Brooklyn or Manhattan?
Who is the best team in New York? The simple answer? Nets. Here’s why:
First, let’s compare star players. Who is more reliable in clutch situation? According to Tim Brontemps of NY Post, Joe Johnson is 12-for-14 in final 30 seconds of games Nets are tied or behind by 3 in the last 2 years. Carmelo Anthony is 1-for-16. Clearly the Nets have the advantage.
Point guards: Jose Calderon vs. Deron Williams. This is no contest. Jose Calderon has career averages of 10.2 points and 6.8 assists. Calderon is no more than an average point guard. Deron Williams had ankle troubles this past season and averaged career lows of 14.3 points and 6.1 assists, but he had double ankle surgery this offseason. Shall I remind you of what he did on healthy ankles? During the 2010-11 season when the Nets acquired Williams, he averages nearly 20 points and 10 assists, distinguishing himself as one of the top guards in the league. In 2013 after the All-Star break, Williams once again put up nearly 25 points and 8 assists. If Deron can stay healthy, and that is a big IF, you can expect him to be a top 5 point guard or better.
Now let’s compare centers. The Knicks’ starting center is a role player, the Nets’ starting center is an all-star. Samuel Dalembert averaged 6.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season for the Dallas Mavericks. In Brook Lopez’ last healthy season (2012-2013), he was an all-star and averaged 19.4 points and 6.9 rebounds. Last season before he broke his foot and was out for the season, he averaged 20.7 points and 6 rebounds on 56% shooting. With his style of play and that high field goal percentage, you can pretty much say he is unstoppable in the post.
Coaches: Again, NO CONTEST. Notice a pattern? The Nets have a proven head coach in Lionel Holins who was very successful with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-2013. Even after they traded away his best player, Rudy Gay, for basically nothing, he still managed to win games. The Knicks head coach, Derek Fisher, is a first year head coach with a lot to prove. He played for the Oklahoma City Thunder the past two and a half seasons and got hired as the Knicks’ head coach just weeks after retiring. Fisher may be an intelligent player, but I don’t see him succeeded in his first season as a coach.
Although the Knicks do have a few categories in which they are better than the Nets, I think that the differences listed above outweigh any other differences between the two teams in New York.
So clearly the Nets are by far the best team in New York. Just like last season, Nets will make the playoffs and the Knicks will not.
What readers said at the time
1 reply came in under this piece in 2014, and they are kept here as they were written — the readers’ words, not ours, spelling and all. The thread is closed; the desk does not take new comments.
jerry2530 August 2014
“If Healthy” is conditional answer to most threads.
DWill, Lopez, JoeJesus, Plum, Jack, Kirilenko should combine to play 77% of Nets minutes.
Still have Mirza, KG, AA and Bogs with the bench rotation.Better starters, better bench than Knicks, “if healthy”.
BTW, Joe Johnson was 6’8.25″ in shoes from 2001 pre-draft.
With Melo losing weight, JJ is the same size. Melo should be playing more SF this season. SF is JJ’s preferred position as he’s slowed down a little. Hope he covers Melo, with Plum and Lopez helping out.