Nobody truly knows what is going on in the head of New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations besides Phil Jackson himself. The signing of point guard Tony Wroten this week may have just given a glimpse into Phil Jackson’s plan for the Knicks’ future roster going forward. Some fans have lost faith in Jackson during this rough stretch where New York has lost 17 of their last 21 games and are calling for his removal. The Zen Master never said this was going to be a quick one-year turnaround. We are now in year two of the Phil Jackson era and approaching a very crucial point in his plan.
Before the 2014-15 season, Carmelo Anthony re-signed with the Knicks on a five-year deal that included a no-trade clause. Whether Jackson wanted to re-sign Anthony or was forced to by the chairman of the Knicks James Dolan is a topic for another day. The point being that Anthony is a part of this plan until he decides otherwise. The 2014-15 season ended up being the worst season in franchise history. The only real bright spot is that New York ended up with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and selected Kristaps Porzingis. They were also able to make a draft night trade to acquire rookie point guard Jerian Grant.
Jackson used the 2015 free agency period to build a solid but not complete foundation to a roster that was very thin and obviously not very good. He brought in Robin Lopez from Portland to play center and start alongside Anthony and Porzingis. Players with talent and possible upside like Derrick Williams, Kyle O’Quinn, and Kevin Seraphin were signed to add depth and solidify New York’s frontcourt. Arron Afflalo was added to the starting lineup to take some of the scoring load off of Anthony. But, the issue with that is at this stage in his career, Afflalo is better suited to be a sixth man coming off the bench rather than getting starter’s minutes each game. His issue all year has been consistency or in his case, inconsistency. His defense has also dropped off considerably from previous years.
The Knicks are currently starting one of the worst backcourts in the entire NBA. As bad as Afflalo has been, the point guard position, most notably Jose Calderon, has been the main problem. The issue is that in this upcoming free agency, outside of Mike Conley Jr. and Rajon Rondo there are no other difference making star point guards available. The real star power at that position will be in the 2017 free agency. That along with the Wroten three-year deal gives the idea that Jackson is willing to wait another year to address the point guard position. At that point he can try and acquire either Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, or Jeff Teague, just to name a few.
So, if Phil is content to wait to get his point guard of the future, that means the Knicks will be going with Wroten, Grant, and Calderon (unless they use the stretch provision) next season. In that case the 2016 free agency period will be used to improve the wing players. Most fans would love to see Kevin Durant in a Knicks uniform next season. While that is definitely an option, there are a few more realistic players that should be on Jackson’s radar. Three players that come to mind are Nicolas Batum, Allen Crabbe, and Demar DeRozen. All three can play either shooting guard or small forward. They posses a solid offensive game and their defense would be a much needed improvement over what New York currently is producing. Another option would be Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards. The only issue with him is that he will a restricted free agent. That means that whatever deal he would accept from another team, Washington has three days to match it and keep him. The Beal situation centers around Durant. If Washington is able to get Durant then they may not have enough cap space to keep Beal. If they miss out on Durant though, then it is almost a guarantee they will not let Beal walk.
Again, this is just speculation because no one knows what Phil Jackson is thinking. This may not be Phil Jackson’s plan that he is forming, but it does seem to be the way he is headed. To recap, 2015 free agency was to bolster the frontcourt and 2016 free agency should be used to improve the wing players. Finally, using 2017 to get the star point guard of the future. If he is really in this for the long term good of this franchise then this just may be the correct way to build this team whether the fans and media like it or not. Imagine a 2017-18 opening night starting lineup of A Westbrook, Batum, Anthony, Porzingis, and Lopez.
