Chris Broussard: Stop calling New York the Mecca of basketball
The sky is falling in New York City these days, as the Knicks are apparently trying desperately to unload Carmelo Anthony to any team that will take him.
On the surface, the Melo trade drama would seem to be just the latest in a series of miscues, massive mistakes and all-around malfeasance by one of the NBA's all-time great franchises. Yet according to FOX Sports NBA Insider Chris Broussard, there's a big problem with that line of thinking:
New York isn't the Mecca of basketball, and the Knicks aren't a prestigious organization. Period.
On this week's "In The Zone" basketball podcast right here on FOX Sports, Broussard pointed out how mediocre the Knicks have been for decades now — and that the city of New York no longer produces the NBA's best players like it did in the '70s and '80s.
BROUSSARD: With Broadway and all, New York is much more a Mecca of drama and entertainment than basketball. In fact, if you ever hear me refer to New York as the Mecca of basketball again, slap a brother. [...]
Contrary to popular opinion, the Knicks do not embody greatness. The Knicks are historic, yes. Along with the Boston Celtics, they're the only teams that have been in the league for its entire 70-year existence. Congratulations; there is something to be said for longevity. But when longevity is not coupled with winning, well, it actually just highlights your futility. Two championships in 70 years. That's what the Knicks have produced. And the last one came 44 years ago. Think about that — not one player in the league was born the last time the Knicks won a title.
Fourteen franchises have won NBA championships since then, eight of them claiming multiple crowns, and you're the Mecca? That's like calling Pittsburgh the Mecca of baseball because the Pirates won two World Series back in the 1970s.
Perhaps the biggest blow against New York as basketball Mecca? Broussard busts out a couple astonishing facts: First, there are only 12 players from the Big Apple currently in the NBA, and not one is an All-Star-caliber talent. Second, the city of New York ranks below-average in producing NCAA Division I basketball players.
So how can the Knicks turn this around, especially if they're stuck with Carmelo Anthony? Broussard offers his recipe for success:
- Stop calling yourself the Mecca and thinking you can land every star free agent.
- Show a little patience with coaches so that you can establish an identity.
- And most importantly, hire people for the right jobs — like Phil Jackson as a coach, rather than a front office executive.
