The adopted son is rocking the boat docked on the Hudson. It's a battered boat captained by a blind man and kept afloat by the shattered expectations of onlookers. Our boat is docked because it is incapable of going anywhere no matter how much we, the sad group of spectators, puff our cheeks and exhale in an attempt to blow it into the waters of contention.
I'm talking about the Knicks here. The adopted son stirring the pot: the Brooklyn Nets.
Picture it. The Nets crash the dwindling party after attending a funeral, dressed in customary black suits, and they enter the room with two billionaires, one under each arm. The Knicks make their way to a corner in a quiet manner, peeking over at the new guys, knowing that they made a lot of noise last season to no avail. We, the Knicks family, are quite scared. We're making that face people make right before they get punched.
As of right now the Nets roster has to be generating some excitement amongst those brave enough to declare themselves fans of the franchise. The new Brooklynites were able to reel in former Hawks staple in an era of futility, Joe Johnson, for very cheap this morning- he was acquired through a trade in which the Nets shipped off a handful of undesirables to Atlanta. A plausible starting 5 lineup reads as follows: Deron Williams, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. It's a good squad which looks and sounds like a playoff bound team in the strange East. How good they exactly will be, what seed they will fall into, and how they match up against the Miami Heat will be topics of speculation discussed by the psychics and shamans at ESPN. If you're into that sort of thing I suggest you tune in. Otherwise, only time will tell.
What those of us that consider ourselves Knicks fans will notice, if the Nets do well, of course, are slow rising waves of treacherous behavior. One time Knicks fans jumping ship and boarding the new shiny black boat is the most extreme of cases, and it may very well happen. Some will become born again New Yorkers and find it fitting to support both teams- these are the same type of folks who joined the Knicks congregation during the Jeremy Lin saga.
Do not fret, my brothers in disappointment. Competition does not hurt in sports, it fuels and feeds. Maybe the Knicks needed a younger brother to challenge them for their parents' (as in, us) preferential treatment. This new arrival will be of much help; it will either bring out the best in the Knicks, or, it will reaffirm our belief that the people in charge of this team are truly inept.
At the very least, watching the rivalry unfold will be fun.
-Alex
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