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New York Knicks: The Real Problem Is Still Basketball Related

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek looks on with his team in the final seconds of the second half loss against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek looks on with his team in the final seconds of the second half loss against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 7, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek on the sideline reacting to a foul in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 123-109.Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek on the sideline reacting to a foul in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 123-109.Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Knicks have become a proverbial sideshow off the court. Don’t let the tabloids fool you: the real problem is still basketball-related.

Derrick Rose upset the masses by not showing up a game he was expected to play in. Phil Jackson rubbed people the wrong way with his comments about Carmelo Anthony, then again with his comments about LeBron James, and then again with his handling of the Rose saga.

If you’d let the tabloids tell it, the reason the New York Knicks are 17-21 through 38 games is because there are too many distractions.

For those who have watched all 38 games, however, it’s clear that the problem is being misconstrued and misinterpreted.  The off-the-court issues are unnecessary and surely distracting, but they aren’t the reason New York is struggling.

The problem with the Knicks is that they simply aren’t playing good basketball.

Both Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Jennings have publicly criticized the Knicks for not trying hard enough. Kristaps Porzingis has admitted to knowing that New York’s early success would be fleeting if it kept trying to get by on talent.

The franchise player has even publicly disputed the notion that the team should be buying into the head coach’s motion offense and should instead continuing to play in isolation.

For all that’s been said over the past three months, the only thing that truly matters is what the Knicks have done on the court.

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