Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors has generated plenty of conversation about the super team philosophy in the NBA. No one doubts that the Warriors are a super team but Derrick Rose would like to sell you on the idea that the New York Knicks are one as well.
Speaking on the subject of super teams to the NBA’s league website, Rose said the Knicks and Golden State are the two super teams in the league for the upcoming season. Rose was traded to the Knicks from the Chicago Bulls along with Justin Holiday. He is now teammates with Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah and hopes for the Knicks are rising as a result for the upcoming season. But…super team?
“They’re high,” Rose said of the expectations in New York. “I mean, with these teams right now, they’re saying us and Golden State are the super teams, and they’re trying not to build that many super teams, and Adam Silver came out with the statement and this and that.”
First question. Who is saying that about the Knicks? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Are the Knicks improved as a result of this offseason? Maybe, if Rose is healthy. IF Rose is healthy. The chances to make the playoffs have certainly increased, if Rose is healthy, but this is also a team that went 32-50 last season and finished third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks may be improved, but they are far from being a super team at this point.
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I think the New York Post summed up Rose’s stance on the state of the Knicks pretty well with the headline “Derrick Rose’s Knicks optimism is out of control.” Make no mistake, Rose is saying all of the right things as he steps into a new franchise and environment, as any player in his situation should. Still, there is a fine line between realistically-optimistic and wildly-optimistic. Rose is certainly in the extreme category in New York.
“I think we have a chance to win every game, and in the league, that is rare,” Rose said in an interview with Slam Magazine. It sure is pretty rare, Rose. It’s even more rare than finding a Mewtwo in Pokemon Go. It has never happened and never will. That Golden State team you compared your Knicks too? They just set the NBA record this past season with 73 wins in the regular season. They lost nine times. Of course, to defend Rose’s comment from earlier, he only said the Knicks will have a chance to win every game, which is technically accurate for any team.
