KNICKS SEARCHING FOR NEW VOICE
Mills-Perry duo get first big chance to put stamp on team with coaching decision
IM HARDAWAY JR. looked closer to 36 years old than 26 on Thursday, as he contemplated the fifth head-coaching change in his five-year NBA career.
“It would be great to have a coach for more than two years,” Hardaway mused a few hours after the Knicks officially announced the firing of Jeff Hornacek. “It’s been tough to have a different coach, different philosophies and different styles of play all the time.”
Finding the right guy to end the revolving door of head coaches is the job of Knicks team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, who now have the chance to show us they know what they’re doing. This is the moment Mills has been groomed for — the chance to step out of the shadows of former team president Phil Jackson and owner James Dolan and prove he can be more than just a loyal lieutenant.
His hiring of Perry as the GM in July seems to be a good fit, absent of the power struggles that have hurt the Knicks in the past. Mills and Perry should come with their own hashtag. “We’re in this thing together,” Perry said. That’s why their press conference on Thursday wasn’t really about what went wrong under Hornacek, but why we should have faith in #MillsPerry.
Mills sounded confident and in charge — defending the firing of Hornacek, addressing what he wants in a new head coach and explaining the long-term plan for rebuilding the franchise.
“We want to build a culture that stands for something,” he said.
Trading Carmelo Anthony was the first big move for #MillsPerry, an addition by subtraction. The hiring of a head coach will have a much bigger imprint, and then they will try to maximize their opportunities in their first draft together.
“We have a plan for what this team should look like over the next three years or so,” Mills said. “This was the right time to make a change.” It’s a fair to question how much of a new approach Mills can offer. We must assume he was at the table for a lot of the decisions that didn’t work out for the Knicks — like the signing of Joakim Noah, the trade for Derrick Rose and the hiring of head coaches Derek Fisher and Hornacek. Mills might have had input, but he escaped ridicule because the final decisions and course of the franchise was charted by Jackson, who went from hero to zero in about 24 months.
With his Princeton roots, NBA connections and the backing of ownership, Mills is ready to reshape the franchise with Perry as co-pilot. The scouting department and developmental programs have already been tweaked. Now it’s time to change the coach and enhance the roster.
“We’re confident in the processes we put in place and that they’ll bear fruit as we move forward,” Perry said.
It was a bit unnerving when they harped on patience and offered accounts of fans telling them to resist the quick fix, and, as Mills put it, “fix it the right way.” Asking for patience sounds like: “Don’t expect to win any time soon.” It’s a big ask from a franchise that has averaged 29 wins over the past five seasons. They must avoid the mistakes of the past. Fisher was a first-year head coach in over his head, who knew he was Jackson’s consolation choice after Steve Kerr went to Golden State. Hornacek never had a chance after being forced to run Jackson’s triangle offense last year and losing Kristaps Porzingis to an ACL this season. The new coach will at least have the full support of a cohesive front office. He won’t be forced to be a puppet the way Hornacek was. The ideal coach is someone who understands today’s players and will demand accountability. They also want a coach who appreciates 3-point shooting and an up-tempo offense, but puts an emphasis on defense. “We’re looking for a good coach that can relate to all those things,” Perry said. Good luck with that. If it doesn’t work this time, #MillsPerry have no one left to blame.