The Knicks troubles could help the Denver Nuggets strike gold in next year’s draft.
New York is the “Big Apple.” If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
There’s one problem. None of the New York Knicks are “making it” right now. The team that plays ball in the heart of Manhattan is currently tied for the third-worst record in the National Basketball Association — yes, it’s only been 10 games. It should also be recognized that their defensive anchor, a guy two years removed from being the best defender in the NBA, Tyson Chandler, is out with a sprained knee. That’s understandable, but it’s a blip on the radar.
New York fans want to believe their team is like wine, getting better as the years pile on top of each other. Well, the Knicks are aging more so like milk at this point, and Carmelo Anthony could very well find himself turning a cold shoulder to his hometown team. That’s a real possibility at this point, especially with the way the NBA is set up.
The 31 other teams in the league are like little kids catapulting themselves upward to touch the net while the big kid — the Miami Heat — come flying in with a windmill slam. And with as weak as the Eastern Conference is shaping out to be, the Knicks could very well find themselves out of the playoffs.
Knicks’ fans could get over that because that at least means a spot in the lottery for what has been hyped up to be the best crop of prospects since 2003 — the draft that produced Miami’s “Big Three.”
Guess again, New York.
That guy rocking the number-seven jersey drawing chants of “Melo” is the exact reason why missing this year’s playoffs can’t happen for the Knicks. So all thoughts of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Julius Randle go flying out the door because New York sent its first round pick in 2014 to the Denver Nuggets as part of the trade that landed Anthony in Madison Square Garden.
If you bleed orange and blue, you better hope your team pulls it together otherwise the only result of the season is an entire year lost from your superstar’s prime.
Now Denver fans are going to be the happiest because their team holds the real power. The Nuggets owe the Orlando Magic a first round pick but can choose which pick to give the Magic. Essentially, and I’m not saying this is ever going to happen, though it could, Brian Shaw could lead the Nuggets on a magical run through the playoffs and win the championship and end up with the first-overall pick. That is, of course, assuming the Knicks fall flat on their face.
Picture that. The Nuggets, one of the NBA’s youngest, most athletic teams, could go deep into the playoffs and end up with a high draft pick.
The rich get richer.
At that point, it’s really just like closing your eyes and reaching into a treasure chest after already winning the lottery.
Imagine Ty Lawson throwing lobs to Wiggins. Oh, I can already hear Marv Albert calling that phenomenon.
I reiterate: this is only if the Knicks miss the playoffs. Even then, New York could barely miss the playoffs and end up with a lower-lottery pick.
So a lot has to go right for the Nuggets to make out like bandits, but if New York stays on this path… it will happen.
Meanwhile the Magic are sitting there, twiddling its thumbs. Orlando will most likely end up with a lottery pick of its own, and taking one of Denver’s picks will just sweeten the deal.
At the end of the day, New York could send Denver on a first-class trip to stare at ping pong balls with Orlando.
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