The New York Knicks have lost 12 of their last 14 games and they are 1-3 since Kurt Rambis took over for the fired Derek Fisher. A shakeup with the head coach was supposed to be the spark the Knicks needed to continue in their playoff push but it has been anything but that.
They did not make a move on the trade deadline but they did make a roster change. did bring up NBA D-League star Jimmer Fredette but it has yet to be seen if the 2016 D-League All-Star Game MVP will make any kind of impact on the Knicks season. Don’t bet your life on it, not right now at least.
Stranger things have happened with the Knicks over the last five seasons but nothing has been worse than their lost season in 2014-15 where they tanked to secure a high draft pick. It worked and Kristaps Porzingis is the new hope for the Knicks future but their present revolves around Carmelo Anthony.
As the Knicks continue to lose, the frustrations come from not only their star in Anthony, their coach Rambis but also the owner, James Dolan.
Following from Ian Begley of ESPN.
Carmelo Anthony isn’t the only member of the New York Knicks who is frustrated with the team’s recent struggles.
“We’re all frustrated,” interim coach Kurt Rambis said Tuesday. “We can’t accept this. For the organization, for our team, ourselves as individuals, the coaching staff. We can’t accept losing. I want players to be angry. I want players to be frustrated. That’s the right attitude to have.”
Anthony expressed his frustration following the Knicks’ 27-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday. He said after the game that he hoped teammates hadn’t started to accept losing.
“You don’t want to get used to losing,” he said.
Team owner James Dolan also has been upset with the Knicks’ poor play, league sources with knowledge of the situation say.
The Knicks have no incentive to lose this season so it’s even more frustrating that they are just losing without any reason besides playing bad. Last season, you could chalk it up as the Knicks tanking to get one of the prized rookies but this year, their pick belongs to the Toronto Raptors and they did not acquire any picks. They’re one of six teams that do not have a pick in the 2016 draft so losing with no positives coming out of it isn’t ideal.
If New York wants to be serious contenders this summer for any big name free agents, they are going to have to show they can be successful to a degree and add that final piece to take the next step into contending. If the Knicks flatout miss the playoffs with a healthy Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, what incentive do big name free agents have to come play for the Knicks?
