The Brooklyn Nets are already starting to talk trash about the Knicks, despite their abysmal record last year. The Knicks still embody New York, you guys will forever be intruders and impostors as New Yorkers. Still, this should be an exciting rivalry for years to come. Here are each team’s current ten man rotation.

Nets:

-PG: Deron Williams, CJ Watson, Tyshawn Taylor

-SG: Joe Johnson, Keith Bogans

-SF: Gerald Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse

-PF: Kris Humphries, Mirza Telovic

-C: Brook Lopez, Reggie Evans

Knicks:

-PG: Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni

-SG: JR Smith, Iman Shumpert

-SF: Carmelo Anthony, Steve Novak, James White

-PF: Amar’e Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Chris Copeland

-C: Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby

The Nets clearly have us beat in the backcourt. Raymond’s great, but he’s no Deron. Joe Johnson has a bit of an edge over JR Smith, I think you could say. Still, once Shumpert is back, he’s way better than Keith Bogans. While the Nets have a better backcourt, though, the Knicks’ front court is far superior (on paper). Gerald Wallace is a great player, but no match for ‘Melo. Kris Humphries is a good utility guy, but Amar’e will tear him up if STAT returns to form as I expect him to. Lastly, Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler: a toss-up. Lopez is undoubtedly the more talented offensive player, while Tyson gets the nod on the defensive end (by a mile). In the end, I take Tyson because I think Lopez is clunky, unathletic, and injury prone (plus, who knows what his role will be in this new offense).

The Nets barely have enough guys to field a team. Therefore, while the starting lineup can definitely stand up to New York’s, the Knicks have so much more depth that I don’t think the Nets will be able to handle us for a full 48 minutes. It should be interesting, but I’m optimistic about our chances against the cheese-balls in black and white.