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TKW Roundtable: End of Season Review
Our writers come together to remember the good, the bad, and the drama of the previous season
The 2016–17 season started out with a promise, or decree, by newly acquired point guard Derrick Rose. The New York Knicks were a “super team.” In other words, the newest member of the organization thoroughly believed that the ‘Bockers had the ability to win every possible game during the course of the season.
Well, that was not the case. In fact, the Knicks lost a lot of their games, really most of them. The Knicks went 31–51 this season, marking their third consecutive season with 50+ losses. They’ll emerge into another summer of uncertainty. The team’s president has stirred up more drama than a family reunion in a Tyler Perry movie, their superstar could be on the next flight out of New York, and even their franchise cornerstone is distraught at the previous events. It’s a challenging time as ever for Knicks and their fans, too.
In a bit of a retrospective crossed with a quick look at ahead, we had our writers answer a few questions about this season and what’s to come for the orange and blue. Check what they had to say below:
What was the best moment of the 2016–17 season?
Ty Jordan, site writer: I’d say that the best moment of the season was near the end of the beginning: The Knicks had a winning record, everyone was mostly healthy, ‘Melo was off to a rough start, but watching Porzingis pick it up was invigorating. Even though there was always a creeping feeling that things would fall apart eventually, which they did, it was still fun to enjoy having a decent number in the wins column for a while.
Kyle S. Maggio, associate editor: The best moment of the season had to be that stretch of play for both the Knicks, and Kristaps Porzingis, in the middle of November. Kristaps eclipsed the 30-point mark twice, setting a career high in the process, and the Knicks propelled themselves to third in the Eastern Conference. We caught a glimpse of what a Kristaps-led team could do, and it was thrilling.
This moment in time, as well as the emergence of Willy Hernangómez, take the cake for me.
Matt Spendley, associate editor: That win against Portland at home towards the end of November was a great moment. The Knicks won, pulled even to 7–7, and carried that momentum to a 14–10 start. It says a lot about this season that my favorite game came in the 14th game of the season, huh?
Harrison Liao, site writer: When ‘Melo almost hit a game winner in MSG on January 21 against the Suns, and that little kid came over to Dejected ‘Melo, slumped over the scorer’s table, and gave him a pat on the back.
“It’s okay, ‘Melo! Good shot, it’s okay!” the little kid said. Fast forward to April, and things are not okay. But it was a pretty good shot, and I hope ‘Melo gets to shoot it in a happy place like San Antonio or something.
Nick Scolaro, site writer: The best moment in my opinion is Carmelo’s go ahead shot against the Sixers on February 25th. For a guy who is asked to do so much on a team with so little, you want him to succeed in crunch time. Many times, Anthony has narrowly missed game-winning looks and I can’t help feel bad for the dude. It was refreshing to see him be able to knock one down and finally have something to celebrate in an otherwise miserable ‘16-’17 year.
Mike Cortez, site writer: Kristaps Porzingis winning the Skills Challenge. The season was over by the end of January. Carmelo backed into the All-Star Game as a reserve and the Knicks were on the tanking trail. Then Porzingis gave us a reason to celebrate. For 30 minutes we forgot about Derrick Rose going AWOL, Joakim Noah’s contract, and Phil Jackson’s Triangle. Instead, we saw an ultralight beam of hope. That untapped potential that’s in danger of being held down by the Triangle was out for the world to see. KP put Nikola Jokic in his place and taught Gordon Hayward it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
James W., site writer: Definitely Willy pump-fakes! Due to the unstable front court, Willy was thrust into a starting role and I was legitimately surprised by his game. Not that I didn’t think he was capable. How offensively adept he is, though, became a favorite development from the season.
Ankit Mehra, site writer: This was hard, largely due to a lack of options to pick from, but Willy Hernangómez’s game against the Toronto Raptors on April 9 sticks out. Despite having nothing to play for, Hernangómez cemented himself as a true competitor for the starting center spot next season, scoring 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60 percent), grabbing 11 rebounds and five assists and three steals to his stat line. Hernangómez impressed for much of the season, despite shifting between limited minutes and the starting spot, and this game gave indication to his talent and ability to stick in the NBA.
What was the low point of the season?
Ankit: Joakim Noah — need I say more?
Ty: The lowest point of the season would be January. The losing streak they fell into in December followed into January and it was all downhill from there. KP started getting hurt, Phil was being a jerk, ‘Melo was turning up, but by that time we knew without a doubt that Joakim Noah was effectively useless. By the end of January, hope was dead and everyone was hoping the Knicks could move into a tank. Arguably, it happened too slowly.
Matt: Oh, so many low points to choose from. I’ll go with the Orlando game at home on January 2nd. Coming off of four straight losses, the Knicks embarrassed themselves at home, allowing JODIE MEEKS to score 23 points. In 2017. The loss dropped their record to 16–18, and their descent just got worse from there. I feel like this was the first massive domino to fall.
Harrison: Assuming I can’t say “all of it,” I’ll go with James Dolan banning Oak, and us living in a world where Oak can’t challenge Jimbo to a fight and have it air on a UFC pay-per-view.
James: I have to say what happened to Oak. Not to make this a race thing, but the situation affected me personally. I was irate about it. I miss most Knicks shenanigans in real time unfortunately. Watching this unfold hour by hour (both on TV and via Twitter) helped me kinda understand why some people have washed their hands of the team, losses notwithstanding.
Nick: In a season characterized by low points, it was hard for me to decipher which one made me feel the worst. The D-Rose injury was agonizing to watch, simply because I feel awful for the guy. But as for the lowest of the low, I’m going to go with the late season losses to the Brooklyn Nets. Listen, I was a huge proponent of tanking, but something about losing to the Nets just irks me so much. Brooklyn was by far the worst team in the NBA and having to hear those annoying fans gloat about beating my Knicks makes me want to punch a wall. Watching guys like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Quincy Acy torch your team is horrible. I understand losing to the Nets ended up being beneficial to the tank, but c’mon man.
Kyle: Off-court issues, yet again. It’s one thing for the team to be bad; we’re all used to that. However, the season began with Derrick Rose in a civil suit, then Rose went AWOL mid-season. On top of that, we had a heavyweight bout of public barbs between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony. Finally, we had James Dolan forcefully removing beloved Knicks legend Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden, as well Dolan calling both Oakley and a season ticket holder a drunk/an alcoholic. Good times.
Mike: Phil Jackson’s Exit Presser. It’s hard to pick a lowlight from such a disastrous season. James Dolan treating Charles Oakley like a street bum will be the clubhouse leader, but we expect such pettiness from the trust fund baby. What we did not expect was Phil Jackson to be this bad as an executive. His obsession with the Triangle is already enough, but his smear campaign of Carmelo Anthony and now Kristaps Porzingis is too far. In 60 minutes, Jackson ensured no free agents would consider the Knicks while planting a seed of doubt as to whether or not Porzingis even wants to stick around for the aftermath.
What was your favorite Porzingis moment of the season?
Ankit: Likely obvious, but Kristaps Porzingis’ 35-point display against the Detroit Pistons was clinical. Contributing seven rebounds, three assists, one rebound, and one block, while shooting an efficient 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the field. Not only a rare Knick win, but Porzingis showed his prowess, giving indication to the potential the Latvian prospect has going forward.
Ty: My favorite Porzingis moment was his first 30+ point game in November against the Detroit Pistons. It was early in the season and he just balled out. He shot almost 60 percent. It was really close game where he had great offense and some good defensive possessions that they couldn’t have won without. He scored 30 points one other time later in the season in a loss, so, I’m going with the earlier, better memory.
Mike: Kristaps Porzingis out dueling Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota. Porzingis and Towns will forever be linked, similarly to Carmelo and LeBron. They are the two best big men from that 2015 class and were neck and neck for Rookie of the Year last season. This season they met up for a home and home which Porzingis swept. The first game in Minnesota was the highlight of the season. Towns had a career-high 47 points and 18 rebounds, but Porzingis also went off for 29 points (3-for-7 from three), eight rebounds and two crucial blocks including one on Towns. Porzingis’ squad would also take the game at MSG pushing his record vs. Towns to 4–0.
Harrison: “Give it up for your 2017 Skills Challenge winner, Kristaps Porzingis!”
James: Think it was the game versus Washington where he hung back as the trailer, and came out of nowhere for the put-back dunk over everybody.
Nick: My off the court answer answer to this question is when @kporzee commented the looking eyes emoji on model Abigail Ratchford’s Instagram. If that didn’t elevate Young ‘Staps to the best #shooter in the game, then I don’t know what will.
My on the court play I enjoyed the most was his dunk on Dwight Howard. Dwight has posterized KP a couple times while in Houston and now Atlanta, so it was awesome to see Porzingis get his revenge. It was scary hearing the 7'3" KP come crashing to the floor after the dunk, but all was well and us Knicks fans had something to cheer about for a few moments.
Kyle: Mentioned above, but that torrid stretch in November. Porzingis went bananas, and the Knicks thrived in the process. He eclipsed the 30-point mark for the first time in his career against Detroit (35 points), then followed that up with a 31-point performance against Portland less than a week later.
Matt: I loved the Phoenix game in December. KP ended up fouling out, and the Knicks lost the game, but Porzingis showed his tremendous skill set, dropping 35 points with eight boards, three steals, and three blocks. He also shoved Marquese Chriss, an awesome moment in and of itself. Long live KP.
Will Carmelo Anthony still be on the team by the end of the summer?
James: The question to ponder this summer is if ‘Melo can genuinely accept that KP is the future and his time here is up. Perhaps it’s becoming a pride thing too, given how the Knicks are such a huge part of Carmelo’s brand and legacy now. Winning matters. However, a small part of me thinks letting PJ know that he’s not gonna be forced out with the smug, sideways tactics is a big deal to him you know? So basically, ‘Melo stays put for one more season.
Ankit: I hope not. Look, Carmelo Anthony, alongside Amar’e Stoudemire, placed New York back in the forefront of the media, dubbing the two as a dynamic duo upon Anthony’s arrival. A gifted scorer, Anthony has been unable to take New York to the glory land in part due to his supporting cast. Now, with Porzingis shining, it’s time to transition away, and with Anthony open to a trade, it’s in the best interests of both parties to separate. Just a side note, I hope Anthony wins a ring. He’s given a lot to this team and city and I’d wish him the best of luck if he left.
Harrison: Hell no. Waive that shit, and get out of here, ‘Melo. Everyone feels bad for you.
Mike: Carmelo Anthony stays. The biggest winner of Jackson’s smear campaign is Carmelo. He’s become a sympathetic character, dealing with more bullshit than a DMV employee. Is he past his prime? Yes. Should he be playing somewhere else next season? You bet. But that’s not the point. You do not treat of the better players in franchise history like this. Heading into the summer, Carmelo still maintains full control of his destiny thanks to his no-trade clause and trade kicker. There’s simply too many hurdles Jackson would have to clear with the help of Carmelo, and the way he dragged him in that press conference there is no way in hell he helps facilitate a trade.
Kyle: Nope. Going into the Knicks offseason, I held my belief that he’d remain a Knick through the end of his contract. Then, the Phil Jackson end of season presser happened, with Phil publicly declaring that Carmelo is “a player that would be best using his talents elsewhere to try to win.” Phil also declared that “they haven’t been able to win with Carmelo on the court for us.” All of this seemed odd, consider that, while true, tanking your star player’s trade value seems counterproductive. Nevertheless, I now look forward to Phil accepting a shoddy deal for ‘Melo, plunging us into further misery. Carmelo will be gone by training camp.
Nick: Yes. Despite all signs pointing to ‘Melo’s departure, I believe he will be a Knick, at least until next season’s trade deadline. Remember, ‘Melo is a family man as much as he is a basketball player. He loves New York City, and might not be willing to waive his no-trade clause and relocate as quickly as some people presume. Also, ‘Melo, in the back of his mind, still believes he has something to prove here. A championship is out of the question, but if ‘Melo can help the Knicks to a couple more playoff appearances and effectively mentor KP and other young guns coming in, he can build his legacy and go out on more of a high note. Plus, that would be a huge middle finger to Phil Jackson…and who wouldn’t want that?
Ty: No. Phil Jackson’s horrific end of season press conference made it clear that Anthony is not in his plans, and I’m sure Jackson would do the most not to face him next season. Someone defying him would hurt his ego. I’d go so far as saying that he would even cut him if he doesn’t find a trade ‘Melo likes by mid-summer.
Matt: I find it incredibly hard to believe that he’ll be on the team when all is said and done following Phil’s comments. Unfortunately, at this stage in the game, the Knicks are going to end up getting 50 cents on the dollar. Whatever trade the Knicks make to rid themselves of Carmelo Anthony is going to underwhelm us. It’s inevitable. So buckle in and prepare for some trade offers that will have us staring at our screens in disbelief.
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