Drama Starting To Build In New York Knicks, Again?
The departure of Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson is expected to end the drama surrounding the New York Knicks. The feud between the NBA superstar and the legendary coach proved to have affected the Knicks’ performance last season. After unloading the two distractions, are the Knicks finally drama-free?
The Anthony-Jackson feud was one of the most intriguing controversies of the 2016-17 NBA season. The “Zen Master” believed he did everything he could to give Carmelo Anthony the best supporting cast. However, due to bad leadership and failure to provide good chemistry, the Knicks’ “Super Team” didn’t live up to expectations. They even failed to earn a playoff spot in the not-so-competitive Eastern Conference.
Now the era of Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony is finally over, the New York Knicks are heading to a bright future. The team is under new leadership. Kristaps Porzingis is the new face of the franchise. But as of now, Jeff Hornacek remains as the Knicks head coach. Hornacek spent his first season with the Knicks mostly following Jackson’s order to execute the triangle offense.
With Jackson gone, Hornacek can freely make his own decision regarding what is best for the team. However, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, there are growing whispers about Hornacek’s up-tempo offense. Most of his players are reportedly unable to cope up with his strategy.
This is proven by the Knicks’ 0-5 record in the preseason and their 0-3 start in the 2017-18 NBA season. Coach Jeff Hornacek blamed the short preseason for his players’ inability to know the plays perfectly. He proposed that there should be 11 preseason games so that teams will have more time to prepare for the regular season.
If Hornacek will not find a quick solution to their recent struggle, the Knicks may have to make a tough decision regarding his future with the team. The Phoenix Suns just fired Earl Watson after they struggled earlier this season. With the Knicks goal to become a significant team once again, they could realize that they need a new guy to mentor the team.
Meanwhile, veteran shooting guard Courtney Lee said that some of his teammates weren’t giving full attention during their practice. This led to miscommunications during actual games. In their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the Knicks struggled on the offensive end of the floor only posting 33 first-half points while shooting 1-of-12 from beyond the arc.
“We messed up on a lot of plays, whether it was the ball getting delivered on time, or one or two guys not being on the same page as far as play calling,” Lee said. “That’s on us, we got to pay attention more in practice and make sure we execute when we’re out there.”
It’s easy to understand why the New York Knicks are currently having a hard time on the offensive end of the floor. Last season, the only thing they needed to do was pass the ball to Carmelo Anthony. Right now, everyone could be an option. However, none of them have enough confidence to get the job done.
Kristaps Porzingis may have shown a massive improvement this season. But according to Benny Nadeau of Basketball Insiders, the Latvian center can’t do it all by himself. Tim Hardaway Jr., who signed a lucrative contract this summer, is yet to find his rhythm and played poorly in the first three games of the season.
“When the ball’s in my mind and I feel like I have daylight, I feel like it’s leaving my hand really good, just like it did in preseason,” Hardaway said. “It’s just either too long or too short, but they’re all on line. And some rattle in, some rattle out. But I’m not going to stop shooting. That’s what I’m here for.”
The drama currently surrounding the New York Knicks is different from what they experienced last season. However, the displeasure that some players felt for their head coach and teammates is something the Knicks should be worried about moving forward.
[Featured Image by Abbie Parr/Getty Images]
