What is fandom like for an executive? How David Stearns stays connected to the Knicks

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NEW YORK — For a segment of the New York Mets’ fan base, their getaway day game Thursday against the Diamondbacks is serendipitously timed. It frees up the night to watch Game 6 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons.

Among those happy about that dynamic? David Stearns.

The Mets’ president of baseball operations grew up cheering for the Knicks as rabidly as he did for the team he now runs. The 40-year-old Stearns came of age right as Pat Riley took over and the Knicks commenced their annual playoff battles with the Bulls, Pacers and eventually Riley’s Heat.

So, with the Knicks looking to advance in the playoffs for a third consecutive year, I chatted with Stearns about rooting for the Knicks during their last heyday in the 1990s, how it differed from rooting for the Mets, and what it’s like to follow them today as an accomplished executive in another sport.

Note: The interview has been lightly edited and condensed.

What is your first Knicks team that you remember?

The first year they took the Bulls to seven, 1992, I vaguely remember that team. And then probably through 1999-2000, I was very locked into what was going on. They were fun teams, they were great teams, they were gritty teams. They had different personalities. Those teams always seemed to represent the city very well. It felt like it was emblematic of New York City in general, the way they played hard, played very physical. They were generally good defensive teams and fun teams to watch.

John Starks, who averaged 14.1 points per game with New York days, was David Stearns’ favorite player growing up. (Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)

Was there one team that stood out with the Knicks?

It’s probably the ’94 team, just because of the Finals run. John Starks was my favorite player growing up, so it had to be a team with him on it. The ’95 team was a good team. That was the Patrick Ewing finger roll … I was 10 when that happened, and that was very very difficult to take as a 10-year-old. That was probably my most crushing Knicks loss.

But ’94 was pretty damn cool. Obviously, with the enthusiasm in the city that year with both the Rangers and Knicks, and you get one win away from having dual champions in the same building, which is pretty incredible.

Who’s their biggest rival from that time in your mind?

Oh, the Bulls. There were some crazy Pacers series, there were crazy Heat series, but for me, it’s still the Bulls. Just the barrier you could never get by, until (Michael) Jordan took a year.

Did you go to the Garden often? What was it like following them for you at that age?

No, it was a lot of Clyde Frazier on the radio and Marv Albert and Al Trautwig and John Andariese on MSG. I got to go to a couple of games growing up, but getting tickets at the Garden at that point was impossible. I was mostly listening to games every single night and rooting like crazy.

And unlike my Mets fandom, I wasn’t really on an island. The entire city was Knicks fans. In those years, it felt like the entire city was extremely invested in the Knicks, and it was a fun ride.

How different was that fan experience with it being more communal?

It was nice to have the entirety of the city rooting for the team that I wanted to win. It was nice not having to fight with friends as to what the allegiance should be. It was at a time with those mid-’90s Knicks teams when the Mets weren’t very good. And so it was just fun to have a good team to root for to keep you entertained for the entirety of the winter and into the spring.

How did that evolve as they were less competitive in the 2000s, and you were going to college and getting a job?

So, I am still a Knicks fan and will still watch games and follow what’s going on. As I got into my career in baseball, it became much, much tougher to follow any other sport with the same level of intensity that I used to and certainly with the same intensity I’m now involved with in baseball. But whether it’s the Knicks or the New York Giants, it’s nice to watch games where I can be a fan. That is refreshing.

Does your job here affect the way you watch other sports?

No, not at all because I’m not familiar enough with the inner workings of an NBA front office to really have educated, concrete opinions as to what should or should not be going on. So I’m really just able to watch it for the entertainment of the sport and my rooting interest. And that’s really frankly why I enjoy it and why it’s relaxing. I get to appreciate how incredibly talented these athletes are.

So you’re as irrational as any other fan?

Absolutely. Completely.

Is that helpful to think about, when you’re building a team here and trying to sell it to a fan base, to know what it’s like to be on the other side?

I think it is helpful in the sense that I still understand what fans are feeling and the emotional ride that fans go through.

Do you look at how NBA teams build their rosters or anything they do as front offices that you can learn from?

During my career, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and spend time with certain NBA executives and that’s been really educational to understand how they view their jobs from a leadership perspective, from a management perspective, what information sources are valuable to them. But the rules governing our games are very different. So while I think there are some practices that are transferable, from a pure roster-building perspective, I think there are a lot of differences.

How much have you paid attention to this year’s team?

I’m certainly following what they’re doing. I haven’t had the chance to sit down and watch complete games a lot. If I’m home and the game is on, I’ll turn it on. I’m certainly following in the aftermath: Did they win last night? But unfortunately, I’m not quite as intensely invested as I was when I was 10 years old.

The Mets have a day game on Thursday and the Knicks play Game 6 at night. Will you allow yourself the chance to watch?

Yes. I will certainly have it on after my kids go to bed and have some fun watching it.

(Top photo of David Stearns: Alejandra Villa Loarca / Newsday RM via Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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