New York Knicks: Five Key Improvements Made In Free Agency

1. Making It Fit

Teams can compile talent as aggressively as they please, but the absence of a true identity will cause even the strongest of super teams to crumble. That much has been proven countless times before, which is what makes the New York Knicks’ offseason so intriguing.

Phil Jackson hasn’t just thrown a group of talented players at the wall in hopes that they stick; he’s built the foundation for a winning culture.

Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose—four of the five starters—have been to the Conference Finals or deeper. In other words, four of five starters are hungry to finally get over the hump and win a championship.

That hunger is something that cannot be eradicated until the end goal is achieved, which makes for the perfect environment for Kristaps Porzingis to be developed in.

Just as important is the reality that the pieces actually fit together. Rose and Jennings will be complemented by 3-and-D wings in Lee, Justin Holiday, and Lance Thomas, and Porzingis will play alongside a defensive enforcer in Noah.

The Knicks are willing to sacrifice for success, which is the first step towards achieving success.

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Every player has something to prove, and every player is starving for success. New York is infinitely better entering 2016-17 than it was in 2015-16.