What does the James Harden trade mean for the New York Knicks?
As a New York Knicks fan, my initial reaction to the news of James Harden being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets went something like this: *sigh*………..yup, still don’t care.
As a Brooklyn-born native, we true New Yorkers will always know that no matter what happens, teams like the Nets, Jets, and Mets will always play second fiddle to their cross-town rival Yankees, Knicks, and Giants.
The combination of 3 extremely ball-dominant players on the Nets will be a catastrophic failure of epic proportions. Any time throughout NBA history where three stars have joined forces, one of them had to take a backseat. Seeing how the Nets just grouped together three of the biggest personalities in NBA history, who do we think is going to willingly become the third option on offense? Emphasis on willingly. I’ll wait.
The fact remains that the Knicks were never going to win a championship this season or even next. If losing to a handicapped Brooklyn squad after three consecutive losses prior proves anything, it’s that New York is so very far behind the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference and the Harden trade further validates that point.
The Knicks can continue to improve upon the “Leon Rose” way by making conservative and strategic roster adjustments with the goal in mind of staying the course and building organically through the draft.
Trying to compete this year without making at least two huge trades would be fruitless. If you’re a die-hard Knicks fan like myself, you love what you’ve seen from the team this season. While I am envious that we’re not a legitimate playoff contender yet another year in a row, we are finally going about our business the way most other teams in the league have been for decades.
I want the Knicks to be widely recognized as a well-run organization and stop being the mainstream media’s punching bag. Even if they don’t make the playoffs for the next three seasons. but continue to bring in talented rookies every offseason and develop them properly, I’m all for it.
The tides are changing for the Knicks. Let Brooklyn have their fun for now because, in a few years, we’re gonna be back to being the dominant team in New York basketball for years to come.