It’s always interesting to see how the game’s legendary greats view the current state of their former franchise.
In Los Angeles, for example, the hiring of Byron Scott as head coach was met with the in-person approval of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes -- all of whom appeared and briefly spoke at the introductory press conference.
Some Hall of Famers, however, can occasionally be a little overly-optimistic when sizing things up.
From Marc Berman of the New York Post:Knicks legend Earl Monroe sees some pearls on this Phil Jackson-inspired, revamped Knicks roster. The man known as “Earl The Pearl’’ even believes Jackson’s Knicks easily could finish in the top four in the wide-open Eastern Conference after failing to make the playoffs last season with a 37-45 record.
Monroe, the flashiest member on the Knicks’ last title team in 1973, with Jackson as teammate, said he believes on paper only Indiana and Chicago boast a distinctly better roster. Sorry, LeBron.
“If these guys can get off to good start and stabilize what their roles are, I don’t see why they can’t be as good as the rest of the guys in the East,’’ Monroe told The Post Tuesday. “I see them [in the top four] easily.’’
Monroe is 69 years of age, so we’ll forgive him if his memory may not be what it once was. But at first glance, there are at least six teams in the East that would appear to have a better immediate outlook than do the Knicks.
LeBron James joining the Cavaliers in the offseason puts them near the top of the list, and the return of Derrick Rose along with the signing of free agent Pau Gasol puts the Bulls right there, too.
The Pacers got a little bit worse from a talent perspective by losing Lance Stephenson in free agency, but may be better-suited for the mental aspect of the playoffs now that he’s gone, and will still be formidable with Paul George, Roy Hibbert and David West all firmly in place.
The Heat aren’t exactly going to be terrible now that James is gone, especially after inking Luol Deng to a deal in free agency and bringing back Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Wizards emerged as a strong team near the end of last season, and added Paul Pierce to an already playoff-tested squad. And we can’t forget the Raptors, who took the Nets to seven games in the first round of postseason play, and brought back all of their key free agents for next season.
That’s a lot of talented teams that the Knicks need to overcome to meet Monroe’s expectations. While it’s possible and maybe even likely they’ll be slightly improved next season under a new head coach, finishing the year as a top-four team in the East would exceed even New York’s highest of expectations.