Firing Phil Jackson
1 OF 6Julie Jacobson/Associated Press
The Knicks parted ways with Phil Jackson on June 28—after the NBA draft but before free agency began. Surely it would have been preferable for the Knicks to allow a new architect to select their lottery pick.
Yet, it could have been worse. Jackson's presence—first an attraction, later perhaps a repellent—did not have a chance to impact free agents' decisions about signing in New York. Nor did Jackson have an opportunity to build a team to his own interests that a new GM would subsequently have to live with.
Most importantly, it was the right decision.
Because fans demanded it? No. (But they did.)
Because he publicly denigrated his most talented (or at least highest paid) veteran player on multiple occasions? No. (But he did.)
Because he was barely on speaking terms with his most talented young player? No. (But he was.)
It was the right decision because he was bad at the job. NBA executives must sign personnel with an eye for winning championships. At best, he signed personnel like a guy who runs practices. At worst, like a fan.
All fans have their "type." The speedy, undersized point guard with the sick handle, the roaring rim protector with the beastly blocks, the scrappy bench player whose name is never learned by anyone but the home crowd.
If Phil Jackson had his druthers, he would have a team of super-coachable, pass-first players who were either Europeans or undrafted Midwesterners. At least half would be seven feet tall. Only one would be a guard.
Maybe it's OK, even for an executive, to have some favorites. And every team needs the gutsy bench players who bring effort. But a team also needs something else: talent.
Not just "solid role player" talent. All-Star-quality talent. Every championship team does need a little of that too. Treating those players like they're not just expendable, but undesirable, is not smart NBA front-office management. Yes, stars do need to be yanked off high horses sometimes, but that is the coach's job, not the president's.
Jackson never understood that he wasn't the coach. He tried to force a system onto personnel, whether it fit or not, instead of trusting his coach to find a system that worked best. He blathered about building "culture" but was the worst teammate of all.
Firing him was the right move. It simply took too long.
Final Grade: A for concept. D for execution.
Drafting Frank Ntilikina
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Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
The pressure is most certainly on the Knicks' No. 8 draft pick, point guard Frank Ntilikina, most recently of Strasbourg in the France Pro-A League.
A quiet, pass-first European who had never played in the U.S., he had "Phil Jackson" and "triangle offense" written all over him. Don't hold that against him.
Was it heartening and delightful that the Knicks' No. 8 draft pick hurt his knee on the first day of practice and had to skip Summer League? No. However, when the groins and ankles of Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk all staged their own revolts, Knicks fans might have taken some solace in the fact that other teams' top guards missed some summer playing time, too.
Unfortunately, many fans took little comfort in that Thursday night, when Dennis Smith Jr.—who was still available to the Knicks at No. 8—put forth an exhilarating Las Vegas Summer League performance that nearly caused thousands of people to have catastrophic heart failure.
One Smith dunk is being cheered as one of the best plays of summer league—and he didn't even make the shot. However, Knicks fans spitting vitriol at Ntilikina before seeing him play are not only being unfair, but foolish. He was not merely the available point guard prospect best-suited for the triangle offense; he was by far the best defensive point guard, one of the finest defenders at any position and a strong playmaker.
A team that simply could not stop opponents from shooting (and had a non-existent fast-break game) is desperate for guards who can smother three-ballers, provide help and yank down defensive rebounds.
Ntilikina will likely give New York fans a show they're not used to seeing when he arrives at the Garden. In the meantime, Knicks fans watching Orlando Summer League did at least get a good look at a second-round selection, guard Damyean Dotson, showing off his smooth stroke.
Dotson shot 48 percent from the field, and from downtown, averaging 12.8 points per game. He shone in the matchup with the Miami Heat, logging 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Final Grade: B+
Signing Tim Hardaway Jr.
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New York inked Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year $71-million contract after the Atlanta Hawks chose not to match the Knicks' offer sheet for the restricted free agent.
Let's not waste lamentations on the "why did we trade a guy in 2015 just to re-sign him in 2017" question. Remember that the Hardaway who Phil Jackson & Co. swapped was the textbook definition of "defensive liability." His sophomore season was characterized by quick yanks off the floor, and Hardaway sulking on the bench, folded into in a cocoon of resentment.
Under the Atlanta coaching staff's tutelage, Hardaway morphed into a beautiful two-way player. Not only did he average 14.5 points per game (on 45.5 percent from the field), he was a top-50 NBA defender (top 20 for guards).
If he has truly grown out of his pouty attitude, he is just the kind of wing the Knicks backcourt needs. But $71 million...
The price tag only begins to make some sense if you consider a few factors: It had to be high enough that Atlanta wouldn't match it and high enough to be an adequate "take me back" present. After Hardaway suffered the indignity of getting dealt on draft night in front of his friends at Clyde's Wine and Dine only "30 seconds" after getting the heads-up call from his agent, being stingy wouldn't do.
Also, if you assume that Carmelo Anthony's contract will somehow come off the books, the sudden noise of cap space being sucked away isn't quite so disconcerting. And if the Knicks are devoted to building a young core, a four-year investment in a 25-year-old player might make sense.
Nevertheless, this contract is essentially the same size as the one given to Joakim Noah—which was also too high, but mostly because it was a high-risk investment on an injured player. However, Noah was only one season removed from being an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year when his deal was signed. Hardaway hasn't proven that level of ability yet.
Final Grade: B for the player, C- for the contract
Re-Signing Ron Baker
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The Knicks re-signed their undrafted free agent Ron Baker to a two-year, $8.9 million contract, which ultimately left them with nothing but spare change to sign anyone else—unless, that is, the Anthony contract actually is unloaded.
Giving Baker a player option in the second year of that contract was, perhaps, unwisely kind-hearted.
Yet, it's not a blatantly unreasonable contract these days for a ballsy, two-way, backup combo guard who is just as happy to make a sneaky pocket pass as he is to take the big shot in clutch time.
Baker leaped into the league with more confidence and poise than most undrafted rookies do, whether it was stepping in for Derrick Rose in the fourth quarter or smothering Steph Curry on the perimeter. The New York fans who cheered "We want Baker" last season should expect more of the same for the next two years. $8.9 million isn't as exorbitant a price to pay for that pleasure as the highway robbery at Madison Square Garden concessions.
Final Grade: B
Hiring Scott Perry
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On draft night, NBA observers across the country scratched their heads, furrowed their brows and marveled as the Sacramento Kings (the Sacramento Kings!) made several (several!) intelligent moves. (The Kings? The Kings!) With bemused attaboys, we crowned Sacramento the kings of draft night.
One of the masterminds behind all this activity, and the encouraging free agency period Sacramento has since begun, was assistant GM Scott Perry, who just joined the team in April.
Thursday night, however, the Knicks hired Perry to be New York's new GM, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Perry is a seasoned NBA executive who spent most of his career with the Detroit Pistons and was more recently with the Orlando Magic before the burst of excitement with the Kings.
It is too soon to call this an A. However, the smart moves in Sacramento, the genuine front office experience and the fact that he is not just a "household name" makes this hire, if not automatically better, then certainly different than the same old stuff from James Dolan & Company.
That said, this deal may have sneaked through because Dolan believes he's hiring Steve Perry, former frontman of Journey, and hopes his golden voice will join JD & The Straight Shot.
Way Too Early Grade: B+
Moving Melo...or Not Moving Melo...or What?
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I hope you took your Dramamine this week, folks, because the Melo merry-go-round went round and round faster and faster, and then abruptly screeched to a halt. Who doesn't feel a bit sick?
All week, rumors buzzed about a four-team trade that might send Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets. Who were the other two teams? Nobody knew! What might the Knicks get in return? Unclear! Nevertheless, the deal was so near completion a source told Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News it was "on the two-yard-line."
Until late Thursday, when ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Knicks were pausing all trade talks related to Carmelo.
Perhaps Perry just wants a face-to-face with his highest paid player before making moves. Perhaps he's stalling because he hasn't had the job 24 hours yet. Perhaps he genuinely feels Carmelo Anthony will be best for the team.
However, if a deal does not happen, the Hardaway and Baker signings once again seem recklessly lavish and the salary cap collapses in on the Knicks with the anxious immediacy of an eviction notice.
Final Grade: Incomplete. I refuse to grade this frenetic lack of forward movement. At least not until the room stops spinning.
The Knicks also get a D for cutting underused forward Maurice Ndour, supposedly to clear cap space. Considering the Knicks' defensive misery, a spry, springy rebounder and shot blocker shouldn't be tossed aside so easily.
Overall, though, a forgiving report card for a team still in disarray? Maybe.
These grades, however, represent what an incomplete front office has jerry-rigged with the insufficient tools at-hand. It isn't entirely Steve Mills' fault, and certainly not Scott Perry's, that the Knicks are attempting to build yet another new team with duct tape, apologies and spare parts that someone else broke.
8/3/2017 10:45 AM
