The summer bonanza of Kevin Durant is upon us! Or so it seems these days. As the losses for the Knicks pile up, the topic of conversation has started to shift to the offseason and what’s to come next season.
Scenarios of the Knicks landing Zion Williamson and Kevin Durant have been dreamed about and dissected by many. Recently, Steve Mills gave his version of The State of The Knicks, in which he touched on a variety of many subjects. Knicks fans should be very confident that no matter what happens this next offseason, the front office has a clear vision and won’t rush into any decisions.
Steve Mills acknowledged during his press conference that the Knicks are prepared and will be able to offer one max contract this coming offseason, with some work to do if the Knicks want to make room for two stars. He also let fans know that the front office would not be in any rush to spend the money available if the top targets of the franchise do not come to New York. Some were up in arms about Mills and the front office not necessarily viewing this summer as a make or break year, claiming that Mills was simply hedging his bet in case the plan for Durant didn’t work out. In reality, Mills is spot on with his assessment and wants to act in a responsible manner where he won’t cripple the franchise with bad deals going forward.
In his press conference, Mills took the time to acknowledge the disaster that was Joakim Noah’s deal for 4 years and 72 million. He is certainly cognizant that he is associated with that deal and took a sly dig at Phil Jackson when he stated that were he solely responsible for handing out contracts, that it would have never happened. He wants to distance himself from the poor judgements of Phil Jackson and have Knicks fans keep faith in what him and Scott Perry are building. In addition to distancing himself from past poor decisions, he aligned himself with the youth movement and establishment of a solid culture moving forward. He stressed the importance of developing the young players and admitted that it’s on the front office to make Frank Ntilikina confident in his abilities and have him playing with more aggression.
Coach Fizdale and the front office seem to be in a nice groove with one another, and Mr Dolan seems to be minding his own business and letting them do their jobs. Fizdale to this point has done great work with a limited roster, making Emmanuel Mudiay an NBA caliber point guard, developing Noah Vonleh into a solid two way player, and having numerous young players growing in front of our eyes every week.
In a season where you can throw the record out the window, the Knicks have done a nice job of developing a young core and culture, while setting themselves up for future success by making New York an attractive destination once again. With Fizdale at the helm, an excellent front office and a scouting department that has found gems everywhere, the franchise is poised for a turnaround soon. This season has a different feel relative to other losing seasons and fans should be pleased to have a front office with a clear vision for the future. The Garden will be rocking again Knicks fans, just stay the course.
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