Vandela performs her psychic readings in the backroom of her shop, a small room with candles and three chairs. She doesn’t touch my palm, only glances at it and immediately understands the following:
“You’ll live a long life,” Vandela says. “And you’re stressed about many things.”
Good to hear and definitely true. But that’s not why I agreed to pay $10.
My two big questions were as follows:
Will the Knicks win the draft lottery on Tuesday night in Chicago? Will Kevin Durant sign with the Knicks?
Before I reveal Vandela’s answers, here’s a little bit about the fortune teller: I don’t know if her name is actually Vandela. That’s just what the online ad said and I never bothered to confirm. It seems like a generic fake name for a psychic — similar to Zelena or Luna, for instance — but it could also be true that parents would give their child such a name if they understood there’s a strong possibility of psychic powers.
Vandela owned this shop for over 20 years in a New Jersey suburb and doesn’t like what’s happened to the neighborhood. She says the sense of community is lost, and it’s easy to understand her angst with the signs of gentrification sprouting around her store. Across the street, a new brunch spot offers desserts and “tapas flights,” whatever that means. It’s one of four brunch-style restaurants within a 1/2 mile on the same street.
Vandela also has a daughter who is a fan of the Brooklyn Nets and named her child, “Brooklyn.”
“Thank goodness she didn’t name her Nets,” Vandela says.
On the subject of the draft lottery, Vandela wasn’t much help. She says there’s a chance the Knicks win, which is obvious. Based on mathematical figures — and not mystical powers — the Knicks have a 14 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick. I could tell Vandela had a difficult time understanding the process of the lottery and its ramifications — whether it was to draft Zion Williamson or trade for Anthony Davis — so I never got a clear answer.
I also suppose psychics shouldn’t claim to foresee the results of lotteries, lest they get quizzed with the obvious follow-up, “Then why don’t you play those numbers yourself?” Vandela was much more comfortable talking about Durant.
I should provide background on myself since it’s my palm Vandela used to uncover Durant’s intentions. I don’t know Durant. I’ve interviewed him about a handful of times in a scrum setting, and he couldn’t discern me from Joe The Generic NBA Reporter.
But I do have a vested interest in Durant’s decision in free agency as the Knicks beat reporter. Theoretically, Durant’s arrival in New York would be beneficial for my career. He’d make the team better and more people read about winners. Storylines aplenty. Maybe even a book. Further, good teams are generally more pleasant to be around. In my nine years as an NBA beat writer — whether it was with the Knicks or Nets — I’ve only covered two winning seasons. Writing about coaching changes and culture revamps gets stale.
So Durant’s decision after July 1 is personally significant, and I explained that to Vandela as she looked at my palm.
“He’s confused and being pulled in a lot of directions,” Vandela says. “If I were to speak with him, I’d tell him to go with his initial feeling, his gut feeling, and not let people pull him around.”
Then what is Durant’s gut feeling?
“I am getting a strong sense that he is going to the Knicks.”
There you have it. According to a source, there’s a strong sense Durant is coming to New York.
