New York Knicks: Front office deserves credit for recent moves

After years of questionable decision making, the New York Knicks are finally making all the right choices—and they should be praised accordingly.

Since the turn of the century, the front office regimes for the New York Knicks have been the laughing stock of the NBA.

Trading away valued draft picks for past-their-prime veterans, all the while giving big money to players who didn’t deserve it, the Knicks have always tried to take the short route to building a championship.

What do they have to show for it? Exactly one playoff series victory since 2000.

When Phil Jackson was brought in to be the team president in March of 2014, it signaled a supposed new era of Knicks basketball. The 11-time champion was supposed to implement his famed Triangle Offense.

His championship pedigree would lure any and all free agents to New York.

Needless to say, neither of those things happened, as Jackson failed to field a competitive roster during his three-plus years with the Knicks.

When Scott Perry was brought in to be the general manager, with Steve Mills promoted to president soon after, things looked better, but still not great. After all, many have come to New York with the desire to bring the Knicks back to the glory days, and all have failed at doing so.

So when Mills and Perry talked about going into a full-on rebuild, they didn’t garner many believers.

Since that time, the Knicks’ front office seems to have stuck to their word, as every transaction Mills and Perry have made in the past year has been through the lens of a rebuild.

With a heavy emphasis on defensive versatility, three-point shooting, and pick-and-roll offense/defense, the NBA has drastically changed in only a few short years.

Ranking near the top in midrange jump shots attempted over the past few seasons, the Knicks failed to realize that trend—until now.

Frank Ntilikina gives the Knicks a lengthy defender on the perimeter with a developing three-point shot. That puts him in the 3-and-D category, which is a must-have for every NBA team.

Tim Hardaway Jr. gives New York a scoring punch along the wings, and his outside shot and athleticism are a welcome sight for a team that’s ranked near the bottom in pace for the last couple of seasons.

Then, there’s the coaching hire.

On Wednesday, it was reported that former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale had agreed to become the next head coach of the Knicks, a move that was met with a rousing applause on Twitter by analysts and players alike.

As someone with championship experience, coupled with offensive creativity and a defensive mindset, Fizdale is the perfect option for the Knicks future. His ability to connect with players is something New York wanted out of its next coach, and something that Jeff Hornacek failed to do.

Fizdale should be able to nurture and develop the young guys on the team while motivating them to compete at a high level on both ends of the floor. It was a great hiring with, like all the other moves the Knicks have made so far, an eye towards the future rather than the present.

For so long, New York’s front office has justifiably been criticized time and time again for their short-sighted and puzzling moves.

After years of repeated stupidity, both Perry and Mills seem to have the right idea and have executed it very well so far.

Must Read: Five reasons to love the David Fizdale hiring

While the results haven’t come just yet, the front office deserves a heaping of praise for their ability to back up their words with actions in modernizing the New York Knicks.