Should New York Knicks Take Their Sights Off Making the Playoffs?
The New York Knicks have opened the 2014-15 season in terrible fashion, and their chances of making the playoffs will continue to fade if things don't turn around quickly.
Given that this is the first year of a rebuilding project, however, it's possible the Knicks' best course of action would be to take their focus off the playoffs and focus on doing everything they can to make sure they improve beyond this season.
Winning now is a good way to set a high standard for the Phil Jackson regime, but it wasn't the Knicks' only goal and now that it appears to be fading away, it may make sense for the franchise to turn its eyes toward the future.
This doesn't necessarily mean tanking—there's no scenario in which the Knicks should be intentionally losing. What it does mean, however, is that decisions should prioritize the future over the present.
Now that they're (almost) fully healthy, Derek Fisher should feel free to continue experimenting with lineups until he finds the best unit. Having Jose Calderon back could make a big difference to who fits best in the starting five. Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert should be locks, with the final two spots depending on who has the best chemistry with those players—something we won't know without adequate sample size.
On that note, it's also important for rotations to feature younger players (along with anyone else likely to be here long term). Winning a few extra games based on the play of guys who aren't going to be around in 2015-16 isn't particularly useful, unless those few games are the difference between being a contender and not. With the Knicks, it's the difference between bad and mediocre.
Given the team's record, there's no reason the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cleanthony Early (when he was healthy), should be spending so much time on the bench. They need the experience a throwaway season like this can provide more than anyone and are two of the only players New York has tied down long term.
This kind of long-term thinking should also be present in the front office, if it isn't already. On December 15, trade restrictions are lifted (allowing for 2014 draft picks and free agents to be traded), and we should expect the Knicks to be active.
A blockbuster move probably isn't going to happen. The Knicks simply don't have the ammo, and there's only so much expiring contracts can get you without anything to sweeten the deal.
What we can expect to see the Knicks do, however, is look to unload salary for 2015, to maximize their available cap space in the offseason for potential additions and re-signing Iman Shumpert, which is sure to be expensive at this rate.
Considering the team's depth at shooting guard, it's very likely we'll see J.R. Smith on the trading block. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, that's already been explored as an option. The Knicks may also be interested in trading Shane Larkin, who they may very well lose for nothing after declining his team option. Even veterans like Pablo Prigioni and Jason Smith, who may be more useful to contending teams in need of help off the bench, should be made available.
While everyone would like to see an immediate turnaround, it's unlikely the Knicks are going to improve significantly before the end of the season, and that could actually have its benefits. The Knicks have their own first-round pick this year, and as it stands that could end up being in the lottery.
Adding a major free agent would be great, but nothing could help the Knicks' rebuilding process more than drafting an elite prospect. Not only will it be cheap, it also gives the franchise a chance to mould a player into the system, rather than picking up a veteran who's played elsewhere for the majority of his NBA career.
Even focusing on the future, we should expect to observe an improvement from the Knicks before the end of the season. They are not a good team, but they certainly shouldn't be quite this bad either with players like Melo, Shump, Calderon and Amar'e Stoudemire leading the way.
As Fisher gets more experienced as a coach and the players get more used to each other and the system, it's only natural that the record will improve, even if the focus is on the future. In fact, if that doesn't happen, we may have to start asking questions about whether Fisher and Melo really should be the foundations of this team.
On a nightly basis, the Knicks' focus on the court should be on beating their opponent. That's the only way a franchise can truly claim to have a winning mentality.
At this point, however, it would be foolish to place much importance on making the playoffs given this season's context within the rebuilding project, and that's an attitude that can be adopted on the sidelines and in the front office. There should be an understanding that the final record isn't the be all and end all, especially when it comes to experimenting with rotations and exploring trade options.
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