NBA Question Of The Day: Who Runs New York, Knicks Or Nets?

The NBA kicks off its 2012-13 season tonight as three games will tip off on Tuesday. The Cavs vs. Wizards, Heat vs. Celtics, and Lakers vs. Mavericks all will kick off our 2012-13 season and bring all the basketball heads back to life. Of course, those with a "New York State of Mind" will only care about the game that tips off on Thursday night.

Knicks vs. Nets.

Manhattan vs. Brooklyn.

In part two of the NBA Question of the Day series, we examine who has the best team in the state of New York. Our debaters will be Justin Tinsley of Washington, D.C., for the Nets, and De'Shay Turner of Harrisonburg, Virginia, for the Knicks. Let the debate begin.

Tinsley: Brooklyn We Go Hard

We're going to act as if Deron Williams never said what he said about his ankle because that's the thing. The Knicks can survive without Amar'e and his knees made out of silly putty for six weeks. Maybe. The Nets must have Deron Williams if they're going to make any sort of noise out East. You know, being the fact he is officially the best player in New York City now and all.

The answer of who'll be the better New York team is really a crapshoot. Brooklyn still has to prove itself. And the Knicks really haven't proven much aside from winning one playoff game since Bush's first term. There's just a lot of uncertainty in NYC to begin with. Yet, I'll side with Brooklyn based off the strength Deron will actually enjoy playing basketball again. He's got Joe Johnson - remember how fun he was to watch in Phoenix when he didn't have to be "the man" - and a motivated Brook Lopez who will hopefully realize he's capable of averaging 18 and 10 a night. Plus, there's resident scrapper Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, who is actually a damn good player once you're done trying to craft your "top 10 Kardashian/wedding jokes." And MarShon Brooks is halfway decent in case you haven't noticed.

There's just more reliable options in Barclays at the moment. At least, that's how it seems the day before Halloween.

De'Shay: Knicks State of Mind

Despite them being the focal point of constant criticism and witty sarcasm, the New York Knicks are still, in my opinion, the better NBA team in the state of New York. Make no mistake about it, I believe in what Brooklyn is doing. But that project may take longer to bear its fruits. The Knicks are a group who have experienced the lows together and may very well be ready to ride out the highs. (Cues "Hard Knock Life.")

So why am I willing to bet my duckets on the Knicks over the Nets? I continue to be intrigued by what I see on paper. Carmelo Anthony dazzled us in the Olympics, Tyson Chandler will remain a defensive force, Raymond Felton played his best basketball as the Knicks point guard, and role players like Ronnie Brewer (defense), Steve Novak (deep shooting) and J.R. Smith (shenanigans) can flat out bring it. The Knicks also have Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire coming back from injury, one physical, the other mental. If Mike Woodson can fuse that talent together and get the Knicks playing basketball like Jason Kidd's, Marcus Camby's and Rasheed Wallace’s lives depend on it, the New Knicks will (beyond Reasonable Doubt) provide Jay-Z’s Nets The Blueprint to success.

Watch the Throne …