New York Knicks: 3 things that went wrong this season
The New York Knicks were the ones that were supposed to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy this season. The additions of Derick Rose, Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah, coupled with Carmelo Anthony and the growth of Kristaps Porzingis looked great on paper. However, this is why they play 82 games between October and April.
You just never know.
The Knicks will miss the playoffs yet again and look toward an offseason of question marks. But still, fans want to know what went wrong with the Knicks this season.
Here are 3 things that went wrong for the Knicks in the 2016-17 season.
1) Phil Jackson- Granted, every Knicks fans applauded Jackson in the offseason when he made the proper moves to bring in Rose and Noah. It looked as if Melo finally got the help that was needed to put him in talks with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as winners. Oops, not so fast there Melo. The team never meshed together as their preseason was clouded with injuries and Rose’s legal case. By the time the season started and the team began to struggle, Jackson took his cue. He wanted the Triangle offense installed, he wanted to trade Carmelo and Rose. Jackson was everywhere but where he needed to be and that was to leave the team on the floor alone. Jackson alienated the locker room with constant remarks about Anthony instead of giving him support. It’s hard for any team to play with that hanging over their heads.
2) Chemistry- Once Rose handled his issues with the court system the Knicks figured it would be smooth sailing from there. However, it never materialized into anything other than dysfunction. The reason being, there were too many individuals on a team. Anthony was out to prove that he could put the bad seasons behind him and lead the Knicks. Porzingis may have fed into the hype surrounding his rookie season and wanted to show the NBA that he’s ready to be the new face of Knicks. Rose was determined to prove that his knees could hold up an entire season and put the rumors of him being fragile to bed. It was a great combination on paper and Jackson had good intentions but it just didn’t work. There were too many games missed from the starting five to gain any chemistry.
3) The No Trade Clause- It’s a shame that Melo has to be brought into this but as early as the offseason the issue of his trade was coming into play. As soon as the Knicks began to struggle there was mention that Jackson wanted to trade Anthony but he couldn’t. Anthony is one of the few players in the league with an NTC and while leaving would be heartbreaking. The truth is, a trade would have improved the team. Would they have made the playoffs– probably not but his trade would have given the team a better chance and the possibility of a better future. Instead, the Knicks and Anthony had to deal with trade talks all season which distracted them from their goal on the court.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
