Anthony J. Causi
Brandon Jennings – New York’s Newest Hero
It’s been almost 7 years since Brandon Jennings shook the world with his unreal game as a rookie. On November 14, 2009, after a scoreless first quarter, Jennings scored 29 points in the 3rd quarter against Golden State and finished with a total of 55 points in the game to break the team record for most points by a rookie previously set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970. Jennings’s performance was the most points scored by a rookie since Earl “The Pearl” Monroe scored 56 in 1968. He became the youngest player to ever score 55, collecting the second-highest total for a player under 21, behind only LeBron James’s 56 points in March 2005, and the second-most points scored by a Milwaukee Buck. (wikipedia.org)
After some good seasons with the Bucks, Jennings’ rise to NBA stardome had come to an end after his trade to the Detroit Pistons. In leaving Milwaukee, Jennings’ career went south, mainly because of repeated injuries. He ruptured his left Achilles tendon, which cost him almost two years. A quick stop in Orlando, with mediocre success, caused Jennings’ value to drop even more, so that the New York Knicks were able to sign a former up-and-coming star for very little money (in terms of today’s NBA craziness). This deal could turn out to be one of the biggest bargains of the summer.
In the Knicks preseason game against the Wizards, Brandon Jennings amazed the Madison Square Garden crowd with some amazing moves. The Garden crowd chanted his name in unison, to which Jennings reacted after the game:
“Never heard 20,000 people chanting my name before so that was pretty awesome.”
Carmelo Anthony was surprised that the Knicks signed Jennings for just $5 million over the summer:
“A guy who knew how to run the team, who plays a fast pace, could push the ball. So for us to get him as a backup, I thought we got a steal.”
Coach Jeff Hornacek also was amazed by Brandon Jennings’ energy:
“He’s going to be a crowd favorite. He’s going to do some crazy stuff sometimes, get the crowd going. We just have to let him be Brandon for a bit, if it gets too carried away then we’ll rein him back in. But he’s very good at that. He just loves to play basketball.”
For now, Jennings is Derrick Rose’s backup. But we all know this could change in a second, considering Rose’s injury history. If Jennings somehow reaches his Milwaukee level again, the Knicks have made the best deal this off-season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLpopVGy_Iw
