Knicks Stuff

Interesting day.  Heading into this offseason, I maintained for months that Phil Jackson and the Knicks needed a smart plan. After bad lottery luck, they were able still have a strong draft, though they were not able to add extra picks for a draft that was deep through the middle if light on talent at the top. So that was all okay, except for the fact that during the draft Phil melted down and horrified the base by shopping Kristaps Porzingis.  And he was rightly fired.  But the Knicks still looked deeply dysfunctional, even thoough Phil left them with all of their first rounders intact and only one terrible contract.  Things started to look desperate when the Knicks brought back Hardaway for good player money - though less than what Otto Porter (a single digit scorer) was able to score by playing the RFA market.

Last week it looked like they were willing to cede control over the David Griffin, the ousted Cleveland GM, but that fell apart over the weekend, either because he was unwilling to work under Mills, or because Mills wouldn't let him bring in his own guys.  Things still looked dysfunctional, though now they look like they might have been reasonable.

Meanwhile, they have been in the midst of trading Melo to Houston for the past two weeks.

Things got a lot better today, wich started out with other teams claiming the Knicks already had their new GM, and scaring longtime Knick fans into thinking it was Houston.  Thankfully, it wasn't. It's Scott Perry, a highly regarded executive and talent evaluator.  He's sort of got the Walsh rep without the ludicrous mileage.

Bringing up Walsh, our last two brand name Czars have left behind but some talent.  In Walsh's case it was Warkentein, who I think he poached from Toronto, and in Phil's case it's Big House 2, the scout who found KP, Willy and others.  So, if we look at Mills as sort of a Net Neutral, meaning bright enough guy who'll realize the Knicks best interests are his best interests, adding Perry to Wark and Gaines coudl really work out for the Knicks,

And we should know as soon as we see the take back from the Melo deal and what we are able to turn it into.  Interesting times.