I attended my first Knicks game last week, having just moved to New York. It turned out to be the last Knicks game for half the team, who has just been sent packing.
The game was against the Atlanta Hawks, and brought a good deal of excitement: the teams are battling for play-off positioning - Atlanta and New York, ranked 5th and 6th in the East, occupy the tier just below the championship contenders - and this was to be the last contest before they headed into All-Star weekend. They could put all their energy out on the floor, and maybe re-visit some ugly competitiveness that flared in Atlanta in their previous match-up.
It was a good game, helped by my active participation in the franchise's marketing: Me. Them. Us. Now. I cheered for the faces that comprised the video introductions, the collection of guys that comprised this new, exciting atmosphere in New York, and felt rewarded by each player's skill set. Amar'e leads the way, of course. Though he played fewer minutes than his average, it was nice to see him keep his consecutive 20-ppg streak alive. Felton had some crisp passes and timely three-pointers on his way to a double-double. Fields played with his usual craftiness. Gallinari demonstrated a growing versatility of driving and rebounding in addition to his sharp-shooting. Chandler played with the determination of an under-appreciated legit scorer, a player of potential. Turiaf played (and cheered) with his usual intensity. Timofey Mozgof got the start.
I saw this as an improving and inspired Knicks team maximizing their potential against a newly ordained rival. It boded well for an exciting, competitive second half of a season, and I was happy. A week later, and that team is gone. The pre-game introductions lauded the team as “Your new New York Knicks”. I guess new sounds better than temporary or today’s. The marketing campaign has promoted this incarnation of the Knicks as a revelation, as a team to which to feel connected. Now it seems so... fleeting. Most of the starters are gone, traded away to Denver. Sure, the replacements are probably better, but they aren't the faces we've been seeing all season, the team that has come to embody new and exciting things.
Now, Carmelo Anthony is a Knick. Okay, It’s not as if this trade came out of nowhere. Anthony was rumored to be a Knick-in-waiting since pre-season. It was likely that he would arrive via trade, so some player movement was anticipated. Already, fans knew not to get too attached to the 2010-11 Knicks. Still, with good offense-oriented team basketball, played passionately by a group of young likable characters, and a marketing campaign aimed at personalizing these Knicks, it was very easy to connect with this young team. They got me. I connected.Now, that half of the team is gone, I can’t help but wonder: was it these role-players that defined this likable identity of the early 2010-11 Knicks, and do the late 2010-11 Knicks have the same potential for meaning and connection? Gallo, Chandler, Mozgov... these guys were workers. They had upside, and gave me something to believe in; they didn't constitute the best team, but they were my team. Felton was up for All-Star consideration. Him and Amar'e gelled. Sure, he's not Rose or Rondo; he couldn't win MVP votes, but he could have a case for most-improved. In many ways, his arc embodied much of the 2010/11 Knicks identity: they were obviously not going to win a championship or dominate contenders in a seven-game series, but they were good enough to challenge any team on any given night. Felton and the old new Knicks were fun to watch, and that felt special.
Of course, it has really been Amar'e Stoudemire's team from the start of this season, and he's still here. It is Amar'e that has been the face of the franchise, the 20-foot tall face on the billboard at the Atlantic Yards (future home of the Brooklyn Nets). He flaunts style, range, power, and gregariousness. Maybe more importantly, upon arriving, he clearly wanted to transcend who he was as a Phoenix Sun. He adopted New York - that impressive, intimidating metropolis (that perhaps scared away the likes of LeBron) - as his town. Amar'e embodies the “be a part of it” enthusiasm that permeates New York, that makes it such a destination for the ambitious and dissatisfied. Seeing him take the reins of a proud franchise when he wasn’t even the biggest star of his former team shows that he was ready to transcend his reputation to lead this team and this city.
How will Carmelo Anthony fit into this? Will he bring equal swagger, or just towering expectations? He is already a superstar, already hugely marketable, and yet I hesitate to call him a leader. In terms of character, I don’t know that getting him before July at a possibly debilitating price was worth dismantling an exciting team in February. He scores and smiles for the cameras, but I question whether he will follow Amar'e in growing into a greater role. Will he consume the Knicks’ new culture, or will the Knicks new culture consume him? Can this team have to dominant personalities that equally share the spotlight? My hope is that, at least, Amar'e's role as the life force of this team is not diminished, even if his ppg is.
It may be hard to say what this trade does, but one thing is for sure: it accelerates time. The Knicks essentially gave up their claim as a young team budding with potential. They got older. The superstars are in their prime, and their time must be very soon, if not now. Billups, that cornerstone of the selfless Pistons squads from half a decade ago, will likely continue to radiate consistency and poise, and bring veteran presence both to the locker room and floor. But he's 34, and spoke of retiring (in the context of wanting to stay in Denver). Hopefully, this will rejuvenate his career. Or perhaps the Knicks aim to replace him with a younger PG soon enough...
The Knicks will need to start producing now, not later, lest fans become impatient. The luxury of watching the Knicks grow up before your eyes is over. Gone are the days when Fields is a pleasant surprise, Felton is a revelation, and that’s enough to make you cheer. As of now, fans expect a championship, whether or not that is a practical goal, considering this short bench and lack of size. If the Knicks had waited until this summer to sign Anthony, there would still be a youth movement to enjoy, those moments of actualized potential. No longer is the energy one of optimism; it is now expectation.
It was strange to hear chants of “M-V-P!” for Amar'e followed by callings of “We Want Melo” while the Knicks enjoyed a 10+ point lead against a good Hawks team. It reflects the conflicted psychology of an self-aggrandizing city that has long been without basketball saviors: to go from embarrassment to expectation in a New York minute, sacrificing a no-name nucleus of promising players in the process. I wonder if this city will be happy with anything short of a championship contender, if those calling for Anthony over the past six months will now cry for a point guard over the next two seasons while the Knicks eventually plateau as a 3-or-4-seed. When are fans happy? For me, it was in that fermenting optimism that was traded away in pursuit of something bigger, something brighter. I hope we can enjoy this new team for what they are and accept their inherent failings, before the next chant begins: "We Want CP3".
Maybe fans and the organization alike should adopt a new new slogan: “be here now”.
