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Christmas gifts the New York Knicks need to receive this holiday

By Malcolm Keith

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 7: Players of the New York Knicks huddle up during a game against the Indiana Pacers on December 7, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 7: Players of the New York Knicks huddle up during a game against the Indiana Pacers on December 7, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Ah Christmas, a time full of joy, cheer, and happiness. More specifically described as, “the most wonderful time of the year,” unless you are the New York Knicks.

The New York Knicks find themselves out to another slow start to the season, and currently sit at a record of (7-24), good enough for last in the Eastern Conference. In addition to this, they recently fired their head coach David Fizdale and named Mike Miller as the new interim coach. For the time being there is still no telling what the Knicks will do in that department and which direction this team is heading in for the rest of the season. But this is the perfect time for the Knicks to begin to have hope, because hope is what Christmas time is all about.

Every child hopes to wake up on Christmas and see a Christmas tree stocked with tons of presents for them to open. This year the Knicks will be waking up on Christmas morning with that same feeling of hope to find presents and gifts under their tree.

One thing the New York Knicks do not have, and honestly have never had in their organization is clarity. By Google’s definition, “clarity,” is the quality of being coherent and intelligible/transparent. This word, simply put is one thing the Knicks as a team, as a franchise, and as an organization have not had for decades. The perfect first gift to open up on Christmas would be an understanding of what exactly this team is trying to do. It preaches playing competitively but still boasts around a (7-24) record.

Is this a team still trying to make a push for the 8th seed in the East or is this a team headed for another lottery hopeful offseason? Are the Knicks going to make a change in the front office again this year or ride it out with Steve Mills and Scott Perry? Will this team make any moves come deadline time?

Each one of these questions deserves an answer, and it is easy to believe both fans and the Knicks organization alike would love to have this answer come Christmas morning.

Christmas gifts are fun, but what is more fun than just one gift? That is right, you guessed it, two Christmas gifts for the Knicks this holiday season. What will it be this time nobody knows yet but, what it should be is a head coaching decision.

The Knicks have had 12 head coaches take the helm since Jeff Van Gundy left in 2002. After firing Fizdale the Knicks find themselves right back at square one, looking for a replacement for the position. Currently, interim coach Mike Miller has stepped in but the question is; will he be the guy finishing the season at head coach or will there be a mid-season hire?

There have been plenty of names thrown out there by fans and analysts such as Mark Jackson or Becky Hammon, but no further details into whether or not they are actually being pursued. A great gift for the Knicks to open up here would be an answer to the head coaching question still looming overhead.

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The Knicks must have been very good in Santa Claus’ eyes because it looks like there is a third gift under the tree with their name on it. With one guess this should be the gift of a set rotation. It seems as though the Knicks love to shuffle players in and out of the rotation every single game. There are players even getting “Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision,” for multiple stretches of games.

In order for the players to build chemistry, a rotation needs to be set and stuck with for the remainder of the season. The only way there should be a lineup change is if there is a major injury or a roster change occurs. I suggest starting a lineup of Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Marcus Morris, Mitchell Robinson, with Julius Randle, Dennis Smith Jr., Taj Gibson, Frank Ntilikina, and Bobby Portis off the bench. Meanwhile, Allonzo Trier and Ignas Brazdeikis receive time in the G League.

This lineup would help all parties mesh with each other and who knows, maybe even go on a streak of winning games.

There is one more gift under the tree and after receiving the first three, the Knicks are excited to see what this last one holds. The gift is open and out pops D’Angelo Russell, wearing his brand new New York Knicks uniform after being traded to the Big Apple.

Russell would solve an abundance of issues the Knicks have been facing over the years such as the lack of star power, a starting-caliber point guard, and a player that can create his own shot while still making his teammates better. This is the trade that needs to happen and I believe the Knicks can certainly put together a package to snag him away from the Golden State Warriors.

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Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and if the New York Knicks were to receive even one of these gifts it would make their Christmas one of the best for them. The Knicks control their own destiny but just cannot seem to get out of their own way. Santa has the New York on his ‘nice list’ and I am hoping they receive every gift they asked for this holiday season.

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