The New York Knicks traded for Jose Alvarado at the deadline and it's got Kevin Garnett excited.
The New York Knicks may have come away with the best trade of the entire deadline whey acquired Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Dalen terry, two second-round picks and cash considerations, and a NBA Hall of Famer agrees.
First things first, Alvarado is set up to be an easy fan favorite for New York. A Brooklyn native, Alvarado grew up rooting for the Knicks and hopping on public courts in New York and he's going to bring that spirit home with home to Madison Square Garden.
From an on-court standpoint, Alvarado's not only going to bring electric offense off the bench for New York with 7.9 points per game, but his signature defense is going to be a huge plus for the Knicks.
"Grand Theft Alvarado"
Alvarado's nicknamed "Grand Theft Alvarado" because of his prolific ability to grab steals. He's averaging 0.9 steals off the bench this season and he's known for his strategy of crouching down and hiding in the corner when another team inbounds the ball so he can run up behind them and grab a steal.
That kind of pesky, scrappy play will be a huge plus for the Knicks and set up a wealth of opportunities for the heavy-hitters like Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns and it's a move that's made retired NBA great Kevin Garnett hyped up.
On an episode of the Ticket and Truth podcast with Paul Pierce, Garnett his enthusiastic and unfiltered thoughts on what Alvarado's going to be able to do on the Knicks.
Garnett's Reaction
“Holy s—t. I saw that, and I love that. Shout out to Grand Theft, man. I'm so happy for him,’ Garnett said (via Ticket and Truth). “It's the Alvarado show, boy, he going to have a whole heist in that b—h.”
Alvarado is the perfect pickup for the Knicks at this point in the season. They've recovered from their post-NBA Cup skid and are are squarely in second position in the Eastern Conference.
The push that Alvarado gives them on both ends of the court is exactly what the Knicks need to spread out their game and give them the extra effort they've been lacking at times this season.
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) grabs a rebound on a missed shot by Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Jim Rassol-Imagn ImagesThe Alvarado era in New York is one that's full of promise and excitement not only for the Knicks fans that will be able to enjoy a new hometown hero on the court, but for Alvarado himself, who gets the chance to live out a childhood dream.
It's clearly something that has Garnett excited too.