The New York Knicks have a desperate need to improve. The question is: Which areas of weakness are the most important to team success?
Let’s just get right to it: The New York Knicks haven’t made the Playoffs since 2013, the Conference Finals since 2000, or the NBA Finals since 1999. New York has won just one playoff series since 2000, and hasn’t won a championship since 1973.
The Knicks have been irrelevant for the better part of 20 years, and haven’t been champions of the Association since the days of The Rolls Royce Backcourt.
With a new front office regime, however, comes new opportunity to right past wrongs. The Knicks have already made strides towards doing so, as former team president Phil Jackson made the decision to stop trading first-round draft picks, and Scott Perry committed to creating cap space.
With Leon Rose’s vision pending, the Knicks have seemingly abandoned the overeager approach that netted the franchise a mere four postseason appearances in 19 years.
Encouraging as that may be, New York still needs to improve on the court. Part of that will be hiring the ideal head coach, acquiring the right players, and developing those who are currently on the roster, but there are more obvious areas of weakness.
The question is: What exactly must the New York Knicks do in order to escape obscurity and become a team worth talking about?
On the court, it boils to five key flaws.