The Nets have eight new players on their roster hoping to start the upcoming new year on the right foot. Did the new faces mean new results, after one preseason game the answer is no. Meanwhile, the team’s returning players picked up right where they left off last year, playing hard and showing progress.
New York State of Mind
When was the last time you heard Knicks and defense in the same sentence? Then again, when was the last time you heard of the Knicks and title contenders in the same sentence? New York hasn’t had a dominant man in the middle since Patrick Ewing, but all that changed when Tyson Chandler traded in his cowboy boots from Dallas for the bright lights of New York. In doing so, Chandler has the NBA and Knicks fans in a New York State of Mind.
Chandler transformed the Mavericks, a perennially “soft” team, into a defensive minded unit that shut down the Heat for their first NBA title as a franchise. New York hopes Chandler can do the same for the Knicks and help restore the “D” in coach D’Antoni’s name.
For the Knicks to succeed he must play the role of Dennis Rodman. Chandler must do all the dirty work by locking up opponents top big men, rebounding, and blocking or altering shots at the rim. Make no mistake, Chandler is being paid $56 million over four years to be the defensive coordinator as much as new assistant coach Mike Woodson.
As owner James Dolan and coach Mike D’Antoni unveiled their early Christmas gift both were in a New York state of mind. Dolan said during Chandler’s press conference, “We made a commitment to our Knicks fans that we would put together a team that would compete for an NBA championship. The addition of Tyson along with Amare (Stoudemire) & Carmelo (Anthony) is another important piece of that (championship) puzzle.” D’Antoni echoed Dolan and called the Knicks trio “(on paper) the best in the league.”
For the Knicks to fulfill their lofty expectations Chandler must be worth every penny of Dolan’s $56 million investment. Chandler is up to the task and said, “I know what my job is in coming here. I know I came here to defend. I’m going to defend the rim and I’m going to rebound. I’m going to get extra shots. I know if we play on both ends, and we play as a team, the sky is definitely the limit.”
The Knicks officially unveil their new toy on Christmas Day as New York at Madison Square Garden at noon.
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The headline is that Deron Williams estimates his chances of moving to Brooklyn for 2012 and beyond are “90 percent.” If you read in between the lines it’s the ten percent that makes all the difference to the Nets franchise.
Reports are swirling that Chris Paul wants to play in New York now! While the NBA has become a player’s league this isn’t the same scenario as Carmelo Anthony who forced his way to the Knicks. The New Orleans Hornets are under the control of the NBA and David Stern, which is the Knicks biggest obstacle to landing “CP3.” Stern was adamant during the NBA lockout that he wanted more league parity and for smaller market teams to keep their star players that they draft. Stern would have a major public relations crisis on his hands if the Hornets trade Paul to the Knicks while under his watch. With few trade assets remaining on the current roster the trade rumors appear to be hot air for now.
Whether Paul is a Knick or not the team will use its cap space to go bargain shopping and fill holes at center and depth off the bench. Here are five toys the Knicks want in their Christmas stockings:
Deron Williams was the first piece in Billy King’s rebuilding puzzle for the Nets. Williams, however plans to opt-out of his contract after the season to get a better deal with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and he’s leaving his options open. Williams stated on Twitter that it’s strictly a business decision and not to read into it.
To keep Williams, Nets GM Billy King will go shopping on the NBA free agent market for the best toys to keep Williams happy. Below is a list of five Nets targets heading into the holiday frenzy:
