The New York Knicks currently stand two spots below the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a 22-24 record.

The Miami Heat are current owners of the eighth seed, but trail on thin ice, sinking quickly with a record of just 23-21, two games above .500 after firing on all cylinders to start the season with a 9-4 record. Miami has an arsenal of seasoned newcomers that consist of names like the high-flying Gerald Green, sharpshooter Goran Dragic, and even the former superstar Knickerbocker Amar'e Stoudemire. The eighth seed seems all but secure at the midpoint of the season, as the Heat dropped seven of their last eight contests and harness a tough slew of a schedule moving forward.

New York, however, is clawing for a playoff spot, currently having a rollercoaster of a season, winning and loosing games in pairs and bunches while floating around the .500 mark. Much of their spotty, but promising, season has been due to the healthy resurrected superstar Carmelo Anthony.

Melo has gained trust in himself and more importantly confidence in his teammates. The nine-time All-Star is becoming a pass-first player (unheard of coming from the 30th all-time leading scorer), tweaking his style of play to push New York to success with his selfless passing, while adding spice to his scoring punch.

Anthony has played phenomenal as of late, flirting with triple-double territory on a game-to-game basis, passing instinctively out of double teams and striving to create open shot-opportunities for his teammates in transition. Anthony is averaging a career-high in assists per game (3.9), and has ignited his teams cohesiveness on both ends of the floor. But Melo is just one man, and the Knicks are a team with big aspirations.

Championship-caliber aspirations.

If the Knicks want a ring, New York needs an upgrade. Specifically, at the point guard position.

Jose Calderon is the starting man and the orchestrator of the triangle offense, and he has shown grittiness and effort for the Knicks, but in order for the Knicks to reach the promise land, a selfless, defensive-minded point guard is much needed to juice the triangle. Calderon's sharpshooting forte is praised but quickly buried under his lack of explosiveness and sluggish pace on offense. But who can be Phil Jackson's next key to the puzzle?

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr. has reportedly been looking forward to free agency and stands as one of the more superior talents at the guard position available in the summer. Averaging 15.0 points, 1.3 steals and 5.8 assists per contest at the midseason point, the chemistry has watered between Conley and the Grizzlies franchise, as Memphis has struggled to find a rhythm with a record of 25 wins and 20 losses, but somehow find themselves at the fifth seed of the oddly lob-sided Western Conference.

The small-town Fayetteville, Arkansas native has been a man of high caliber on and off the court, but not only for his talents, as Conley is included in a club with the talents of Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, winning the 'NBA Sportsmanship Award' in 2014, an award that shows true character in Conley's love for the game and the players he competes with.

Mike Conley has proven to aggressively lock-down his opposition on defense, earning himself an 'All-NBA Defensive Second Team award,' while averaging a deadly 2.2 steals in 2013. This needs to be Conley's most valuable aspect to his game, as talent in the NBA has been overflowing and increasingly competitive at the backcourt positions, and continues to grow each season.

Teams have been highly interested in Conley's services, two of them include the likes of, you guessed it, the Knickerbockers and Brooklyn Nets. But the Knicks are better prepared to offer the southpaw to play in an orange and blue jersey, currently with a promising young core of rookie star big man Kristaps Porzingis and high-ceiling rookie guard Jerian Grant.

Along with a solidified system, Conley can thrive and grow in as New York's premiere defensive juggernaut guard and much-needed spark on offense outside of Anthony and isolation wingman Arron Afflalo.

With the energy New York's front office is creating, (to be mores specific, what Phil Jackson has accomplished), from what seemed like scratch, (the Knicks finished with just a lackluster 17 wins last season), New York is in a good place with a brotherhood of 'high character' basketball players that are hungry to win. Buying into the offense that brought the cities of Chicago and Los Angeles rings paves the way for a competitive fire to win games.

The woes of Madison Square Garden seem to be subsiding, and the New York Knicks are an increasingly relevant basketball team. Which makes the Mecca an intriguing landing spot for marquee talent.

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