NFL
By: Mark Wilson
The New York Knicks are back. Not just in regards to the playoffs but as an organization as a whole. This season, the Knicks exceeded expectations and finished the year as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, nothing is what it seems.
The city has been craving for a title from the Knicks for decades. And although they have found a way to win games and bring the city back to life, those same traits have now become their downfall.
For Knicks’ fans, this is the moment they’ve waited for. All the fuss in NYC has surrounded the Brooklyn Nets. But the Knicks have stolen some of that thunder and what the team is seeing now with their First Round collapse against the Atlanta Hawks is a fanbase beginning to panic.
Let’s be clear here, their reaction is not fair.
Julius Randle emerged as an All-Star this season while earning honors as Most Improved Player and 2nd Team All-NBA. So, with those accolades plus a 3-0 record against the Hawks in the regular season, many expected the Knicks to walk away from the series unscathed. But Randle and the rest of the roster (minus Derrick Rose) struggled. And with that, the fans have now turned against the current roster.
The feeling circling the team is that the Knicks must trade Randle. Just two weeks ago, they were praising the 4th year player and now, he’s the reason for their troubles. No, while Randle did struggle, the Hawks just prepared a great game plan to keep Randle under wraps.
This is what happens to all All-Stars. A team devises a plan to stop their best player. What the Knicks must do is find someone willing to step up and take the pressure off Randle. RJ Barrett must find his form which will open the floor for Randle to operate.
Despite his struggles, Randle is the main reason the Knicks were able to turn things around. And just like that, the fans have turned their backs on the young PF. What they now want is to trade Randle for a superstar who can handle the weight of the playoffs. Why not just let Randle grow into that role?
Now is not the time for Knicks’ fans to turn on their team. In all honesty, they’re 2 years ahead of schedule. The struggles are real but it has more to do with their youth than Randle and Barrett struggling. It’s not the bright lights of the playoffs that had these players shook, it was the hustle of the Hawks that caused the glaring issues.
Win or lose, the New York Knicks had an exceptional season. This is what the fans truly needed. They needed something to grab onto for the future. This roster is young and still going through a learning curve of sorts. But the panic that has settled in after their exit is one of the main reasons no real superstar wants to play for the Knicks.
This roster, no matter how flawed, managed to bring this city back to life during a time when it was desperately needed. And while things didn’t go as planned, those same fans who were just applauding are now turning their backs. It’s not fair.
