The 15-win 2014-2015 New York Knicks, owners of the worst record in franchise history, will be forced to make major changes coming this offseason. Per HoopsHype, four players on the roster have guaranteed contracts for next season (Carmelo Anthony, Cleanthony Early, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jose Calderon), and with a stocked free agent class and a potential No. 1 overall draft pick to play with, Knicks VP Phil Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher will be aiming for a quick turnaround.
"We are not here trying to go from 15 to 36," Fisher told Newsday. "That's just not who we are. So it can turn around quickly. It will turn around quickly. But we don't really have to put a number on it."
Wait, 36 wins for 2015-2016? That seems a bit arbitrary. Well, it's not. Fisher's been on his abacus shit lately:
"We are 6-21 in games by six points or less this year. So we lost 21 games on two possessions," he said. (Note: the current No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference Standings are on 36 wins for the year.)
Okay. But Fish, how are the Knicks going to improve by 48 wins to go 63-19 next season? The largest one-season turnaround in NBA season belongs the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics, who won 42 more games after acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the offseason. The Knicks will be fortunate to add ONE player of the caliber of 2007 Garnett and Allen this summer, as former Knicks executive Donnie Walsh indicated to the New York Post.
"We can go from 15 to 63 if we really want to. But that is up to us," said Fisher.
Ah, right. Because the Knicks' biggest problem is "wanting it more" or "trying harder." Granted, that may be the case: Fisher is coaching a roster full of players who won't be in New York next season, so it's possible that the type of commitment and effort he's been looking for hasn't been there. The message for 2015-2016 is set though: If you want to win 63 games (the number these Knicks have already lost this season), you really have to want to win 63 games.
Right.
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[via Newsday]
