In 2010, it seemed as if things were changing for the New York Knicks for the better. That offseason, they added Amare Stoudemire to their roster. Stoudemire previously played with the Phoenix Suns, second-in-command to Steve Nash. It was evident Stoudemire would be leaving the Suns, following the 2009-2010 season.
The Knicks ended up missing out on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. As a result, the Knicks landed Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton. Longtime New York Knick fans felt the Knicks would immediately become contenders, following years of losing. But, when the season started, the Knicks were simply an average playoff team, as opposed to contenders.
Mid-season, New York traded most of their roster in return for Carmelo Anthony, a deal which has yet to pan out. The New York Knicks posted an average record and made the playoffs, but were winless in the playoffs. Following the success of Jeremy Lin and “Linsanity,” the team finds themselves out of playoff contention and looking at a losing season.
However, their bench has been playing well and have adopted the moniker of Mobb Deep. They borrowed the name from the legendary hip hop duo, Mobb Deep, of New York City in Queens. Recently, the Mobb Deep duo, Havoc and Prodigy, spoke to ESPN about the New York Knicks’ bench adopting their name.
Read an excerpt of the interview below:
“I’ve heard them play our music before at different games, maybe during the highlights on the news and certain things like that,” he told ESPNNewYork.com. “But this is the first time where the team actually called something “Mobb Deep.” That’s the Knicks. That’s what’s up.”
After hearing about the nickname, Prodigy told his partner Havoc, who couldn’t believe how it stuck and got so big, even being mentioned on MSG Network broadcasts. That has led to numerous texts, tweets and phone calls whenever it’s brought up in the news.
“I thought it was like a one-time thing,” Havoc said, “but then I started hearing about it and people kept on telling me that they mentioned it on MSG every time they have a game.”
