The New York Knicks have gone through a rough stretch for the past few weeks, seeing them effectively eliminated from the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Now sitting at 24-35, they would have to leapfrog five teams in order to secure a playoff berth, a feat that seems improbable at best.
The team was previously in the mix for the lower seeds in the Eastern playoff picture. This slide reportedly has Knicks owner James Dolan upset (via Frank Isola of the New York Daily News):
The MSG chairman, according to a source, was visibly agitated following the Knicks’ lackluster performance in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
It is unclear if Dolan addressed team president Phil Jackson, just as he did one week before Derek Fisher was fired. But Dolan is said to be just as angry as Anthony with the direction of the Knicks, who are 24-34 entering Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
This makes sense, of course. Every team owner desires to have their franchise be in the playoffs every year, for financial reasons if nothing else. The fact of the matter, however, is that the Knicks overachieved to ever be in the playoff hunt. The team is relying on rookie Kristaps Porzingis and an older and oft-injured Carmelo Anthony to be its best players. In any situation, that would be a tough road to travel.
This expectation of reaching the playoffs is an unhealthy problem that Dolan has had before. Most recently, it may have led to the firing of head coach Derek Fisher, though team president Phil Jackson took responsibility of the decision himself. The Knicks have had a strong start to what will likely be a long rebuilding process, especially in having found what seems to be a potential superstar in Porzingis. It would be wise for the team to continue on this path without any massive expectations of success.
