If you had December 5th circled on your calendar to make sure you didn’t miss the Knicks and Nets squaring off in Brooklyn…feel free to make some alternate plans instead. With the Knicks at 3-13 and the Nets not looking much better at 5-13, there are serious doubts about whether NYC’s teams will recover this season. The latest from the Big Apple..
- Knicks owner James Dolan was largely motivated to trade for Carmelo Anthony in 2011 so that he didn’t wind up in Brooklyn. “There was definitely a fear that Carmelo would wind up with the Nets if the Knicks didn’t get him,” a former Knicks employee told Harvey Araton of the New York Times. “Dolan was annoyed by the billboard [of Prokhorov and then minority owner Jay-Z near MSG] — you couldn’t blame him for that — and he was determined to make sure he got Carmelo.”
- Araton checked in with Prokhorov via email for his story and the Nets owner indicated that he’s not ready to panic. “We’re only a month into the season! Give it a little time. And have a little faith,” Prokhorov wrote.
- The Russian owner also took the opportunity to send a jab in Dolan’s direction. After the pow-wow earlier this year featuring the two owners and commissioner David Stern, Dolan quipped that he got a “free lunch” out of the meeting. Asked what he got out of it, Prokhorov wrote in his email, “As logic would dictate, the check.”
- At least one person is optimistic that the Nets and Knicks will rebound in 2013/14. “I believe New York and Brooklyn are too talented of teams to continue on the track that they’re on,” said Celtics GM Danny Ainge, according to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Ainge’s Celtics currently occupy the top spot in the Atlantic Division, but they’re also three games from last place.