Friday, April 8, 2011

Which G.M. job would you choose: Knicks or Nets?

From my post at Stacheketball:

The offseason has now fully dawned on the New York metropolitan area (which of course includes Newark, New Jersey, home of the long-since-eliminated Nets). It’s been an action-packed year for the hometown teams, from high-profile to high-volume free agent signings, but for both the season, and most importantly, the near future, will be defined by their big splash, in-season acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams.
If the offseason symbolized the initial ante for two franchises looking to step into NBA relevance, both went all-in by gutting their rosters in pursuit of the marquee names that their fan bases craved and their owners deemed necessary to move closer to contention.

On this day, with the season in the rear-view mirror, it’s now time to look toward the future. And to do so, one might wonder, which team is better equipped for the long haul? The short term? If you were an aspiring G.M. — and let’s be honest, who isn’t? — which organization would you prefer to work for? Which mix of players and contracts would you choose to give you the best opportunity to mold it into a true contender?

On its face, the answer would have to lean towards the Knicks, the playoff team and the one with not one, but two All-Stars. Simple math and prevailing wisdom would say two BIG names is better than one, and that, coupled with the history and geographical location of the team that plays at Madison Square Garden would understandably lead some to assume the Knicks would be the pick. But with the fourth and final matchup of the two coming tonight, I’m not so sure I’d be comfortable going along for that ride in logic.

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