In this part three of LWOPB’s review of the New York Knicks 2016-17 Season Review, the front office receives grades.<\/p>\n
Usually, the talk is about the players on a team. Fans will blame coaches when things go wrong. But with this franchise, there is always talk about the owner and team president. Too often, this franchise creates its own distractions off the court.<\/p>\n
Grade: F<\/em><\/p>\n In prior years, James Dolan<\/strong> has stepped in and intervened with the team\u2019s operations, like when he intervened and pushed through the trade for Carmelo Anthony<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, now he is taken to the other extreme. In an interview earlier this year on \u201cThe Michael Kay\u201d show, he was asked about the team\u2019s future and state. In response, Dolan said to ask Phil. He is now keeping his hands out of it. As an owner, he should know when to intervene when things are going bad and know when to sit back and let a good president do his work.<\/p>\n But Dolan was making headlines for the wrong reasons. Not once, but twice he was caught in a back-and-forth with the fans, including once with former Knick Charles Oakley<\/a><\/strong>. The owner should not be fighting with paying fans.<\/p>\n Grade C-<\/em><\/p>\n Phil Jackson<\/strong><\/a> is the key front office person for the Knicks. He was brought in three years ago to turn the perception of this franchise around. He was entrusted with the task of bringing in star players to this team.<\/p>\n Last offseason, Jackson made many moves that would make the Knicks contenders for a playoff spot. He traded for Derrick Rose<\/a><\/strong>, who was in the final year of his contract. This move made sense because it is a low-risk, high-reward. You would expect Rose to play motivated because he was playing for a new contract, either for New York or for some other team. He signed Joakim Noah<\/a><\/strong> to sure up their defense and to give toughness down low, even though he overpaid for a player that oft-injured and on the decline. He also brought in Courtney Lee<\/a><\/strong>, to round out the starting five. On paper, the Knicks looked like a third or fourth see in the weak Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n However games are not won on paper. The Knicks missed the playoffs and it was a miserable season. But Jackson does get some points for trying. He went out and assembled good talent that should\u2019ve competed night-in and night-out.<\/p>\n Jackson loses points for being a distraction off the court. For a guy that does not talk too much, he did not choose his words wisely and got himself into trouble all year long. From angering LeBron James<\/a><\/strong> to devaluing his own star Anthony, he constantly tweeted cryptic messages. He could not stay away from Twitter and let things play out. And at the trade deadline, he did not trade away Rose and any other players that could\u2019ve brought back younger players and draft picks. Staying idle did not help this team\u2019s future, and he has a long task ahead of him. He was brought in the make things better, and if anything, he has made things worse.<\/p>\nPhil Jackson<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Jeff Hornacek<\/strong><\/h3>\n