Why the Knicks should blow up their ‘super team’
Take the Golden State Warriors, a team with the best regular season record in NBA history, and add Kevin Durant. This creates a super team. Take last season’s Knicks (32–50), and add Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee. This does not create a super team. This is widely considered common knowledge, but it seems like someone forgot to tell Derrick Rose.
While the 2016–17 New York Knicks are predicted to improve upon last season’s record, there is little to no chance that they can overcome LeBron James’ six season dominance of the Eastern Conference, let alone the Golden State Warriors.
If you can’t win now, why not rebuild for the future?
In January 2015, Knicks President Phil Jackson announced that Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith would leave New York as part of a three-team trade with Cleveland and Oklahoma City. The move was nothing more than a salary dump, freeing up cap space for free agent signings and seemingly putting the Knicks in rebuild mode.
Fast forward to the end of the 2015–16 season, where the Knicks entered free agency armed with cap space and two franchise cornerstones. The greatest Olympic basketball player of all time, Carmelo Anthony and basketball unicorn, Kristaps Porzingis. They also acquired the expiring contract of Derrick Rose in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. This was a shrewd move, as it gave the Knicks a much needed upgrade at point guard whilst also clearing cap space by shipping Robin Lopez and his war on NBA mascots to the Windy City.
The Knicks then did what the Knicks do best in free agency, and threw a ton of money at players who are past their prime and/or injury prone. While Courtney Lee is a solid defender and a decent three-point shooter (averaging 39.2% from behind the arc last season), signing a 31-year-old to a four-year contract is a huge risk. Joakim Noah’s ability to change the game on both sides of the court is undeniable, and he’s already a fan favourite at the Garden, however his last few seasons have been blighted by injury. It’s unlikely that he’ll become more durable as he enters his tenth season in the league, making his four-year, $72 million deal arguably the worst contract since Amar’e Stoudemire.
In building this ‘super team’, Phil Jackson chose to make the most of Carmelo Anthony, and what remains of his prime years, by surrounding him with experienced veterans. Realistically, this team could end up as the 8th seed in the East, which would set up a meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. An end to the three-year playoff drought accompanied by a first round exit just isn’t good enough.
Even if the Knicks manage to make it as far as the Eastern Conference finals, their success will not be sustainable. No one on the current roster will be playing alongside Porzingis in five years time, with the exception of Hernangomez, who is coming to New York after averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game with Real Madrid. Failing to build around Porzingis would be a huge error of judgement from Phil Jackson, as his ceiling really is THAT high. ESPN.com’s Ethan Strauss sums it up pretty well:
Rather than retooling for mediocrity, why not blow up this super team, and rebuild for greatness? I’m not suggesting the Knicks should follow the 76ers and trust ‘the process’, but instead, follow the method of the Boston Celtics, who proved you can rebuild without tanking. Celtics GM, Danny Ainge has been stockpiling assets, acquired through trades and the draft, in the hopes of landing an NBA superstar. Along the way, he has assembled one of the strongest depth charts in the NBA, and it seems Boston are just one superstar trade away from contending.
Trading Derrick Rose would be a great start to the rebuilding process. Rose provides an upgrade over last season’s floor general, José Calderon, which isn’t saying much. Receiving a couple of assets in return for his expiring contract would be an ideal situation. Perhaps a deal could be made with a team like the Sacramento Kings, who took a similar risk with Rajon Rondo last season. Similar trades involving Noah and Lee’s large contracts would offer the Knicks more flexibility going forward in free agency. The resulting poor record will put them in the 2017 draft lottery, which could provide the talent to make the Knicks a real powerhouse in the league, long after the days of Melo.
The journey of the 2016–17 Knicks will definitely be fun to watch, but if Phil Jackson doesn’t focus on the future soon, it could be a long time before the Larry O’Brien trophy comes back to Madison Square Garden.
