LeBron James and the Knicks

The management of the New York Knicks must make a conscious effort to build a team for the future. They should not bend to the will of the fans. They should not bend to the will of the Sports personalities of the various media outlets. The vast majority of fans and Sports personalities seek instant gratification. The Knicks often traveled that road. Yet, still their cupboard remains empty since the era of Fraser, Reed and Bradley. Since 1972 the Knicks were only contenders on two occasions. Those occasions were during the era of Patrick Ewing.
Management must be astute. They should not sign free agents. They must acquire top five draft picks in every draft in the next three years. The Knicks should use whomever they have on their roster in the attempts to procure the draft picks. If it is necessary, the Knicks ought to utilize a portion of the cap room in such efforts to obtain young talented players in a two-three year window. Championship teams are constructed with a core of players who were molded together for a few years. This is primarily done through the drafts. The Knicks have always been about a team oriented players. Certainly, Bradley, Fraser and Willis Read were obtained through the drafts in the mid1960s. Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson were draft choices in the early to mid 1980s. The Knicks must not simply throw their money around at high-priced one-dimensional players. They must get back to top notch scouting. Rod Strickland was the last draft choice of merit. The Knicks’ management made too many mistakes. That’s certainly the biggest reason the franchise is in such a sorry state.
David Lee has outstanding numbers. It shows David Lee can obtain his numbers on the offence end of the floor. However, David Lee is too undersized at the center position. David Lee is required to defend players he simply cannot guard.
Mike D’Antoni and The current coaching staff need the addition and the input of a defensive wizard. The coaches need to simply emphasize and demand the players perform a high quality on defense in every given game. Perhaps, the players could not and cannot produce the necessary defense which would allow then to win more close games. David Lee simply cannot defend any player at the center position. He was simply not good. He had help. Yet, he was quite frankly overmatched in the paint. He’s not worth the dollars his numbers will command. The current Knicks players possess little or no defensive acumen. Fans chant defense. They don’t scream offense. Offense is pretty. But even, Magic Johnson’s show time Lakers realized it was necessary to play top notch defense to win championships. Defense takes teams to the finals. Defense wins championships. The Knicks are light years away from producing a team as capable to contend every year similar to the Patrick Ewing era teams much less be dreaming of championships.
LeBron James has had a better supporting cast of players than Ewing ever had. Yet LeBron James failed to deliver a championship for the Cleveland franchise. What makes Knicks fans conclude that LeBron James would lead the Knicks to the promise land is beyond my imagination? LeBron James belongs in Cleveland. It would be best LeBron James completed his career there.
The Knicks should make every effort to obtain five or six studs and a supporting cast from the next three drafts. While, building through the draft, the Knicks should add players from the free agent market for fine tuning the team. The need is to commit to young legs. The requirement ought to be acquiring players who are equipped to play at high levels at both ends of the floor. The thinking must be players similar to the quality of Willis, Patrick and Clyde. Amare Stoudemire was signed to a five-year pact of some $100 million. That seems an effort to lure LeBron James to sign with the Knicks . . . LeBron James is a pretender. LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire are not the best choices the Knicks should make . . .
They should be thinking draft picks over the nest three-year to four-year period. Thus build a franchise, a team around a core, a nucleus of players whom would be identified as Knicks for their entire careers, and lives.