The Knicks Season Was a Success

After a team bows out of the playoffs, especially if they lose against a team that their fans believed they could beat, there are some initial hard feelings. We need to take a step back though and look at things objectively. The New York Knicks fall into this category. The Knicks were a team that few expected to be competing for a championship this season, yet they gave us a nice playoff run. They made the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade and established new stars. It was, in short, a successful season.

New York now faces some big questions in the off season and it becomes a time where we look at this team to either take the next step up and become a legit contender, or regress and fall back into obscurity. Tom Thibodeau is 65 years old and there has to be some questions about his long term future. Thibodea's defensive mentality is infectious and it certainly helped New York get to the point of a solid basketball team this year, but we have to wonder, is this as high as Thibodeau can go? Buck Showalter has that "ceiling" tag attached to his resume, and those questions don't go away until you win it all. Just ask Andy Reid.

Their next question will be what happens with Julius Randle. Randle was billed as the stallworth on this Knicks team, and despite the injury issues, he has been. But, now this is Jalen Brusnon's team and Randle is someone who's constant playoff no shows have irked the fanbase. Randle could fetch a nice return for New York, which combined with their draft capital in coming years could result in a star player returning.

That leaves us with the biggest question of the offseason. Do the Knicks finally get their superstar? First it was LeBron, then it was Durant, Dame was in their sights and now this franchise pivots to Giannis. The talk of the Greek Freak coming to MSG began minutes after his Bucks were ousted from the playoffs. New York was on everyone's lips and that chatter is good for the NBA. Is it good for New York though? Giannis in a Knicks uniform would be fantastic, and you have to go get him at all costs. But, like LeBron, Durant, Dame and many others this is more of a rumor than a reality.

Build around Brunson, who looks like a star. Get him a supporting cast, keep Thibodea, and progress to the next round. This year was a success and 2024 can be even better.