introducing himself to Knicks fans<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve been a Knicks fan since I was so young, and now I\u2019ll be playing in front of all my peoples.\u201d<\/p>\nAlvarado played for Christ the King Regional High School in Queens and earned the Catholic High School Athletic Association Player of the Year in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love that Alvarado is from New York,\u201d said Eliassof. \u201cThe mentality he brings\u2026 he\u2019s one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, Alvarado, who represents the Puerto Rico national team, is quickly becoming an inspiration for Latino Knicks fans. \u201cFor me, as a Dominican, it was a dream come true when the Knicks landed Karl-Anthony Towns,\u201d said Jos\u00e9 Castillo, 48, a program manager at a food testing lab. \u201cBut now we also have Alvarado, which is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know a lot of young kids who see themselves in Jose,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m telling my own son to look at Alvarado \u2014 he might not be the most skilled, but he\u2019s always played the hardest. He shows us that anything is possible if you try hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from Georgia Tech in 2021, Alvarado signed as an undrafted free agent with the Pelicans, where he spent four and a half seasons. Learning he was headed home made Alvarado and his family emotional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were shocked, like happy shocked,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody cried. I think I cried too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not the right time for Giannis<\/p>\n
Though the Knicks managed to snag Alvarado at the 11th hour, the blockbuster move NBA followers speculated about for months never happened: Giannis Antetokounmpo will finish the 2025-26 season in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Knicks fans\u2014known for both their passion and deep basketball knowledge\u2014understand that acquiring Antetokounmpo, the \u201cGreek Freak,\u201d midseason would have meant gutting the roster to afford Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiannis is a top-five player in the league. It would be great to have him as a Knick,\u201d said Steve Murray, 39, a bank executive and lifelong Knicks fan. \u201cBut bringing him in would mean trading away Karl-Anthony Towns, or OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. To break up the team like that now? Not a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, for some Knicks fans, the Antetokounmpo chatter has mostly felt like media hype.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Knicks front office is different,\u201d said Chuck Goldberg, a 31-year-old Manhattanite who never misses a Knicks game, whether in the Garden or on TV. \u201cThey don\u2019t flinch or chase headlines \u2014 they have a plan. They build teams the way New York builds things: strong, tough, maybe a little ugly if it has to be, and built to last.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldberg and other fans prefer to focus on the trade that happened, not the one that got away. \u201cAlvarado is a dog, a pain in the ass, the kind of guy opponents hate,\u201d said Goldberg. \u201cHe presses you, annoys you, and makes every possession miserable\u2014the Garden is gonna eat that up. The guy is built for New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldberg has high hopes for the Knicks who are third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-21 record: \u201cSky\u2019s the limit for us this season. The team will make it to the Finals, no question about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for Eliassof, the question isn\u2019t if Alvarado\u2019s jersey will hang in his basement\u2014it\u2019s where it will go.<\/p>\n
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