New York Knicks: The most important training camp in recent history

Monday represents one of the most important days the New York Knicks have faced in a long time. This training camp will help decide the organization’s future.

Many important days lie in wait for the New York Knicks and Monday may be the biggest of them all. Not only will the Knicks break in a rookie point guard, they will break in an offense going in a new direction.

The Carmelo Anthony saga could also come to a head before Monday when training camp begins. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported on the growing optimism a trade could happen by Monday.

If Melo is present at camp, a media circus of awkward conversations will be the norm. Similarly, if Melo is gone there will be a media circus regarding the Knicks future with their new players.

Whether Carmelo is there or not, this training camp will dictate the future of the New York Knicks, setting in motion the identity of their future. Training camp always means something, but this camp means everything. The players, coaching staff and management all face their future beginning on Monday.

Training the future

Every training camp implements offensive and defensive schemes to integrate new players onto the team. Camp is also the catalyst for the future, especially when a rookie point guard is involved. The future officially begins on Monday with Frank Ntilikina as the most important player on the court.

Kristaps Porzingis is the best player on the New York Knicks because he is a proven commodity for the present and the future. Comparatively, Ntilikina is the most important coming to training camp because he is not a proven commodity. The Knicks passed on Dennis Smith Jr. to draft the long-armed Frenchman and now hope it wasn’t a reach.

The good news for the Knicks is Frank Ntilikina isn’t new to professional basketball camps in general. His experience inside professional European basketball makes him NBA ready right now. Half-court execution and defensive activity won’t be a problem for Frank and the tape shows promise for his jump shot.

Ntilikina won’t be the only rookie at camp, but that only magnifies the importance Monday represents. If the youth movement and rebuild succeeds, it is because Ntilikina proves the Knicks right for drafting him where they did. Training camp is crucial to every young player, but it’s also just as important to their coach.

Training for the present

The upcoming training camp will absolutely be one of the most impactful events in recent Knicks history. Not only will this camp focus on the future of young players, it could decide the future of Jeff Hornacek. On one hand, Hornacek knows it is all about developing young players and less about winning. On the other, if he can’t get along with Porzingis and develop a cohesive team identity, his future will be short.

Visually, this version of the New York Knicks will be much more entertaining to watch than last years confusion. Up-tempo basketball and constant ball movement is what Hornacek wants, but there’s reason to believe it won’t be that easy.

His starting point guard will most likely be a veteran who is coming off a recent knee injury: Ramon Sessions or Jarrett Jack. Neither player screams “up-tempo basketball,” nor do they instill confidence from the fans for this season.

The not so great unknown

One of the unknowns about the New York Knicks roster this season is who they will get when they trade Carmelo Anthony. Players like Jack, Sessions and others could end up as trade bait to entice additional teams to join a potential deal with the Houston Rockets.

If Hornacek expects to implement his speed offense, he better hope Scott Perry finds him another athletic point guard. As it stands now, Ron Baker is the only other point guard option who can bring tempo and energy without Ntilikina running the point. Baker does show promise, but is nevertheless limited in who he can be.

Next: Complete 2017 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams

Monday represents the most important day and time in recent New York Knicks history. This training camp will decide the future direction of the team and test the wisdom of Steve Mills. Whether Monday ends with Carmelo still on the team or not, much can go wrong for the Knicks…and it usually does.