Who doesn’t love a high-flying dunk, a smooth jump shot off the dribble, or some intense defense? What defines a good basketball team? Is it all about the wins and loses? What about entertaining the fans with new content every day? If you need a team that can play with the best of them, yet keep you on the edge of your seat almost every day, or just the team makes the headlines, look no further than the New York Knicks. 

This organization personifies the world of basketball even in its down years. The Knicks have had plenty of huge superstars, many playoff battles, and boast the most famous arena in the world in Madison Square Garden. (Hahn. 11) It isn’t often that an entire organization can surprise its fan base so often. Aside from the Golden State Warriors (who blew a three to one lead in the finals!) the Knicks have been the team to constantly stumble fans. How so, might you ask? Well how about when one of your team’s veteran superstars just up and leaves for no reason? Or how about when a player dm’s a female on twitter asking “you tryna get the pipe?” and it becoming a slogan? The Knicks exemplify the New York feel in how it seems like they could be a damn broad way show! Aside from the off-court drama the team itself is usually stocked with talent. Their issue however, seems to always be giving their one hundred percent best effort every time out. The team can go and beat the Warriors Monday and lose to the 76ers that Wednesday. No other team in the league has issues like the New York Knicks. Other teams are way more stable and consistent, which honestly can get boring. Why see a movie if you already know how it is to end? If this intro has captured your attention, then read on and find yourself in the shoes of a Knicks fan and the rollercoaster of a ride the organization takes one through.

What makes the New York Knicks the New York Knicks? Well for starters the team plays in one of the most famous cities and arenas in the entire world! Madison Square Garden is in New York, NY. It has had countless memories where stars have performed their best in front of an endless population of people. Other sports have made a name for this arena, as well as musical performances, shows, and much more. Right outside of this arena there is city life in its glory. There is almost never a time when a group of cars cannot be seen on the street. Also, there is almost always something to do, or a new place to go and eat at. Such a place offers people of all different cultures and types to gather together and enjoy some quality entertainment. 

How often do basketball ban “fans” find themselves bandwagon a team only to realize that after all the winning is through they don’t enjoy the team. Well I am here to tell you that the New York Knicks are a team that would keep anybody interested! Many actual fans may disagree but I will show why the Knicks should have an even bigger fan base than they already have. Not all of being a basketball fan has to come exclusively from what happens on the court. 

For starters, the New York Knicks boast a good group of talent and one guaranteed future hall of famer in Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo Anthony was drafted number three overall in the same draft class as the great Lebron James. The two have had battles throughout their illustrious careers that have been more than memorable. Carmelo has always been a dangerous scorer as his career points per game average is about twenty-five points. Whether it be from the three-point line, the mid-range, a post up, or a thunderous dunk Carmelo has the full offensive repertoire! So, for those basketball fans who love offense Carmelo Anthony provides that in spades. Not only do the New York Knicks boast this monster, but they also recently acquired the former MVP Derrick Rose. His handles, shiftiness, and phenomenal agility make him exciting to watch particularly when he is driving to the basket. Did I mention the “Unicorn” Kristaps Porzingis? This magical creature stands at seven foot three inches, yet can shoot and handle the basketball like a guard in the NBA!

So, with that last paragraph I have managed to get those people who love scorers on board. Well, the bench features some dynamic players of its own as well! Brandon Jennings was previously a starter for the Bucks before getting injured. Previous journeyman Kyle O’Quin brings energy and rebounding like a beast when he subs in. Also, though Joakim Noah has greatly regressed on defense he is still an above average defender. So, all this should make for quite the elite team huh?

Well this is what makes the New York Knicks so interesting. Despite all of the talent and experience mixed in with some youth this franchise can’t seem to win games consistently. The players go from working into perfect synergy with one another to seeming like they just met on a nightly basis. You’ll see a game where the Knicks will beat the supposed best team in the league in the Go Cleveland Cavaliers and yet lose to the lowly Lakers the next night. With such wild inconsistency, the Knicks will always keep you guessing. You can never go to a game and expect a loss or even a win no matter who the competition it is that they are facing.  This unfortunately puts this good squad into one of the middling packs of teams in the league. 

According to Zac Thomas there is a way to see if your team is under performing or over performing using a bunch of number crunching methods. When looking at the Knicks one will most likely see the team over performing when it is playing a team that is actually better than them. Meanwhile, the team under performs when it is playing lesser competition. This is the usual trend the team follows on a regular basis.

Now, what makes the Knicks so interesting is their constant impatience. Even before the current day the general managers would trade away youth for old wash players in the hope that they would bring another illustrious title to the mecca of basketball. As you may have guessed this process hasn’t been working. However, the ghost of the process lingers on the organization as the team rarely has first round draft picks available to select year after year. The issue at hand now becomes does the team want to trade away all of their veterans and go completely young? Or does the team want to keep them and attempt to make a playoff push? Well the team wishes to trade off their veterans it seems, but even here there are issues at hand! For starters, the teams franchise player is thirty-two years old (Carmelo Anthony) and holds a no trade clause on his contract. So, you can only get rid of this veteran with his exclusive permission. The second problem is that the other veterans have ugly contracts that other teams simply cannot or do not want to take onto their payroll. This in turn has caused a lot of mixed reports to surface on the internet. Such is the case as with the article by Frank Isola where he tells of the Knicks should trade away pieces and get young. (Isola. Pg. 1) The reasoning behind Isola’s idea is mostly because of the current general manager of the Knicks Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson is a legend in the game of basketball. He has about eleven championship rings when you factor in those he won as a player, general manager, and a coach. The man coached Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for crying out loud. However, his recent behavior has made New York an unattractive free agent destination. One not need to look further than the way that Jackson treats his franchise player Carmelo. Jackson is often criticizing Carmelo for holding the ball too long on offense, or not running the triangle enough (a seemingly outdated style of play) and plenty more. So, while a seemingly great team is working to get its stuff together its general manager is working to push it down.

Now, I know you may be thinking what good is it to be a Knicks fan? However, not all the news surrounding the Knicks is bad. When the Knicks actually get a chance to draft players they tend to a good job finding gems. Of course, there is the sensational Kristaps Porzingis, but there have been a couple other good picks that Knicks have gotten. Whether it be Jerian Grant, Tim Hardaway Jr (both of whom made the rising stars games as rookies), or the new rookie they have in Willy Hermangomez. In a recent article by FOX sports the rookie has drawn attention for his play in limited minutes. He has shown a good blend of low post game, hustle, and rebounding capabilities. (Richard. Pg. 1)

Now of course the Knicks are not the only entertaining team within in the league. There are plenty others who provide some sort of excitement to their fans in distinct ways. With the 76ers their fans are subjected to watching their lottery draft picks seemingly just fall apart for no reason year after year, but this team cannot compete with any of the elite teams in the association. Such teams like the Cleveland Cavs and Boston Celtics provide entertainment to their fan base with good, crisp play. Just recently the two teams had themselves a classic battle that went down to the wire and saw the Celtics prevail over the reigning champions. (Today. Pg. 1) While plenty of the other teams in the league do provide good entertainment, no organization can quite match the way the Knicks have it all put together. The 76ers have bad luck, with no talent. Meanwhile, the Cavs have enticing talent but no serious drama this season. 

Look at the way that you are captivated by this argumentatively persuasive essay stating that if you like basketball at any level the Knicks are a team you want follow. It has showed how the organization constantly hits its fans with something new every day. How often do you hear of a professional athlete skipping a game to go home without calling out of work? It is almost like a real life soap opera. I hope I have caught your interest into the Knicks organization. Hopefully I even created a new fan.
