The Knicks are in Total Meltdown Mode Thanks to T.J. McConnell
Since last season, teams that the Sixers beat almost universally fell into full breakdown mode. Earlier this year, the New Orleans Pelicans had an existential crisis after a particularly bad ass-whooping. Now, it’s the Knicks’ turn.
After last night’s T.J. McConnell dagger – still can’t believe I’m typing that – Courtney Lee was pissed. “Definitely embarrassing the way we’re losing games,” Lee said. “There’s no excuses. It’s just us. This shit is definitely embarrassing. We have to find consistency in everything — soon.” Melo got so spun by T.J. that he didn’t “have a recollection” of the final play and would have to go back and watch the film. T.J., it seems, ripped a hole in the space-time continuum. Derrick Rose, I can only assume, wound up in a different city.
This full-scale meltdown even inspired one New York Post columnist – Fred Kerber – to call for the Knicks to blow the whole thing up, but Melo stands in the way:
Yup, seen it before. So a popular refrain is “Tear it down.” But haven’t we seen that, too? While Brown was touting the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and the recovering Ben Simmons, Hornacek was proclaiming the Derrick Rose AWOL matter had reached a satisfactory conclusion.
Yeah, tear it down.
To do so, the Knicks have to find a deal for Anthony. They can’t go back for a sign-and-trade. Anthony landed a five-year, $124 million deal with a no-trade clause and 15 percent trade kicker. He has three years left (third-year player option), so try finding someone willing to take on two years at $60 million — $50 million in salary, $10 million through the trade kicker.
Oh, and it has to be a team he will approve. An online trade machine suggested two deals. One was to Boston, requiring the Celtics to give up five players. Not happening.
All of this in a year where Derrick Rose proclaimed them a “super team” and said they have a chance to win every game. Right now, the Knicks have won one of their last 10 games and are only 4.5 game ahead of the “officially awful” Sixers.
Kerber ends his column like this:
So the Knicks are, pardon the King’s English, screwed. Jackson took a win-now approach to this season and it so far has flopped. So roll the dice for the rest of 2016-17 in a pretty pathetic Eastern Conference. Try for the playoffs. If not, take the lottery pick and start rebuilding again.
At least they’re familiar with the process.
Every game the Sixers win is a step forward in the Process. For the opposing team, it’s the Red Wedding.