When the New York Knicks landed Phil Jackson as team president, there were celebrations among fans that felt the club had finally made the right move when it came to finding the leader that would turn the franchise around. He brought championship pedigree, clout and renewed optimism.
Then New York bottomed out last season and for as painful as that season was for the fans, they knew they had a chance to turn things around quickly thanks to a high first-round pick and a ton of cap space in a major market.
However, the Knicks struck out on several occasions in free agency this summer and head into the season on a huge downer. They won’t be contending for a title and even reaching the playoffs could be a stretch.
Here’s a look at all the times they Knicks whiffed in free agency:
DeAndre Jordan
Jordan was considered the most likely of the free agent big men to sign with the Knicks but after he met with the Dallas Mavericks, he made the decision to stay in the Western Conference where he will have the opportunity to be a core player next to the aging Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. One of the reasons Jordan reportedly left the Los Angeles Clippers was the fact that he didn’t like the way he was treated by his teammate Chris Paul and there is a good chance he wanted a fresh start with a team that wouldn’t force him to deal with bigger egos like Anthony’s in New York. He left to Dallas for less money than he could have had with the Clippers but he believes he still has a good shot to win the title. New York couldn’t offer that.
LaMarcus Aldridge
The fact that Aldridge refused to even meet with the Knicks was even more embarrassing the missing out on Jordan. They couldn’t even get a face-to-face with the star big man that ended up signing with the San Antonio Spurs. It was clear from the outset that the most important aspect for Aldridge was the opportunity to contend for an NBA title right now and the Knicks couldn’t offer that.
Kevin Love
Another opportunity to sign an All-Star big man fell through when Love signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers after briefly entertaining offers from the Knicks and Boston Celtics in free agency. Love ultimately decided that one more opportunity to contend for a title with LeBron James and the Cavaliers was more alluring than becoming a core player in the triangle offense in New York. This was another reminder for the Knicks that the luster of their franchise has worn off. Yes, New York is a great city and Madison Square Garden has a lot of history. In a different generation, those things would have drawn a guy like Love to New York – especially given all of the rumors of how disgruntled he was and how he didn’t quite fit the Cavs system. However, the Knicks are in shambles and Love wanted nothing to do with them.
Greg Monroe
Robin Lopez was a solid signing considering the need for a big man and the fact that they couldn’t do any better but the bottom line is that New York missed out on several key free agents with Monroe filling out that list as perhaps their most embarrassing miss. In normal times, the Monroe-type would be a home sure-fire acquisition. We’re talking about a guy who was overshadowed in Detroit, wanted the chance to shine and was weighing all of his options. Nine times out of 10 New York outweighs Milwaukee but not this time. The Knicks offered Monroe the same amount of money over the same term but ultimately he decided to sign with the Bucks instead. It was the final straw on a long list of misses for New York this offseason. At this point, it appears as though things could get worse for Jackson and the Knicks before they get better as they are forced to take the long route for turning the franchise’s fortunes around.
