Analysis of the Andrea Bargnani Trade and the Emerging Knicks-Nets Rivalry

Recently, the New York Knicks finalized a deal that would trade Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, and a 2016 First Round Pick to the Toronto Raptors for the services of Andrea Bargnani. This deal helps the Knicks solidify another scoring threat to help ease the load off of Melo. The 7 footer out of Italy was drafted 1st overall by the Raptors in the 2006 NBA Draft. Since entering the league, Barg has shown promise as an offensive threat, similar to that of Dirk Nowitzki, a 7 footer with deep range and great touch. It’s now interesting to look at the Knicks’ lineup: at point-guard, you have Raymond Felton; at shooting-guard, if re-signed, they will have J.R. Smith; at small-forward, there’s the ever-present Carmelo Anthony (MELO!); at power-forward, you can have Amar’e – if he stays healthy; and at center you have the 2011-2012 Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler. Coming off the bench is Iman Shumpert, the defensive ~*~wizard*~ out of Georgia Tech, alongside the sharpshooters Bargnani and Chris Copeland.

There are some main questions about the Knicks’ roster. In my opinion, the biggest question is whether or not Raymond Felton can lead this Knicks offense. He showed promise in the past and had a very solid season last year. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when Carmelo takes over the offensive, just as Lebron James does with the Miami Heat. Hopefully for the Knicks he doesn’t just become a bystander.

Another question about the Knicks roster concerns J.R. Smith. He had one of the best seasons of his career last year, but had a major breakdown during the playoffs. With the disappearance of J.R.’s quick-strike offense, the Knicks suddenly became the New York Carmelo Anthonys in the playoffs.

A final question remains the health and productivity of Amar’e Stoudemire. Coming off his injury last year, Amar’e was never able to fully mesh with Carmelo. This is one of the reasons why I really like the Bargnani trade for the Knicks, as it will now allow for Mike Woodson to put in another scoring threat if Amar’e is struggling.

In the previous offseason, the Knicks’ lineup was crafted to help them defeat the Miami Heat, one of the reasons why the loss to the Indiana Pacers wasn’t so shocking to me. In this current offseason, the lineup has been molded to not only be able to beat the Heat, but also to compete with the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets. When looking at the Nets’ lineup after the blockbuster deal with Boston of Williams, Johnson, Pierce, Garnett, and Lopez, I would have to give the advantage to the Nets. The Nets have a killer combo with Garnett and Lopez, as Lopez stays as close to the basket as possible for easy dunks and layups, while Garnett will stay 15-17 feet from the basket doing pick and pops with one of the best point-guards in the league, Deron Williams. On the defensive side of the ball, Lopez is a bit of a liability, but Garnett will seemingly add toughness to the paint for the Nets.

Also with this trade, the Nets have a solidified closer in Paul Pierce.  Last year Joe Johnson showed that he was semi-capable of being a closer with some of his buzzer beaters, but there are only a handful of closers in the NBA better than “The Truth”.

This Knicks-Nets rivalry is shaping up to be one of the best in the NBA. With the disappearance of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, as both have fallen off the map of finals contenders, the Knicks and Nets have grabbed the torch and, alongside with the Thunder and Heat, hope to carry the NBA for years to come.