The New York Knicks felt disappointed after not making to the NBA Eastern conference finals this season after coming in as the number two seed in the playoffs, but after winning the division and 50 games for the first time in years, the team should not see this season as a failure.
Carmelo Anthony had his first, full, normal season with the team after being traded and the Knicks built their roster to what they felt would be as close to a championship team as they could and while it was not the plan to lose to the Indiana Pacers in six games, the team has a chance to go even further next season -as long as they don't screw it up.
This is the biggest problem for Knick fans and team management, as the team that was constructed last year was not a championship team and the fear many have is that Glen Grunwald and everyone else will blow things up after losing and set the team back even further. The best thing for the Knicks to do is to be pragmatic and sign some quality free agents and to keep their financial situation intact heading into 2014, when a number of star players will be available, including LeBron James, Chris Bosh and possibly Paul George among many others.
The Knicks need to add more offense and while they may be tempted to give JR Smith some money, they should be careful with him after what he showed at the end of the playoffs. The team looked strong through three games against the Celtics, but after dropping the next two, things looked like they would be a disaster before they closed things out. Now the team has to realize who they should target and what is best for the future of the team.
Some players the Knicks may look at but shouldn't include Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups and Jarrett Jack, as all are good players, but not the right fit for the Knicks. Howard and/or Paul would be amazing and while that is not happening anyway, Howard would be too much money and a waste with Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire and Paul would be great to play with Anthony, but the money likely won't work out and he probably isn't leaving LA anyway.
Other options they may look at includes Nick Young and while he can score, he is awful on defense and he is not an assists or rebounds guy and it would be tough to bring in someone who can't get to the basket well either. Jermaine O'Neal may be tempting for his size and cheapness, but the Knicks should avoid adding another aging veteran to the roster and that goes for Billups as well, even with the departure of Jason Kidd. Lamar Odom fits that as well and while Jack proved he is a solid player with the Warriors, the team may want to add him in if they let Smith go, but he doesn't really fit into the Knicks system. The team has chance to compete next season, but only if they are smart as they build their roster.
