The Wicked Witch from the West, Phil Jackson, is gone! Oompa loompa doompety doo! The one thing that he did well was to draft Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Of course, the Knicks figured out a way to make KP a spot up, three-point shooter. Such a Knicks thing to do. Anyways, he gave Joakim Noah a four-year, $72 million contract and re-upped Melo for five years, $124 million, with a no-trade clause. Brilliant! Let’s not forget about trading away Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks, which the new regime just re-acquired for four years, $71 million. He also signed Derrick Fisher and Kurt Rambis to be head coaches. Someone explain to me why Rambis has been a head coach in the NBA for three different teams? His career win percentage wouldn’t even make him a good baseball player. He must suck….I better stop there. It is said that the success of an organization always start at the top. Well, James Dolan is the man up top and his team is #1 on Forbes’ team value list. Grandmaster Flash knew what was up….
2016 record: 31-51
Key acquistions:
- Frank Ntilikina via draft
- Tim Hardaway Jr. via free agency
- Ramon Sessions via free agency
- Michael Beasley via free agency
Key losses:
- Phil Jackson via ineptitude
- Derrick Rose renounced
- Justin Holiday renounced
Outlook:
Should be another 30 win season. The drama will be about the Melo shituation. Either outcome will be bad for the Knicks. If he stays, the black hole remains and the rest of the team won’t be able to develop properly. If he goes, the young kids get more run, which is probably good for the long-term, especially if they make KP the centerpiece, but will force Knicks fans to click on YouTube and reminisce about Patrick Ewing.
PG – Rookie Frank Ntilikina is raw and probably won’t get too much time. As the year progresses, he could be someone to keep an eye on. As it stands, Ramon Sessions and Ron Baker are slated to soak up the point guard minutes. Sessions played 16 mpg last year and scored 6 ppg on 38% shooting. Baker also played 16 mpg and scored 4 ppg on 37% shooting. The Knicks just re-upped him for two years, $8.8 million. Did I say 30 wins? Let’s subtract at least five games. No, gotta be at least seven right?
SG – Tim Hardaway Jr. is going to be the man here. Four years, $71 million. Did he get overpaid? Probably, but he’s actually a pretty good player. Has a nice stroke from 3 and can put the ball on the deck and finish strong. It’s going to be interesting to see how he works with Melo. Courtney Lee is a decent player, but nothing to write home about. It’s been mentioned that he and Jr. will play together in the backcourt. Why did the Knicks sign Sessions again?
SF – The Black Hole.
PF – Kristaps Porzingis is so freaking good. I still taste the puke in my mouth from when I heard that some New Yorkers were actually willing to part with him this past offseason. This team has to be built around KP. It’s a travesty that we are in this predicament. Michael Beasley. Hmmm, is this insurance in case Melo is gone? Replace one black hole with another? Mindaugas Kuzminskas. As Grey likes to say, dot. dot. dot.
C – Willy Hernangomez. Free Willy! Per 36, he was a beast last season. Of course, he only played 18 mpg. Word is that the Knicks view him as a foundation piece, so he should get plenty of run this year. Don’t worry about Joakim Noah. He says he’s ready to redeem himself, but I’ve been saying for years that I won’t eat as much. Kyle O’Quinn was also good Per 36 last year, but he didn’t consistent minutes as well. When he did play, he had some really good games. With that said, I think he’s the clear back up to Willy. Free Willy!
