What this franchise needs is some tough prescriptions. It needs to accept that being bad for a short while is good for the long term, and if there is a franchise that seems poised to prove that, it’s the Knicks’ West Coast counterpart, the Lakers. For decades, things came so easily for the Lakers that it seemed the indignity of a rebuild was beneath them. But as reality set in recently, the Lakers have given in to the necessity of a rebuild, and their future is looking brighter.
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Now, it’s the Knicks’ turn. It will take patience to turn this thing around, but with Phil Jackson now out, the opportunity is there. The team has turned to Raptors executive Tim Leiweke as a consultant until it finds a permanent top decision-maker, and here’s hoping he brings some tough love with him. (He might, in fact, bring something else — Toronto GM Masai Ujiri — with him.)
If Leiweke needs some guidance, we’ve got five things he should do in the next few weeks to restart these Knicks:
1. Let Carmelo Anthony go
It’s not easy to let go of a franchise player, but this franchise player is 33 years old and has failed to lead you to the playoffs in the last four seasons. Team owner James Dolan does not want to shell out $50 million or so to rid himself of Anthony, especially if that means watching Anthony compete for a championship in Cleveland or elsewhere next season. And the price tag, combined with the sting of witnessing Anthony’s inevitable success wherever he lands next, understandably sticks in Dolan’s craw.
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But the injustice of it all can’t guide this decision. The right thing for the franchise is to free itself of Anthony’s deal and start over, immediately.
2. Fire Jeff Hornacek
The Knicks need to move on from the mess of the past couple of years, and though Hornacek is not at the top of the list when it comes to what went wrong, he’s got to be part of the cleaning of the slate. Besides, no team in the league has a coaching opening, so the Knicks would actually have a decent run of candidates to consider.
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The big score would be a return of Jeff Van Gundy, but it is hard to imagine him taking on a rebuilding project, even if he is given some front office control. But the Knicks could consider some of the top assistants around the league — Ettore Messina or Becky Hammon from the Spurs, Darvin Ham from the Hawks, Mike Brown or Jarron Collins of the Warriors, the Thunder’s Adrian Griffin. They’d have their pick of former head coaches like Monty Williams and David Blatt. They could scour college ranks (usual suspects Shaka Smart, Bill Self, Jay Wright). One suggestion that, at least, would be fun: Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell.
3. Trade Courtney Lee
There are decidedly few assets on this roster, but Lee is the one guy who could bring back some return, even if that means only future second-rounders, the rights to an international prospect and/or a disappointing youngster in need of a fresh start. Lee played 74 games last season, shot 40.1 percent from the 3-point line and averaged 10.8 points per game. He’s signed through 2020, which is unfortunate (he will be 34 then), but he would be an effective piece for a playoff contender.
4. Be aggressive on restricted free agents
Please, please stop wasting time with options like Derrick Rose and established players like Jeff Teague and Jrue Holiday. There’s $20 million or so in cap space for the Knicks, but they must accept the truth: There is no one free agent on this market (or two for that matter) who will turn things around for the franchise. Stop wishing it.
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Instead, the Knicks’ best strategy is to target young, restricted free agents whose teams might be wary of matching big offers. It’s a gamble for the Knicks, but they’re going to need to take some chances on young guys who can get better as the team grows.
A player like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would be ideal, though he probably will wind up being too expensive to fit under the team’s cap. But players like Tony Snell in Milwaukee, Jonathon Simmons in San Antonio, JaMychal Green in Memphis and Kelly Olynyk in Boston are the kind of players who could offer immediate and long-term help for the Knicks, and whose teams might be scared off by a sizable offer.
5. Let the Porzingis Era begin in earnest
Any addition to the roster should be subject to a simple decision-making chart: Does this move help Kristaps Porzingis get better now and into the future? If the answer is no, move on. Keep guys who complement Porzingis — 3-and-D guard Justin Holiday, for example, whose pairing with Porzingis produced a plus-0.6 point differential last year, which might not sound great, but was one of only two positive two-man combos the Knicks had.
Signing burly, undrafted forward Nigel Hayes was a good step toward that, because Hayes can play multiple positions, and he’s a good rebounder and passer. Committing to Willy Hernangomez as a starter alongside Porzingis, too, will help. In 22 games as a starter, Hernangomez averaged 11.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.8 minutes, and though he badly needs defensive improvement, letting him develop next to Porzingis is a must.
Point guard will be a persistent problem for the Knicks, but, again, they should resist the urge to chase the biggest name available and instead focus on bringing in a veteran playmaker who can help with Frank Ntilikina’s introduction to the NBA, someone in the Patty Mills or Darren Collison mold.
Things will be tough in the standings next year for the Knicks. But if they position themselves right, they could have a young, hustling team with a centerpiece star, a promising teenage point guard, a likely top-five pick next season and, at long last, a plan for actually pulling the team out of its longstanding doldrums.
