With the hiring of Phil Jackson to take over basketball operations, there is a glimmer of hope for the Knicks. The Zen Master, owner of 11 championships, is returning to the team that he helped win 2 championships. Let’s face it. The Knicks are a total mess and it’s almost laughable. Their roster reeks of overpriced, bad contracts. Not to mention, there’s a really good chance that they could be losing their franchise player in Carmelo Anthony. It really doesn’t help that Anthony has never spoken to Jackson since he’s entered the league. We must remember, though, he has one of the greatest basketball minds ever. Here are some potential moves the Phil could make.
Re-sign Carmelo
Anybody could have guessed this. The main problem is to convince him to take a pay cut. By the team offering him a max contract, they wouldn’t be able to sign anyone to help him. Right now, he is scheduled to earn $23M. In the end, he needs to take a pay cut no matter where he signs. There just isn’t enough money to spread and be a part of a contender. ‘Melo knows he has made his money, but he wants to make a legacy.
Sign a Pass-First Point Guard
If you look at Phil Jackson’s success, he has always had a defense and pass first point guard. John Paxson and Derek Fisher not only led the teams to 3 peats, but they gave up many shots to other star players. Given their cap strapped situation, the team needs to look at Kendall Marshall. He’s having a breakout year with 8.5 points and his 9.5 assists ranks 2nd in the NBA. There have been rumors of the team going after Rajon Rondo and Kyrie Irving. No, Marshall won’t provide the scoring these two dynamic players will; but, the team can sacrifice that to save millions of dollars. Plus, that just means more shots for ‘Melo. He should be begging Kendall to come to New York.
Hire a New Coach
The Mike Woodson experience has been interesting to say the least. The players seem to be dogging it in games and not caring. Heck, Raymond Felton seemed bored during one of his timeout speeches.
Two coaches that come to mind are Tom Thibodeau and Mark Jackson. There were rumors that Thibs was furious that John Paxson traded Luol Deng, sparking speculation that Thibodeau could force himself out of Chicago. I don’t see this happening. Mark Jackson seems a little more likely suitor. Jackson is believed to be open to the idea of being bought out to join the Knicks. He played for the Knicks from 1987-1992 and also 2000-2002.
Get Rid of the Bad Chemistry
JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Raymond Felton have caused multiple problems for the organization this year. Basketball is the ultimate team game and everyone needs to have great chemistry. J.R. is concerned about “giving his pipe” to any girl that wants it. Felton will be lucky to be playing in the league next season due to his gun situation. Shumpert hasn’t progressed in the three years he’s been with the team. He’s due a $2.6M team option next year. There are other players out there that can perform better at that salary.
Construct At Least One Trade
The team needs to get rid of either Amare Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani. Both have massive contracts that are not being lived up to. Unfortunately, no team is going to want either player, so a younger player will need to be included. Tim Hardaway and Iman Shumpert are two options. Shumpert has shown promise in the past, and a change of scenery could help him. For the Knicks’ sake, they would be wise not to trade Tim Hardaway. The Knicks could make a trade for Thaddeus Young. He has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be in Philadelphia. Bargnani and Shumpert for a package surrounding Thaddeus Young would certainly improve the Knicks. No team is going to want Amare Stoudemire straight up. His contract will escalate to $23M next year and will be lucky to play 60 games. At this point, multiple assets will need to be included in any trade with STAT. You can guarantee Hardaway would be in the trade along with draft picks that are years away.
I expect Phil to talk to Carmelo to explain his plan for the coming years. The plan needs to be rapid, though. As we are seeing with Kobe, age comes quickly and can get any player in trouble. Carmelo will be 30 next season and signing his last big contract most likely. The Knicks need to take the Suns approach and acquire as many draft picks as they can. These next 5 years are the most important for the franchise.