The Future of The Knicks

The Future of the Knicks

Let us rewind a year or so ago, a new President.  Phil Jackson, a former champion with the Knicks. The Zen Master himself.  The driving forces behind two of the NBA greatest Dynasties. With his return to the big apple fans were eternally optimistic in him heralding in a new and prosperous era at The Garden.

What followed however… was nothing short of catastrophic! The Knicks racked up a record breaking number of Loses in the 14/15 regular season. In the process falling out of playoff contention in what was an otherwise weakened Eastern Conference.

Despite all the optimism going into the season with the long term re-signing of Franchise player Carmelo Anthony, the triangle offence and handpicked selection of Derek Fisher to steward it, things looked promising. Fast forward to the trade deadline… Melo was shut down for season, J.R. Smith, Amar’e and Shump were all out the door and Phil couldn’t even be bothered to make it to games outside of the state. Further murmurings of buoyancy were brought to a complete halt when the Knick slid to 4^th in the draft lottery, raising questions as to why you strip the ball club of most assets and tank the second half of the season if there were no actual guarantees of the top lottery pick. All things considered most basketball analysts could see the bigger picture, not with a distinct clarity, but a picture nonetheless. Phil’s agenda was not about making The Knicks immediate contenders by prudently arming Fisher with players equip with the Basketball IQ required for the Triangle. Couple this with the clearing of Cap Room for potential free agency targets, you could get the impression that the plan would bear fruit somewhere along the line. Exasperated fans however opted for the more realistic view of: Get some talent around Melo and make a run for it, not later… but NOW!!

The 2015 NBA Draft will be one of the deepest in some years, The Knicks needs are also deep.  Perimeter defence, multiple scoring options and Post presence most importantly. The hopes of a city were pinned on landing one of the Elite College level big men, in Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor. Alternatively with it being a point guard’s league perhaps the talents of D’angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay were to be the new cornerstones of the Knicks. All these questions of who would actually fall into the Knicks laps at 4 have garnered rumours that Phil would trade down the pick and look to land two picks from the 1^st round, or a player and future picks. With you star player entering his 13^th year in the league the argument could be made that the window is closing for Melo and the need for any talent is urgent.

Given the latest Draft Boards and predictions it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances to occur for Anthony-Towns to fall to the Knicks, Unfortunately. The second big man, Jahlil Okafor has displayed stellar contributions and ability to carry a team offensively in the low post. In spite of this questions remain over Okafor’s commitment on defence.

In regards to D’Angelo Russell in my personal opinion he has the most potential to be the Stud of this Draft Class. He would be a great fit for the Knicks but the 76ers seem pretty coy on the Ohio State point guard. Compared to Russell, Mudiay is more of an athletic and dynamic scorer rather than facilitator. The questions of his ability to get his team mates involved are burning ones that probably won’t be ignored by the Knicks front office.

So who exactly can the Knicks Draft? I’m of the opinion that you must take the best player left on the board. Trading down isn’t an option as far as I’m concerned especially with a draft this deep.  Kristaps Porzingis is a name generating much attention due to recent pre-draft workouts with teams at the top end of the lottery. Teams have been very impressed with his footwork and his shooting from outside. The Kentucky centre Willie Cauley-Stein and Duke’s Justice Winslow are also muted as potential targets for the Knicks.  Cauley-Stein can provide the much needed rim protection the Knicks have lacked since the trade of Tyson Chandler, but we are yet to see what if any offence he can offer. On the other hand Winslow has a great upside and can affect the floor on both ends with his aggression and enthusiasm.

Whoever the Knicks do draft in on the 25^th of June will be just one of the first building blocks in what we be an extensive rebuilding process. Concerns still remain over Melo’s natural leadership qualities. So you can expect that Phil will look to find some veteran to help aid him lead The New York Knicks back to a semblance of what were some pretty decent seasons under Mike Woodson. At 31 Carmelo Anthony will be entering what will be one of his most important seasons in the NBA, coming off major surgery. The question will loom on whether he can remain one of the elite scorers in the NBA and more importantly show why he was offered that enormous contract after flirting with free agency last summer. I’d expect Melo to return to the line-up at Power Forward, a position where he had his most effective season in the NBA as the eventual scoring champion.

Last season’s tanking did provide some glimmerings of hope. The likes of Alexi Shved and Langston Galloway proved that they can be useful role players and would expect them to both be the go to guys in the back court. If the free agency and draft can provide the necessary complimentary pieces then things should go a tad better than last year.

Phil’s ability however to attract free agents again is the biggest of all the question marks heading into the 15/16 NBA season. Having cleared the cap space you would expect Phil to potentially target two major signings this summer. Regrettably at this current time the project in New York is a very hard one to sell regarding the on the court potential to compete with the likes of the Bulls & the Cavs.

Phil will have to use all his Zen like qualities and persuasion to lure the likes of Lamarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol away from far better rosters in Portland and Memphis. Very unlikely at best, if you’re asking me. One of the things that the Knicks can count on however is that they are playing in one of the biggest markets in the league, New York just like Los Angeles has all the alluring qualities of playing primetime basketball in front of a packed house and all the glitz and glamour that come with it.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, perhaps Phil might look to the 2016 Draft as his priority, with Superstars such as Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis conceivably becoming available. With the increasing salary cap the Knicks can afford to still commit to attracting a big name this summer and still have enough left on the books for 2016.

So what calibre of players can The Knicks realistically obtain. After a disappointing season in Cleveland Kevin Love is a very realistic free agency target this summer. Over his time in the NBA he has averaged a Double Double in scoring and rebounding. His perimeter scoring will be perfect for the triangle offence in relation to how he can space the floor. Greg Monroe is also someone that Phil Jackson is having a very close look at. At around $10m it is a very good option at the centre position. Alternatively DeMarre Carroll is also a good fit, his defensive tenacity and 3 point scoring could be a welcome addition.

The Knicks could very likely line up with; PG: Shved SG: Galloway, SF: Carroll (Winslow), PF: Anthony, C: Monroe (Cauley-Stein).

Not the best options at point guard but I wouldn’t expect Tim Hardaway Jr to be on the roster come October and see the Detroit Pistons lining up a trade for him involving Brandon Jennings. So add that into the mix and the lack of a triangle ready point guard situation becomes very interesting.

It is common knowledge that the NBA is a point guard’s league. Every elite team in the league has a Star at the point. Curry, Westbrook, Lillard, Wall and the likes of CP3 compile a list of very dominant and uniquely versatile players that can create a match up nightmare every night. In the Eastern conference things are a little less heated on a night to night basis with an injury cursed Derek Rose and Kyle Lowry proving to be the best of the bunch. So who can New York grab that will lead this team and create the openings that Melo and his back up and flourish from.

If the Knicks pass up on Brandon Jennings, I ask you to rewind back to 2008. The Eastern conference was where it was at and a young point guard was causing havoc up and down the country. Rajon Rondo now 29 years of age, is a free agent. After a bizarre few months in Dallas I believe he can be the missing piece to puzzle of getting the Knicks back into the playoff picture. At his best a triple double walking, but serious injuries and a strange relationship with Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle has seen his stocks going into free agency drop dramatically. If he is honest with himself Rondo isn’t probably at the level he once was as an NBA champion point guard of the Boston Celtics, but I believe his relationship with Melo off the floor can see him settle in New York. He isn’t a man shy of the big game moments and despite his lack of ability to shoot efficiently from the perimeter, his distribution is still amongst the best in the Association with a 10.9 assists last season. He can also get to the free throw line at ease and is never afraid to attack the rim; something the Knicks desperately lacked last campaign.

If Phil Jackson boxes clever he can make a few shrewd moves this off season that will see the clambering of doubts over his presidency ease a little. Let’s be honest he has done himself few favours since his return, but this is an 11 time Champion. The Chicago Bulls had no championships when he took over and the Lakers spent a whole decade in wilderness before he waved his magic wand. He must have some idea on how to bring glory back to New York? Right?