Despite Turnaround, Hope for New York Knicks Future Clouded by Uncertainty
Measured against the 17-win fiasco of last season, the New York Knicks' 2015-16 campaign hasn't been a major letdown.
No NBA team is on pace to improve its winning percentage more than these Knicks. They still have a chance to double their victory total, Carmelo Anthony is playing the most unselfish basketball of his career, and 20-year-old rookie Kristaps Porzingis almost makes you forget they don't own a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
That should be enough to qualify this season as a step in the right direction, if not a success.
But the Knicks' progress can't solely be viewed against last year's tank job. Their win increase says more about where they were (rock bottom) than about where they're going. And for the moment, they don't appear to be going anywhere special.
No Identity
After beginning the season 22-22 and emerging as fringe playoff contenders, the Knicks have lost 17 of their last 22 games. They rank in the bottom seven in pace and hover around the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The postseason is now a pipe dream.
They have not forged an on-court identity—a truly damning shortcoming, as TNT's Kenny Smith told the New York Post's George Willis:
"To me great teams always have a style of play. When I think of the Knicks, do they play up-tempo? Some nights. Do they slow it down and run the triangle? Some nights. Are they defenders? Sometimes. To me, that dictates if your glass is half empty or half full. Right now, it's empty because they don't have a style of play.
"
Interim head coach Kurt Rambis was installed to provide a sense of solidity and calm throughout the organization, according to Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. That hasn't happened; New York is no better with him than it was with Fisher:
| Under Fisher | 102 | 21 | 104.5 | 20 | -2.5 | 20 |
| Under Rambis | 106.1 | 15 | 107.4 | 21 | -1.3 | 20 |
Rambis has been more destructive than Fisher in many ways. Incapable of pinning down a consistent rotation, Fisher was at least honest about the team's state, downplaying the importance of an improbable playoff berth. Rambis traffics in buzzwords and the illusion that the Knicks have something meaningful to play for.
"Is there going to be a point in the season where you just go, 'We're going to play the young guys'?" Rambis said, via Begley. "I'm not there yet."
To his credit, the Knicks don't have a ton of young assets to play. But a 25-year-old Kyle O'Quinn, one of New York's most versatile players, still doesn't see the floor consistently. Rookie Jerian Grant remains buried behind Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic—Sasha Vujacic!—in the rotation.
Uncertain Future
Jackson has an opportunity to readdress the coaching situation and culture over the offseason. But his vision for this Knicks team remains cryptic.
He's still married to the triangle offense despite little success with the system. Would he rather lose with it than attempt to win without it? Can he look beyond the branches of his coaching tree when hiring another sideline leader?
The early returns suggest no.
As Adrian Wojnarowski explained for The Vertical (h/t RealGM):
"Jackson has done nothing to rid Madison Square Garden of its institutional survivors who care far more about preservation than fostering a positive winning culture.
Jackson has every resource available to recruit an elite coach and so far refuses to go outside his stable of either failed or unproven candidates. And that's because this: in Phil Jackson's Knicks' world there's only one untouchable... the triangle offense.
"
Nearly all of the goodwill Jackson built up by selecting Porzingis over more certain commodities such as Willie Cauley-Stein and Justise Winslow is gone. The Knicks bought into the idea that they're a playoff team but are now back to being tabloid fodder.
Adding another marquee name in free agency would help erase the disappointment that comes with missing the postseason for a third straight year. The Knicks will enjoy close to $20 million in cap space this summer and can find more by cutting ties with Calderon and Derrick Williams, who has a player option.
Despite their underwhelming record, they've never had more offseason selling points. Anthony, though 31 years old, is still a superstar. The Knicks score like a top-eight offense with him in the game, and his assist percentage has never been higher.
Porzingis remains on the fast track toward stardom. He hit a rookie wall, but he still has the best net rating of any Knicks starter. Opponents are shooting under 48 percent against him at the rim, and he is the first rookie in league history to average 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per 36 minutes while drilling at least 25 three-pointers.
Robin Lopez's contract, meanwhile, looks better by the game. His per-36-minute point, rebound, assist and block benchmarks are only matched by Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol, Nerlens Noel, Kyle O'Quinn and Karl-Anthony Towns.
But that's not enough. Kevin Durant, this summer's top prize, doesn't even consider the Knicks a viable free-agent suitor, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Anthony talks about leading the recruitment charge, but waiving his no-trade clause and seeking refuge elsewhere would be easier.
Thus, the dilemma.
Missing the playoffs won't render New York's season a failure. It's a complete lack of clarity that has made this year such a disappointment.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and accurate leading into games on March 9. Salary information via Basketball Insiders.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @danfavale.
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