Phil Jackson’s Failed Experiment In The Big Apple

The Past

Derrick Rose’s incredible 2011 season became a storyline significant enough to take attention away from the new-look Miami team that was still struggling to find chemistry. Rose, in his third NBA season and just 22-years-old, was dominating opposition in his hometown of Chicago. He finished the season with 25.0 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, and 4.1 rebounds per game.

D-Rose hadn’t even hit his prime yet, and he was finding success in every aspect of the game, including from beyond the ark, where he was shooting about 7.5 percentage points better on four more attempts per game.

His stellar season for the Bulls earned him the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the youngest player in the history of the league to achieve the feat. In addition to winning the highest individual honor in the sport, Rose led Chicago the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs after winning 62 regular season games.

The team eventually lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to Miami, but it was considered just the beginning for a young and improving Bulls squad.

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Another member of the Chicago team was center Joakim Noah. The French National Team member set a career high for points in 2011 with 11.7, but he also pulled down 10.4 boards per contest and was named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team for his work on the other end of the floor.

At only 25-years-old he was yet to hit his prime, a prime that would bring two all-star appearances and a Defensive Player of the Year trophy to the big man.

With the core of MVP Derrick Rose and defensive powerhouse Joakim Noah, the Bulls were expected to become a dynasty. Perhaps not exactly like the Chicago dynasty of the 90’s, but something of the sort. Knee surgeries for Rose and a plethora of injuries to Noah derailed the hope of championships in the Windy City, but the promise of the duo is to be remembered.

Carmelo Anthony was making his presence known in 2011 as much as anybody in the league. After drama circulating his desire to leave Denver, Melo was traded to New York and immediately formed a powerhouse duo with Amar’e Stoudemire, who had made his way to the Big Apple the year before. The Big-2 led the Knickerbockers to the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2004.

Anthony put the Knicks back onto the map around the NBA and brought the team into contention out East from the moment he stepped into Madison Square Garden. Upon his arrival in 2011, Melo has been named to six all-star teams and has led the Knicks in scoring each year. The Nuggets made the superstar happy when he was traded to the Knicks, who have received much value for their investment.

One of the most exciting and promising youngsters in 2011 was Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings. Averaging 16.2 points and 4.8 assists per game as a 21-year-old, Jennings built upon an All-Rookie First Team campaign in 2010 with an even more productive sophomore year. He spent 4 seasons on the Bucks before being traded to Detroit after the 2013 season.

A 25-year-old role player named Courtney Lee was making his name known in Houston during the 2011 season. A projected 3-and-D 2-guard, Lee hit 40 percent of his shots from deep during the season and became an important bench piece on a Rockets team that barely missed the postseason.