Big Apple Redemption: NY Knicks Player Lock MyLeague

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Roster: ClutchOZ
Sliders: SCHNAIDT1
MyLeague Settings: SCHNAIDT1
Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Draft Classes: Historic (1998 class first)
Playoffs: 7-7-7-7

Birch's Road to Redemption Has Unfinished Business

June 29, 2019

Brooklyn, NY -- Jelani Birch has been a household on the playgrounds of New York City since he was 14. Long were the days and nights that he pounded the pavement with whatever round ball he could get his hands on as the clank of the metal net in his neighborhood playground basketball hoop got yet another workout. In his first start as a high school freshman at Thomas Jefferson High, Birch notched an eye-popping statline: 31 points 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks. He made 14 of his 21 field goal attempts, including 3-for-4 from three. Thus, the legend of Jelani Birch was born. However, several minor run-ins with the law threatened his basketball future. Still, after his sophomore season Birch was considered by many as the best high school prospect in the country, regardless of class. However, he was at a crossroads after his sophomore year and decided a change a of landscape was necessary. Birch enrolled at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. Over the course of his junior and senior seasons at Bishop, Birch averaged 33.4 PPG, 14.2 RPG, and 9.8 APG. His legacy as the next New York City great seemed cemented.

However, on March 25th, 2017, Jelani Birch's future hung in the balance after he was arrested for being an accomplice to manslaughter in a back alley deal gone wrong. “It was one big blur,” Birch recounts, “I wasn’t even sure what we were doing there in the first place.” The following morning Birch’s name was headline news for every major sports news outlet in the country.

If last night’s draft is any indication of the future, though, then perhaps fate is on Jelani Birch’s side. Maybe this is a true redemption story coming full circle. The New York City basketball legend was drafted first overall by his hometown Knicks. In order to fully understand how special of a moment last night was for Birch, and why it took him three full minutes to gain his composure at his table as he sat with his face buried in his hands sobbing before making his way to the stage to greet Adam Silver, one must first understand what Birch went through the previous 27 months.

“It was a very poor choice on my part. I was with a group of old friends that I knew were trouble and I got caught up in it. I didn’t pull the trigger and I never handled or did anything directly illegal, but I was there. Just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought I was done.”

Lauded as one of the best New York City basketball products ever, the 6’9”, 245 pound, 17 year old do-it-all forward was being mentioned in the same breath as the best to ever come from NYC. Hoopheads all across NYC revered Birch as one of the greats. The old-timers take the “wait-and-see” approach, but acknowledged his talent, while the younger generations of NYC hoopheads felt certain it was only a matter of time before he cemented his legacy as arguably the GOAT NYC basketball player.


But after his arrest, Birch became a gamble that no college coach was willing to take. His St. John’s scholarship offer was rescinded his basketball future seemed bleak. Fortunately for Birch, all of the charges he was associated with did not stick so there was no jail time. But it was the last straw for college coaches who knew he came with a lot of baggage. There was one coach, however, that was willing to reach out to Birch. On June 21st, almost three months after Birch’s arrest, he received a phone call from Steve Eck, the head coach at Hutchinson Community College.

“I came at him hard and with strict guidelines in place. I knew the baggage he carried, but I also knew, after talking to his high school coach, teachers, and a few community members, that Jelani was a kid who had turned his life around and just got caught being in a bad spot at the wrong time. It happens, and it’s unfortunate, but he was a 17 year old kid who still had his whole life ahead of him, and it’d be a shame to not give him one last chance and let that amount of talent go to waste.”

Eck offered Birch a scholarship but it had conditions; very strict ones at that. Birch was not allowed to miss a single class unless he was sick and the sickness was verified by Eck or a member of his coaching staff. Secondly, Birch was required to do 10 hours of volunteer work in the community each week. Thirdly, Birch was required to maintain a 2.5 GPA. And, lastly, Eck emphasized this was a two year commitment. “Obviously I had no legal way to hold him to that if he decided to leave after one year, but I wanted him to know how serious I was in helping him out and just being there for him,” said Eck.

“Coach told me he wanted to be able to invest two years in me as a person, not a basketball player. That really meant a lot to me. I never met my dad. Moms was and still is my whole world, but Coach Eck was exactly who I needed when I needed it most.”

So, with no other serious offers coming his way, and after a few more weeks of Eck calling to check up on him, Birch made his decision. “You know, in those two weeks that he kept calling me every day,” said Birch, “coach didn’t mention basketball one time. He didn’t sell me on his program or his vision for me. He asked me what I was doing to make sure I was staying away from trouble. He was asking me about my past...my mom...he just seemed like a real genuine dude.”

Birch could’ve done a lot worse if he had to go the JUCO route. Hutchinson was fresh off winning the NJCAA National Championship in 2017 and were national runner’s-up in 2016. Eck obviously had basketball acumen and it paid off for Birch.

Not only did Birch meet every condition in his scholarship, he led the Blue Dragons to the NJCAA Final Four in 2017-2018 before and another national championship in 2018-2019. In his two seasons with Hutchinson, Birch averaged 31.3 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.4 BPG, and showed the country that the hype he had as a basketball player was, in fact, very real.

So, as Jelani Birch sat at the table and began sobbing uncontrollably after Adam Silver announced that his hometown Knicks had selected him with the first overall pick, you might excuse him for his moment of raw emotion. After nearly seeing his basketball career slip through his fingers as a 17 year old kid, three years later he now has the opportunity to write his own destiny after it nearly slipped through his fingers.

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Knicks MyLeague History

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NBA MyLeague History

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Durant Leaves Warriors to Join "The Process"

The big news to break during the NBA’s moratorium period came as a shock to most, but not to some. Kevin Durant’s much maligned move to the Warriors in July of 2016 shook the league in a way it’d never seen before. The details are not needed. Everyone knows why Durant’s move to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors was a highly controversial one. Durant’s decision to leave the Warriors for the 76ers, though, is one that seems odd on the surface. However, some in Durant’s inner-circle said the highly-sensitive Durant was starting to get fed up with the constant criticism from his peers and fans about joining the Warriors. Durant had just helped lead the Warriors to a third straight championship. As one member of his inner-circle put it, “he was tired of dealing with the grief from his peers and basketball fans. He got that third ring and now he’s ready to just go somewhere else and prove he can do it more on his own.”

The part about “on his own” is something that won’t be completely ceded by those who were bothered by Durant’s decision in 2016. Joining a 76ers team coming off a 51-31 season and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in six games to the Toronto Raptors may still be interpreted as the “second easiest way out” to some and won't satiate the haters. However, it provides Durant with an opportunity to lead two different franchises to a championship, something that will further cement and improve his legacy as as one of the all-time greats.

Cousins Gets a Ring, Joins The King

After his ones-season “rehab” stint with the Warriors, DeMarcus Cousins is moving on. After signing a 1yr/$5.01M deal to play with the Warriors, a move that completely tilted the basketball world on its axis, Cousins agreed to a 4yr/$157.63M deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. In his lone season with the Warriors, Cousins averaged 18.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG as 1/5th of an all All-Star starting lineup that blitzed their way to an NBA championship.

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished with a 42-40 record, good for 7th place in the West. A quick, merciless 4-game sweep in the first round at the hands of the Houston Rockets ended the Lakers first season with LeBron James.

Pacers Make Major Splash; Sign Kyrie and Gasol

Indianapolis, IN -- In what turned out to be a crazy off-season, the Indiana Pacers pulled off two surprise moves most did not see coming. The first surprise signing was Kyrie Irving. After the 2017-2018 season, there were some reports that Kyrie was possibly looking for a new destination after the 2018-2019 season. Some said Irving and Jimmy Butler were even possibly looking to try and team up. Kyrie did get a star teammate to join him in Indiana, but it wasn't Butler; instead it was Marc Gasol who, in the waning years of his career, announced this as a decision based on his desire to compete while still playing in a more blue-collar community similar Memphis.

The two moves should elevate the Pacers among the elite in the Eastern Conference and look poised to improve upon their first round last season.

KEY 2019 FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

Philadelphia 76ers
- Kevin Durant
- Tyler Zeller

Chicago Bulls
- Tyreke Evans

Boston Celtics
- Darren Collison

Memphis Grizzlies
- Patrick Beverley
- Thaddeus Young
- Reggie Bullock

Atlanta Hawks
- Jonas Valanciunas
- J.J. Redick
- Michael Beasley

New York Knicks
- Mike Scott
- George Hill

Los Angeles Lakers
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Kyle Anderson
- Willie Reed
- Marcin Gortat

Dallas Mavericks
- Khris Middleton
- DeMarre Carroll

Brooklyn Nets
- Enes Kanter
- Paul Millsap
- Kenneth Faried

Denver Nuggets
- Austin Rivers

Indiana Pacers
- Kyrie Irving
- Marc Gasol
- Isaiah Thomas
- Derrick Rose

New Orleans Pelicans
- Ricky Rubio
- Wayne Ellington
- Al Jefferson

Toronto Raptors
- Kahwi Leonard (re-sign: 4yr/$150.24M)
- Alex Len
- J.J. Barea

San Antonio Spurs
- Jeremy Lin
- Zaza Pachulia

Oklahoma City Thunder
- Taj Gibson
- Thabo Sefolosha
- Al-Farouq Aminu

Minnesota Timberwolves
- Dwight Howard
- Alec Burks
- T.J. McConnell

Portland Trail Blazers
- Terrence Ross
- Jhalil Okafor
- Matthew Dellavedova

Golden State Warriors
- Brook Lopez
- Zach Randolph
- Dwyane Wade
- Kyle Korver
- Danny Green

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Knicks Announce Birch Will Start at Point Guard

Jelani Birch shows off his point-guard skills in a Knicks training camp practice.

New York, NY -- Jelani Birch was lauded as a do-it-all forward throughout his prep career. Only since LeBron James had the prep ranks seen a player of Birch’s stature be able to handle the ball, see the floor, and run an offense to this degree. After he was drafted by the Knicks with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, there was some debate as to whether Birch could run the point. His most natural position in the NBA, by most scout’s measure, was small forward, but the Knicks had other plans. After Kevin Knox had an impressive rookie season as the Knicks starting small forward averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.8 APG while shooting 39.4% from three, head coach David Fizdale announced that Knox would remain as the team’s starting small forward while Jelani Birch ran the offense as the team’s starting point guard.

The Knicks will feature All-Star Kristpas Porzingis as power forward and Tim Hardaway Jr. at shooting guard. Second year man Mitchell Robinson will be given the first crack as the team’s starting center. Robinson, who made waves a year ago in the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, had an up-and-down rookie campaign in which he appeared in 58 games. Robinson averaged 6.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 19.8 MPG.

New York Knicks 2019-2020 Roster
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
2	Corey Joseph	PG	28	6'3"	190	$3.04M
3	Tim Hardaway Jr.	SG	27	6'6"	205	$18.08M
4	Jelani Birch	PG	20	6'9"	245	$5.89M
5	Kevin Knox	SF	20	6'9"	215	$3.95M
6	Kristaps Porzingis	PF	24	7'3"	240	$31.42M
11	Frank Ntilikina	PG	21	6'5"	190	$4.86M
13	Joakim Noah	C	34	6'11"	230	$19.28M
14	Trevor Ariza	SF	34	6'8"	215	$2.59M
20	Justin Holiday	SG	30	6'6"	185	$1.48M
24	Mitchell Robinson	C	21	7'0"	233	$1.32M
25	George Hill	PG	33	6'3"	188	$3.69M
30	Mike Scott	PF	31	6'8"	237	$3.85M
34	Mario Hezonja	SF	24	6'8"	218	$7.90M
50	Austin Wiley	C	20	6'10"	250	$868K

New York Knicks Depth Chart - 2019-20
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Jelani Birch	George Hill	Corey Joesph	Frank Ntilikina
SG	Tim Hardaway Jr.	Justin Holiday	George Hill
SF	Kevin Knox	Mario Hezonja	Jelani Birch	Trevor Ariza
PF	Kristaps Porzingis	Mike Scott	Kevin Knox	Jelani Birch
C	Mitchell Robinson	Joakim Noah	Mike Scott	Kristaps Porzingis

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2019-2020 Season Opener Preview

Matchup Preview *|* October 23, 2019
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New York Knicks (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Chicago Bulls (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Jelani Birch Point Guard Kris Dunn Tim Hardaway Jr. Shooting Guard Tyreke Evans Kevin Knox Small Forward Jabari Parker Kristaps Porzingis Power Forward Lauri Markkanen Mitchell Robinson Center Wendell Carter Jr. Game Notes Last season the New York Knicks finished with a league worst 24-58 record. Kristaps Porzingis led the team in scoring at 24.6 PPG. Key off-season additions inlcude Jelani Birch (draft), George Hill (free agency), and Mike Scott (free agency). The Chicago Bulls finished 38-44 and ninth place in the Eastern Conference, finishing three games out of 8th place. Jabari Parker, in his first season with Chicago, led the team in scoring, averaging 21.2 PPG. The Bulls added Tyreke Evans via free agency during the off-season.

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Hoopla's back! Like the idea, who needs Kyrie when you got Birch! Lets go!

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Quote: Originally Posted by seaboh

Hoopla's back! Like the idea, who needs Kyrie when you got Birch! Lets go!

Hope this story is something I can take and stay committed to. I haven't given up on my Supersonics MyLeague, but that was growing stale and after reading more about and experimenting with player lock, I liked it a lot.

And the free-agency period this off-season was crazy. Should make the league more interesting now that the Warriors are back to "only" having their original Big 3 in Steph, Klay, and Draymond. KD joining the mix with Simmons and Embiid will be a lot of fun to keep up with. And what happened in Indiana, a market that usually doesn't attract big name free agents, is very compelling.


Also, author's note: this is technically going to be the 2018-2019 season on my 2K game, but in my "fantasy world" with Jelani Birch, it's the 2019-2020 season.