Knicks Fans Just Can’t Seem to Catch a Break
The Knicks are nothing if not consistent. This could be a good thing. But the team’s version of consistency has less to do with their performance on the court than their terrible luck off of it. Experiencing one of the worst stretches in franchise history, the Knicks hoped to get good luck this year by moving up in the draft. Instead, they moved down two spots in what’s becoming a new tradition.
The Knicks live in infamy
The Knicks have spent most of the last 10 years in the lottery, but what they have to show for it is thin. Starting in 2010, when the team missed out on a first-round pick, the Knicks had a series of mishaps and bad choices that set them back for years. Early on in the decade, the team made the playoffs and took the burden off of these mistakes, but something changed with every passing year.
They found some diamonds in the rough, such as Iman Shumpert, with the seventeenth pick in 2011, but many of their picks proved disappointing, if not busts. To add insult to injury, despite being one of the worst teams in the NBA for several of those years, the Knicks struggled to move up in any draft despite having so many times to do so.
Even when their picks worked out, the Knicks had little to hang their hats on. Kristaps Porzingis, who was easily the team’s best pick, showed some of the promise prescribed to him in pre-draft media rounds. Still, his tenure in New York was filled with lost promise and many asking what could have been. Recent picks like Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and RJ Barrett are similarly underwhelming.
This year, after years of trying, the Knicks hoped to right the ship. That didn’t happen.
Going down again
The Knicks had the sixth-best odds of winning the NBA draft and even better odds of staying put, reports CBS Sports. However, once the lottery was held, they found themselves moving down the draft order once again. Instead of LaMelo Ball or another promising young talent, the team will have to wait and hope.
To add insult to injury, NBA players began to troll the Knicks. De’Aaron Fox openly mocked the team for falling to No. 8. He posted a video of him beating the team on a dunk to put the knife into their backs further. The team that has not seen a No. 1 pick since 1985 could not be in worse shape. But picking at No. 8, there are still some promising young options available — if they can draft well, at least.
Who can the Knicks pick?
The Knicks have several options up their sleeves. On the one hand, they can try to pick the best available player, details the New York Post. With a new coach and a front office trying to get over the mistakes of the prior regime, the team has plenty of young players. They could theoretically decide to move a new pick for an established veteran. At number eight, however, this might require some wise moves.
If the team is looking for a young point guard to lead the way, this draft has several options. From Cole Anthony to Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes to Isaac Okoro, the team will likely have a chance to draft one of these players and build a roster around them. However, regardless of what they do, the Knicks have to look in the mirror and ask why the same things happen.
Whether one wants to blame the owner, lousy luck, former presidents, or something else, the Knicks are a league-wide joke. Whatever they do, it will be put on blast in a way few other markets can promise. Hopefully, after years of negativity, this blast can be something positive. But next year will be filled with the same lost hopes and dreams. `
