Step 2: Crafting The Team’s Identity
As previously alluded to, the New York Knicks establishing a core will do wonders for the team come free agency and the NBA Draft. Beyond constructing a roster, however, is the imperative need to find a team’s identity.
Having done so, Phil Jackson will have a much easier job recruiting free agents and targeting prospects.
With Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks have the foundation for offensive execution. With Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, and Lance Thomas, the Knicks have found glue guys who take no plays off on defense.
With Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose, the identity of the team is rounded out and defined.
Anthony, Lee, Noah, and Rose have all been to the Conference Finals, but none have won a title. Jennings and Rose need to prove they’re healthy enough for long-term contracts, Thomas must prove he deserved a four-year deal, and Porzingis must show he’s not a flash in the pan.
What that all adds up to is the identity of the team: starving for success and unable to accept any form of failure.
Next: Step 3: Incomplete