The New York Knicks have tanked their way to the Draft Lottery. At this moment in they have the best chance to get the number 1 pick. Whether they’ll go for Jahlil Okafor or Karl Anthony-Towns or somebody else remains to be seen. But other than that and Phil Jackson’s confidence in free agency activity. It’s bleak for the Knicks. Their star is battered. They have no future other than Tim Hardaway Jr. Where’s the light?
Phil Jackson has a plan. It’s not particularly clear but there’s a plan. And according to Ian Begley of ESPN NY, Jackson urges the Knicks faithful to stay optimistic.
“While I know this has been a challenging season for our team on the court, I can also tell you that everyone in the organization is working tirelessly to get our Knicks back to a place where we are once again competing at the highest level,” Jackson said in a video message obtained by ESPN New York that doubled as a pitch to season ticket holders to renew for the 2015-16 season.
In the letter, Jackson talked about the roster moves he’s made to clear up cap space for free agency. The Knicks are expected to have at least $25 million in cap space this summer.
“We have made key roster moves to free up significant cap space that will provide us greater flexibility to acquire talent in this summer’s free agency,” Jackson said. “And for the first time in many years, we expect to have a top pick in the NBA Draft this June. These are key steps to building a roster of players that have both the talent and character to win in New York and who, alongside Carmelo Anthony, will become a team that can become a consistent winner.“
The free agency thing is disturbing in my opinion. The Knicks talk too much about it. I have this feeling that they’re putting most of their eggs in that particular basket. New York is not the only team out there with a decent salary cap. Now we don’t know if Jackson is a beast in the offseason like the Spurs and the Heat have done in recent years. That remains to be seen. But the Draft can be used to their advantage. And I think Jackson can take it or leave it.
