New York, New York! Bringing a championship home
Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 4:17 amNew 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
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
... 
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