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New York Knicks: This is what a rebuild looks like

By Maxwell Ogden

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court after stealing the ball from Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks during the first half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 19, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court after stealing the ball from Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks during the first half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 19, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /
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The season opener was a frustrating display on multiple levels. Unfortunately for the frustrated New York Knicks fans, this is what a rebuild looks like.

The New York Knicks began the 2017-18 NBA regular season with a 105-84 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a lopsided outcome on the scoreboard, and another punch to the gut of Knicks fans who simply want to see their favorite team playing relevant basketball again.

Although frustration is understandable following a blowout loss, there’s one point that must be acknowledged and processed: This is what a rebuild looks like.

Prior to the 2017-18 preseason, general manager Scott Perry wrote a post on The Official MSG Blog. In it, he outlined his vision for the Knicks and stressed patience to a fan base that’s been short on it for the better part of 44 years.

It’s an uncomfortable proposition due to New York’s recent history, but it’s also the most sensible approach to the current situation.

On the surface, the Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since they won 54 games in 2012-13. Digging deeper, however, New York is a team that’s been making and repeating the same mistakes for the better part of 16 years—if not 44.

Lest we forget: Patrick Ewing played with a grand total of zero Hall of Famers, let alone players who made multiple All-Star Games while they were his teammate.

Allan Houston doing so when Ewing was pushing 40 hardly counts.

Throughout the post-’73 era, the Knicks have failed in their attempts to build a championship team. The reasons could be debated for months on end, but the harsh reality is that New York has focused more on free agency and trades than the NBA Draft.

That’s a tragic reality when one considers that New York’s only top-4 picks since 1967 have been Walt Frazier, Micheal Ray Richardson, Bill Cartwright, Ewing, and Kristaps Porzingis.

In other words: Four of the five players whom the Knicks have selected in the top-4 over the past 50 years have gone on to become All-Stars. The only exception is Porzingis, whom the Knicks are currently building around.

The 22-year-old is widely expected to become an All-Star in 2017-18, which would complete the 50-year cycle.

That success rate is encouraging, but it’s also disappointing. New York has owned just four top-4 draft picks over the course of the past 50 years, yet it’s missed the playoffs 20 times during that time period.

That isn’t a case of bad luck with the lottery, either; New York simply hasn’t placed the greatest deal of value on its draft picks.

New York hasn’t kept its first-round draft picks in consecutive years since 2008-09. It traded its 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 first-round selections in deals that ultimately netted the Knicks three postseason appearances in seven years.

The 54-win season in 2012-13 is a nice memory, but it’s nearly impossible to argue that it was worth the accumulated cost of four first-round draft picks.

For perspective, those picks turned into Gordon Hayward (2010), Royce White (2012), Dario Saric (2014), and Jamal Murray (2016). In 2016-17, Hayward was an All-Star, and both Saric and Murray were named to an All-Rookie team.

As for 2012, two of the players selected after White, who’s no longer in the NBA, were sharpshooting guard Evan Fournier and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green.

This article isn’t claiming that the Knicks would be championship contenders if they’d kept their draft picks. It isn’t even suggesting that the Knicks would have selected the same player who came off the board in the place they should have been drafting from.

For that matter, it isn’t even a guarantee that players such as Hayward, Murray, Saric, or even Green would be as good in New York as they’ve become elsewhere.

Instead, it’s an acknowledgement of the reality that New York’s four-year postseason drought can be traced to its misuse of the NBA Draft. Unfortunately, the only way to rectify that issue is to stop the insanity and abandon the free agency or bust approach that’s failed for the better part of 16 years.

For fans, that means enduring the rough stretches and understanding that there’s actually a light at the end of this tunnel.

Must Read: Five areas in which the New York Knicks should improve in 2017-18

Step by step, New York Knicks fans. This is what a rebuild looks like.

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