The Knicks are terrible this year, but that's by design.
New York is one game behind Phoenix in the loss column in the race to have the worst record in the NBA. The Knicks will likely have a 14 percent chance at the number one overall pick, and thus, a 14 percent at being able to draft Zion Williamson.
Knicks fans have been dreaming about Williamson all season, so many undoubtedly tuned in to watch his Duke team play their in-state rivals North Carolina on Wednesday night, but the 18-year-old phenom only lasted a few moments into the highly-anticipated contest. Williamson went down with a knee injury in the first minute of the game after one of his shoes fell apart while he tried to plant and make a cut. He did not return to the game, and No. 1 Duke ended up getting blown out 88-72 on their home court.
"Boomer & Gio" got the ball rolling on Thursday morning talking about the UNC-Duke game and the aforementioned injury to Williamson. Early reports are that it’s a mildly sprained knee, which is a relief, but the way he had been injured was not something that the guys had seen before.
"It's one of two things," said Gio. "That shoe is really, really flimsy, or he's really, really powerful, or maybe it's a combination of both. That's something that just does not happen."
The injury seems to be minor, but that has not stopped speculation about whether Williamson will continue to play for Duke or whether he will sit out the season to save his body for June's NBA Draft. Both hosts were firmly in the camp that he should come back and play out the season when he is healthy.
"Now you've got all the questions about 'should a guy like Zion Williamson, who is knocking on the door of being ... a billion dollar player even step back out there?' To me, I think it's a ridiculous thought that he would shut it down. I get why people would say that, we've seen it with bowl games and football players don't wanna play in bowl games. And he's always wanted to play college basketball. If you look back and listen to him, he said that even if the NBA rule was different and he could go at 18, he would've still gone to college. That's what he says, because he always dreamed of playing college basketball at least four years ... if he's 100 percent healthy, you can not be scared away from college basketball and just completely shut it down and get ready for the draft."
Listen above to the full open from today's "Boomer & Gio" show.