Knicks finish another dismal campaign
The New York Knicks are once again watching the NBA playoffs with the rest of us. On the couch.
Once one of the major franchises in the game, New York is nothing more than a laughingstock. There is talk about whether or not team president Phil Jackson will return to the team for another season or simply retire, or even go work for his beloved Los Angeles Lakers. There is just as much talk about Jackson’s next choice for coach should he stay, with speculation running amok on ample candidates.
After the latest debacle in this 2015-16 season with a 32-50 record and a mid-season firing of head coach Derek Fisher, there is plenty to worry about for Knicks fans in the coming months.
Looking forward, there is not much to be thrilled about outside of rookie Kristaps Porzingis. The fourth-overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft came on strong and put himself into the Rookie of the Year mix throughout the season by averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 28.4 nightly minutes.
While Carmelo Anthony remains the most prolific player on the team – 21.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game – the duo needs some serious help if this group is ever to become relevant. Anthony and Porzingis are a quality start to a good team, but the rest of the roster is rotting garbage.
Luckily for New York, it appears that shooting guard Arron Afflalo will decline his upcoming $8 million option and become a free agent, saving the Knicks a nice chunk of change. Per Ian Begley of ESPN:
“I still believe I’m one of the premier two guards in this league and part of being an elite two guard in this league is opportunity,” Afflalo said. “You have to be in a certain environment where you can excel and show what you can do and hopefully that contributes to winning. And I still believe I’m that player so I’ll find the best opportunity for me whether it’s in New York or anywhere else.”
In addition, the Knicks can wave goodbye to the dead weight of Kevin Seraphin, Lance Thomas, Sasha Vujacic and Louis Amundson. New York should let all of them walk and then hope to trade aging point guard Jose Calderon, who is entering the final season of his deal with $7.7 million remaining. If no deal can be had, eat the cash and release him.
New York will eventually have to add some quality free agents, but they don’t have to be the huge names. Some nice rotational players will fit the bill just fine for the time being while the Knicks try to find one last superstar to make the Porzingis-Anthony duo a formidable trio.
At some juncture, this franchise has to pull itself out of the gutter.
