New York has long been of the best basketball markets in the entire country however this hasn't been the case in the past decade as the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets have wallowed in mediocrity. Even when the Nets had a nice run early in the 2000s there simply hasn't been much, if any, fervor in a city where basketball has always held such a prominent place. In reality nobody has cared about the NBA in New York since Patrick Ewing and the Knicks of the 1990s were contending (but of course not winning) NBA Titles.
However at long last it appears that we may finally be seeing a turnaround as both the Knicks and Nets have positive outlooks for their prospects heading into the future. It started last year when the Knicks brought in talented forward Amar'e Stoudemire in free agency and then wheeled a deal to nab Carmelo Anthony away from the Denver Nuggets. The Knicks were forced to give away much of their depth and supporting players in order to get 'Melo and were bounced in the first round of the playoffs last year by the Boston Celtics. The Knicks added C Tyson Chandler in free agency last week, fresh off of winning a Championship with Dallas last year. Chandler is a legitimate 7-footer and adds the kind of defensive presence that they were sorely missing last year. The team is still lacking a reliable PG although the did sign veteran Baron Davis who should be a good pickup if he is able to recover from a back injury that will force him to miss the first 8 weeks of the season. If things can fall the Knicks' way this year (for once) then I foresee them taking another step toward contending for the Eastern Conference crown. Of course a lot of that depends on the health of Stoudemire's aching knees which will be vulnerable in the condensed 66-game season that will be a trial for players who need rest. Combine that with coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo style and the fact that D'Antoni's job is on the hot seat because of the steam-gaining rumor that Phil Jackson might return to coach the Knicks in 2012-2013 and we may see D'Antoni run Stoudemire into the ground early in the year (which happened last year after the Knicks over-performed in the first 5 weeks of the season) which could hurt the team heading into the playoffs.
The Nets are also an intriguing team to follow for the first time in god knows how long thanks to their eccentric, Russian-billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov (this guy plan to run against Putin for the Russian Presidency). The Nets pulled off a trade for All-Star PG Deron Williams last season and are doing everything in their power to try and pull of a trade for Orlando Magic C Dwight Howard who is simply the best big-man in the game right now. Howard has made it pretty clear that he wants out of Orlando and the Nets look like a great option (although the Lakers can still make a move here). Prokhorov and minority-owner Jay-Z have the Nets set to move to Brooklyn and take advantage of that fan base. What better way to sell the move than to bring in the best defensive player and dunker in the league and pair him with a top-5 PG in Deron WIlliams? If the Nets can somehow add Howard to their roster I am absolutely going to jump on that bandwagon on the ground floor when they move to Brooklyn. A resurgence of New York basketball could be just what the NBA needs to elevate itself in the public eye.
No comments:
Post a Comment