The New York Knicks are a mess from top to bottom, but they have some of the best young talent in the league. They got rid of Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson, and they can start fresh if they take the right steps to make their franchise more competitive. They have Kristaps Porzingis, and they have all the other pieces they need to start building a real roster. Jeff Hornacek can coach a style that he is comfortable with, and they can make a five year plan that actually makes sense.
No Melo, no drama
Carmelo Anthony brought a lot of drama to the Knicks because he was not the superstar that they needed.
He was supposed to make everyone better, but he could not do that. He was just not good enough to help pull others along, and his scoring seemed to get in the way of other players progressing. There are a lot of people who thought that Melo was not the problem, but he clearly was dragging the team down because he was not doing the right things to help other guys improve.
No more Phil Jackson
phil jackson could be the best coach who ever lived, but he is definitely one of the worst executives who ever lived. He thought that he could play fast and loose with the rules, not really put in the work to scout players, and generally disrespect the office of general manager while trying to run the team.
Phil did not give the Knicks the best chance to win, and that made him a cancer that was also hurting the MSG brand. If you are a Knicks fan, you were probably happy to see him go, and you most certainly were not alone in that.
Progressing slowly
Progressing slowly for the Knicks is the only way for them to make the team better.
They have been bad for so long that they cannot possibly get any worse. They can wait to see just how much Porzingis can score in a night, and they can wait for their young talent to blossom into what they are looking for. It makes far more sense for them to take their time so that they can see if the team will come together as they like.
If the team does not come together in the way that they like, they can start trading pieces or just draft new talent. It is much easier for the Knicks to move slowly so that they do not make hasty decisions -- something that caused them numerous problems over the last few years.
When can they compete?
The Knicks should certainly improve this year, make the playoffs next year, and be in a position to sign a free agent that can bring the team to the next level. They are finally on the right track.
