New York Knicks: What the hell are they doing this offseason?
It’s tough trying to figure out the direction of the New York Knicks this offseason. It started with rumors of Carmelo Anthony being traded, then a buyout to Kristaps Porzingis being moved to Paul George joining the team then to Phil Jackson finally leaving. All of this has happened in just a few weeks.
With the NBA Draft over and Free Agency in full swing, where do the Knicks stand?
The answer to that is right where they were when the season ended. The Knicks have not made any major moves except for the selection of Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Other than that it’s been nothing but rumors, rumors, and more rumors. There is a potential deal to bring back Derrick Rose– but why? Why pay Rose millions after you selected a PG in the Draft Lottery?
The Knicks have other areas to fill like finding a real starting SG and trying to find a fool– I mean team to take Joakim Noah off their hands. Then they still must deal with the Carmelo situation. Is he staying or going?
With the Knicks currently stuck, they have no real direction if they’re contending or rebuilding.
As of they now they have what appears to be a starting unit of Ntilikina, Courtney Lee, Carmelo, Porzingis and possibly Noah or Kyle O’Quinn. That lineup screams 20-25 wins. It’s gotten so bad that the Knicks are looking up to the Philadelphia 76ers and their young core. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. These are the New York Knicks. The team who plays in the World Famous– Madison Square Garden with THE most loyal fans in the NBA but yet, they can’t get a player to even consider playing for them.
Imagine the shock Carmelo had to feel when his good friend Chris Paul was signed then traded to the Houston Rockets. Paul had a chance to entertain playing for the Knicks but balked and went elsewhere. The same can be said for Paul Millsap, Blake Griffin and more. To add more salt to the wound is that most of the league has overlooked the Knicks as potential trade partners due to bad contracts and an uneven roster.
To put it simply– the Knicks are in a bad place right now.
Jackson may have been the problem, however, he was gone before Free Agency started. There are no excuses when the best FA player you might haul is the one who just left your team a month ago
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.
