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Don't call it rebuilding, this is the beginning of a Knicks overhaul
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
4th September, 2014
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Carmelo Anthony in his time with the New York Knicks. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
4th September, 2014
4

The Knicks aren’t rebuilding – they’ll do that next year. Right now, they’re just trying to get through a tough Eastern Conference.

You could be forgiven for mistaking their overhauls as retooling, however.

Mike Woodson and his whole entourage were fired, with Steve Mills being brought on as general manager, Phil Jackson named as president and Derek Fisher becoming the new head coach.

Add in to that formula Kurt Rambis as an assistant head coach, and the slew of hirings named today, and on paper at least, it’s a formula for success.

Four assistant coaches were unveiled, among them two that had been headhunted from the Oklahoma City Thunder, so you know bringing proven success onboard is one thing we can count on James Dolan for this season, if nothing else.

The most lucrative hire came in the form of Jim Cleamons, a longtime Phil Jackson protege, winning nine NBA titles with him in both Chicago and Los Angeles, with another coming as a player in 1972.

Having played for the Knicks for two years in the 1970s, Cleamons returns to his former team with a wealth of proven coaching success, perhaps only matched by the Zen Master himself.

It’s a shame the roster isn’t as inspiring as the men on the sideline, though. Yes, Carmelo is still there, but Carmelo was there last year, and year before that, and the year before that.

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Carmelo is there, but where’s the success?

Tim Hardaway Jr was a breakout star last season, and one of the few lone bright spots in an otherwise disastrous Knicks season. He should get the starting nod alongside new acquisition Jose Calderon at the guard positions.

Melo will obviously play small forward, with the four and five positions probably being occupied by Amar’e Stoudemire and Sam Dalembert respectively.

Veteran presences of Andrea Bargnani, Jason Smith and Travis Outlaw can help out, as can Kenyon Martin if he’s re-signed.

Rookies Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokoumpo should be able to contribute some valuable minutes off the bench, and add some spark to this struggling Knicks team.

New York right now is just in a holding pattern, waiting for the contracts of Bargnani and Stoudemire to expire, both of whom are clearly well beyond their best days on the hardwood.

Once the front office can get their combined contracts of $34.9 million off the books, the team can aggressively start going after free agents in the 2014-15 offseason.

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Luring potential talent in will come not only with the promise of playing alongside Melo and being coached by Phil, but playing in arguably one of the great cities of the world.

The time for the Knicks to take charge is now. The Eastern Conference is all shaken up with LeBron going back home, and Kevin Love joining him.

Miami is no longer the perennial championship contenders they have been for the past few years, and Indiana will struggle with Paul George out for the season.

If the Knicks can finish above .500 and make a strong run in the playoffs, it may prove incentive enough for some big free agent fish to land in the Big Apple come next offseason.

The Knicks are hoping so, anyway.

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