J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are gone. The losing may now begin.
Or rather, continue.
Shipping out Smith and Shumpert for fodder and cap space—a move first reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski—has put the New York Knicks all in on this season's tank-fest. Phil Jackson approached 2014-15 thinking his team could compete for a playoff spot. Circumstances have since changed for the worse, so he re-charted New York's course, for the better.
Hopefully.
"As our journey moves through this season, we will search for the type of players that fit the style we hope to exhibit for our fans," he said in a team statement. "Our desire is to improve our ability to compete. In addition, these transactions improve our flexibility to the current roster and the salary cap for future seasons."
Additional cap flexibility in hand, the already last-place Knicks have ferried themselves to the point of no return. They are no longer operating under the assumption—farcical or genuine—that they can win anything immediately. And, as a result, there is no turning back now.
There is only delv ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Favale
New York Knicks’ Tanking Blueprint to Get Franchise Back on Track
January 6th, 2015 by Dan Favale Leave a reply »
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