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Kristaps Porzingis, D'angelo Russell, and The Future of New York Basketball

Let take the clocks back to 2013. Its a great year for New York basketball. The Nets are celebrating their inaugural season in Brooklyn. Deron Williams, respected as one of the best PG's in the league, was the face of the franchise. Armed with a brand new arena, and a roster featuring Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace, the Nets put together an impressive 48 win campaign. The New York Knicks were in the midst of a mini renaissance. After 3 straight trips to the postseason they were ready to take the next step. They took advantage of having Carmelo Anthony at the height of his considerable powers, and surrounded him with a ragtag group of established vets. Among them players like Tyson Chandler (DPOY) and JR Smith (6th man of the year). It was recipe for success as the Knicks went on to put together a 54 win season. No one benefited more from this NY basketball resurgence than New Yorkers themselves. It was a rare time when both the Knicks and Nets had good teams. The hype was real whenever these 2 teams meet up. Regular season games carried the anticipation of a boxing match. Dominate scoring performances, down-to-the-wire-games, and clutch shots were all common occurrences in the 4 game regular season series. The beginnings of a bitter rivalry was starting to form between the 2 franchises. A sentiment that went all the way up to ownership. Celebrities, fans, and players from both sides routinely threw pot shots at each other. The city was on fire. Fans were eager to stoke the flames of a rivalry still in its infant stages, but missing one key ingredient. A Playoff series. Its the birth of every true rivalry. It was a NY fans dream to fantasize about Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams trading buckets in the final minutes of a game 7 basketball subway series. But the Basketball gods had other plans in mind. However, things maybe looking up in the near future, let me explain.

BROOKLYN NETS (what went wrong)

After 2013, the Nets weren't satisfied with returning to relevancy as just a fixture in the playoffs. The Miami Heat ruled the east with an iron fist, with LeBron having a straight path to the finals every year. Every playoff team was obsessed with trying to compete with them. GM's were building rosters that were specifically designed to matchup against the Heat. But the Nets were fighting 2 battles. Before they can become the best team in the east, they first had to become the best team in NYC. In perhaps the most prominent cautionary tale in todays NBA, the Nets attempted to kill 2 birds with one stone. They traded for 3 of Lebron's most hated rivals. Kevin Garnett, Paul Peirce, and Jason Terry. While Paul Peirce was no longer a star, he was still an effective shot creator that delivered when his number was called. However Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, were simply husks of there former selves, there biggest value being their names and locker room experience. The price? Way too steep. the Nets relinquished their 2014, 2016, and 2018 first rounders, and gave the Celtics the right to swap picks in 2017. A move that eventually turned into Jason Taytum. Danny Ainge executed a proper rebuild since then, ushering the Celtics right back into prominence with shrewd and crafty moves. For the Nets, the trade had immediate (If not hollow) dividends. The Nets were competitive and were able to make that leap into the second round of the playoffs. However they weren't able to achieve their goal and compete with Miami, and the after effects were devastating. The Nets collapsed under the weight of their own ambition. Deron Williams, once respected as a top 5 PG, faded into obscurity. Joe Johnson was on the decline, and Paul Peirce left after just one season. The one consistent bright spot on the team was Brook Lopez, who was never intended to be the teams best player. Robbed of their future and desperately trying to keep together the crumbling present, the Nets descended back into the cellar of the east.

Image result for D'angelo Russell Brooklyn nets

THE NOW

Billy King was rightfully fired from the Brooklyn Nets. They wasted no time hitting the restart button. They committed to a full rebuild (well sort of, about as much as you can rebuild without lottery picks) hiring Sean Marks as the GM and Kenny Atkinson as the coach. Both men are relatively new in there respective positons and eager to make a name for themselves. In an attempt to compensate for not having lottery picks, Marks scrapped up mid to late 1st round picks like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Caris Lavert, and Jarett Allen. He also went to the bargain bin and scoured the second round for guys like Isiah Whitehead, and Sean Kilpatrick. He swung for fences in RFA, aggressively handing out absurd contracts offers in an attempt to pry mediocre players from other teams. These were largely moves designed to keep afloat. He couldn't get the one thing that the Nets desperately needed. A star player. He signed Jeremy Lin last season in a (somewhat) desperate attempt to compensate for this but as of yet it hasn't panned out. He next move however, was his home run. Sean Marks traded for D'angelo Russell, the talented but polarizing SG of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2nd overall pick was brought into usher in the post Kobe era of Lakers basketball. He was the centerpiece, the 'heir apparent" and was being groomed as the next great Laker. Inconsistencies and unfortunate locker room antics eventually lead to the Lakers to trade him, so they can make room for his replacement, Lonzo Ball. Russell hails from the same draft class as Kristaps Porzingis (more on him later), and has clear star potential. Exiled from Laker land, Russell has a chip on his shoulder and is primed for a breakout year in Brooklyn.

NEW YORK KNICKS (what went wrong)

If you can overlook the painful and all too familiar sting of defeat by the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks were coming off a euphoric high in 2013. After that, things fell apart very fast. The Knicks couldn't retain most of the vets that helped them win 54 games last year. They lost Raheed Wallace, Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas all at once. While they were nowhere near the best players on the team, it was clear they formed the identity that catapulted the Knicks from lower seed playoff team to Eastern conference power house. Not to be out done by the Nets, the Knicks made a horrific trade of their own relinquishing a 1st rounder for the embattled Andrea Bargnani. The residual affects were immediate. The Knicks won 37 games the year after and missed the playoffs entirely. Desperate to get the media off his back, James Dolan recruits Phil Jackson to coach the team. After shameless begging and a kings ransom, he settles for hiring Phil as the President of basketball operations. The Knicks once again severely regressed, and when it became clear there was time for change Jackson blew the team up and went into full tank mode. The result? The knicks drafted franchise cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis. Under Jacksons reign, dysfunction ran rampant. Over the course of 3 years, Jackson aired out players personal business, micromanaged his coaching staffs, publicly feuded with Carmelo Anthony, and even attempted to trade Kristaps Porzingis. Dolan eventually intervened and fired Jackson preventing his "Mad King" imitation from damaging the franchise any further. Due to Jacksons bizarre antics the Knicks reputation was severely damaged around the league.

Image result for Kristaps Porzingis New York Knicks

THE NOW

With Jackson gone, the Knicks have embraced a rare moment of stability. The lone bright spot of Jacksons tenure was his ability to acquire young talented players and maintain all of the teams future draft picks. Steve Mills ascended to the role of President and subsequently hired Scott Perry to the position of GM. Perry is a well respected executive around the league and brought some desperately needed legitimacy to the Knicks waning reputation around the league. Building on Jackson's youth renaissance, the Knicks made an aggressive signing in Tim Hardaway Jr., repaired the relationship with Porzingis, and drafted Frank Ntilikina as the PG of the future. The fallout from Jacksons tenure all but ensures the Carmelo Anthony era is coming to an end in NYC. The Knicks seem more than anxious to give Porzingis the keys to the kingdom. The Knicks have slowly and quietly surrounded Porzingis with young talented players he can grow with. Like Russell, Porzingis is ready to embrace his new role and is primed for a breakout season.

THE FUTURE

It may not seem like it now, but we might be inching closer to another time when the Knicks and Nets can achieve relevancy at the same time. Both teams have young talented players with a future star to build around. Kristaps Porzingis and D'angelo Russell are slowly becoming the faces of NYC basketball. 2 players from the same draft on rival teams, both primed for break out seasons, can make for a compelling story. Maybe this time we can be blessed with a basketball "subway series" in the not so distant future. Here's to a long fruitful and bitter rivalry for years to come.