by Maxwell OgdenThe New York Knicks have reloaded and retooled. With a new head coach, three new starters, and a new sixth man, what exactly is the Knicks’ new identity?
For the second consecutive season, the New York Knicks will start three new players. The 2016-17 crew appears to be more methodically built, but the point remains; there’s a sense of uncertainty in New York.
The Knicks’ new players are quickly becoming acquainted with one another, but no one quite knows what to expect.
If New York can stay healthy, there’s reason to believe that it can make the NBA Playoffs in 2016-17. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis have been surrounded by capable playmakers and plus defenders.
There’s also reason to be concerned, as the likes of Brandon Jennings, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose have all suffered major injuries within the past three seasons.
Regardless of how healthy they manage to be, the Knicks won’t make a deep playoff run without an identity. Five likeminded individuals will prevail against a team with five players who are in it for themselves.
The question is: what exactly is the Knicks’ new identity?
5. The City
The 2016-17 New York Knicks may be the most New York team since the 1990s. It embodies the traits of New York City, and not those seen in movies or the media—the true traits that actual New Yorkers know.
High-profile a squad as it may be, the 2016-17 Knicks are made up of blue collar workers looking to make a living in New York.
Four players on the Knicks were born in New York City: Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah, Kyle O’Quinn, and Lance Thomas. Anthony and Thomas were born in Brooklyn, Noah played high school ball in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, and O’Quinn was born in Queens.
If nothing else connects these players, it can be the fact that two starters and two key reserves have New York roots.
More important than where the players were born is the mentality that they and their teammates play with. There’s an underlying sense of discontent and dissatisfaction with where the players’ careers currently are.
If that’s not a feeling that New Yorkers can relate to, then what is?
4. Never Say Die
The New York Knicks aren’t going to give up on many games, let alone on many possessions. If nothing else can be said about this group, it certainly possesses the work ethic to fight until the rewarding or bitter end.
With a never say die mentality, the Knicks have an opportunity to compete with every team in the NBA—great or otherwise.
Joakim Noah firmly embodies the never say die mentality. During his time with the Chicago Bulls, he won the Defensive Player of the Year award for his unrelenting approach to the defensive end of the floor.
Noah is just as likely to dive into the crowd for a loose ball as he is to make a defensive rebound; and no, that isn’t hyperbole.
Beyond Noah, the likes of Justin Holiday, Courtney Lee, Maurice Daly Ndour, Marshall Plumlee, and Lance Thomas are all revered for their work ethic. Kristaps Porzingis is becoming the same way, as evidenced by just about everything he does on and off the court.
With Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings, and Derrick Rose possessing the elusive killer mentality, this Knicks team should be ferociously competitive.
3. Nothing Comes Easy
When Joakim Noah played for the Chicago Bulls, his impact was felt whether he was on the floor or not. He held his teammates accountable by protecting the rim, crashing the boards, and setting a high standard for effort by putting his body on the line.
The theme from Noah’s Chicago days should carry into The Mecca: if you’re playing the New York Knicks, nothing will come easy.
Noah isn’t the only player who’s willing to put his body on the line to make a play. Lest we forget, Kristaps Porzingis’ didn’t injure his shoulder at the end of the 2015-16 season on a routine play.
Porzingis injured his shoulder by blocking a dunk attempt at the rim in a meaningless game—and that’s why Knicks fans love him.
Throw in Courtney Lee’s tenacious on-ball defense and New York has three competitive high-level defenders. Lance Thomas is cut from that same cloth, and the likes of Maurice Daly Ndour, Kyle O’Quinn, and Marshall Plumlee can say the same.
The Knicks may not have a surplus of traditionally elite defensive players, but they have competitors who will make everything difficult.
