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Umbrella · 05-15-2021, 10:39 PM

1960-61 NEW YORK KNICKS

OFFSEASON

The struggling Minneapolis Lakers move across the country to Los Angeles.

I was given a 2 year extension to my contract. Coach Nelson’s contract expired, but I decided to rehire him, giving him a three year deal. There didn’t seem to be any other coaches out there.

With the seventh pick in the draft, I took a flyer on a high ceiling PG, Lenny Wilkens. In the second round, I took SF Howie Jolliff. SG Jerry West went #1 overall to LA.

I don’t have a ton of cap room, but I want to sign a SG and a C. I offer Miksas another 1 year minimum deal, and I offer a young SG Hal Greer a two year deal. They both sign.

Other signings of interest are Larry Foust signing with St. Louis from Detroit, Joe Grabowski signing with Syracuse from St. Louis, and Phil Jordan signing with Detroit from St. Louis.

PRE-SEASON

We are picked to finish last this season, with Philly as the favorite. If that’s true, next year’s draft is a weak one, with only three players looking to be impact players. Our lineup will be C-Pettit, PF-Johnston, SF-Garmaker, SG-Greer, PG-Guerin, with Gambee, Ferry, Wilkens, and Cousy getting minutes off the bench. We go 4-2 in the pre-season, so I hope the media is wrong about our team.

REGULAR SEASON

Johnston is the only player I want to extend, but I need to be careful. He is still playing at a high level, but he’s 31, and that’s around when things go south. Greer injures his back early in the season, and misses two weeks. Johnston decides to test free agency next season, so he won’t sign an extension. Right around the time Greer returns, Garmaker tears a ligament and will miss about 6 weeks. Even with the injuries, and a long road trip, we finish November with a 9-7 record. Johnston wins player of the month.

We begin December with a 6 game road trip, losing all 6 games. The losing streak extends to 8 games before finally beating Philadelphia. The losing continues, and then we lose Pettit for two months with a severe concussion. The very next game, we lose Johnston with a broken finger, and he’ll miss 2-3 weeks. The injuries in this game are starting to piss me off. And as I say that, Ferry gets a pinched nerve THE VERY NEXT GAME!!!! We finish December at 11-19, in last place.

We make a trade with Boston, sending Krebs in exchange for SF Bob Peterson. We are on a four game losing streak when Garmaker returns. His return doesn’t stop the losing. The losing streak is at 9 when Ferry returns. His returns results in our first win of 1961. After losing another couple of games, Johnston returns. We end the month at 13-30, and our distinction of being the only team in the league to never finish in last place is in serious danger.

At the beginning of February, we trade Wilkens to LA for fellow rookie PG Al Attles. Attles immediately enters the starting lineup. Greer, Guerin, and Johnston all get selected to the all star game. With the addition of Attles, the team starts playing better. And then, of course, he breaks his foot, sidelining him for a month. Pettit returns late in the month. We finish February at 19-35, still 8 games out of third.

If we don’t start quickly in March, I may begin playing the youngsters, and seeing if we can get the #1 pick. We win our first two games, then Guerin dislocates his shoulder. He’s probably done for the season. Attles comes back right as Greer strains his back. Greer heals quickly, and I see if we have a chance to climb out of last place. We don’t play badly, and finish March at 27-42, still five games out of a playoff spot.

We lose the first four games in April, and then Pettit breaks his arm. Gambee breaks his foot the next game, and I decide to shut it down for the season. Miksis immediately sprains his ankle. Just to piss me off, we win the last four games of the season, giving us the third pick in a draft with two impact players. We finish at 32-48.

Obligatory leader board

PLAYOFFS

Johnston and Guerin both make 2nd team all-NBA. Peterson makes 1st team all-defense, while Johnston makes 2nd team. Jolliff and Attles both make 2nd team all-rookie. Wilt Chamberlain wins MVP, while Elgin Baylor wins rookie of the year.

St. Louis and Wilt Chamberlain steamroll to a second straight title.

Right now, the injuries are infuriating me. We finished last, my seat is getting warm, and we're losing Johnston. We have cap room to work with next season, but I don't think we'll get an impact player in the draft, so I'm not optimistic we'll be any better.

05-15-2021, 10:39 PM	#33
Umbrella High School Varsity Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Back in the desert	1960-61 NEW YORK KNICKS OFFSEASON The struggling Minneapolis Lakers move across the country to Los Angeles. I was given a 2 year extension to my contract. Coach Nelson’s contract expired, but I decided to rehire him, giving him a three year deal. There didn’t seem to be any other coaches out there. With the seventh pick in the draft, I took a flyer on a high ceiling PG, Lenny Wilkens. In the second round, I took SF Howie Jolliff. SG Jerry West went #1 overall to LA. I don’t have a ton of cap room, but I want to sign a SG and a C. I offer Miksas another 1 year minimum deal, and I offer a young SG Hal Greer a two year deal. They both sign. Other signings of interest are Larry Foust signing with St. Louis from Detroit, Joe Grabowski signing with Syracuse from St. Louis, and Phil Jordan signing with Detroit from St. Louis. PRE-SEASON We are picked to finish last this season, with Philly as the favorite. If that’s true, next year’s draft is a weak one, with only three players looking to be impact players. Our lineup will be C-Pettit, PF-Johnston, SF-Garmaker, SG-Greer, PG-Guerin, with Gambee, Ferry, Wilkens, and Cousy getting minutes off the bench. We go 4-2 in the pre-season, so I hope the media is wrong about our team. REGULAR SEASON Johnston is the only player I want to extend, but I need to be careful. He is still playing at a high level, but he’s 31, and that’s around when things go south. Greer injures his back early in the season, and misses two weeks. Johnston decides to test free agency next season, so he won’t sign an extension. Right around the time Greer returns, Garmaker tears a ligament and will miss about 6 weeks. Even with the injuries, and a long road trip, we finish November with a 9-7 record. Johnston wins player of the month. We begin December with a 6 game road trip, losing all 6 games. The losing streak extends to 8 games before finally beating Philadelphia. The losing continues, and then we lose Pettit for two months with a severe concussion. The very next game, we lose Johnston with a broken finger, and he’ll miss 2-3 weeks. The injuries in this game are starting to piss me off. And as I say that, Ferry gets a pinched nerve THE VERY NEXT GAME!!!! We finish December at 11-19, in last place. We make a trade with Boston, sending Krebs in exchange for SF Bob Peterson. We are on a four game losing streak when Garmaker returns. His return doesn’t stop the losing. The losing streak is at 9 when Ferry returns. His returns results in our first win of 1961. After losing another couple of games, Johnston returns. We end the month at 13-30, and our distinction of being the only team in the league to never finish in last place is in serious danger. At the beginning of February, we trade Wilkens to LA for fellow rookie PG Al Attles. Attles immediately enters the starting lineup. Greer, Guerin, and Johnston all get selected to the all star game. With the addition of Attles, the team starts playing better. And then, of course, he breaks his foot, sidelining him for a month. Pettit returns late in the month. We finish February at 19-35, still 8 games out of third. If we don’t start quickly in March, I may begin playing the youngsters, and seeing if we can get the #1 pick. We win our first two games, then Guerin dislocates his shoulder. He’s probably done for the season. Attles comes back right as Greer strains his back. Greer heals quickly, and I see if we have a chance to climb out of last place. We don’t play badly, and finish March at 27-42, still five games out of a playoff spot. We lose the first four games in April, and then Pettit breaks his arm. Gambee breaks his foot the next game, and I decide to shut it down for the season. Miksis immediately sprains his ankle. Just to piss me off, we win the last four games of the season, giving us the third pick in a draft with two impact players. We finish at 32-48. Obligatory leader board PLAYOFFS Johnston and Guerin both make 2nd team all-NBA. Peterson makes 1st team all-defense, while Johnston makes 2nd team. Jolliff and Attles both make 2nd team all-rookie. Wilt Chamberlain wins MVP, while Elgin Baylor wins rookie of the year. St. Louis and Wilt Chamberlain steamroll to a second straight title. Right now, the injuries are infuriating me. We finished last, my seat is getting warm, and we're losing Johnston. We have cap room to work with next season, but I don't think we'll get an impact player in the draft, so I'm not optimistic we'll be any better.