"But we got the Knicks, though": Spike Lee calls Aaron Rodgers and Jets' opening night a "disaster", whilst backing Jalen Brunson and Co.
The city of New York is no stranger to deflating sports moments. Aaron Rodgers's Achilles injury is just the latest setback in a long line of disappointing moments for New York sports fans.
However, native New Yorker and rabid sports fan Spike Lee believes there are still reasons to stay positive. The New York Jets season isn't likely to be as successful as many had hoped when Rodgers was acquired, but the New York Knicks remain firmly in the Eastern Conference conversation.
“Last night was a disaster [for the Jets]” Lee said, when speaking to the New York Times. “But we got the Knicks, though! We’re going to conference finals at least! I have full belief.”
Without Rodgers as their starting quarterback, the Jets will struggle to live up to their loft expectations. However, the Knicks have slowly been building toward being a contending team.
Tom Thibodeau has been steadily improving his younger players, while Julius Randle has unquestionably become one of the best power forwards in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are seemingly one superstar player away from being legitimate contenders in the East. And, right now, they're a team that could embark on a very deep postseason run if the schedule broke their way.
The New York Knicks have all the trade assets to land a superstar
Since Leon Rose and William Wesley entered the Knicks front office, their gameplan has been clear: developing young talent, stashing draft picks, and adding high-level players were possible.
The remit in New York is always to be ready for when a star player becomes available.
Julius Randle has become a Knicks superstar. However, fans want more in a market the size of New York. They want a Joel Embiid or a Giannis Antetokounmpo — a superstar who can lead the Knicks back to the NBA Finals.
Fortunately, the Knicks are well-placed to strike a deal should a superstar become available.
The Knicks have R.J. Barrett, Miles McBride, Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, Jericho Sims and Quentin Grimes on their roster. All are young players with untapped potential could be sent to a team as part of a superstar package, allowing them to enter a rebuild quickly.
The Knicks also have a stockpile of draft picks, allowing them to be serious players in any trade talks.
This season, it appears multiple star players will change teams. Damian Lillard wants out of the Portland Trail Blazers, and James Harden is burning his bridge with the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Knicks may not be interested in either of the aging stars, they will likely be paying attention to which other players shake loose on the NBA merry-go-round.
When the time is right, the Knicks will likely throw a gargantuan package at a superstar trade, and then, all those years of struggling in the doldrums will suddenly be worth it.