New York Knicks Rumors: Phil Jackson Predicting Early Struggle During 2015-16 NBA Season For Knicks?
New York Knicks rumors have president Phil Jackson already worried about the team. The Knicks are in a rebuilding phase, and Jackson seems to be providing fans with a built-in excuse in case the team struggles during the 2015-16 NBA season. A report from CBS Sports points out how different this is from his approach after taking over the position, where he predicted Carmelo Anthony would lead the Knicks to the 2015 NBA Playoffs. A dismal season quickly followed, forcing him to basically tear down the current roster.
After missing out on signing LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan during a wild free agency period, Jackson ended up putting a number of good role players together. The team doesn’t look terrible on paper with Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant, and Derrick Williams joining the franchise. An alternate argument to that statement is that the Knicks also don’t look like championship contenders, either. There is a lot of work to be done, and Jackson isn’t shy about saying it.
“We have a number of new players, so they may struggle early as they learn how to play with each other. Where we end up as the season progresses is unknown, but we have improved our roster and have a chance to be a good team.”
Examining how Phil Jackson speaks about his team in these latest New York Knicks rumors might even indicate that he has lost confidence in the current roster. The current odds for the Knicks to win the 2016 NBA title are 200-to-1, meaning confident fans could really be rewarded if the team shocks the word. An interesting coincidence is that Jackson’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, are also 200-to-1 to win the title. There are currently only seven teams with worse odds to win it all in the 2015-16 NBA season.
A lot has been made about how the franchise has been on a downward spiral since the arrival of Carmelo Anthony, and it might be time for the front office to part ways with him. This could be the final shot that Anthony has to lead the Knicks deep into the playoffs because early season struggles might cause a rift that leads to Anthony being traded to another team. Star players can only lose for so long. If the struggles do come early, the next round of New York Knicks rumors is going to include possible destinations for Anthony in a trade.
[Image Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]
