I'm not saying that the past has no value. As usual this is an exaggeration of my point. Looking back can have it's purpose but not without perspective. My posting WS/48 for players THIS YEAR is not looking back!!! That is current information!
Current - adjective
The definition of current is something that is happening now or something that is up to date.
An example of current is today's newspaper.
Going back to the 1960's is overkill in looking back. There are far more recent examples of teams improving in an off season we can use for reference. CrushAlot mentioned how Rod Thorn was able to make major improvements with the Nets.
2001-2002 Nets
26-56, .317, in 2000-01; 52-30, .634, in 2001-02The Nets added Jason Kidd and Kerry Kittles (back from a knee injury) to their lineup in '01-02. Also new to the team were center Todd MacCulloch, rookie Richard Jefferson, and guard Lucious Harris, who combined for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. The Nets registered their first 50-win season and first trip to the NBA finals.
2003-04 Nuggets
17-65, .207, in 2002-03; 43-39, .524, in 2003-04
Carmelo Anthony
Even Carmelo Anthony needed help as a rookie in Denver.
Two words: Carmelo Anthony. The rookie averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals a game, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, and energized both the team and the Denver fan base. Meanwhile, free agent Juwan Howard, the team's leading scorer in 2002-03, took off for Orlando
Point guard Andre Miller arrived from the Clippers and led the team in assists and steals and was the Nuggets' second-leading scorer. Marcus Camby, who'd played a total of 58 games in the previous two seasons, was good for 72 games and a team-leading 10.1 rebounds. And Earl Boykins, coming off the bench, averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 assists in about 22 minutes a game. The Nuggets lost to the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
2003-04 Grizzlies (22-game improvement)
Those examples are rare but do show that it's possible. That's all i'm saying. I've made no guarantees on success.
I think looking towards the off season makes the most sense right now. We are no longer in the same situation we were at the start of this season. Now we're looking at the Draft Lottery and Free Agency. The Knicks will have very important decisions to be made, which will impact the future of the franchise.
As for Phil, he's not alone in making his decisions. He's even stated how much help he's gotten from Mills, Mark Warkentien an Executive of the Year winner and John Gabriel in planning for this summer. On top of that the things Phil has stated he wants to get done this off season are sound basketball moves. There are no guarantees of success, but we have waited for years to be in a position like this. A top pick and cap space with a very big Free Agent Market. It's nonsensical to be pessimistic about those options to rebuild and put a new core in place.