Empire State of Optimism

Random poll that was on ESPN.com's front page asked, "Which team's fans have more reason for optimism at the moment?" It was Knicks vs Nets, and apparently 68% of SportsNation feels that Knicks' fans should have the sunnier outlook.

I'm just not quite sure why. I don't hold the Knicks signing of Amare Stoudemire against them. He's not a 5 year, $100 million dollar player to be sure, but he's a great scoring option, something the Knicks needed, so I can't blame them for locking him up. He may be an injury risk, but he's a fantastic offensive weapon and, in my opinion, the second best big man available in free agency this summer.

But beyond that, I just don't know what they have. It's looking more and more likely that both the Knicks and Nets will strike out in free agency when it comes to the big 3 (or really, the big 2 + 1) of James, Wade, and Bosh.

Personally, I think that the Nets have a better outlook because not only do they have better pieces in place right now, they're better prepared to move forward as well. The Knicks have several guys who I think can be ballers (Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler) or intriguing backups and role players (Toney Douglas, Bill Walker). But I'm more concerned about their strategy of gutting their roster to go after big name free agents. I mean they're already talking about chasing Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker in 2011.

The Nets have young players and a lot of potential across their roster. Yes, of course they threatened the league's worst record in history with 12 wins last season. Still, their backcourt of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee is very solid and they've got two big men who can be stars. Brook Lopez is almost at that level already and he should keep improving. Derrick Favors, their first round draft pick this year, has a ton of athleticism and potential. Of course this doesn't always translate, but if he pans out, he and Lopez will be a devastating combo. In addition, Terrence Williams looks like he'll be a solid player after a strong second half last year (trust me, had him on my fantasy team). The way they're building is also encouraging. This summer they've already been able to dump Chris Douglas-Roberts (solid season, but apparently caused some trouble in the locker room) and Yi Jianlian (kind of a big, Chinese waste of physical and salary cap space). They've already committed not to spending big just because they have the money and cap room and say they're going to instead build through the draft and middle tier free agents.

These teams have had a rough go of it in recent years. Obviously the Nets struggled mightily last year while the Knicks have been toiling in futility for even longer. Both franchises can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but in my opinion, the light is closer and brighter for the New Jersey Nets. And plus, their new owner is a cool Russian billionaire and Jay-Z also has a stake in the franchise. They win.