The right way is the New York Knick way
The city’s NBA teams are trending in very opposite directions
On January 28, 2023, the New York Knicks faced off against the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets in a closely-fought battle that saw the Nets come out on top. The win helped the Nets maintain a dominance over the Knicks so emphatic that Nic Claxton couldn’t help saying in the postgame, “I’ve never lost to the Knicks since I’ve been in the league.” NetsDaily was even more boisterous, opening their recap of that game with the following bit of humility:
This isn’t meant to be a “gotcha.” I’ve never been a big fan of receipt culture. We evaluate what’s happening in front of us and, if we’re truly malleable, evolve as the information does. But I do think it’s an interesting parallel, and maybe a sweet piece of irony – Brooklyn has essentially been in a freefall since that game, the last time they beat New York, while the Knicks’ stock is as high as it’s been this millennium.
The Nets skipped steps and were arrogant enough to believe talent alone could stifle the blow of consequences created by misguided actions. Nine days after that fateful showdown in Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving was off-loaded to Dallas; three days later Kevin Durant was traded to Phoenix for a package centered around Mikal Bridges. Despite Durant’s offseason trade request, many fans were still shocked. What many don’t realize is that the seeds of Brooklyn’s demise were planted long before they begrudgingly dealt the two Hall-of-Fame faces of the “Clean Sweep” era.
What makes the NBA special is what made Game of Thrones special at its best: actions have consequences. Sure, “The Red Wedding” caught most viewers by surprise, but it was merely the inevitable conclusion that had been set in stone since Robb Stark broke his marriage vow to Walder Frey’s daughter. I bring this up because, once again, history seems to have repeated itself.
If you ask many NBA fans, the Knicks are now the ones catching people off-guard. Sure, they won a playoff series last season, but they turned around and lost to the eighth seed. Also, have you forgotten they’re the Knicks? They’re not supposed to be good. This is out of nowhere!
But like the demise of the Clean Sweep Era, the Knicks’ ascension is an arc that has been in development since Leon Rose sat in Madison Square Garden for the first time after taking the throne and watched a rookie, headband-wearing RJ Barrett lead the Knicks to victory over the James Harden-led Houston Rockets. A lot has happened in the five years since (Harden even had a brief supporting role on the “Clean Sweep” Nets), but make no mistake – Rose has meticulously rebuilt this franchise from the ground up. And despite 20 years of poor management, the foundation is strong.
Look no further than Miles “Deuce” McBride, the third-year, 23-year-old combo guard who spent his first two seasons in and out of the rotation. The Knicks extended him for three years and $13 million dollars total (yes, “only” $13 million, a pittance by NBA standards). Already known as one of the league’s best young defensive guards, Deuce is shooting a ridiculous 41.6% from 3. His 2-point percentage is over 50% after being 37.5% and 45.7% his first two seasons. His assists are up and his turnover percentage has been cut nearly in half. The Knicks traded their three most important young players for varying reasons and had McBride on-call, waiting to step in.
This type of transformation is symbolic of what has occurred in the Rose era. The Knicks turned a career year from Marcus Morris into the draft pick that became Immanuel Quickley. Many draft experts thought the Knicks reached for Quickley 25th; he’s turned out to be one of the best players in his draft. Rose then turned Quickley and Barrett (one of the few guys they never really figured out what to do with) into OG Anunoby, their white whale.
Rose and Tom Thibodeau have been machine-like laying the bricks of this foundation. Pundits like to imply that one player, Jalen Brunson, is driving everything, but these Knicks just won a game by double-digits without three of their five best players and Brunson shooting just 7-of-24, include 4-of-20 inside the arc. Make no mistake: Brunson is absolutely vital to the success of this team, but the Knicks have built something far too sustainable to be solely reliant on the brilliance of one player.
Naturally, the goalposts will shift. The people who laughed at the Knicks for “overpaying” Brunson will gleefully dismiss him as “not good enough to be the best player on a championship team.” Perhaps they’ll even be proven right. But what those people fail to realize is that the Knicks aren’t like other teams, impatiently waiting for a superstar to fall into their laps. Their strategic maneuvering and internal development have bought time and patience few have.
It’s also allowed them to maintain assets in a way the league has never seen before from them. If the day comes when the Knicks trade for a superstar, they won’t have gone all-in without the ability to fill out the rest of their roster. Those pieces will already be in place. The hard part is done. But there is still a season to finish. Amidst an influx of injuries and role changes, the Knicks find themselves just a half-game out of the third spot in the East.
So, as I watched Donte DiVincenzo (another laughably valuable contract doled out by Rose) tear up the Nets in a fourth quarter that saw them go from tied to down 18, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for what Rose and company have built in New York. Not because they landed a single superstar who will likely get some MVP votes this season (they did), but because he didn’t try to skip any steps. He built the hard way. The right way. The New York way.
