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New York Knicks: The Super Team That Is Always Late

By Preston Mott

Mar 28, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Knicks 99-91. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Knicks 99-91. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks are a super team that is once again, too late.

The New York Knicks believe they hit a homerun this offseason. Phil Jackson executed a semi-blockbuster trade this summer shipping off Jose Calderon, Robin Lopez, and Jerian Grant in exchange for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second-round pick.

The Knicks also signed Joakim Noah to a questionable four-year $72 million contract. The Knicks made a few other splashy moves, snaring young veterans Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee. After spending over $100 million this summer, are the Knicks really better off for it?

The Knicks conjured up a mishmash of ingredients that has everyone within the organization drinking the Kool-Aid. Jeff Hornacek, new coach of the Knicks, believes that Rose is “one of the top point guards in the NBA who is playoff-battle-tested.”

Anyone with a lick of NBA knowledge knows this isn’t true. Rose may be drinking the majority of the Kool-Aid. “With these teams right now, they’re saying us and Golden State are the super teams,” Rose stated in a recent interview with NBA.com.

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Rose isn’t completely wrong here—any team that featured Rose, Anthony, and Noah would have been considered a super team five years ago.

Rose’s prime years were cut short but by a plethora of injuries. Rose isn’t the same electric, high-flying speed demon capable of zooming past the league’s canniest defenders anymore. The Knicks aren’t getting that Rose.

They are getting the washed up model that has already peaked—the model that recorded a -4.23 Real Plus-Minus last season, which ranked No. 81 among 85 point guards. Rose doesn’t have the bounce, athleticism or barrage of crafty moves at the rim that led to him winning the 2011 MVP. At this point, Rose is a shell of his former self, a “name” player that will be used to lure fans into Madison Square Garden.

Noah’s best days seem to be long gone as well. Noah was the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season, but his performance fell off a cliff the following year. The year after that, Noah suffered a season ending shoulder-injury, appearing in just 29 games.

Noah’s four-year $72 million deal could cement the Knicks into a murky situation. One more injury and Noah could morph into an untradeable albatross contract, capable of scaring away any GM in trade negotiations.

Bringing in star players well after they’ve peaked is what the Knicks do. The additions of Rose and Noah only contribute to an already way-too-long list of washed up star players to play for the Knicks. Jalen Rose, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady and Amare Stoudemire are only a few of the latest failed prime-time players to stroll through New York.

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The Knicks are always late to the party. They were five years late on Rose and they are at least two years late on Noah. Rose, Noah, Anthony, and 7-foot-3 Latvian tower Kristaps Porzingis aren’t the super team that Rose seems to think they are. This is the super team that is once again, too late.

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