Despite the rampant bashing from Phil Jackson’s many detractors, one thing we here at P&T will always give him credit for is his damn near miraculous restraint in trading away first-round draft picks. At least this gives Knicks fans a chance to dream on acquiring the next wave of young NBA talent.
And Jackson’s most recent draft night acquisition, Willy Hernangomez, is wasting no time in recruiting. Here he is swimming with 17-year-old Slovenian phenom Luka Dončić:
Enjoy the evening time with my young friend @luka7doncic I wish you the best for this season #cantera pic.twitter.com/NOJwWoVXFq
— Willy Hernangómez (@willyhg94) September 1, 2016
Dončić played with Hernangomez (and Maurice Ndour) at Real Madrid, where he was the youngest player in the Spanish league for the second consecutive year. In 2015 he became the youngest player in history to take the court for the Spanish basketball power.
So what does this mean for the Knicks? Let me direct you to NBA bylaw 321 (a.) sub-clause 1232 (x.) paragraph 32, line 2 — if any prospect under the age of 20 not yet entered into the draft enters a swimming pool with an NBA player while wearing matching trunks, he immediately becomes the property of that player’s club.
It’s the matching swim trunks that really seal the contract, at least from a jurisprudence perspective. We have already established that hanging out in the pool together is a staple of Knicks team culture.
In closing, Luka Dončić now belongs to the New York Knicks. I rest my case.