Clearly man to blame
unappreciative.
Only it makes a lot more sense this time, for both Anthony and the Knicks, because the partnership has run its course under Jackson. No matter how much Anthony and his wife love the city, Jackson’s tanking squad is headed down a path that is incompatible with an aging All-Star and future Hall of Famer.
There is no longer a realistic hope of capitalizing on Anthony’s prime. Top free agents — the ones who have choices — are laughing at the thought of signing with the Knicks to run the triangle and flounder in dysfunction. Kevin Durant didn’t want to meet with New York and neither will the next big fish.
Jackson’s last chance was to nab Dwyane Wade, but he blew the cap space on Joakim Noah. That signing will haunt the Knicks after Jackson is gone.
The only sound strategy now is a full-blown rebuild, led by Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez and whomever the Knicks take in the draft. Jackson will stay through his contract, according to owner James Dolan, so the rebuild will be laid with triangle bricks, even if other shapes provide a sturdier foundation.
ESPN’s Forecast panel — which is made up of over 200 people — rated New York’s management duo of Jackson and Steve Mills as 29th in the NBA, ahead of only Sacramento’s Vlade Divac. (And here we’ve been told that Jackson’s inadequacies were a creation of the New York media.) The same panel ranked Jeff Hornacek 29th among NBA coaches, ahead of only Chicago’s Fred Hoiberg. Ownership rankings are next and we can’t imagine Dolan rallying a comeback for the Knicks.
But Anthony? He’s still an elite scorer who went to 10 straight playoffs, including three with the Knicks, before Jackson was hired. Somewhere in between Linsanity and the triangle takeover, he provided the Garden with play befitting an MVP candidate, along with its first playoff series win in 13 years. nd if this is it for Anthony — if the one superstar who wanted to play for the Knicks is forced to finish the string as a mentor to a tanking team — it’s a sad ending and a reminder of how royally Jackson screwed this up.
A16-59 21-54 22-54 27-48 .213 .280 .289 .360 -5.0 5.5 11.0 28-47 .373 12.0 29-46 .387 13.0 30-44 .405 14.5 31-43 .419 15.5
.427 16.0