Is ignoring the future right?

So, somehow, the New York Knicks at the time of writing were winners in 4 of 5. They also beat a strong team in the New Orleans Hornets. How I hear you ask? Coach Mike D’Antoni, clearly feeling the pressure after a franchise humbling (can they get any lower?) 1-9 start shortened his bench and went almost exclusively with veterans. Suddenly the wins came.

Most people would think that the Knicks should be in re-building mode blow it up and play all the kids. Well things are never that simple with the New York Knicks. Gallinari is playing and contributing; Toney Douglas is playing (at the expense of the distraction that is Nate Robinson) increasingly sparingly but beyond that its veteran guys like Larry Hughes and Al Harrington that are leading the ‘revival’.

You see, with no 1^st round pick in 2010 (moved in order to draft Douglas in the 1^st in 09) the sole motivation for the Knicks remains the ‘summer of LeBron James’. The Knicks remain committed to throwing maximum dollars at King James and other elite free agents such as guard Dwayne Wade. With no pick to use in 2010 they have no other choice. Compare it to putting your house on black in roulette.

The New York Knicks want something to build a team around (James and/or Wade) and they don’t feel like they have a cornerstone on the current roster which is a fair assessment.

The Knicks hope to get to the playoffs this year to show their key targets they can field a competitive team and in the diluted Eastern Conference a 35 win season may just make a playoff team. The problem with D’Antoni’s revised approach is that it means much fewer minutes for recent ‘prized’ pick Jordan Hill as well as reduced minutes for Toney Douglas. The Knicks are forward heavy on the roster and it’s mainly Hill’s minutes (and future?) that’s being compromised to turn to the veterans.

So let’s just say they get into the playoffs and get LeBron. That’s another forward on the roster and it makes you wonder why the franchise drafted Hill when the sole aim was to go after a guy like James, perhaps the best player on the planet. With young forwards Dino Gallinari and David Lee as part of the future already on the roster Hill is looking more and more like an odd pick. It also makes the Knicks look clueless for not drafting guard Brandon Jennings (thriving in Milwaukee by the way) when they were crying out, and still are, for backcourt help. Like I said, things are never simple with the Knicks.

So the Knicks leave Hill in the stands and reduce Douglas’ playing time to an afterthought. They have their reasons and don’t seem to care who or what is affected en route. But think about this, if the Knicks win the lottery and sign LeBron James wouldn’t they be much better placed having not wasted picks and playing time and instead, had built a team which King James could lead?