"This is the Mecca," Bryant said. "This is the center of basketball. So to be playing in Madison Square Garden and have the opportunity to do it there would be special."
As the only player in the NBA with a complete no-trade clause, Bryant can veto any deal. Though he is surprised that the Knicks have spiraled so rapidly, he wouldn't rule out a trade to New York if it were presented to him.
"I would look at it as just another challenge to prove that you can win," Bryant said. "That's how I would approach it. I wouldn't be down about it. I'd just work that much harder to try to prove that if we do work hard, we can win ballgames.
"Every storm passes," said Bryant, who then was asked if the chaos surrounding the Knicks and their embattled coach, Isiah Thomas, would frighten him.
Said Bryant, "I don't scare too easily."
