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!
As a Knicks fan, this preview was almost offensive. Melo is actually a pretty decent player. The Knicks signed Sessions to add some much needed point guard experience. I also think you might be selling Frank short. Alas, they will suck this season.
@Purdman: Ha! Almost offensive. I didn’t do a good job then. Melo pisses me off because he could’ve been so great. Really enjoyed watching him at Cuse and on those Olympic teams. That’s probably why I’m tougher on him than most. Sessions is not good. Frank could be good, but he’s so raw and he’s not going to get too much run because of Sessions and Baker. Think about that for a sec. Alas, we both came to the same conclusion
Still can’t believe Phil took Noah and Rose off our hands last season.
@Trizzy: Puts on tin foil hat. Phil played with the NY Knicks. After his playing career, he was turned down by many teams for a coaching position. Was NY one of those teams? Doug Collins and the Bulls give him his shot. We know what happened next. Finally, he gets a chance to come back to NY and stick it to them? Far fetched I know, but how else can you explain the madness?
Love your articles man. Keep em coming.
One small disagreement tho – the Knicks marketing for this season seems built around KP, Hernangomez and Frank – plus a lot of talk around the focus of the season being player development. I think Frank is going to be given court time – maybe lots of it.
Mind you, limiting Franks progression to win a handful of extra games by running Sessions out is kinda classic NYK…
@Rambler: Thanks Rambler!
I’ve read that the front office views KP and Wily as foundation pieces. I hope that’s the case.
As for Frank, your last sentence reiterates my point. Ha!