The New York Knicks need a spark and as much as it is unlikely, UCLA’s Lonzo Ball could be just what the doctor ordered.
The New York Knicks need a boost. A rebirth, if you wanna get technical.Well, former UCLA point guard and top-three NBA Draft prospect Lonzo Ball could provide that reawakening the Knicks franchise desperately needs.
Things over the last five months can’t get any worse for the MSG Boys.
Knicks President Phil Jackson has been mouthing off constantly about how he wants his star player Carmelo Anthony playing elsewhere.
According to recent reports, Jackson apparently ticked off the Knicks most promising, young talent in years.
The Charles Oakley altercation with security guards at the Garden in February shed nothing but a negative light on the terrible state of where the organization is at.
To top it off, the Knicks lost 51 games this season, missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, and worse of all, inept owner James Dolan is still calling the shots.
Enter Lonzo Ball.
The Knicks currently hold the eighth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The finest pure passer in college basketball since Jason Kidd was throwing dimes at the University of California in the mid-90s, will surely be taken before the eighth pick but just picturing what Lonzo could bring to the Knicks was too scintillating to pass up.
The last time the Knicks had a point guard with the combination of flair, style (on and off the court), the ability to elevate his teammates game and the star quality that goes beyond just being a great basketball player was Walt “Clyde” Frazier in the early-to-mid ’70s.
Lonzo has all those capabilities, plus the game to back it up.
The affectionate way he galvanizes his team (UCLA had 15 wins in 2016; they won 31 games in his freshman season), how he’s able to advance to ball up the court quickly and get his playmakers the ball in spots where they thrive, his long-range shooting (which fits in perfectly in today’s three-point shooting heavy era), the potential to turn into a triple-double threat with his 6-foot-6 frame and there’s just a sense that if you draft him, he will immediately create a buzz that will catch the fans’ attention.
(Don’t even get me started with the Lavar factor in all of this.)
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The Knicks don’t need instant results right now; they need some inkling of hope.
Bringing in a player like Lonzo would not only bring an entertainment element to NYC but for basketball purposes, he’s just what they need as they transition into the future.
Imagine what a Ball-Porzingis pick-and-pop game or even Lonzo feeding Kristaps on a fast break possession would look like.
That tag team could get things going and while the team develops, at least the young duo can be intriguing enough to keep the fans tuning in.
I realize Lonzo to New York is highly unlikely since he’s probably getting drafted in the top three (my money is on the Lakers selecting him at No. 2) but the Knicks somehow landing him would be the best thing to happen to the franchise since trading for Carmelo.
