According to Phil Jackson, the New York Knicks terrible season is actually something that can be turned into a positive for the franchise. While most teams do not see it that way, the team president is confident things turn around this offseason with free agency being the priority. All Jackson is asking is that fans stick by the team because better things are coming.
At this moment, the Knicks are in the running to land the No. 1 draft pick this year. They currently hold the worst record in the league and the worst record in franchise history. If they can finish that way, the Knicks cannot earn a pick that falls lower than No. 4 while also having the best odds for the No. 1 pick. Jackson likes the idea that one pick can change everything.
"A draft pick can move an entire organization forward ... and this is our opportunity," Jackson said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "If you sit around (picking) in the 20s and the late teens when you're drafting players, you're not going to move the franchise ahead. You've got to have a high draft pick to do that. They're the ones that really move the franchise ahead. And this is our opportunity. It may be a godsend in the end result."
While the Knicks will be active in the upcoming draft, they will also have a big free agency run ahead of them with good amount of salary cap space to burn. With the idea to build around Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are preparing to target big names while also considering keeping a few players on the roster for next year. The team is expected to have over $25 million to spend and general manager Steve Mills wants the Knicks to be smart with the money.
"It's a different approach than in the past -- we won't go after the biggest name out there, we'll go after players who fit in system and style," Mills said. "It may in fact be a big-name player but it's going to be who fits system-wise."
Mills confirmed that Anthony was active in the process of free agency. The team would like an elite point guard like Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic. They would like a solid defender which could come from Greg Monroe while Kevin Love is in the back of everyone's minds. Jackson also hinted that Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke's Jahlil Okafor could be taken No. 1 overall with the pick if they earn it.
