The New York Knicks are yet another New York franchise plagued by bad ownership and questionable decision-making.
Year in and year out, the Knicks make personnel moves that leave most people scratching their head. For the last couple of seasons, Phil Jackson was the man in charge of basketball operations. For some moves he made as GM, Jackson's decisions were acts of brilliance looking toward the future; and, for others, his moves made absolutely no sense except for one (drafting Kristaps Porzingis). The truth of the matter is, Phil Jackson neither helped nor hurt the Knicks with the moves he made in charge. Besides drafting Porzingis, no moves he made will drastically change the Knicks future. Whether Phil was in charge or not, the Knicks have been just as bad as they were. The team was just simply never headed in the right direction. However, there is one trade rumor that has been lingering around that would finally put the Knicks on the right path: trading for star point guard Kyrie Irving.
Recently, Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, a move that completely blindsided the team. One of the teams he mentioned on his list of preferred destinations was, in fact, the New York Knicks. Additionally, on the same day that Irving requested the trade, there were already rumors that the Knicks and Cavs were talking up a deal, which could work because of Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, a native New Yorker, simply wants out of the toxic New York Knick environment and is willing to waive no trade clause to join his best friend Lebron James in Cleveland. On the Knicks side, dumping Carmelo and other players in order to acquire Irving is franchise-altering move. To create a core of Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis, who both happen to be under the age of 25, would be monumental for future success. Also, even though the Knicks are a complete disaster, Iriving, a big name superstar, wanting to play for the Knicks is a huge bonus. For future free agents, joining a team with two young superstars is always plus because, as a player, they may be only a step or two away from contending for a championship.
And that fact leads me to my concluding argument: if I were a part of the New York Knicks ownership, I would push hard for Irving because New York is a basketball city. The Knicks sell out every home game whether they go 0-82 or 82-0. For that reason alone, ownership should be throwing anything and everything at the Cavs to get Kyrie Irving because building a winner in New York, especially the Knicks, is life-changing; the amount of money they could make while making their fans happy would be absurd.
So, if you couldn't get the hint from reading this article, I am a Knicks fan, and as a fan I hope ownership feels the same way I do--that they must do anything to get Kyrie playing basketball for the Knicks at MSG.
