New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets: Which Team Is the Best in NYC?

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Brooklyn Nets this offseason and going into this upcoming year, with their new brand and arena.

They certainly have made moves to upgrade their roster, but are they really going to be better than the New York Knicks?

Let's take a look by position, with the following assumptions.

First, the Knicks are going to match Jeremy Lin's deal. They have already made that a priority and have the cash to do it.

Second, it doesn't look as though Dwight Howard is going to Brooklyn this upcoming year. The Nets aren't out of the race completely, but Houston and Los Angeles have become likelier destinations.

The Knicks may or may not match Toronto's offer sheet to Landry Fields.

I'm assuming the Nets match any offer for Kris Humphries. 

 

Point Guard

Knicks: Jeremy Lin, Jason Kidd

Nets: Deron Williams, Tyshawn Taylor

 

Advantage: Nets

Williams is a three-time All-Star and a legitimate force at the position. He averaged 21 points and 8.7 assists per game last year.

As valuable as Lin is on and off the court for the Knicks, keep in mind that he has played in only 35 games.

The future remains bright for Lin, and the addition of Kidd will help in his development.

 

Shooting Guard

Knicks: Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith

Nets: Joe Johnson, MarShon Brooks

 

Advantage: Nets

A casual basketball fan might think that the advantage weighs heavily towards the Nets.

Not so fast; this is closer than it seems.

Iman Shumpert is an amazing talent. As a 22-year-old rookie, he already started filling up box scores, averaging almost 10 points, three assists, three boards and two steals a game. He is regarded as one of the top five perimeter defenders in the game and has incredible athleticism.

His health is recovering after his injury last year, and he will only continue to improve. I expect him to have a breakout year in 2012-2013.

Joe Johnson is a nice player, but he is going in the other direction.

His minutes have declined each of the last six seasons, from 41.4 to 35.5 a game, as has his scoring, from 25.0 to 18.8 points.

J.R. Smith and MarShon Brooks essentially provide the same thing: scoring off the bench. Smith is probably a better all-around player, but Brooks is a better shooter.

I still give the Nets an advantage here, but it is not a huge one at all.

 

Small Forward

Knicks: Carmelo Anthony

Nets: Gerald Wallace 

 

Advantage: Knicks

A 6'8", 230-pound eight-time All-Star, Carmelo is arguably one of the top 10 or 15 players in the league.

Gerald Wallace is a nice, versatile player and defender, but he does not have the offensive prowess or the rebounding ability of Melo.

 

Power Forward

Knicks: Amare Stoudemire, Steve Novak

Nets: Kris Humphries

 

Advantage: Knicks

Kris Humphries will be a nice rebounder and a good player for Brooklyn, assuming the Nets bring him back. He is a solid power forward that averaged right at 14 points and 11 boards a game last year.

Amare had a difficult year and took fewer shots playing with Carmelo and Jeremy Lin, but keep in mind that he still averaged nearly 18 points and eight rebounds a game.

In a bad year.

As good as the Nets are at rebounding this position, I like the Knicks' versatility here. When Amare isn't on the floor, New York will like to go with Novak and spread it out. At 6'10" and 240 pounds, Steve Novak came off the bench at the forward position, averaged nine points and shot 48 percent from three.

Knicks get the slight advantage.

 

Center

Knicks: Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby

Nets: Brook Lopez 

 

Advantage: Knicks

Brook Lopez is a nice talent and just got a huge, $61 million contract.

Keep in mind, though, that, because of injury, he played in only five games last year.

He is a nice scorer, averaging 20 points a game two years ago. However, his defense leaves something to be desired: In that same year, he only averaged six boards a game.

Camby and Chandler are two exceptional defenders. Camby averaged nine boards a game in limited action, and Chandler was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Chandler also improved his game offensively and became a better pick-and-roll player with the arrival of Jeremy Lin.

The Knicks are just much more reliable at this position, despite Lopez's offensive talent.

 

Overall

The Knicks frontcourt is just much deeper than Brooklyn's. Carmelo, Amare, Chandler, Camby and Novak is a much more formidable group than Wallace, Humphries and Lopez.

What the Knicks lack in defense with Amare and Carmelo, they more than make up for having the defensive player of the year in Chandler and Camby, a solid defender off the bench.

Also, the shooting they have off the bench at forward with Novak is something the Nets don't have. Wallace, Humphries and Lopez are nice players, but all three have their limitations, and Brooklyn has nothing off the bench to help them, frontcourt wise.

The Nets do have an advantage in the backcourt, especially at point guard with Deron Williams.

The Knicks have talent at these positions, though; Lin and Shumpert are both rising stars and will only continue to improve.

 

Advantage: Knicks

Overall, I have to give the Knicks a slight advantage. They just have a deeper group. They actually have an eight-man rotation and depth at each position.

The Nets don't.

Another important distinction is that the Nets went 22-44 last year and the Knicks went 36-30.

Sure, the Nets got a nice player in Joe Johnson and may now have a healthy Brook Lopez. But have they improved their depth and their bench?

No. Are that one addition and a healthy Lopez worth 14 extra wins?

It's a tough argument to make.

On the other hand, the Knicks brought in a couple nice pieces, in Kidd and Camby, which should improve their leadership and bench. Lin and Shumpert are only going to get better. I see no reason why the Knicks can't be just as good or better than last year.

So while there is a nice buzz growing in Brooklyn, the Knicks still have the better team in New York.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1258669-knicks-or-nets-which-team-is-the-best-in-new-york-city

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