Knicks: How The 2016-17 Team Compares To 2012-13

The similarities between 2012-13 New York Knicks and the 2016-17 squad are uncanny. This is how the similar they really are.

No one was calling the New York Knicks a super team before the start of the 2012-13 season. In fact, as usual, the Knicks were being ridiculed for their offseason moves.

The Knicks signed players who were on the verge of retirement, and as a result, were the butt of everyone’s jokes.

At Bill Russell‘s Mentor’s Champions Golf Challenge in the summer of 2012, Charles Barkley was asked about the Knicks’ additions. Per Mark Herrmann of Newsday:

"“I like Marcus Camby,” he said. Then someone mentioned, “Jason Kidd,” and Barkley said, deadpan, “What year is this?”Then he yelled over to Celtic great Sam Jones, who was warming up on the driving range, and mentioned that reporters were asking about the Knicks signing Camby and Kidd, then said of the Knicks, loudly, “They must think it’s 1995.“It’s 2012,” Barkley said. “They went out and got 92-year-old Jason Kidd and 92-year-old Marcus Camby.”"

The Knicks were being laughed at yet again, and the only super team being talked about in the NBA was the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh led Miami Heat.

But those 2012-13 Knicks were super in their own right.

Who would have imagined a team with Raymond Felton as their starting point guard, an injured Amar’e Stoudemire, and a supporting cast that included Camby, Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Quentin Richardson, Kurt Thomas, and Rasheed Wallace (all past their primes) could help the Knicks to a 54-28 regular season record?

That was good enough for the Knicks to finish first in the Atlantic Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference.

It was the same year that Carmelo Anthony won the NBA scoring title, J.R. Smith won the Sixth Man of the Year award, Tyson Chandler made the All-Defensive First Team, and the Knicks’ bench was dubbed as “Mobb Deep”.

Obviously, the Eastern Conference has changed since the 2012-13 season. The entire NBA has changed for that matter. But one can’t help but notice the similarities between that 2012-13 team and the 2016-17 Knicks.

Like those 2012-13 Knicks, these new Knicks are being criticized for having a team built to win years ago. Per Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post:

"Contrary to a popular July belief, though, NBA games aren’t played on paper. And while the Knicks may have a terrific team in this year’s annual NBA2K video game – particularly if injuries are turned off – it’s hard to see this team taking the tangible steps forward many expect with this new roster."

The Knicks also had a new coach in Mike Woodson whose first full season as head coach with the Knicks was the 2012-13 season. The Knicks now have a new head coach, Jeff Hornacek, entering his first year with the organization.

Players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are said to be past their prime, just as Kidd, Wallace, Camby, and company were. They have a first-round draft pick entering his second year in the NBA with Kristaps Porzingis, just as they did with Iman Shumpert in 2012-2013.

Anthony was playing for USA Basketball at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, just as he is again playing for USA Basketball at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

The Knicks’ other, “Superstar,” Rose, is coming off injuries like STAT was. The Knicks’ sixth man, Brandon Jennings, plays a similar game to JR Smith.

Heck, they even have a former NBA champion on their team in Justin Holiday with the Golden State Warriors just as they did in Chandler with the Dallas Mavericks.

And finally, the Knicks went overseas and found Pablo Prigioni, just like they signed Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas.

Even the most optimistic predictions before the start of the 2012-13 season didn’t have the Knicks winning 54 games and being a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.

Early predictions for next season have the Knicks being ninth overall in the Eastern Conference with a record of 40-42. So how do these new Knicks compare to their 2012-13 counterpart?

Let’s take a look at the main pieces on each team.

Anthony is older and has since had a serious knee injury. He’s still in his prime, though, albeit the tail end. And just like then, this is still Anthony’s team.

Melo’s weapon off the bench then was his Denver Nuggets buddy, Smith, who is a better player than Jennings—and that was true even before Jennings’ Achilles injury.

Phil Jackson is challenging Jennings to win the sixth man of the year, which is what Smith did in New York. While Smith may be a better player than Jennings, Courtney Lee is better now than Kidd was at that point with the Knicks.

Rose won MVP the same year that STAT came to New York and was in the running for it. But Stoudemire was just beginning his injury woes with the Knicks, whereas Rose is beginning his Knicks’ tenure with a longer list of injuries.

Not to mention that, in 2012-13, Felton was playing almost identical to Rose last year.

Additionally, Chandler was not coming off of the injuries Noah is coming off of and was still at his peak with the Knicks. But Noah should provide the same leadership skills that Chandler did, and if healthy, can be a defensive presence for the Knicks.

New York has lacked that type of presence since Chandler was traded.

Chandler, though, has never had Noah’s passing game. Lance Thomas is a better overall player than spot-up shooter Steve Novak, even though Novak was a far superior shooter.

And last, but certainly not least, Porzingis is without question better than the Knicks’ former first-round draft pick: Shumpert.

Even if Porzingis experiences a sophomore slump, he’ll still be a better player than Shumpert, and that’s not a knock on Shumpert. Shumpert is a very good role player, but Porzingis, as Kevin Durant has said, is a unicorn.

As long as Porzingis stays healthy and keeps developing his game, he could be the face of the NBA in the near future.

The 2012-13 Knicks fell short of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals to face the real super team that year.

‘Melo injured his shoulder, Chandler couldn’t stop Roy Hibbert, Smith was not the same after the Jason Terry suspension, Kidd couldn’t make a shot to save his life in the playoffs, and their veteran players all got injured at the same time.

Health and chemistry will define the 2016-17 Knicks just as it did in 2012-13.

Just as the 2012-13 Knicks were underestimated, these new Knicks are facing the same scrutiny. They may not be a super team like the Golden State Warriors or the Cleveland Cavilers, but they can still make some noise.

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Only time will tell just how good these 2016-2017 Knicks will be, but if 2012-13 is any indication, they should be, at the very least, relevant again next season.