The 2014-2015 season for the Knicks was a disaster, one that made fans think there wasn't much hope for the near future. Finishing with a 17-65 record, it is widely considered to have been the worst season in franchise history. As you could imagine, this brought outrage to the New York fans and media, which called for drastic change.
Many thought that with the acquisition of NBA legend Phil Jackson, the Knicks were bound to soar to new heights. This was not the start everyone was hoping for. Their last place finish, and the fact that they received only the 4th pick in the draft, made the whole season a monstrosity. It seemed like everything was just an experiment gone wrong. The hiring of the recently retired Derek Fisher as head coach, the famous "triangle offense" that Jackson adopted during his amazing run as Lakers' head coach, and the adoption of a somewhat "moneyball" like roster with only one superstar. It certainly was not what New York fans were used to.
This year, things seem to be a bit different. Their extremely controversial pick of Kristaps Porzingis out of Lativa, which many thought was the last straw of Phil Jackson's short and rough Knick's career, is showing signs of being a very solid NBA player. Also, with their free agent acquisitions of Aaron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn, New York has a roster of respected NBA players. Their undisputed superstar, Carmelo Anthony, is now healthy and ready to prove the city that he grew up in that he is worth his ginormous contract.
The Knicks have started with a 5-6 record, already 10 wins away from matching their entire 2014 win total. They look like they most certainly can be a playoff team, especially due to the fact that they are in the Eastern Conference, which has always been weak. No one is saying that they would be able to stand a chance against the juggernauts of Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami, Toronto and Chicago, but they certainly can squeeze their way into a 7th or 8th seed and give them a run for their money. For a team that is rebuilding, they look like they could possibly be a team that can contend.
It was brutal watching the Knicks last year, and by saying brutal, I'm being polite. They, at times, looked like a D-League team. This year though, it seems like the Zen Master has put together a team that can actually do something in the weak Eastern Conference. It's not unheard of to think that they can finish with a .500 record, or maybe a little above that. Maybe everyone was a little too harsh with the Knicks, after all, it was just one season. It's still very early in the season, but us Knicks fans do have some hope, and that's more than we could ask for following what was going on just one year ago.
