5 Post-All-Star Goals for the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks' death march to the bottom was progressing nicely. With the tanker ghouls cheering them on, the team had lost eight in a row and began Thursday's contest by giving up 41 points to the Orlando Magic in the first quarter.

But in the second half, the Knicks reminded us that destiny is a two-month journey away and that their work is not done. They defeated the Magic 120-113, allowed only 44 points in the second half and oh did the tankers weep.

Whether the remainder of the season is a long string of Ls or an unimaginable surge to the playoffs, New York has things to do and to prove, if not for this season, then for next.

Here are five matters at the top of the to-do list.

Build a Winning Culture, Despite Losing

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Lose games, but become winners? How in Hell's Kitchen do you do that?

Give the young players more minutes, sure. Then make the other team beat you. Be sure they think of you when their muscles ache the next day. Play defense every possession. Put veterans on the court who help send that message. Gang up on the Orlando Magic so fiercely that the ever-composed Lance Thomas erupts in a demonstrable reaction of supercharged that's-what-I'm-talkin'-bout elation (that really happened).

And if in doing so, you accidentally win a game, to Hell's Kitchen with the Tankers.

In this, I agree with head coach Jeff Hornacek. As he said, (h/t the New York Post's Fred Kerber):

"Unfortunately, I think the league has gotten to that point where once you're out of the playoffs, 'Can you get the best draft pick possible?' But sometimes it's paid off and you get a top pick, but it doesn't always pay off," Hornacek said. "So I don't think you ever want your players to think you're just tanking games to try to get a high draft pick.

"We have faith in our scouting department ... that no matter what pick you are, you're going to get a guy that can really help us. So we're going to try to do our best here."

Get (and Keep) Tim Hardaway Jr. on Track

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Tim Hardaway Jr. returned from injury like a sprinter out of the blocks, bolting full speed. Shooting well above 45 percent throughout his first eight games back, he averaged 18.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting, dropping 31 on the Utah Jazz Jan. 19.

Then Hardaway doubled over, wheezed and limped through the next seven games. His shooting dropped to 25.8 percent (11.4 behind the arc), his boards and steals turned down, personal fouls went up, he logged a plus/minus of minus-8.6 and he made a few late-game judgment errors that are too unspeakable to mention here.

He's had a couple of positive games since then, and Thursday was excellent. He met Emmanuel Mudiay's casual lob with a monstrous alley-oop jam, made a terrific chase-down block on Jonathon Simmons and helped motor the Knicks back on top with relentless layups in the third quarter.

Nevertheless, Hardaway is streaky and possibly still nursing an injury. The Knicks need to help him care for his body and harness the passion that is one of his greatest strengths and occasionally his weakness.

Show Michael Beasley a Good Time

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

It's unclear whether re-signing Michael Beasley will be a top priority for the Knicks this offseason—he has fit in beautifully, but they might decide to go younger, particularly if the going rate for Beas is too high. Either way, they should want the option available to them.

Scott Perry and Steve Mills might re-sign Beasley not just by offering him the right paycheck, but by offering him the respect and opportunities he has struggled to find elsewhere. He might have found a home in New York and in Madison Square Garden.

However, if Beasley spends the next two months losing while riding the pine and then watching the playoffs while riding the couch, another team with a more romantic sales pitch could woo him away in July.

Although the youngbloods need to get their minutes now, vets need to be shown some love too—especially the free agents. The Knicks should give Beas (averaging 20.8 MPG) a little of what he wants, whether that's starters minutes, plenty of rest, chances to win, playing mentor to new forward Troy Williams or a bag of heartfelt love letters from fans and front office staff.

Pick a Guard, Any Guard (Every Guard?)

Judging by Hornacek's catastrophic Mark Sanchez-level butt-fumbling of the surplus at the center position, the Knicks' new excess of point guards might also result in disaster.

Then again, the three-PG roster worked for Hornacek (for a while) in Phoenix while he was head coach of the Suns, and it is possible that he could make the system work with Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke.

Burke and Mudiay have downhill-driving styles similar enough to back each other up, with Ntilikina as a defense-first off-guard to generate continuity in the offense while also keeping up the intensity on D. Thursday in Orlando, Mudiay got the start, but both Burke and Ntilikina played nearly 30 minutes apiece. Ntilikina logged two blocks and a steal, and Burke was a lightning rod off the bench, with 26 points and six assists.

Can the players manage it without getting grumpy about who starts? Do Courtney Lee's minutes get slashed to make room? Does Jarrett Jack get re-signed in the offseason? Does Ron Baker ever suit up again when he returns? Those aren't questions that need answers today, but Hornacek's experiments at the point need to be top priority for the rest of the season.

Develop Youth the Way They Should Have Developed Willy Hernangomez

Luke Kornet made a splash with a double-double in his NBA debut (11 points, 10 rebounds), making the most of the opportunity opened by Kristaps Porzingis' injury, Willy Hernangomez's trade, Joakim Noah's exile and Enes Kanter's faceful of stitches. Yet, Kornet has had a tough time getting back in a game for any meaningful minutes since then.

That's nothing compared to the torment of Damyean Dotson, who was given high hopes back when Ramon Sessions was the starting point guard, but then languished on the bench all season. Now Troy Williams is on a 10-day contract and made an exuberant baseline drive to a reverse layup, but will he ever be heard from again?

Player development isn't easy, particularly when a team is trying to win games.

However, second-year players like Willy Hernangomez aren't supposed to go asking for trades midseason. They shouldn't be that hopeless yet.

The Knicks need to find a way to engage, inspire and teach their newest talents—in practice, in the G League and in games—effectively, so that they become useful players in New York colors, instead of groaning about their dead-end jobs before they are 23.    

Disagree with Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.