New York Knicks: An 8-Step Guide To Respectability

Feb 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Wearing a Charles Oakley jersey director Spike Lee reacts during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Wearing a Charles Oakley jersey director Spike Lee reacts during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
8 of 8
Feb 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) falls in front of Knicks executive chairman James Dolan during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) falls in front of Knicks executive chairman James Dolan during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Embrace the Long Game

The time has come, finally, for the New York Knicks to admit what other teams have known for some time: there is no way to skip the painful process of building a winner, even in New York.

The team, from top to bottom, needs to understand and accept that the next two seasons will likely result in more losses than wins.

The hope is that by that time, the team will have added enough young talent through the draft to compliment KP as he enters the prime of his career.

The Knicks need to resist the urge to make win-now moves over that time frame – a task that will become immensely easier once Carmelo Anthony’s stranglehold on the organization has finally come to an end.

Must Read: 2017 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Point Guards Dominate The Top Five

If they can do so, there is at least a chance that Phil Jackson walks out the door in two years having set the team up for something it hasn’t had in a generation: a real chance at contending.