The New York Knicks Lack Leadership To Find Will To Win Games

Wilt Chamberlain may have been the greatest athlete ever to play the game of basketball. He possessed tremendous strength, high-jumped 6′ 9” in college, had great hands, and was forced to play with finesse . Dunking was frowned upon because big men, like the great 6′ 8” Dolph Schayes, couldn’t dunk.

So Wilt finger rolled his way to 100 points in a game. Bill Russell, with lesser skills, surpassed him because he had a stronger will to win (W2W). Where this showed itself was on the defensive end of the floor. The Celts were the better team, and Russell outworked if not always out played Chamberlain.

Jordan is the GOAT for the very same reason. Comparisons with LeBron are hypothetical but interesting just the same. LeBron loses out to Jordan, not simply because of Mike’s rings, but because Jordan played harder. LeBron is more like Tim Duncan, his competitive fire may burn as brightly as MJ’s, but his game seems more laid back.

In the movie “Coach Carter”, Temo Cruz is given the lines, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure….As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Great players make their teams better by their presence.

This is called leadership. LeBron’s Cavs and Wade’s pre-James Heat are two examples. All the great ones have it, and those who don’t are not great, they are merely very talented.

This brings us to our Knicks. Willis Reed is the Knicks GOAT because his tremendous W2W was the trade mark of those teams. Clyde always speaks of ‘The Captain’ with reverence. His appearance in-game 6 against the Lakers was just a very dramatic example of his spiritual leadership.Willis Reed was the Man.

Who were more recent Knicks whose spirit raised the level of play of those around them, Patrick? Who it wasn’t was Melo. Who it isn’t is Randle. Who it could be is RJ Barrett. S much as we want to see an improved J, we want him to take over. We want the Knicks to play with a W2W. Expecting a 19-year-old to exert his will on a team where he is the youngest player is asking too much. But we know that real leadership is both necessary and lacking at MSG.

Melo possessed the physical talent to be a great player, but he only used it at one end of the floor. The same is true of Randle, a more talented player than Marcus Morris Sr., who lacks Morris’ W2W. If you don’t play hard at both ends, you are sending a negative message to the rest of the team. Julius is always available for interviews, much like Kanter before him. Unfortunately, the comparison doesn’t end there.

“Our deepest fear” may be what is affecting the young players. Without Marcus Morris, will Taj Gibson be able to give them the leadership and support to overcome those fears and release their ‘powers beyond measure’?