New York Knicks: With the trade deadline having passed, what’s next?
In post-trade deadline New York, what does the rest of the 2017-18 NBA regular season hold for Jeff Hornacek and the New York Knicks?
Well New York Knicks fans, the NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and boy was it a hectic day. The Cleveland Cavaliers dumped half their roster. DeAndre Jordan, Tyreke Evans, and Kemba Walker are just some of the stars who weren’t moved despite the rumors.
The amount of surprising deals was otherworldly.
Gladly, the Knicks made moves these past couple of days. Willy Hernangomez was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for two future second-round draft picks and Johnny O”Bryant.
My favorite move, however, was how Emmanuel Mudiay was acquired from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade. Unfortunately, the Knicks sadly dealt Doug McDermott to Dallas in the process.
But Knicks fans are sure glad this week is over. Thursday night’s 113-88 loss to the Toronto Raptors is the second-best thing that happened in New York over the past few days.
Kristaps Porzingis tore his left ACL, sidelining him for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Enes Kanter needed surgery on his mouth. Tim Hardaway Jr. was leaped over by Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is being compared to Vince Carter’s Le Dunk de la Morte at the 2000 Sydney Olympics over Frédéric Weis—which is far superior.
Weis was ironically drafted by the Knicks in 1999.
What does this mean for a supposed second-half playoff run?
With KP out, so are the Knicks’ playoff hopes. Sitting at the lowly 11th seed with a 20-33 record, it’s hard to find hope in such a hard spot with your franchise player out for almost 12 months.
On the bright side, this gives Jeff Hornacek an opportunity to allow the younger guys such as Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina to receive more minutes. Luke Kornet (who had a stellar debut, by the way) and Damyean Dotson were called up from New York’s G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.
Plus, the void at the point guard position has been finally filled thanks to the addition of Mudiay. With him now most likely starting, Jarrett Jack will most likely be moved to the second unit.
How will the Knicks utilize this second half of the season?
With the situation the Knicks are in right now, it’s most likely in Hornacek and the front office’s best interest to use the rest of the season as a test run. Let the younger guys develop. Furthermore, the continuing decline of New York’s record is great for the draft.
Landing a valuable pick to select high in this loaded 2018 draft class would be amazing.
Personally, as a Knick fan, I know what the rest of the season will entail. A lot of growing pains and losses. But, I’m already hyped for next season.
Must Read: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: The impact of Emmanuel Mudiay
I look forward to a Kristaps Porzingis return, a hopeful lottery pick, and a still young but more experienced New York Knicks team.