New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

New York New York. Everyone knows the song and everyone especially knows of the city. The Big Apple, the place where dreams come true. As Jay-Z once said, “I made it here I can make it anywhere”. For the last 10 years I have made it here. Finishing college at St. Johns where I was a temporary assistant coach after one of our coaches died of a heart attack I decided that a career in basketball was for me. I was recruited as a assistant scout for the New York Knicks and over the past decade I have risen through the ranks to the present day where I the assistant general manager for the Knicks. That was all going to change though...

On the fourth of October 2012 owner Charles Rolen enters my office with a stern look on his face.

“Yaxley, you have been doing a fantastic job here at the Knicks, especially with Donnie Walsh’s health.”
“Thanks Mr Rolen I try my best.” I reply, wondering what is going on.
He continues. “With everything change comes. Unfortunately for us, Mr Walsh decided change is exactly the same as before and has gone back to the Pacers. That is where you come in.”
“What do you need from me?” I ask, trying to not get ahead of myself even though my head was racing.
“We want you to be the new General Manager of the New York Knicks and bring us a championship.”
Wow. I am flabbergasted but so excited. “Absolutely! You can count on me!” I blurt out like a school kid.
“Good, good. But remember, this is New York City. The fans will not tolerate anything less than an elite team. Neither will I.” Mr Rolen ends that sentence with a bit of a frown and I nod my head. No rebuilding here.
“Pack your things; you’re getting a new office.” He says leaving the room.

I’m still floating on the clouds even after all the media interviews and camera flashes. I settle down a few days later and go over the team to see who I want to keep and who I shouldn’t be here.

PG – Raymond Felton – I liked Felton before he was shipped off to Denver and I believe that he can be that player again now he is back with the Knicks. He has a four year contract that is exceptionally cheap so he will be around for a while. Will most likely start at PG.

PG – Jason Kidd – What I wouldn’t give to have Jason Kidd from 10 years ago. But alas we have the 39 year Kidd who is still a very good player. He still has a great defensive presence and is a fantastic floor general. Kidd will be the first PG off the bench and I’m happy to keep him around.

PG – Pablo Prigioni – Our 35 year old rookie is decent but nothing spectacular. He is cheap, good with the ball and doesn’t need anything run for him. If we end up having Felton and Kidd on the court at the same time Prigioni will get some burn from the bench.

SG – JR Smith – The enigma. I don’t like his erratic play but we don’t have another SG who can play as good as him, yet. I’ll keep him around just because of his streaky play but if Iman Shumpert gets going Smith will be playing elsewhere soon. He will start for now.

SG – Ronnie Brewer – Our defensive presence. He can’t really shoot that much but he is on the squad to defend the elite guards in the league. A niche player and his low minutes will show as much.

SG – James White – A one trick pony and his trick won’t give him minutes. He can dunk but other than that he won’t get any proper minutes this season.

SG – Iman Shumpert – Our shining light going forward at the 2 guard. I like him better than Smith in the long run and will be the first SG off the bench. I have high hopes for him so hopefully he can fulfil them.

SF – Carmelo Anthony – The face, the identity of this team. He is a pure scorer through and through but his rebounding and defense is getting better. This team is built around him to lead us forward and at only 27 years old it will be for a long time.

SF – Steve Novak – A crowd favourite who is automatic from the three point line when left open. He can’t do anything else so is a niche player but is fantastic to watch when he is on his game.

PF – Amare Stoudemire – If Anthony is the face of the team then Stoudemire is the heart. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and plays well. His defence isn’t always great and there has been talk of him and Anthony not playing well together. If they don’t click then I won’t hesitate to trade STAT.

PF – Rasheed Wallace – Hasn’t played in two years but has a lot of knowledge to impart of the other players of this team. Will get some minutes backing up Stoudemire but I don’t want to rely on Wallace giving big minutes for the team.

PF – Chris Copeland – The pre-season bolter who got a contract on his play in the pre-season alone. A 28 year old rookie he has some outside game but needs to work on his rebounding. He is on a minimum contract so any production will be an advantage.

C – Marcus Camby – Another old head Camby is no bench fodder. He could start for a lot of teams so I’m happy to have him here. He should get valuable minutes off the bench backing up the 4 and 5 spots.

C – Tyson Chandler – Chandler is the back of the team as he will have to carry this squad in some games with his defence and rebounding. An ultra efficient shooter he will get a lot of easy looks from his teammates but his defence is why he is given the big bucks. If he doesn’t work out I will look to shop him.

C – Kurt Thomas – A safety for if our starting bigs go down. A great locker room guy and will push Stoudemire and Chandler in practice. I don’t really want to see him get big minutes at the moment.

Coach – Mike Woodson – He did a great job last season when Mike D’Antoni got fire so I will keep him around because he is great with the players and a solid defensive coach.

As you can see, this team is old and smack bang in win now mode. I need to make this team work pronto or my head in the block.

The D-League draft comes and goes but I don’t send anyone down because (a little embarrassing) we don’t have anyone young enough to be sent down. Instead I go and talk to Mike Woodson to see what he has in store for the upcoming season. He informs me that his defense isn’t going to be too hard as Anthony and Stoudemire won’t react to that, instead he is going to put his effort in a team defence where everyone plays together and grabs rebounds then gets out on the break. Good idea I reckon.

We’re slotted in fourth in the pre-season rankings which is OK but I hate being behind Boston who are third.

Eastern Conference Pre Season Rankings –
1. Miami Heat
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Boston Celtics
4. New York Knicks
5. Brooklyn Nets
6. Chicago Bulls
7. Washington Wizards
8. Milwaukee Bucks
Last – Orlando Magic

The Pacers are woefully low and the Bucks and Wizards aren’t going to be in the playoffs on my account. Having the Magic last is dead on though.

Western Conference Pre Season Rankings –
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Utah Jazz
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Dallas Mavericks
Last – Houston Rockets

Who in God’s name put the Jazz second? Yuck. The rest seem pretty good but with the late acquisition of James Harden I don’t see the Rockets coming last.

Here we go! The 2012-13 New York Knicks –
PG – Raymond Felton
SG – JR Smith
SF – Carmelo Anthony
PF – Amare Stoudemire
C – Tyson Chandler
6th – Marcus Camby
7th – Jason Kidd
8th – Iman Shumpert
9th – Pablo Prigioni
10th – Ronnie Brewer
11th – Chris Copeland
12th- Rasheed Wallace
13th – Kurt Thomas
14th – Steve Novak
15th – James White

[Myles Nelson]

The Knicks have a talented roster, but it's unbalanced. Most of the talent is in the front court and on the offensive end. It'll be interesting to see how you harness this team

[zike_42]

This is the first time that I have taken on a team in 'win now' mode instead of being given a few years to rebuild which is a big change. There is a few players on the bench who will want more minutes than they are probably going to get (like Camby, Wallace, Thomas) so I'm going to have to work that out pretty quickly. I have a mixed feeling about Anthony and Stoudemire though, but I really want it to work.

[zike_42]

With so much turnover I will give the team at least a month to work out the kinks but I will not tolerate toxic behaviour. I’m looking at your Rasheed Wallace.

Nothing to do with the Knicks but the Lakers are on to a good start with the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard as they pummel the Blazers 144-100 while shooting 67% from the field. Boy did they look good in their first game.

Vs Miami – 90-110 L (0-1) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 39 points (10/19 FG), 7 rebounds, 9 turnovers

It starts already; Marcus Camby has started complaining about minutes playing only nine in the loss. I put him in his place and tell him I will not tolerate unruly players and next time he mouths off he will be looking for a new job. He is upset but takes it on the chin.

@ Philadelphia – 102-116 L (0-2) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 30 points
Vs Milwaukee – 101-88 W (1-2) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 30 points, 7 rebounds
Vs Charlotte – 81-68 W (2-2) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 22 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks
@ Washington – 93-90 W (3-2) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 28 points, 9 rebounds
Vs Utah – 110-91 W (4-2) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 40 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals
@ San Antonio – 103-118 L (4-3) Knicks best – Iman Shumpert – 17 points in 13 minutes
@ Memphis – 108-113 L (4-4) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 steals
Vs Oklahoma City – 119-111 W (5-4) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 36 points (13/38 FG)
Vs Dallas – 129-94 W (6-4) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 33 points, 10 rebounds

Wow, Boston is 11-0 as we go into the TD Garden. It would give me great pleasure in giving them their first loss.

@ Boston – 94-105 L (6-5) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 29 points, 12 rebounds

Damn.

@ Milwaukee – 105-115 L (6-6) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 23 points, 8 rebounds

Jason Kidd is the next bench player to lash out at Mike Woodson about playing time and again I put him in his place. After our heated discussion Tyson Chandler and Kurt Thomas came up to me and told me that they were very happy I didn’t cave to Kidd which made me much better.

Vs. Washington – 93-84 W (7-6) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 25 points, 16 rebounds

Urgh. Rasheed Wallace had a go at Tyson Chandler and Chandler retaliated and had to be broken up by trainers. I sit them both down and told them that this is unacceptable and that is strike one. Wallace is on thin ice as he isn’t getting along with the other players. At this rate it is going to be a looooooooong season.

Vs Cleveland – 108-84 W (8-6) Knicks best – Carmelo Anthony – 41 points, 8 rebounds
@ Detroit – 99-111 L (8-7) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 28 points, 7 rebounds

At the end of my first month we are only one game above .500 which I’m not happy about and I’m really not happy about all the in-fighting and I’m definitely not happy about the low output from anyone other than our big three. That really needs to pick up. Also Melo needs to shoot better than 42% from the field.

Boston is leading the way in the East with a 14-2 record with Miami only a half game behind at 13-2. We are sitting in seventh position at 8-7 with Charlotte bringing up the rear with a 2-12 record. In the West Minnesota are 10-3 and in front, with Denver, the Lakers, Clippers and Grizzlies all one game behind. It’s good that Anthony Davis is doing well because there isn’t much more going for the Hornets as they have only one win from 14 starts, firmly at the bottom of the ladder.

New York Top Points
Carmelo Anthony – 25.7
Amare Stoudemire – 17.5
Tyson Chandler – 14.0

New York Top Rebounds
Tyson Chandler – 8.1
Amare Stoudemire – 7.3
Marcus Camby – 7.1

New York Top Assists
Raymond Felton – 7.7
Jason Kidd – 3.2
JR Smith – 2.1

New York Top Efficiency
Tyson Chandler – 19.0
Carmelo Anthony – 18.8
Amare Stoudemire – 16.2

It’s our big three all the way as the rest of our team is lacking. Felton is doing his best while JR Smith is shooting 37% from the field and will go on the trading block. In fact there is only three players on the squad shooting 50% or more, two of them being bench players Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni which needs to change. All in all it’s been a pretty poor month and I will look to make some changes if things don’t change.

League Top Points
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 34.8
Lebron James (MIA) – 33.0
Kevin Love (MIN) – 33.0

League Top Assists
Russell Westbrook (OKC) – 10.0
Kyle Lowry (TOR) – 9.1
Goran Dragic (PHO) – 8.9

League Top Rebounds
Kevin Love (MIN) – 13.5
Andrew Bynum (PHI) – 12.0
Tim Duncan (SAS) – 11.1

League Top Efficiency
Lebron James (MIA) – 34.3
Kevin Love (MIN) – 33.9
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 30.3

Rookie Top Efficiency
Anthony Davis (NOH) - 18.8 (11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.3 blocks, 1.6 steals)
Damian Lillard (POR) – 16.3 (10.6 points, 8.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.0 blocks)
Bradley Beal (WAS) – 14.6 (15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.8 blocks)

[Jabez54]

Why does it always give the New Yorkers great pleasure to beat Boston ...

toxic behaviour: Hmmm, I had to relook to see the name of the team, at first, I thought it was Baseball - of the Red Sox ...

sheesh, hard to believe - your first year - giving no chance with a rebuilding year ... [color=teal]Best of the Irish Luck, mate - (there are still Irish blokes living in NYC, too) ... [/color]

[Myles Nelson]

Do what I always do when I get the Knicks: trade Melo

[Cleasby]

Do what I always do when I get the Knicks: trade Melo

this lol

[zike_42]

Thanks for the replies guys you may be nice surprised in the new update. And Jabez I don't hate Boston in real life but I do hate Kevin Garnett for being such a tool.

[zike_42]

November Player of the Month – Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves – 33.0 points, 1.2 assists, 13.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 0.5 blocks

November Rookie of the Month – Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards – 15.8 points, 1.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.8 blocks

I look around the trade rumours and on the prime time WSSN radio show Myles and Cleasby they had a big debate on whether this Knicks team can go all the way with Carmelo Anthony at the helm. Interestingly enough about 75% of the callers said that we needed to trade Melo to get to that next level. I took this to heart and had a look around. Nothing substantial or looking for anything in particular but I just wanted to see what he could get.

And WOW, I did not imagine getting a bite. I had to pull the trigger, I just had to.

New York trade:
SF Carmelo Anthony
2014 1st round pick

Los Angeles Clippers trade:
PG Chris Paul

Why for New York – Melo has been the Knicks shining light, taking the team on his shoulders when needed. Unfortunately he has shot poorly and his defence has been subpar. They now have the best point guard in the league running the show and the rest of the team can come to the front now ball hungry Anthony is out of the way.

I just cannot believe the Clippers would give up Paul that easily. Sure Melo is a elite scorer but Chris Paul is a complete game changer. This throws out the balance of our line up as Felton is starting at SG and JR Smith moved to the SF which is just too small for my liking. So I go trading again.

New York trade:
PG Raymond Felton
PF Steve Novak
PF Chris Copeland

Brooklyn trade:
SF Gerald Wallace

Why for New York – I tried to get Andrei Kirilenko from the T’Wolves but they didn’t want to lose him so I got another defensive first SF. This rounds out our starting five with a balance but Wallace is going to be paid $40 million for the next four years and as we are already way over the cap I may need to cut some salary in the off season.

Our new starting five –

PG – Chris Paul
SG – JR Smith
SF – Gerald Wallace
PF – Amare Stoudemire
C – Tyson Chandler

Let’s see how we do.

Vs Golden State – 106-94 W (9-7) Knicks best – Chris Paul – 30 points, 8 assists
Vs. Portland – 111-92 W (10-7) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 19 points (9/9 FG), 12 rebounds, 5 blocks

I do want to shout out to a few other players, as Chris Paul had 21 assists in the game Marcus Camby had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. So much for a new team needing a few games to gel.

Oklahoma City trade:
SG Kevin Martin

Los Angeles Clippers trade:
SF Caron Butler
2013 2nd round pick

Winner – LAC. A bit of a snoozer for both teams but the Clips get a quality bench guard and a $12 million expiring salary.

@ Cleveland – 92-99 L (10-8) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 21 points, 10 rebounds
@ Atlanta – 107-102 W (11-8) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 41 points, 8 rebounds
Vs Detroit – 111-77 W (12-8) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 27 points, 9 rebounds, 7 steals
@ Chicago – 86-104 L (12-9) Knicks best – Tyson Chandler – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks

After the game James White had a go at Iman Shumpert and I have had enough with these 12th man players trying to be alphas, especially White. So I said enough and cut him from the team. He was our last man on the team and he has been mouthing off too much. I pick up veteran Josh Howard to fill in that last spot.

Sacramento trade:
PG Aaron Brooks

Philadelphia trade:
C Kwame Brown
2013 2nd round pick

Winner – Sacramento. The Sixers now have four point guards on their roster and only two centres so Brooks won’t get much burn while the Kings need a steady head (probably the first time that has been said about Brown) for when DeMarcus Cousins flies off the handle.

@ Brooklyn – 102-106 L (12-10) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 25 points, 5 rebounds
@ Sacramento – 107-95 W (13-10) Knicks best – Chris Paul – 34 points, 11 assists, 5 steals
@ Phoenix – 114-100 W (14-10) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 40 points, 13 rebounds
@ Los Angeles Lakers – 86-96 L (14-11) Knicks best – Chris Paul – 24 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds
Vs New York – 121-89 W (15-11) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 30 points, 7 rebounds
@ Boston – 91-107 L (15-12) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 20 points, 14 rebounds

Chicago trade:
C Nazr Mohammed
2013 1st round pick

Brooklyn trade:
SG Marshon Brooks

Winner – Chicago. The pick will be low while Brooks has the potential to be a quality starting SG in the league soon.

Vs Minnesota – 110-77 W (16-12) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 36 points, 10 rebounds
Vs Denver – 112-91 W (17-12) Knicks best – Amare Stoudemire – 46 points, 8 rebounds

At the end of 2012 we are still sitting in seventh position in the East but I’m happier with the team than last month. Boston is still leading the way at 26-6 while Miami is right behind them with a 23-6 record. Charlotte picked up where they left off last season with a 3-28 record. The West is being led by the surprising Nuggets on 26-5 with the Lakers behind them on 22-8. Houston’s shine of a new team is being worn off quickly, sitting on the bottom of the ladder with a 7-24 record.

New York Top Points
Amare Stoudemire – 22.2
Chris Paul – 20.3
Tyson Chandler – 12.7

New York Top Rebounds
Tyson Chandler – 8.6
Amare Stoudemire – 7.7
Marcus Camby – 6.7

New York Top Assists
Chris Paul – 10.2
Jason Kidd – 2.2
Gerald Wallace – 1.9

New York Top Efficiency
Chris Paul – 27.1
Amare Stoudemire – 19.9
Tyson Chandler – 18.1

League Top Points
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 35.9
Lebron James (MIA) – 30.4
Kevin Love (MIN) – 29.3

League Top Assists
Chris Paul (NYK) – 10.2
Russell Westbrook (OKC) – 10.0
Kyle Lowry (TOR) – 8.9

League Top Rebounds
Kevin Love (MIN) – 12.4
Tim Duncan (SAS) – 10.9
Kris Humphries (BKL) – 10.9

League Top Efficiency
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 31.6
Lebron James (MIA) – 30.6
Kevin Love (MIN) – 30.4

Rookie Top Efficiency
Anthony Davis (NOH) – 19.3 (12.9 points, 1.6 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 2.7 blocks)
Damian Lillard (POR) – 15.4 (10.9 points, 8.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.0 blocks)
Bradley Beal (WAS) – 13.1 (14.1 points, 1.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks)

First Round of Future Prospects
1. SF – Gabe White (USC) – 6’10” 212 lbs Sophomore
2. PF – Thomas Cooper (Australia) – 6’10” 222lbs 21 years old
3. PF – Dennis Freymond (Creighton) – 6’9” 241lbs Senior
4. C – Demond Lewis (Maryland) – 6’10” 258lbs Freshman
5. SF – Mike Bailey (Ohio State) – 6’7” 219lbs Junior

[IWWROCKS]

Not out of the realms of possibilty for LA trading Paul. If he made it clear he doesnt want to sign a contract there. Whether they would want Melo instead is another matter