New York Knicks: What happened to the storied franchise?
By John Azzato
With the New York Knicks being an awful team in the last couple of years, it seems the Garden has lost it’s mojo. Why is that? Will it ever be back?
The last time us New York Knicks fans have seen stable success was during the 2012-13 season. The season ended with the Knicks losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
Why has it been so bad for us? When will the loyal fans once again fill Madison Square Garden for a playoff game?
The Knicks had a great run during the 2012-13 NBA season. Winning 54 games, they were seen as a serious contender. They won the Atlantic Division and were led by a multitude of seasoned veterans.
That list included Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd. Back then, the Garden was rocking every night.
Why is the Garden no longer the same?
Off-Court issues
One thing that has caused this team to lack success is the off-court drama that seems never-ending. It always seems that owner James Dolan or previous team president Phil Jackson have or had issues with players.
Whether Dolan was throwing Charles Oakley out of the Garden or Jackson was throwing Melo under the bus, it was always something.
This affected the Knicks in two detrimental ways. First, it led to constant distraction and created focus on everything but basketball. Every other week last season there was something on the front page of the paper about the Phil Jackson-Carmelo Anthony saga.
Second, it led to a bad reputation for the organization, which has hurt it in free agency. This can be seen with the constant strikeouts the Knicks have had with free agents as of late.
If the Knicks could shore up issues like these, the desire to play for one of the most storied franchises in sports may come back.
Poor Decisions
Decision making in recent years has led to the poor fate the Knicks are facing. Signing free agents who haven’t panned out and trading draft picks away are two reasons the Knicks lack talent.
Signing Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72 million deal could go down as one of the worst contracts the Knicks have given out. Also part of the Phil Jackson era, it was an awful move. Decisions like this are what have put the Knicks in the awful spot they’re in.
Draft picks in today’s NBA have become a valuable method of acquiring talent. Look at Philadelphia, which is led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, their 2014 and 2016 first-round draft picks. Although they lost for years, it seems that things are looking up for the 76ers.
With the Knicks owning their 2018 pick, they will hopefully strike gold like they did in 2015 when they drafted Kristaps Porzingis.
Hopefully Soon
If the Knicks can improve in free agency, and learn to control their draft picks, the Garden will soon be rocking again. It may take a few years, but if they can start with a culture change, it will speed up the process.
Developing young players from the draft, as well as the young players they have now, will also be key. At that point, it will be up to the front office to balance out the roster.
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Let’s see if the New York Knicks will learn their lesson from these rough years.