How does the New York Knicks current team stack up against the Miami Heat from 2014?
Back in 2010, when a man by the name of LeBron James uttered the words, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach,†the landscape of the NBA changed forever. A dynasty was born in Miami, as the Heat would win two of the next four titles. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, along with James, made up the first great “superteam.â€
What does this have to do with the New York Knicks, you ask? Well, our beloved team is attempting to recreate something like the aforementioned Heat squad, just nine years later. I wanted to harken back on that Miami team and try to draw some similarities between the ideal Knicks scenario, and the championship team that Pat Riley was able to assemble for the Heat.
The Heat Already Had Success (and a little luck)
While the Heat already had Wade and needed to sign James and Bosh, the Knicks don’t have anyone. Their situation would include signing two max free agents and trading for another star player. Another key difference is the team’s previous levels of success. The Knicks finished last season with the league’s worst record, while Miami finished 47-35 and made the playoffs.
In the NBA, luck plays such a huge role. The Heat were fortunate enough to land two-star players, despite not being an elite team. They did this because Miami is a big market, because Pat Riley is an excellent recruiter, and because the Knicks couldn’t put together a coherent presentation.
The Knicks, too, are relying on the ever-unpredictable game of luck. You have to be when your team wins just 17 games, and your owner is James Dolan. Kevin Durant, the team’s primary target, is considering the Knicks for a variety of reasons, most notably to improve his business acumen. With LeBron in L.A., New York is the perfect city for Durant to grow his businesses and invest.
What Would a Super Team Look Like in New York?
Let’s say New York does secure the services of Durant. With the second max slot, point guard becomes a priority. Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker make up the highest tier of free agent point guards, and both would pair perfectly with KD, just as Wade paired perfectly with LeBron.
Finally, the Knicks have to go out and trade for a third star. The two options on the table are New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and Washington’s Bradley Beal. While Davis is the superior player, his contract is up after the 2019-20 season, and New York will have to give up more in terms of assets to get him. Just like Bosh, the third star is a crucial piece to this the puzzle.
In order to get a player like Davis or Beal, a package would likely have to include Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Allonzo Trier, the third overall pick (likely Duke’s RJ Barrett), as well as one or two of the future picks from Dallas from the Kristaps Porzingis trade. That is a lot, and the fanbase seems split on whether it is the right move. But were the Knicks to make such a move, the team would even more closely resemble the former Heat squad.
Say, Walker and Davis, along with Durant, are onboard, and the starting lineup is as follows: Kemba Walker, Damyean Dotson, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Mitchell Robinson. That’s a fantastic starting lineup, but, like the Heat, the rest of the roster will have to be filled out with a combination of young players and cheap veterans.
Miami’s 2011 team, for reference, took some younger players (Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Joel Anthony), as well as solid veterans (Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller). The Knicks could employ an eight or nine-man rotation, with youngsters such as Kadeem Allen and Luke Kornet, as well as veterans like Anthony Tolliver and Mike Scott (potential free agent options).
While developing young guys is always great, it doesn’t always work, and acquiring three legitimate superstars is the safest way to win. Just look at the 2010-14 Miami Heat.