The NBA champion and star-studded Golden State Warriors will enter Madison Square Garden tomorrow with the requisite fanfare befitting of a team with two certain Hall of Famers in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and two players—Klay Thompson and Draymond Green—likely to someday be making acceptance speeches at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The argument as to where the Warriors stand among the all-time great teams is subjective and could be deemed irrelevant as they have unequivocally dominated professional basketball in the latter half of the past decade under head coach Steve Kerr.
Conversely, the Knicks have for the most part been firmly entrenched in the lower half of the NBA’s pecking order for the past 20 years. But check the Warriors’ records and placings dating back to the same period and it reveals they were as atrocious and hopeless as the Knicks. Then in 2010 a dramatic transformation began to take shape as a result of highly competent new ownership, a forward thinking front office and smart, bold coaching staffs under the direction of first Mark Jackson and then Kerr. Most importantly, the Warriors drafted, developed and signed the required talent to win in the NBA, and created a style of play and culture that is the model for the modern day league.
So the Knicks hope to take a similar path. At present there is a wide gap between the franchise and a championship, but the current regime of team president Steve Mills, general manager Scott Perry and head coach Dave Fizdale are endeavoring to rapidly close it. Thus far personnel moves and an infusion of competitive energy instilled in the players by Fizdale have been an encouraging beginning. Although the Knicks were only 1-3 before meeting up with the Heat in Miami last night (Wednesday), they have played hard, aggressively and purposefully. The plan of progress could have sustained a significant setback when rookie first- round pick Kevin Knox went sprawling to the court on a fast break late in the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at the Garden last Saturday. There was a collective gasp among all financial and emotional Knicks stakeholders when the 19-year-old grabbed his left leg in excruciating pain. Thoughts of Kristaps Porzingis tearing the ACL in his left knee last February entered the consciousness of onlookers. Fortunately for all concerned, Knox suffered a sprained ankle, a concerning injury but one that should not keep him off the court for an extended period of time.
Thus the rebuild moves forward. One player who many had speculated could be part of the Knicks’ future was also in the building last Saturday. Kyrie Irving, who grew up in North Jersey and spent many days on the playgrounds of the Bronx with his father, Drederick Irving, a former All-City honoree at Stevenson High School and stellar collegiate player at Boston University, was often mentioned as a prime candidate to sign a max contract with the Knicks next summer when he was expected to become an unrestricted free agent. However, earlier this month, Irving publicly announced his intention to re-sign with the Celtics. He shared with the media his previous interest in joining the Knicks after the Celtics’ gripping 103-101 win.
“Every team was under consideration,” said the 26-year-old Irving, who played high school basketball for St. Patrick in Elizabeth, N.J. “Obviously New York held a special place for me. Just being from Jersey and obviously envisioning myself as a free agent and ultimately taking a meeting and playing for [Fizdale] and a great young core that they have here.”
He continued, “Thinking about playing with [Porzingis]. That was a big thing before I made my decision just to plan on re-signing back with Boston. But of course, New York was a strong consideration.” While Mills and Perry are pondering free agency with an enticing pool of potentially available players over the next two summers, the present is most important to establishing a foundation to attract them. Wins and losses aren’t the barometer. A promising group of budding talent and the makings of a winning culture is. The Warriors successfully achieved that objective and are now part of the rich championship history of the NBA. The Knicks’ story is to be continued.