The Knicks season has finally concluded, and now the heavy lifting begins for the franchise’s decision makers, led by owner James Dolan and team president Phil Jackson.
The Knicks finished with a 32-50 game improvement on their 17-65 mark a season ago, the best increase in the NBA, but still more than 10 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, occupied by the Detroit Pistons.
Sunday, after the Knicks dropped their final home game by 93-89 to the Toronto Raptors, this reporter asked interim head coach Kurt Rambis why fans should be optimistic about next season.
“We’re going to continue to help this team grow,” Rambis responded. “They’re going to get better as individuals. We know we can add some pieces going into next year. This was Year One—I’ve said that before—of our transition, so we knew it was going to be a process.” And he said depending on what happens moving forward, “We’ll be able to add pieces that we want and that will [entail] guys learning how to play together, learning how to run the system that we want to run and be able to play the kind of defense that I want them to play, and that they are capable of playing. We see that there’s going to be a bright future for this team as they get connected …. To me this team has a huge upside in their ability to move forward.”
Rambis was speaking as if he’ll be the coach next season, and he has received the endorsement for the job on these pages. There are indeed pieces that will be available, including Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Pau Gasol, who would be a great mentor for Kristaps Porzingis, Nicolas Batum and Rajon Rondo. The Knicks will have plenty of money and salary-cap space. But Dolan and Jackson’s challenge will be convincing some of them that they are building a winner.
It is also critical for the Knicks’ coaching staff to develop rookies Porzingis and Jerian Grant. The 7-3 Porzingis, only 20-years-old, will be a star in due time. The 23-year-old Grant, who has excellent size (6-4) and athleticism for a point guard, showed notable progress as the season came to a close trying to master the most difficult position in the NBA.
“It has been a learning year all year long,” Rambis said of Grant on Sunday.
“Learning how to run a team. Learning how to get his teammates involved. Manage the game, see where his opportunities are to attack. See where his opportunities are to push the basketball in transition… There’s so many things a point guard has to learn in this league.”
There is certainly hope. But more far more uncertainty as to whether it will manifest into success.