The Lakers, Knicks and the Fight For the #1 Pick
Kobe Bryant is recovering and Derek Fisher is coaching and Carmelo Anthony is playing and Phil Jackson is being Phil Jackson. They are still who their names and legacies say they are. They are still carrying the torch for a past long gone. These days the flame is barely a flicker in the dark and invisible in the light. For their respective organizations, the Lakers and Knicks, it has been a long, long year.
One team has won 13 games. Another team has won 9 games. To put it another way, cumulatively, the Lakers and Knicks have lost 77% of the games they have played. The draft lottery is on the horizon after a brutal season for both teams whose fans have been dismayed, disgusted, angry and resigned. It was supposed to be this bad but no one wanted it to be this bad, and now that it is almost over, there is relief and a desperate desire to turn the page.
Jan 29, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) watches from the bench during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 103-82. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers and Knicks have more things in common than being big market clubs with high salaried stars whose owners named Jim are seen as incompetent. Both have Hall of Fame players who still draw in fans to the point of being voted in as starters for the All-Star game even though their teams are disasters. Both stars have struggled through injuries. Kobe Bryant’s injury (rotator cuff) ended his season. Carmelo Anthony’s injury (knee) is lingering and perhaps may lead to surgery in the off-season.
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Both teams have very young players. The Knicks start an undrafted rookie, Langston Galloway, at shooting guard. The Lakers start a second round draft pick, Jordan Clarkson, at point guard.
The Knicks center is Jason Smith. The Lakers center is Robert Sacre. The Knicks coach, Derek Fisher, is in his first year. The Lakers coach, Byron Scott, is in his first year. The Knicks are terrible at defending the three. The Lakers are terrible at defending everything. The Knicks are 4th in the league in attendance. The Lakers are 10th in attendance. Losing still pays in large markets when Kobe and Carmelo are on the court.
But if you want to see the internet break then let the Lakers get the #1 pick and the Knicks get the #2 pick on May 19th, or vice-versa. The league has never recovered from the New York Knicks winning the first ever draft lottery. Patrick Ewing was delivered to the #1 media market. It felt like a conspiracy, like David Stern was clued in to the envelope because the envelope had been in the freezer or the envelope had a crease or any number of conspiracy theories. The bottom line was the New York Knicks prevailed. Or did they? Patrick Ewing was a Hall of Famer but he never delivered a title for the Knicks.
Imagine the outrage if in Kobe Bryant’s last year the Lakers get the #1 pick. Imagine if Jahlil Okafor is paired with Julius Randle, Bryant and two good players like Reggie Jackson and Greg Monroe.
There is more than one way to play yourself into the lottery. You can do it the 76ers way and amass the youngest team in the NBA and lose night after night after night. Or, you can overpay a star and surround him with average competitors with a one dimensional skill set who aren’t equipped to win games consistently. They will try hard but will come up short night after night after night. This is what the NBA has evolved into for the glamorous franchises in Los Angeles and New York.
Sometimes it is about clearing the deck and starting over but keeping a star so it looks like you are trying to compete. What the Lakers and Knicks are really trying to do is start over. On May 19th the verdict will be in. You’ll know then if this misery of a season was indeed worth it.