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| Julius Randle on February 27, 2021. Source: USA Today |
In one of the biggest surprises of the season, the New York Knicks, who no one expected to even be within distance of making the play in tournament, stunned the basketball world and managed to clinch the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference.
This transformation was a result of all sides coming together with the full intent of building a winning culture by doing the work. The best example of this Julius Randle, who utilized the COVID Hiatus to work on his body and his game, and the fact that they are all young enough to buy into what a coach has to say instead of a high priced player who doesn’t.
How Did We Get Here ?
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| Steve Mills and Scott Perry Speak to the Media after the Knicks devastating loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in November of 2019 (Source: ESPN) |
Flashback to February of 2020, the New York Knicks are in disarray. The team is still recovering from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, one that would forever alter the course of basketball. A few months back, David Fizdale was fired, and Julius Randle was the Pariah of the Knicks World. On February 5, 2020, the Knicks fired Steve Mills, who had served in various roles with the organization for 18 years, most recently as President of Basketball Operations, replacing Phil Jackson who had done his own damage to the team. Two days later, it surfaced that the Knicks had hired Leon Rose as President of Basketball Operations . At the time, I thought the Idea of an agent running a basketball team, was ludicrous, Despite successes in Golden State and Los Angeles. But Rose proved me wrong, and immediately made his presence known, hiring men like William Wesley, Brock Aller, Johnny O'Bryant, Kenny Payne, Alex Kline, and of course, Tom Thibodeau, who had already known or at least understood what it meant to build a basketball team and a winning culture.
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| Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Decided to Sign with the Brooklyn Nets as Opposed to the New York Knicks, Forever Changing the Direction of the Team (Source: Getty Images) |
Rose's first year as President was highlighted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, which paused the Sports world. The Nine month hiatus delayed the offseason to November, as the NBA would resume play in August in Orlando. In his one month offseason, Rose managed to draft Immanuel Quickley, sign Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to cap-friendly deals, and bring back Reggie Bullock, Taj Gibson, and yes, Elfrid Payton.
In December, it became clear that this Knicks team fought, but it wasn't until January until the explosion occurred. The number of Randle’s good games began to grow, the team began winning as a result, and ultimately, the Knicks shifted from rebuild to win-now. In February, Leon Rose traded Dennis Smith Jr. for Derrick Rose and a 2nd Round Pick, a move that cemented the Knicks winning season.
What Happens Now, Will this be an Outlier ?
Derrick Rose as the Knicks Face Off Against the Detroit Pistons in March of 2021 (Source: USA Today)
On Sunday, the New York Knicks will face the Atlanta Hawks in Game one of the 1st Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, their first NBA Playoff appearance since 2013, the game will be played at Madison Square Garden in front of at least 2,000 fans. Expect it to be loud, and expect it to be competitive.
But, the Knicks will probably lose in the first round, and that's okay. This isn't the end of their success, its just the beginning, At least, that's what it seems, as what the team does this offseason will determine where they go from here, and History does not favor what comes next.
Since 2000, Seasons like this have been Outliers, one winning season, or maybe 2 or 3, among a sea of mediocre play and poor management decisions tarnished the Knicks reputation as a basketball club.
In 2010, the Knicks had a promising young core, led by Amar'e Stoudemire. The team had drafted a group of solid young guys who fought it out game after game. The team seemed like it was going to make a difference down the line. But, the team got blown up when the organization traded four of its five starters and almost every draft pick they had for Carmelo Anthony.
Melo trade’s impact was not felt right away. As during The 2012-13 Knicks Season, the Knicks had finished the year 54-28, second in the East only to Miami. The team lost in the second round to the Indiana Pacers, but there was still hope that they could win a title in the then, near future.
Then, they blew it up, again. The Knicks made a trade that halted their championship aspirations, shipping out the remaining amount of their first round draft picks not touched in the Melo trade (except for 2015), and the supporting cast of veterans and young players for Andrea Bargnani, who managed to turn one of the best NBA Teams into one of the worst.
The Knicks problems can of course, be traced back to one man, James Dolan, and the success of late, is attributed to his lack of involvement, but the Knicks are on the right path, and its only a matter of time before Guitar Jimmy D gets involved again. Heck, even now, the Rumors are beginning to swirl, the team is apparently keeping an eye on disgruntled stars, with players like Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard,
being connected to the Knicks.
How to Keep Going ?
The First and most important thing is of course for the owner to stay out. But aside from that, the Knicks need to remember the past, and not be drawn into the trade rumors and speculation surrounding players like Damian Lillard and Karl Anthony-Towns, they need to stand pat.
The Knicks have a promising core of young players, The Big 15, as they liked to be called, centered around Julius Randle, the engine, and the ability for the young players such as RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, to grow under the tutelage of a coach who knows how to communicate with young players to get them to by into the system, and to play the game as a team. The thought of adding superstar, either by trade or by free agency, creates a possibility of disruption and could compromise the chemistry of this team. The cost of a trade, say for Damian Lillard, would also see the Knicks sacrificing most, if not, all of their young players, a move that will set the team back, in exchange for minimal short term gains at best.
The Knicks also need to bring back as many of the current players as possible. Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, and Taj Gibson are all free agents, and all have been critical to the team's success.
Re-signing at the very least, Rose, Bullock, Burks, and Gibson are critical. Resigning Nerlens Noel may be difficult to do, as he may command more money elsewhere, and while I may not agree with it, the team needs to keep its options open for the future,
Finally, the Knicks need to utilize their draft picks properly. The Knicks have done better in recent years, but the key to finding proper talent is scouting, the team has improved its scouting and analytics divisions, and should take full advantage of that. Sometimes, drafting the diamond in the rough is better than drafting the obvious choice.
If the Knicks can utilize these three things, they can continue what they did this season, and hopefully, win a championship at some point in the future.
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