New York Knicks: How to build a championship roster
By Ken Tavarez
Building the Knicks into contenders: Show incremental progress
The biggest complaint of how this past season unfolded was that the Knicks didn’t win games or develop their young players. For most fans, 2019-20 is considered a lost season.
Making the most of next season starts by putting a product on the court that is respectable. That means a well-coached team that plays hard and has an identity. The next thing sounds crazy, but it isn’t if you understand the NBA and this market. It’s not in the organization’s best interest to win too many games if its based on model that is not sustainable.
Case in point, think back to the 2013-14 season, The Knicks were coming off their most successful campaign in over 10 years, the 2012-13 team won 54 games. However, that team had peaked because most of their players were older veterans. You had a 40-year-old Jason Kidd starting in the backcourt. He literally retired during the playoff series against the Pacers.
Needless to say the expectations were ratcheted up for the 2013-14 season and the team fell short. Coach Woodson was fired and the front office and coaching staff were turned over.
So unless the Knicks build the team around young stars, it’s in Thibodeau’s best interest to show improvement, the right way, but not overachieve.
A great win total to shoot for is 33. It’s an improvement over the prior season, and it also would be the first time the Knicks would lose less than 50 games since 2013-14. It would show the team is ready to take the next step as it approaches 2021 free agency, while still having a chance at a top prospect in the lottery. The 2021 draft is projected to be one of the best in recent years.