Don’t Lock The NBA Out Please: The Knicks Are Finally Relevant

With the strong possibility of missing the entire 2011-12 NBA season there could not be a worse time for this to happen. NBA fans and teams on the rise such as the Knicks have everything to lose from this lockout. Lets be honest the NBA has always been exciting but something was just missing from it the past few years. Until last season the glitz and glam of the NBA was back and in full force. The sport is growing and finally flourishing like it used to and a lockout would really hurt that.

It’s safe to say that last season was probably the most exciting season in recent memory or at least in the past 5+ years. It was a combination of things that were missing that made it so great. We had big market teams like the Knicks and Bulls become exciting and relevant again. We had young star players who could also serve as positive role models like Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant. But the number one thing that saved basketball in my opinion is something that most will not agree. I know it might not be what people want to hear but Lebron James saved the NBA.

In the reality television generation we love drama and in the past few years there was no drama in the game and there wasn’t a team everybody wanted to root for or a team everybody wanted to hate. People wouldn’t root for Superman (and I’m not talking about Dwight Howard) as much if there was no Lex Luther. However that all changed when in July of 2010 Lebron James announced that he would be taking his talents to South Beach and the rest is history. This came at a perfect time as the NBA was getting stale with the reign of teams like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. Before we got to see the likable storybook Dallas Mavericks raise the title over their heads there were only 8 different teams to win a title since 1980. Fans were getting bored with the lack of variety and excitement in the game and we all needed a villain.

Now how would missing a full NBA season affect the Knicks specifically? The Knicks would be hurt a lot by a lockout and probably more than most NBA teams. The Knicks are an on the verge of becoming a contending team if they can add the right pieces. More importantly than that the Knicks showed in the playoffs that they need to mesh better as a team. Missing a preseason and possible regular season games could greatly hurt the fact that the chemistry between Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony needs to improve. Carmelo played his best basketball of the playoff series against the Celtics when Stoudemire was injured. If these guys can learn to play together and feed off of each other like two top 10 players in Miami then the sky is the limit for the Knicks. So unlike some teams in the NBA the Knicks can’t afford to miss anytime. So we can all hope that the NBA doesn’t lock the season out because its nice to see a relevant basketball team in New York again.