The Knicks' season was going moderately well until they lost Kristaps Porzingis for the season. Behind Kristaps, who was having his best season as a pro and had qualified for his first All-Star team, the Knicks were in contention to qualify for the team's first postseason berth since 2012-13.
Porzingis tore his left ACL in a February matchup with Milwaukee, and the season went downhill from there. The Knicks finished 11th in the East and head coach Jeff Hornacek and associate head coach Kurt Rambis were fired.
As New York seeks its next head coach, the Knicks' hopes for snapping their postseason streak ride largely on the shoulders of the Latvian star. He may, however, miss more time than many expected. According to a new interview with owner James Dolan in the New York Post, Porzingis' return date is not yet known—but it could be as far out as a year from now.
"I've been told everything from December to him being out for the season, so I don't know what to expect on that," Dolan said. "But we can't just sit on our ass while he's away. We need to develop a team and then integrate him into it when he comes back."
Dolan fired some light shots at Hornacek and former team president Phil Jackson in the interview.
"I think Hornacek had the same kind of issue that Phil did in that he didn't grasp how different the players are now in the way they think and deal with management and the coaches," Dolan said. "I think he was way behind on that. But I think Jeff is a good coach and he'll do well when he's hired by another team."
Rumors have indicated the Knicks are considering Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Woodson, David Blatt, David Fizdale, Jerry Stackhouse, and Kenny Smtih. Yep—Kenny Smith.
