Knicks: What fans should be thankful for this holiday season

While it might not seem so, there are plenty of reasons to be thankful for being a Knicks fan.

For a team that hasn’t been relevant for the better part of two decades, it’s amazing the amount of media attention the New York Knicks generate. Unfortunately, it’s mostly negative coverage due to the performance on the court. From President Barack Obama making fun of them to James Harden referring to the Knicks as the most dysfunctional team in NBA, it hasn’t been good. In this offseason, it has felt like the Knicks had reached a new low.

But for as bad as things have been, the early season results has given us hope. Let’s count the reasons Knick fans should be thankful this holiday season.

Reason #1 to be thankful: No Steve Mills

While James Dolan is the owner and is ultimately responsible for the results, it’s no coincidence that the only winning seasons the Knicks have had this century occurred when Steve Mills was not working for the Knicks. He started working for Mr. Dolan in 2003, left in 2009, and returned right before the start of 2013-14 season.

Leon Rose has already proven to be a better leader than Steve Mills, despite not having any front office experience. He has done something Mills refused to do, which is surround himself with the brightest front office minds available. As mentioned in ‘How Leon Rose can turn New York into a contender‘, the first step to building up the organization is off the court. Having a first class front office will lead to better decisions and will eventually catch the attention of players around the league.

Reason #2 to be thankful: Culture

A lot has been made of the new coaching staff, which, like the front office, is stocked with talented individuals. However, what is not mentioned is the culture they are building.

Mike Woodson was drafted by the Knicks in 1980 and was the head coach during the last winning season in 2012-13. He is someone that can speak first hand to the young players about winning in New York based on experience. For Woody to want to return to the Knicks as an assistant coach tells you how much he loves being a Knick.

The other is Tom Thibodeau, who has always openly said that the Knicks is his dream job. He grew up a Knicks fan. As a kid, he would go with his father to the Garden to watch the championship Knick teams coached by Red Holzman. That is where his love of basketball was sparked. He went on to be an assistant coach for the Knicks and was on the Jeff Van Gundy’s staff during their last Finals appearance in 1999.

The intensity with which Thibs coaches with is reminiscent of the 1990s Knicks under Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy. Thibs called a timeout against the Cavs in preseason when the team was up 44 because they were losing focus on defense.

That intensity was reminiscent of when Van Gundy berated the reference after the Knicks beat the Heat in Game 5 of the playoffs in 1999. Most coaches would just be happy they advanced to the next round. Not Van Gundy.

Reason #3 to be thankful: No bad contracts

Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton are probably the two most unpopular Knicks at the moment, but neither is signed to a bad contract. Payton is on 1-year deal for $4.8MM. Julius Randle is the highest paid player at $18.9MM per season, but next season, his last, is only guaranteed for $4MM. Randle’s contract will be in high demand at the trade deadline this season for that reason.

Reason #4 to be thankful: R.J. Barrett

The main reason the Knicks don’t have many bad contracts is because they are building through the draft.

RJ Barrett is the highest draft pick the Knicks have had since Patrick Ewing was selected 1st overall in 1985. Last season, he proved he was worthy of the pick despite playing on a poorly constructed roster. He looks like he has gotten better based on what we have seen thus far this season. His development is the key to turning the team around. Having him as a foundational piece will make New York a more attractive destination for star players.

Reason #5 to be thankful: Draft Picks

The early results on the teams two #1 draft picks look good. Both are older, more mature players that had to work hard for their success. Obi Toppin is considered a steal with the 8th pick.

Immanuel Quickley has captured everyone’s imagination and has received nothing but glowing praise from Coach Thibodeau. Plus, Quickley also can technically be considered a return from the Porzingis trade since Marcus Morris was signed with the cap space created from that trade. It’s a stretch, but technically true.

Reason #6 to be thankful: Future Assets

Lastly, the Knicks have all of their 1st round draft picks plus two of the Mavericks’ picks, and 2021 is unprotected from Dallas. New York also has $18MM in cap space, which they can use to acquire high-priced players that a team out of contention might be looking to unload.

It’s too early to take too much away from the early season results, but seeing the Knicks blowout the Milwaukee Bucks almost one year from the date when the Bucks did the same thing to them symbolizes a small step of improvement. It’s clear under Thibodeau, the team is going to give effort and show incremental progress along the way.

All-in-all things are trending in the right direction for the Knicks. While the franchise hasn’t brought their fans the same level of success as the Lakers or Celtics, there is something special about being a fan that stuck with his/her team through the tough times.

Knicks fans all over the world will definitely appreciate the team’s next winning era more than most because of the tough times we endured together.