Sir Charles in Charge
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New York Knicks 2017-18 season primer: Can Kristaps Porzingis save NY?

By Jonathan Macri

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 17: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on November 17, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 17: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on November 17, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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GREENBURGH, NY – AUGUST 11: Frank Ntilikina of the New York Knicks poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
GREENBURGH, NY – AUGUST 11: Frank Ntilikina of the New York Knicks poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Key Additions and Losses

Derrick Rose, the former MVP acquired in Phil Jackson’s ill-fated, win-now approach from the summer of 2016, is mercifully gone. 

With him goes the glimpses of his former self which were enough to make the casual fan forget the fact that he has become a non-shooting point guard who does nothing to improve his team’s offense and gives approximately -2.68 shits per possession on the defensive end. Other than that, the move was a resounding success. 

Also gone into the Montana wilderness is the man that brought Rose here.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

The book on Phil Jackson likely won’t be closed for some time, not until Porzingis plays his last game with the team. Despite the shenanigans, if the Knicks young star continues to progress on his current track, Phil will be remembered fondly. He also has one hell of a pair of…feet.

What turned out to be Jackson’s last major personal move was the drafting of Frank Ntilikina.

The young Frenchman will always be compared with Dennis Smith Jr., the uber-athletic guard drafted directly after him who is high on flash but low on the qualities Phil sought in his floor general of the future. The pick promises to look bad early on, but thankfully the Knicks are in no rush to compete.

The other major addition of the summer was a player Jackson sent packing two years ago. His return came with quite a bit more fanfare. 

The Tim Hardaway Jr. contract has been widely derided as the summer’s grossest overpay, especially after reports surfaced that the Hawks were valuing him somewhere in the range of $12 million annually. 

Far more significant than the wisdom of the signing itself was when it was made: during the roughly ten day period between Jackson’s departure and Scott Perry’s arrival. Perry noted that he praised the move from afar when it was announced. Whether he would have bet so heavily on a largely unproven commodity is another question altogether. 

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