It’s June 2013, blue and orange confetti falls from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks are NBA Champions.
Knicks Head Coach Phil Jackson embraces his star Point Guard Chris Paul at midcourt, as the long-suffering Knicks fan explode into pure jubilation.
Sure, in 2011 this may seem a little farfetched, but with a few tweaks this Knicks fantasy could become reality.
The first key move for the Knicks must be convincing Phil Jackson that finishing his career where it all began is the perfect ending.
We’ve heard all season that “The Zen Master” was absolutely, positively walking away after the 2011 Season with the Lakers. Of course the Lakers season has come to a close – all be it, a month earlier than many predicted – but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from spinning. It’s hardly like we haven’t seen Jackson go back on retirement promises before in his career, the most recently being at the end of the 2010 season, which he had publically stated to be his last. The only thing that appears to be certain in regards to Jackson’s coaching future, is that he is completely done with the Lakers. Perhaps the biggest indicator to that came from comments in an interview with ESPN’s Bill Simmonds, in which Jackson said he doesn’t want to coach Kobe Bryant when he stops being Kobe Bryant. Perhaps that’s already happened? If not completely, there is no denying that Kobe is certainly closer to the end than the start, or even the middle.
According to all reports Jackson would take the 2011-2012 season off, to give his body some time to recover, meaning that the 2012-2013 season would be the perfect return year. Especially considering that it marks the 30th anniversary since the Knicks last claimed the World Title.
In recent days Jackson has done nothing to quash the rumors, having refused to definitively call time on what is seen by many to be the greatest coaching career in history.
The next obvious step is the Roster.
Before even getting to the possibility of Chris Paul donning the famed blue and orange, the Knicks have other holes that drastically need to be filled.
The 2011 version of the Knicks showed glimpses of the potential in the line-up, turning in some amazing performances at times. Unfortunately, for every elite performance, there was an equally poor effort. There was no greater example of this than the Knicks playoff exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics. In the opening two games, the Knicks gave the Celtics all they could handle, and could consider themselves mightily unlucky not to have taken at least one of those contests. However in game’s 3 and 4, the Knicks were abysmal, as they were totally outclassed by a superior Celtics team.
When all was said and done, holes at the Centre spot and overall squad depth are what did the Knicks in this season.
There are plenty of options available for the Knicks this off-season, especially considering that the Big Apple has suddenly become a much more attractive location for any potential free-agents.
In my opinion, Samuel Dalembert is the signing the Knicks should make this offseason, to address their issues in the middle. Although there are better players available in the position – Nene, Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol – Dalembert is the best option. The previously mention trio will be two of the most coveted players in this season’s free-agent class. There are no real out-and-out superstars, unlike the 2010 class, which means that great players could get elite player money.
Signing Dalembert – under the rule that the do not overpay him – allows the Knicks to have the best shot at reaching their other roster goals. Dalembert would give the Knicks the toughness they covet at Centre, without breaking the bank.
Another key signing would be Memphis’ Shane Battier. As an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, Battier will be free to go wherever he likes, and should be a primary target for New York.
Anyone who has seen the Knicks play this year would agree that offensive firepower is hardly what the team is lacking. This should immediately rule out any of the higher profile names, such as J.R Smith, Shannon Brown, Jason Richardson or even the injury-maligned Michael Redd. Battier possesses amazing toughness and elite defensive skills, two characteristics that were desperately lacking from the Knicks. He would provide an immediate upgrade at the two-guard spot for the Knicks, providing a much better option than Landry Fields.
However, the main play in New York must be to get Chris Paul to follow through on his much-famed toast at Carmelo Anthony’s wedding, and be the third superstar in New York.
Chris Paul – in my opinion – is undoubtedly the best player at the point guard position. Just look at the way he torched the Lakers in the opening round of these playoffs. Paul carried what was ultimately, a rather weak New Orleans Hornets roster, to the seventh seed in the uber-competitive Western Conference.
I believe the Knicks should get Paul via trade, and not take the risk of hoping to sign him in free agency at the end of 2012, a similar decision they faced with Carmelo Anthony this year. Furthermore, I believe the Knicks should try and get any potential trade done prior to the beginning of next season.
Any trade would likely mean that Chauncey Billups would definitely leave New York, which seems incredibly plausible, considering Billups wasn’t exactly overjoyed at being traded there in the first place. A handful of other assets would have to be sent to New Orleans along with Billups, but the Knicks could easily justify sacrificing the majority of their draft picks in the near future, if it meant signing Chris Paul.
The Knicks could potentially have starting line-up of:
-PG: Chris Paul
-SG Shane Battier
-SF Carmelo Anthony
-PF Amar’e Stoudemire
-C Samuel Dalembert
With this line-up leading a bench roster with the likes of Landry Fields, Bill Walker and some other low-cost free agents signings, the Knicks would definitely have the potential to match any team in the NBA.
