Oh The Parallel Of These Two Teams And How They Were Similar and Yet Oh So Different
Summer of 2010 Knicks had waited such a long time to give their fan base a good product. They toiled for yrs in particular 2yrs straight of throwaway seasons all-in for this summer. After the dust settled ended up with a $100mil suspect Power Forward Max Player and a barely above average Point Guard in free agency. We also sign this foreign prospect at center with loads of potential. They represented changed times, the New Era....Knicks Are Back
We got our Max Cat We got our Starting Point Guard
We got a Center
We also had nice supplementary pieces in the fold..... young players(Chandler, Fields, Douglas, Randolph, Mozgov, Gallo, Walker). It was a season to be excited about, we started to get some national recognition and there was lots of potential there. We also had Cap Space coming to us the following season. As the season got under way we started out somewhat slow new players had to get used to their new digs and teammates, there was a small learning curve here.
Our $100mil Max guy didn't quite endear himself to the young guys publicly he told them......
"I'm Not Used To Losing" and that "Some in the locker room may be comfortable with it since there hasn't been a lot of winning going on the past couple seasons."
Some Knick fans lapped that up as leadership but I on the other looked at it as alienating himself from his teammates. Our coach also said he would make no concessions for the young players sacrificing Amar'e and Felton's opportunity to win. Once again another Epic blunder of creating a divide within a team. This set the tone of a trade sacrifice. Other teams shaped the Eastern Conference landscape they landed some big fish too, so we had to contend with the new competitive settings.
In the background there was very small chatter that players like CP3/Howard/Melo may not stick with their respective teams long but nothing concrete at season's begin more speculative type stuff.
After our slow start come end of November we pick up our play(credit was given to Amar'e for poppin off at the mouth towards the youngans) and it carried over to the middle of December, at one point 16-9. You know very close to 19-6. We freshly handled the Melo led Nuggets. Chandler dropped 27pts Gallo 16pts, and Fields had 18pts....Melo had his usual chucker type game 27fga to score 31pts Our young guys were playing well...Chandler and Gallo were both 15/5, Fields was amongst the Top Rookie Of The Year candidates leading all guards in rebounding at one point and even the reclaimed project in Purple Drank was getting in on things. Amar'e was an early MVP candidate and Felton a potential All-Star honor
Then the proverbial shoe dropped! Melo and his camp made it known they officially weren't going to sign an extension in Denver and he had a very short list of teams he wanted to play for if he could be traded this season.....essentially us and a small puncher's chance Nets.
So what do we do, WE PANIC and start wondering what packages the Nets are presenting, info constantly being leaked in the press Nets say they're close to a deal, Denver refusing to deal with us directly, Walsh pouting in the press about it(saying he doesn't think they value our guys) but then goes on to say he likes the young players we have and is fine keeping them beyond the season. Nets continue to flip-slop back and forth with Denver. Then Melo flip-flops and says there's a chance he'll re-sign/sign. All the while our play started to dip...Gallo got injured Amar'e and Felton were wearing down some because of coach jack hammering them into the ground.
The Nets become irritated and flustered with Denver's demands...Janurary rolls around Gallo returns from injury and then Chandler erupts on the Spurs things are looking good. Then the Nuggets keep picking at the Nets, more rumors about a deal getting closer. Purple Drank erupts for like the gang of 3s against Phx things are looking like they're taking a turn for the better but we are really panicing about the Denver situation. Walsh finally makes contact with them and publicly admits Denver may be asking for too much. Our young players look a little shook, their play is pedestrian for a few gms...Amar'e once again publicly says that "They should suck it up and realize trade/trade rumors are part of the business"....once again poor leadership. We're essentially playing .500 basketball at this point recently coming off a 6gm losing streak and we're 22-21. Melo doesn't think the Knicks want to trade for him publicly admits it... All-Star break rolls around and Dolan makes sure they have a face-to-face about a possible trade and about a week later Massai completes one of the most masterful heist jobs in all of sports where a deal is agreed to and then says hey oh btw we want Mozgov too otherwise deals off and of course we oblige....
(Gallo/Chandler/Randolph/Mozgov/Felton/Curry 2014 1st/2016 1st(swap)/2012 2nd,/2013 2nd/waive Brewer)
We were 28-26 when traded consummated. Stripped us of almost every valuable assets we had at present and for the future, keeping in mind we already given up so many valuable past future assets to gain 2010 cap space and for free agent signings that proved to be a complete ATROCITIC total waste.
Now let's move on to the Rockets
They toiled for a few yrs trying to move on past the McGrady/Yao era, they were actually extremely competitive just couldn't hang out in the tough Western Conference. I believe they put together 3 winning season post era not 2 throwaway seasons in free pass fashion like we did.
Anyway Morey decided I probably will have a tough time luring free agents here so what I must do is stockpile talent/assets and either maintain and/or increase those values in effort to trade for FOUNDATIONAL PIECES should they become available. I also must naturally preserves cap space.
So their chance comes 2012-2013
He goes after RFAs or soon to be..... low risk high reward type of approach
He gets an average starting Point GuardHe gets a well above average Starting Center
He gets an All-Star Caliber starting Shooting Guard(possible Top 5 player at this point)
Rockets Are Back and much like us.....had nice supplementary pieces in the fold(Parsons/Patterson/Morris/Lamb/Jones/White/Montie) but he didn't throw all of those at OKC in effort to land Harden. He didn't panic wondering if Presti would start combing the league discussing other deals for Harden, he didn't move on to Orlando and clean out all of what was in his cupboards for D-12, he didn't call up the Clippers just throwing offers out there seeing what sticks on the wall for CP3. No he contacted Presti early in the summer told him what he'd be willing to offer if they couldn't get an extension done and boom DONE DA DA!!!! He also managed to sign free agents something once again he probably felt would be difficult but not impossible to do. Signing assets of value turning them into something more valuable, and clearing up more cap space...
Now the season get sunder way....they start kind off slow very up and down with their play .500 or below ball...then they start playing better end of November to about late December...sound familiar? They hit a little snag and pick things back up in January sound familiar? Then all this Lakers drama has been taking place in their very own conference. Dwight Howard's camp publicly admits Houston could be an attractive destination in free agency. He is beefing with Kobe and D'Antoni over trivial stuff. Did Morey got overly anxious and say well it's mid January and now my team is starting to hit a brick wall we're sitting in the 8th hole....Lakers are in strife.... let me offer Kuptchak......
Asik/Parsons/Morris/Jones/Patterson/Aldrich/2013 1st/2015 1st/ and a couple 2nd rounders and if they ask for Greg Smith then so be it? NO!
He preferred for his team to weather the storm.....while he tinkered elsewhere which led to him landing a Top 5 Lottery Pick from the past summer's draft. Every since being 22-21 as they had lost 7gms in a row.....Morey stayed the course and when he made that trade the Rockets were 29-26....sound familiar? As of the here and now they are 33-28 just a half game back of the 6th seed.
So he manages to acquire(trade) assets with value, build their value, flip them into something more valuable, sign assets(free agents) of value build their value, flip more remaining assets(from trades) of value into something more valuable, and clear up more cap space...
Should they remain a Playoff team how do you think the league will perceive the value of Lin/Asik/Parsons/Montie/Robinson....I can tell you what they will be coming to Morey with ridiculous offers that's what.
That's how you operate as a franchise, you stay the course.... you build your value and brand not solely based on some singular entity(player) but the TEAM in general and you make it attractive to all comers and onlookers. For those of you who think this is about Gallo or any 1 singular young talent back then get over yourself...Here's a hypothetical going back to 2010 let use Gallo for this example to parallel a move Morey made recently. I was for moving any young piece if it could facilitate something greater down the road...So trading Gallo for Marcus Thornton and 1st from the Kings would have sufficed for me. Thornton would have become our starting 2 guard.....underzised yeah but so what we're playing a Brontosaurus at 2 guard now and we think we're CONTENDERS to knock off the Heat. Morey flipped Chase Buddinger a 2nd round 2009 44 pick into a 2012 lottery 1st pick 18(which btw landed Terrence Jones which btw provided another asset, to then make Lamb available.... which btw helped land Harden).
GET IT!
GOT IT!
WELL DIS GON BE.....GOOD!
Morey is playing Chess these other GMs are playing Go Fish they don't even know what Checkers is. Here we see the difference in what we do and what a very competent front office does.
3/4/2013 1:13 PM