NBA: Why the Brooklyn Nets are in better shape than the New York Knicks
If you were to look at the roster of the Brooklyn Nets and New Yorks Knicks you would see a huge discrepancy. The Knicks have a star in Carmelo Anthony, a former MVP in Derrick Rose and one of the top up & coming talent in Kristaps Porzingis. The Nets are not so lucky. Once you get past Brook Lopez, the roster reads like a D-League team. Yet still, the Nets are clearly ahead of the Knicks in terms of future winning.
The Knicks have missed the playoffs the last 4 years and if the beginning of the offseason is any indication– they will make it 5. We know the rumors of Phil Jackson wanting Anthony gone and possibly Rose as well but now with Porzingis getting caught in his emotions, it doesn’t look well for the Knicks going forward.
The Nets are finally free of huge contracts, except Lopez and while the talent is young, they play more like a team instead of a bunch of names on the backs of jerseys.
To be honest, looking back, the Nets have been holding NY down since their arrival in Brooklyn. The Knicks are the bigger name but in terms of winning, it’s been the Nets who the city can brag about when it comes to playoff appearances. The last 2 seasons have been hard on Brooklyn as they have decided to gut their roster and focus on the future, however, in doing so they still have managed to stay even with the star-powered Knicks.
While the Nets have been the butt of many jokes concerning their lack of Draft picks, the Knicks have had theirs and still find themselves looking up or over their shoulder at the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn. What can they do? Jackson wants his best players gone, and the future face of the franchise is not happy with the direction the team is headed. Not many free agents will be knocking down the doors of MSG if they feel they will get treated unfairly as Anthony has since Jackson arrived.
The Knicks are in trouble despite their continuous sell out of home games and one of the most loyal fanbases in all of sports.
The Nets are still clinging on to Lopez, while the best decision may be to move him this offseason for either a few draft picks or younger players. The Nets will not make a playoff appearance for at least another 3 seasons, however, they seem to have a better understanding of their future than the Knicks.
The Knicks are stuck in win now mode while the Nets are looking to rebuild. Who will climb out the basement faster?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
