BOSTON — Jose Alvarado never got far enough ahead of himself to think about playing for his hometown team. A four-star recruit out of Christ the King who went undrafted after four seasons at Georgia Tech, Alvarado was more concerned with whether or not he’d have an NBA career at all.
His journey led him to the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-way contract he eventually turned into a guaranteed deal. And in the latest wrinkle of a journey setting up to have a storybook ending, after four-and-a-half seasons with the only NBA team he’s ever known, the Brooklyn-born Alvarado has come home. Grand Theft Auto Five is coming to Madison Square Garden — and the acquisition couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Knicks made a series of trades ahead of last Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline, first moving off of the ill-fitting Guerschon Yabusele (and his contract) in a deal with the Chicago Bulls for swingman Dalen Terry, then flipping Terry with a pair of second-round picks to the Pelicans for Alvarado just in time to compensate for Miles McBride’s extended absence due to a core muscle injury.
It’s the homecoming Alvarado never saw coming.
“To be honest, I can’t say I ever dreamed about this,” the Knicks’ newest guard said in the TD Garden’s visiting locker room ahead of tipoff against the Celtics on Sunday. “If you know my story — I’m not saying I wasn’t gonna make it to the NBA — but there were big questions for me. So just to be part of the city, it’s such a surreal feeling. I can’t wait to put the jersey on and get a few stops in it.”
His friends and family may not have seen it coming, either, but they sure saw the news when it broke, his phone blowing up with welcome home texts.
“Too many [messages], but this is a blessing. I’m from here. My family never left the city,” he said. “So just to be in the atmosphere—they’ve been Knicks fans probably since before me, and to be on a team that’s trying to contend for something and me be part of it is pretty special.
“It was a lot of mixed emotion when I heard it on the news, coming back home and stuff, so it was exciting. Being here in the city that raised me is a dope feeing and putting a Knicks jersey on is pretty surreal for me. Just trying to stay in the moment, you know what I’m saying?”
Alvarado has a relationship with Josh Hart, who was one of his veterans during his rookie year with the Pelicans. He’s competed against a number of current Knicks players when they were on different teams over the course of their careers, as well.
“Everybody’s so dope. Everybody welcomed me with open arms. I’m excited,” he said. “I watched them play a lot. Some of the guys I played with on different teams. I played against the Knicks. So it’s a dope feeling. Everybody’s excited. Im excited and I can’t wait to go play with them.”
That excitement, of course, will soon fade if the Knicks fail to live up to expectations. Alvarado understands the magnitude of his opportunity in New York, where he’s gone from a Pelicans team perennially near the bottom of the Western Conference standings to a Knicks team expected to compete for a title.
“We’ve gotta contend. We wanna win games, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “And I get to be a part of that. I’m excited for that. I’ve just gotta be myself. Let’s get this ball rolling.”
If the Knicks are going to contend — particularly without McBride — they’ll need Alvarado’s point-of-attack defense to help keep opposing scoring guards in check. Head coach Mike Brown believes his newest addition fits the bill. Alvarado averaged eight points, three assists and about a steal on 36% shooting from deep in New Orleans this season.
“He brings a level of toughness to this team, his energy is unmatched,” Brown said. “What he can do defensively in the full court and even in the front court with the ball especially on the pick-and-rolls and stuff, is at a pretty high level.
“He shoots it better than people think, too. We want to play fast and we believe he’s a guy who will come in and push the pace, get into our offense, and all of that because he’s quick and has a low center of gravity — excited to have him.”
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