes come true
For newcomers Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, a trade to the Knicks was a saving grace.
The Knicks acquired both Burks — a six-foot-five scoring wing — and Bogdanovic, a 20-point-per-game scorer and playmaker, in Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline deal that sent Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and Malachi Flynn to the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons owned the NBA’s worst record last season and own the worst record in basketball again this season.
A year-and-a-half in Detroit made both Bogdanovic and Burks yearn for meaningful minutes on a team contending for the playoffs.
“Even though we couldn’t win in Detroit, both me and my family had a great time there. They have a lot of young guys. I really think they’re going to develop and be important players in this league for a while, so like Alec, I wish them the best,” Bogdanovic said. “I’ve missed (two) playoffs in my career. So it’s kind of I’m used to big expectations and playing for playoff teams and contenders.”
Burks already knew what to expect having played for Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks before.
He was a member of the 202021 Knicks team that snapped a seven-year playoff drought and was also on the roster when they missed the playoffs altogether the following season.
“I’ve been a Knick so I know how it is. They expect you to win every game you step on the floor,” he said. “But you know — no disrespect to Detroit: They’re just trying to rebuild and build around the great young players that they have, which in the future they will be really good — but as you get older in this league, you want to play for different things. I wish them the best. Hopefully, this team [can do something special].”
Bogdanovic lived the dream in his Knicks debut against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Fans at Madison Square Garden cheered when the Jumbotron showed the Croatian forward at the 4:12 mark of the first quarter.
“It’s crazy. I think that all European players dream to play to play in The Garden once,” he said. “So being able to be part of the Knicks, it’s, it’s really, really special — special for me. The building was on fire like whole game. So I really appreciate the support and love that they showed me today.”
Bogdanovic, who spent the first three seasons of his NBA career in Brooklyn with the Nets, knows the difference between Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden.
“Just super-excited to be part of one of the biggest franchises in the world probably, and to be a part of the Knicks family. It’s huge for me to be here, and really excited to be back in New York,” he said. “It means a lot. I played with the Nets, but all my friends are New Yorkers, and they’re all Knicks fans. So it’s gonna be even better for them, as well, to see me in a Knick jersey. There’s a big Croatian community here in New York, so I’ll have a lot of these guys from my country supporting the Knicks now.”