Can it possibly get any worse for the New York Knicks, who are now tied in the loss column for the worst record in the NBA?
After a 4-19 start to the season, the New York Knicks are the biggest punchline in the NBA, even more so than the Philadelphia 76ers.
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The worst part about the Knicks season isn’t the on-the-court product, which is roughly equal to watching someone weed whack their own ankles for three hours, but it’s the people who know how to fix the Knicks’ problems from afar.
Enter Dennis Rodman.
Rodman, THE Dennis Rodman, diplomatic extraordinaire with all his quirks and issues over the years, opened up about his thoughts on the New York Knicks and Phil Jackson. Here’s basically what he had to say, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley:
"“He didn’t expect this. I saw him a couple of times on TV when I was in L.A., and I’m like, I know what you feel like, Phil. You came to be the savior and all of a sudden it’s like, ugh. Then you went and got Derek Fisher. Really, is he coaching? Is Derek Fisher coaching? I don’t get it. I don’t know what’s up with that team, man. You’ve got Carmelo and after that who else do you got?“They’re not running the triangle. Derek Fisher’s not really coaching. I know Phil is trying to throw his input in the background, but who expected this from Phil? They expected him, we’re going to give you $15 million a year for the next six years and this team is — wow — they might not even make the playoffs.”"
And, you know what? Rodman is right! He’s right about everything. As a five-time NBA champion, I’m assuming Rodman knows a thing or two about basketball, but he hit the nail on the head, just like everyone else has throughout the season.
The Knicks don’t have any personnel that translates to what they’re trying to do offensively right now. Instead of moving the ball around within the triangle, the Knicks get hung up in ISO sets more often than not, which would be fine if they were trying to play that way. Because they aren’t, players are out of position, in the wrong spots on the court, for an ISO offense. It’s literally the simplest thing to see when watching the Knicks.
Even Rodman gets it!
"“I learned that in probably 15 minutes when I was in Chicago,” Rodman said. “It’s not that difficult. It’s a triangle."
Look, I was skeptical about the Knicks before the season. It just didn’t look good, but I had faith in Phil Jackson rebuilding this team. With the East as bad as it is, I thought the Knicks would be competitive, at least. How wrong was I?
I can’t even imagine this scenario getting worse for the Knicks, but you know as well as me that this little run of bad play isn’t even close to being over. This season is done-zo, but for a team building for the future, what pieces are good enough to be kept around other than Carmelo Anthony? Is there anyone?
You hear all the time about how much cap space the Knicks have after this season. Who in their right mind would come play in New York in this mess? Who wants that?
I mean, the Knicks will obviously sign some decent players, but they’re going to have to overpay them to come. No one is knocking the Knicks’ door down to come play with them. That’s for sure.
The Knicks are stuck in Hotel Hell right now. Check-in time is now; check-out time is never.
I don’t know how this gets any better for the New York Knicks, but I’m guessing it starts with finding the right personnel to fit the system. Who knows how long that will take?
Meanwhile, Phil keeps gettin’ them checks…
Are we so sure he even has a plan and isn’t just stealing money out of Jim Dolan’s pockets?