Everything is great, right?

But its not. While the future does look brighter with Porzingis and some of the other pieces, the truth is that this is still a mess. A mess in what is probably one of the most important aspects of a team: its philosophy.

Phil Jackson can't seem to let go of the triangle, which did have an impact on the short and disappointing tenure of rookie coach Derek Fisher. What can truly be expected of his successor? Who could that be, considering Jackson seems to pick from his close friends and associates. Those have proved to be unsuccessful installing a triangle-related system that becomes a winner in the NBA.

Its also too late in the game to get Phil back in the sidelines, so that ship has sailed.

Can a coach look at the Knicks job as an opportunity to build hos vision, or be blindfolded by the triangle? Its not even about the triangle, its more to do with Phil being the president and understanding its the coach who has to coach. You have pieces of the puzzle set? Look for a coach to maximize those pieces and work on getting him better pieces.

This is a vital issue because it will dictate the next moves the team does.

Things do look better than the disaster the president inherited. But this franchise has an identity crisis that could turn a beautiful mess into another dark age.

Until recently I thought the Knicks could have it both ways in that they could try to win with Melo and at the same time try to build around KP with some youth piece here and there. But now I think it has to be one or the other.

This year is a mess thanks to that Idiot Grunwald (and Dolan) but going forward the Knicks need to decide if they should tank for youth next season or move every and anything not named Melo and KP for better players. Its up to Phil, and I am ok with that.

Jackson’s firm rule at the trade deadline, per league sources, was that the Knicks hold on to their 2018 first-round pick.

It’s unclear how frequently the Knicks were asked for the pick in the days leading up to the trade deadline, but what is clear is that it was off limits, according to league sources familiar with the club’s thinking.

“Phil said that they weren’t dealing it,” was how one source put it.

In years past, the Knicks dealt future draft picks to bring in players they believed would help them in the present.

New York sent Denver its 2014 first-round pick in the Carmelo Anthony trade; it also agreed to swap its 2016 first-round pick with the Nuggets' in that transaction.

That 2016 pick? The Knicks don't have that one, either. They agreed to send it to Toronto via the Andrea Bargnani trade.

The Knicks won't give up draft picks. I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a way to get back into the 2016 draft with either buying a lower 1st round draft pick from a team looking to sell a pick for more cap room or to make a trade like last year with Hardaway Jr for a 19th pick.

It's going to take some time, and probably longer than most want to wait. Got to do this right, though. The easiest thing would to be to go out and try and make a big trade using future and current draft picks (Like Hernangomez, Grant). However in the long run the best thing is to wait for Porzingis and these picks to be on the same team together for a few years, surround them with some quality free agents and let them peak together.

While Washington, Detroit and Orlando all made moves, I also think the Knicks showed they weren't desperate enough to make a playoff push to sacrifice the future. This is key. The past shows us doing this again and again and never to avail. If only we had passed on dealing for Bargnani, Phil would have had a nice lottery pick talent to work with going into next season.