New York Knicks: Season Preview

The New York Knicks is a classic example of a sports team which has suffered at the hands of bad management; time and time again. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The Knicks front office finally fired head coach Phil Jackson.

According to latest reports, they’re considering trading away Carmelo Anthony (at last!). Potential destinations include Portland, New Orleans and OKC. This might sound like Utopia for Knicks fans but really, it’s the first thing any GM would do.

The Way Ahead

Porzingis. That’s the way ahead. Period. If they did not get that Porzingis is their go-to guy last season, they’ve finally got it now. Kristaps Porzingis just averaged 23 points and 6 rebounds in the recently concluded EuroBasket 2017. Latvia put up a valiant effort before going down to eventual champions Slovenia in the quarters. To put it simply, it was anyone’s game.

The delighting thing here is that Porzingis is not the end of it here. Knicks picked up Frank Ntilikina with their 8th pick. He might seem like a gamble, especially when the Knicks passed on Dennis Smith Jr. but it’s a gamble; high risk, high rewarding.

The Knicks have also brought in Tim Hardaway Jr. who is sure to put up extra points on the box score. They supporting cast looks decent too. Kuzminskas is coming off the EuroBasket 2017 averaging 15 points for Lithuania. They’ve also signed a  handy back-up PG in Jarrett Jack.

But the biggest change we’re gonna see in the Knicks this year will be the coaching. Phil Jackson is not gonna act-all-assistant-coach. The triangle offence will see reduced usage. Jeff Hornacek will finally be the head coach of the team.

Calling New York a playoff contender will be a stretch, especially when they have a brand new front office. But one thing’s as sure as death and taxes, New York basketball is back-to-business.

Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves: Season Preview by ES here.