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The Knicks Wall Mid-Season Roundtable: The State of the Franchise
In a three-part series, The Knicks Wall staff takes a look at the state of the Knicks. In the finale, we discuss the fate of the organization.
So far we’ve explored the state of the current Knicks and the state of the future Knicks, but now it’s time to turn our attention to the state of the franchise.
Lastly, what direction is New York headed and is it a good one?
We asked our staff writers and here’s what they think:
Has Phil Jackson done a good job as the President?
Phil Jackson is chill. If he were an NBA 2k MyPlayer, it’d be his “Signature Skill.” At his best, Jackson could miraculously massage rifts between superstar-led teams (e.g. Jordan’s Bulls, Kobe & Shaq’s Lakers) and superstars (e.g. Jordan, Kobe and Shaq), like a goofy Ayahuasca guide whom all his trippers laugh at but, at the same time, respect the calming impact of the sage clown.
These Knicks are tripping hard. They need Phil Jackson The Shaman, but he’s in the front office now and there’s not as much value for his “Dude-ness” as President of Basketball Operations. You can see his attempts at stirring up his old concoction — get a talented isolation scorer (‘Melo), surround him with promising studs (Porzingis, Ron Baker), and toss in a few fiery veterans (Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings). The problem is his ingredients aren’t mixing well this time, and the Knicks are suddenly paying $101 million this season plus $76 million next season for an imploding roster. Noah, who hasn’t looked healthy in three years, is playing 22.1 minutes a game and is on a “poison pill” salary, where his annual earnings increase every year. He’ll make $17.6 million in 2017–18, $18.5 million in 2018–19 and then $19.3 million in 2019–20, the last year of his contract.
Ultimately, Jackson’s greatest flaw as the Knicks’ president might be his overconfidence in the efficacy of his chill powers. He’s won 11 rings. Who’s to say if he acquired a bunch of mismatched talent, he couldn’t do it again? Of course, Carmelo Anthony isn’t Michael Jordan or even Kobe Bryant. Joakim Noah definitely isn’t Dennis Rodman, and who the hell knows what the Knicks signed Derrick Rose for. Maybe if The Dude was still The Head Coach things would be different. Zen Master Jackson would find yet another way to heal the sick. Or maybe the roster is as sloppy as it is now because the Knicks hired The Dude as their president.
When Phil Jackson was hired, it meant the end of James Dolan having any input in all personnel-related moves. That was *actually* exciting. Drafting Kristaps Porzingis will forever be his home run of a personnel move and he deserves that. Courtney Lee and KOQ have also been smart, low-key moves. But some of the moves he’s made outside these players have been mind-boggling: trading a solid, fairly-priced center in Robin Lopez for Derrick Rose, signing Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72 million deal, giving up on THJ so early (I know, hindsight 20/20), getting nothing back for Shump and J.R., the list goes on.
But even more concerning than the roster moves is the way Phil Jackson has somehow managed to make the New York Knicks franchise seem even more dysfunctional year by year. Why is he essentially subtweeting and trolling our best player? So, bashing your best player is an effective way to draw suitors to trade for said best player? That’s not how this works at all. Why is tweeting cryptic messages every month? Why are you the way you are, Phil Jackson?!? The craziest part of all of this is that JAMES DOLAN, of all people, will have to be the one to say, “Enough is enough here, Phil.” But even that seems unlikely at this point. Phil Jackson is not doing his job well enough.
In 2014 when Phil Jackson was brought in to be the team’s president, even if you thought he was going to do poorly, you likely had no idea it would get to this point. When Phil first arrived, I wouldn’t say I bought into the hype. I approached it with an open mind, but felt as though such an accomplished, brilliant basketball mind would have ease some of the constant state of chaotic dysfunction surrounding this particular franchise.
I was wrong.
Somehow, Phil found a way into the dysfunction. So, here we are, just about three years into Phil’s five-year deal, so what has Phil accomplished as president?
Well, not much of anything. After two full seasons of molding the roster to his liking, he dropped the ball assembling this year’s team. Derrick Rose, while offensively resurgent, is ill-fitting along Kristaps and Carmelo. Joakim Noah is the low-hanging fruit, and he’s been an incredible waste of space and money.
Finally, while attempting to move his star player to jump-start the rebuilding process, Phil took public shots at Carmelo repeatedly this season, most recently on Twitter. Does he really believe that’ll help to garner some interest in Carmelo? Phil hasn’t done well in his public dealings, nor has he proven capable of ending up on the victorious side of a trade. His free-agent acquisitions have left a lot to be desired, which means the only real positive from his tenure thus far can be found in the jovial faces are Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangómez, and for that, Phil gets a passing grade...for now.
With KP and Willy in the fold, Carmelo on his way out, significant cap space available, as well as the team owning all of their own picks, the future isn’t as bleak as we make it seem, for now anyway. It’s not ideal, but could be much worse.
Grade: C
With All-Star weekend winding down and “trade week” officially underway, the storyline has shifted and Phil has been given some ground for recovery. This is the most important workweek of his tenure as Knicks president and what happens with Carmelo Anthony — and whatever damage is in the fallout — will shape his legacy with the team.
To be clear: Phil has been bad so far, very bad. It’s well documented that in three years of coming to New York, he’s sold the majority of the team’s assets for pennies on the dollar to jumpstart a rebuild that has looked stalled for this entire season. The majority of his decisions prior to trading for Rose actually made sense to me — try out some pieces for the future while not expecting too much current success. Their future star had just been drafted, and I have to say I truly fucked with the vision! But ever since he decided to leverage assets and cap space by acquiring Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, the moves have shifted from preparing for a bright future to shooting a (poorly aimed) shot at short-term glory. Not exactly what I expected from a zen master.
But at least he’s not the fucking worst at his job anymore and there’s some solace to that. He could even find redemption in the coming days.
How has Jeff Hornacek done with the situation he’s been put in?
Jeff Hornacek was the coach of the Phoenix Suns for three seasons before getting fired. The Hornacek-led Suns went 48–34 their first season, then rapidly declined for the following two years. Judging Hornacek as a coach depends a lot on how you view that stretch of decay. Do you blame him for mismanaging the disastrous three-guard rotation of Eric Bledsoe/Goran Dragic/Isaiah Thomas? Or do you give him a pass for being hamstrung by questionable front-office decisions? Does he deserve partial blame for those front-office decisions? It’s hard to conclude anything about that stint because we, as non-Phoenix Suns insiders, don’t actually know who did what to lead to that team’s demise.
Here’s what we do know. We know Hornacek didn’t install the Triangle Offense in New York (looking at you, Phil), and has struggled to merge a functional offense with the Triangle’s principles in it. We know Hornacek can at least oversee a fast, modern attack like he did his first year in Phoenix when they put up a respectable 105.2 points per game. We know that, at one point, Suns GM Ryan McDonough described Hornacek’s coaching style as more adaptable than strict or tyrannical. “He treats the guys like men and doesn’t try to micromanage them,” McDonough told USA Today about Hornacek in 2013. “He doesn’t yell and scream at them. He gives them great confidence when they’re playing and a green light to shoot” (via AZCentral) Sounds like a great guy to work with.
We also know the Knicks’ locker room, according to a NY Post article from January, weren’t happy about Hornacek starting Ron Baker over Courtney Lee. “Every day is something new,” Brandon Jennings told the New York Post. “You got to be ready [because] you never know when you’re going to play. When you come in, you really don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s kind of no consistency.”
Hornacek has remained flexible in New York. He isn’t a tyrant now and he wasn’t a tyrant in Phoenix. But that means he also isn’t establishing order for a franchise that desperately needs it right now. Is he a bad coach? There’s no way to know that after only three and a half seasons on the job. Is he a bad fit for the Knicks? Now that we do know.
Jeff Hornacek is a bit trickier to decipher. He was brought in to coach the team with an “Anti-Phil”osophy. The expectation was a faster pace, more three guard lineups, and an emphasis on three point shooting — becoming more relevant in today’s style of NBA play. I loved this move, and still do have great respect for Hornacek as a coach, but the Knicks’ record and off-court drama leave me a bit shaken.
The Knicks are currently 23–34. They’re middle of the pack in pace (16th overall) and attempt 25.6 three pointers a game at a 36 percent clip. Their offense scores a respectable 106.1 points per game (12th overall).
The most troubling thing for me is the locker room reaction to all of this. Hornacek had a glorious moment earlier this season when Carmelo Anthony had gotten hit Thabo Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks in the face while boxing out and was assessed a flagrant-2 foul. From the other side of the floor, you could see Jeff all but lose his shit, screaming down to the other end and arguing vehemently with the referees in defense of his player. Ultimately through replay, we learned that Carmelo was in the wrong but it really didn’t matter. Anthony spoke on how much respect he gained for Hornacek in post-game interviews, and usually when you’ve got your star’s affection the rest of the team follows suit.
Nevertheless, Jeff’s been largely quiet since. Amid all of Jackson, Carmelo, and Dolan’s noise, the duty of leadership and coherency has been wrongfully placed into the hands of young Kristaps Porzingis. It’s up to the coach to manage and control his staff first and foremost. It’s an odd time of year with many pressures, and we don’t know what’s happening behind the closed doors at the Garden’s offices, but so far Jeff Hornacek has been the quietest member of the New York Knicks when he needs to be loudest.
Given the constant dysfunction of the Knicks franchise, Jeff Hornacek has done a good enough job. This is an odd, ill-fitting roster, and Hornacek has tried his best to keep mixing the pieces to find any tangible success. He hasn’t been afraid to be honest, slamming the team repeatedly for poor efforts on the defensive front, nor has he been afraid to sit the big name players in Anthony, Rose, or Noah when they haven’t produced. For this franchise, it’s important to have a vocal leader, and Hornacek has done that. He’s also given the rookies a ton of burn, as we’ve seen what both Hernangómez and Kuzminskas can do when given ample opportunity. Outside of that, he’s also turned Justin Holiday into a top-5 player on this current roster, which is fantastic considering he was just “throw-in” or “the other guy” in the Rose trade.
Hornacek has also came to the realization that Carmelo and Kristaps need more time at their optimal positions, the 4 and the 5, respectively, and since he’s made that move Kristaps defensive numbers have improved, while Carmelo has been on an absolute tear since Christmas. Given the makeup of the roster, Hornacek has been fine. Hell, he’s been great if you factor the circus he’s had to operate under.
Grade: B+
There’s definitely a valid reason to be upset with Hornacek in terms of random rotations he’s toyed around with this season, I don’t think he’s been creative enough in that aspect. But, recently he’s taken a a step in the right direction with inserting Willy in the starting lineup. The thing I love about Hornacek is his brutal honestly, his post-game press conference following last weeks loss against the Lakers was kind of eye opening.
He’s not afraid to admit that consistent effort is a major problem with this team and he’s seems willing to give minutes to guys who actually play with an edge (s/o Ron Baker). I’m ecstatic that he’s open to giving the second unit and young guys substantial burn, that’s what should be happening. Is he an above average coach? Probably not. Is he an average coach? Most likely. But with this roster, I really don’t think coaching is the primary problem with this team. He’s an average coach, we can live with him.
Why is Kurt Rambis still a thing and what should happen to him?
Phil Jackson is 71 years old. Old guys tend to gravitate towards familiarity, and Kurt Rambis goes way back with Jackson. They’ve known each other since 2001, in the midst of Jackson’s peak years as a head coach. The mainstream theory is that Rambis, who knows the triangle offense from his days as Jackson’s assistant coach, has been brought in so that Jackson can reinstall the basketball philosophy that brought him NBA glory on the Knicks. My hunch is that Jackson just needs someone he can trust, and most old guys only trust their old buddies. The truth is probably some mix of those two reasons, plus other motivations that people outside the Knicks’ organization or Jackson’s inner circle wouldn’t understand.
Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis must share a mutual love for Twitter porn, because I have no idea what else this guy offers or why he’s still employed. The Knicks have the 25th worst defense in the league, allowing 109 point per game. They’re abysmal against the pick-and-roll, they often lose track of defensive assignments, and they allow so much open space.
Last week’s victory against the Spurs came after a film session held by Hornacek, where he asked players for their input. Not sure why Rambis hasn’t done something similar for defensive suggestions, because he seems clueless. I think Rambis should switch roles and take over the Social Media Coordinator position for the Knicks, because WOW their Twitter account is boring. Rambis could spice it up a bit.
I’m fully convinced Kurt Rambis and Sasha Vujacic could swap roles on the team and there would not be lick of a difference. Poor defense has been the one constant all season and I’m honestly not sure Rambis understands the parameters of his job. If New Orleans gave up Buddy Hield for DeMarcus Cousins, imagine what the Knicks could get for Rambis.
I’m not sure there’s much to debate on Kurt Rambis. As a coach, he’s a failed experiment. We knew this during his tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he cemented it after failing to salvage the Knicks last season once he took the helm after the dismissal of Derek Fisher as head coach. After being the rumored favorite to land the head coaching job last summer, he settled back into an assistant role once Hornacek was hired. A few months after that, with the team struggling to play defense, Rambis was somehow appointed to be the team’s defensive coordinator. If you can believe it, that plan has somehow backfired. Look, this isn’t rocket science. Rambis is on the payroll because he’s a longtime associate of Phil’s, and that’s all there really is to it. He is an awful coach, and has no business being on any professional staff. Yet, Phil just keeps looking out for his buddy.
Grade: Is there a grade lower than a F-? Yes? Whatever it is, that’s the grade.
That’s it for our mid-season roundtables! Check in with The Knicks Wall for more news and analysis as we push our broken tank across the French-Belgian border and hopefully into the lottery.
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