Five Reasons the New York Knicks Are Back

While the New York Yankees may be the king of all New York City sports franchises, the New York Knicks are a permanent part of the Big Apple's soul.

While the New Jersey Nets play in nearby Newark as they plan a move to Brooklyn, the Knicks are part of the fabric of the city, more so, it could be argued, than any other area professional sports franchise.

While baseball fans are divided between the Yankees and the Mets, and football fans argue over the Jets and the Giants, the Knicks play the city game and have it mostly all to themselves.

Sadly, however, the Knicks in recent seasons grew irrelevant as they had nine consecutive losing seasons before this season. In addition to the poor product on the court, the Knicks suffered mostly self inflicted embarrassments off of it ranging from the Isiah Thomas debacle(s), the perceived ineptitude of owner James Dolan and bad actors such as Stephon Marbury.

Make no mistake, even during their darkest hours, the Knicks' home attendance mostly sustained. Much like Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden itself will always be enough of an attraction to keep people coming back. But fans attended the games mostly out of habit, it seemed. Going to a Knicks game turned from the thing to do, to the thing you should do.

But through the 00's, the media coverage, water cooler talk, television ratings and sports radio banter (or lack thereof all four of these metrics) told an unmistakable story: the Knicks role in the spirit of the city was dormant.

Having the Knicks stuck on a protracted and embarrassing down cycle hurts on multiple levels; both the city and the NBA need a viable and important franchise in New York.

On a bitterly cold day in New York City, one in which spring seems even further away with Cliff Lee "escaping" from the Yankees' grasp to the Philadelphia Phillies, there is good news to behold for New York City residents: The Knicks are back.

There is an unmistakable buzz here again for the Knickerbockers, who have started the season 16 and 9. With the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat both coming into town this week, Madison Square Garden is again the place to be, though for reasons beyond just the opposing team.

More importantly, the average fan, long priced out from good seats at the Garden, will be tuning in, actually caring about the game and investing emotionally, once again, in the Knicks.

Tests remain, certainly. At the end of this week, we will know a lot more about where they stack up against the East's best when they face the Celtics and Heat at home. While the Knicks are probably not one of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, it is again sensible to care again...there is a growing confidence here in New York that we can trust this team.

Here are the five reasons why the Knicks are back.

Amar'e Stoudemire

Some level of skepticism greeted Stoudemire's arrival during the offseason; due in part at least to New York's disappointment in missing out on LeBron James. Stoudemire, however, has played brilliantly, and would be an MVP candidate if the season ended today. He is averaging 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per game. Just as importantly, Stoudemire will provide an answer to the Celtic's Kevin Garnett and will give the Knicks more than a puncher's chance against the 'big-less' Heat.

Ray Felton

Felton has benefitted from, and contributed to, coach Mike D'Antoni 's open and freewheeling philosophy. Stylistically, the Knicks are completely opposite from what they were under former head coach Larry Brown, and Felton, as the freewheeling and liberated point guard, is free to create and get the most out of Stoudemire, effectively erasing all doubts that Stoudemire couldn't play at the same level without his former Phoenix teammate, Steve Nash.

No More Isiah

While I do not want to pile on a man when he is down, I am going to pile on a man while he is down. The last vestiges of the Isiah Thomas era fade now, and with them the poisonous culture. While some are still worried that he may return as Dolan remains a fan, the more success the Knicks have, the less likely, it would appear, that that is to happen.

Wilson Chandler's Improved Jump Shoot

With defenses focusing on Felton and Stoudemire, small forward Chandler has emerged as an outside threat. Sunday's win against the Nuggets illustrated this point perfectly, as he went 5 for 9 from beyond the three point arc. He has been the ribbon on the package this is the Knicks' new offense.

The Rookie

Even the Knicks could not have expected this much out of rookie Landry Fields when they selected him in the second round last year. While the wingman's statistics (10 points and seven rebounds) don't jump off the page, he is the perfect player for his surroundings and is the most versatile Knick on the court.

It is, of course, still early and the biggest challenges for the Knicks lay ahead. But as the city looks forward to the biggest basketball week in nearly a decade, there is no denying the Knicks are back.

Source:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3607
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4770
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AvRG9kqKrDK8VK9a0uImAyqgPaB4?gid=2010121218