Schmeelk: It's Time To Blow Up The Knicks And Tank
By John Schmeelk
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On Monday night, the Knicks put up what was their worst loss of the season. That's not a small statement, either, given how many bad games the Knicks have played this year. But their complete lack of effort against the Lakers in a 121-107 loss was embarrassing for the players, the coaches and the entire organization.
After a game like that, there's no one that escapes blame: the players, coaches and management team all get fingers pointed at them. Coach Jeff Hornacek was furious during and after the game. He should have been. The players acknowledged they didn't show up to play.
It was another low point for a franchise full of low points over the past 15 years. Even the organization's cornerstone of the future, Kristaps Porzingis, is playing some of the worst basketball of his young career over the past month.
There has never been a louder message that it's time to not only blow up the team, but the entire organization. The hashtag #StealthTank has been floating around Twitter for a while now. This doesn't have to be stealth anymore. The only thing that matter for the rest of the season is getting the best possible draft pick.
It doesn't matter that the Knicks are only three games in the loss column out of a playoff spot. This team is done. Even if by some miracle they manage to earn the eighth seed, does anyone really want to see them get embarrassed by the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs? The season is over, and the Knicks need to accept that and start operating that way.
They need to start by trading Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings. With their contracts expiring this offseason, those moves need to happen now.
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Then the best thing the Knicks can do is use the rest of the season to develop younger players. If that means losing a few extra games, even better. The draft is strong this year, and picking in the top five could net the Knicks their point guard of the future. You can never ask players to lose games, but the franchise will be far better off long-term if its picks in the top seven as opposed to the low teens come the end of June.
Play Ron Baker. Play Justin Holiday. Continue to play Willy Hernangomez more. Play more Mindaugas Kuzminskas. Scour the D-League for developmental players.
The next step needs to be finding the next Donnie Walsh. He put the Knicks on the right track in 2008, despite eventually making the mistake of signing Amar'e Stoudemire to a big free agent contract. (Drafting Jordan Hill wasn't a highlight either.) But Walsh helped build a team full of young assets that had enough pieces to eventually trade for a player of the caliber of Carmelo Anthony.
Whoever takes over the Knicks for president Phil Jackson will be in a far better position than Donnie Walsh was when he took over. Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni had to lose for two seasons before they could even start to seriously improve the team. To Jackson's credit, the Knicks own all of their first-round picks for the foreseeable future. They also have some good young pieces such as Porzingis and Hernangomez. It would be ideal if the next general manager (not named Steve Mills) had true full autonomy, but that's probably unrealistic.
Whoever replaces Jackson could make a decision on Hornacek, whether it is replacing him right away or giving him a chance to earn the job long-term with some young pieces. If he isn't the answer, find a good, young coach that stresses defense.
If Anthony is still on the roster this summer, get a draft pick and young controllable assets back for him. You can also consider trading Courtney Lee if the right deal comes along, given he is 31 and would prefer to play on a contending team.
Then the Knicks need to focus on acquiring guards. With Porzingis and Hernangomez on the roster, the Knicks need to surround them with a pass-first point guard who can hit the open 3 and play some defense (Jrue Holiday?). Then they need to find a wing that can score to add some balance to the offense. With a potential high draft pick and free agent dollars available this summer, it's possible to add those pieces quickly.
It will take time for them to grow together to become a playoff team, but Knicks fans have been waiting for a winner for 15 years. Another two to three won't hurt, especially when fans can enjoy watching a young group of talented players grow together.
This season is over, and it is time to look to the future. It's time to blow it up. It's time to tank.
For all things Knicks, Giants and the world of sports, please follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk
