New York Knicks: Five realistic goals for rest of 2018-19
The New York Knicks have little to play for through April, but parts of this season can still benefit the team.
The New York Knicks sit at an abysmal 10-45 and remain on pace for the worst season in franchise history. They have played competitively in spurts, but currently sit on a 17-game losing streak. It has been a disastrous run for this team, to say the least.
However, the future holds promise, and the rest of this season can uncover it.
The Knicks still have players worth watching and storylines to oversee. All can impact how the 2019-20 season develops, especially with so much at stake in the offseason.
So, with fewer than two months left, what are five realistic goals for New York to close the 2018-19 campaign?
5. Figure out who sticks past season’s end
The 2018-19 season was always the prelude to something grander in 2019-20, with a likely high draft pick and significant cap space ahead to transform the roster. That placed an emphasis on who will, or will not, stick around once Game No. 82 happens in April.
There are still 26 games left after Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and even this far into the season, it seems some players have questionable futures with the organization.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke were all shipped out in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. That closed the book on three players’ futures, but also opened questions on what’s next for DeAndre Jordan, if Emmanuel Mudiay will stay after Dennis Smith Jr.’s arrival and which of the team’s previous draft picks won’t join a trade for a superstar.
It’s a ticking clock for these players to prove their worth to the franchise. That’s arguably the case for most of this roster, aside from contracts that seem inevitable to end: Mario Hezonja‘s $6.5 million and Lance Thomas‘ $7.1 million.
The Knicks might undergo another roster revamping, but if players don’t want part of the chopping block, they have something to play for, even amid one of this organization’s worst seasons ever.