It’s been a season to forget for the New York Knicks. The offseason started well as they hired Phil Jackson as President. Jackson tried to hire Steve Kerr to coach but he didn’t want the job. Kerr ended up with the Golden State Warriors. Jackson went with his second choice, hiring Derek Fisher as the Head Coach. The season hasn’t gone the way they thought it would. They are an NBA worst, 14-60. Their star, Carmelo Anthony, had to be shut down after 40 games. James Dolan, owner of Knicks, responded harshly to fans’ emails criticizing him and the team. They even traded JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland for two, second-round draft picks. Now Phil Jackson has told the season-ticket holders to continue to be optimistic. Should the season-ticket holders really be optimistic?
This is the worst season in franchise history for the New York Knicks and the first time they have lost 60 games. They could end up losing more games since there are eight games left in the season. They have the best odds right now in the NBA draft lottery for the number one pick in this year’s draft. That’s not really something to be hopeful about. The number one pick is great but you don’t know how he is going to develop. He could be a nice addition like the next LeBron James or could be a bust like Darko Milicic.
The one bright spot for the Knicks is that they have $25 million in cap space this summer. Phil Jackson sent a video out to the season-ticket holders describing his plan for using the $25 million. He said, “We have made key roster moves to free up significant cap space that will provide us greater flexibility to acquire talent in this summer’s free agency.” “And for the first time in many years, we expect to have a top pick in the NBA Draft this June. These are key steps to building a roster of players that have both the talent and character to win in New York and who, alongside Carmelo Anthony will become a team that can become a consistent winner.”
There are many big names available this summer. These could include Paul Milsap, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Marc Gasol. Signing any of these players would make the Knicks a better team. One of the biggest issues though is, could any of these athletes be able to play alongside Carmelo Anthony? Knicks’ fans should be confident the team will be better next year. It’s just a matter of waiting to see which free agents land in New York.
How optimistic should Knicks’ fans be heading into the offseason
It doesn’t seem like the Knicks are headed in the right direction. They need to get rid if Carmelo and start fr scratch I think.