What the New York Knicks can learn from the 2017 NBA Finals
By Eric Snyder
Culture means everything
Choosing the right draft picks is an important piece in the championship puzzle. However, if those draft picks are brought into the wrong culture growth may never happen. Maybe Kwame Brown and Michael Olowokandi were never going to be successful NBA players. Yet, the team culture each player encountered didn’t give them a chance.
Both the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards had volatile team culture in the early 2000s that led to years of losing. Neither Brown or Olowokandi had a real chance to grow because of the culture in their locker room.
The New York Knicks have a clear culture problem and both James Dolan and Phil Jackson deserve blame. This culture includes a lame-duck head coach and an assistant coach that almost everyone dislikes (Kurt Rambis). Kristaps Porzingis was a home run draft pick who has made his dislike for the Knicks team culture very clear.
Both teams in the NBA Finals have an excellent culture surrounding their locker rooms. The Warriors operate like a brotherhood that openly accepts new members. It is this family atmosphere that helped them earn two championships in the last three years.
In Cleveland, LeBron may rule the Land, but it is obvious the team loves playing together. Their belief in each other has led to one championship, and maybe more. Everyone surrounding the Knicks tries to say all the right things even while openly failing. If the Knicks truly desire to win, they must remove the bacteria that infected their culture long ago.