The Knicks Suffered For Two Decades To Find Success

Andy Hoops

Before the Jalen Brunson era, the New York Knicks experienced 20 years of mediocrity with no signs of ever getting back on track. That's why it's so shocking for Knicks fans to finally watch a team that's worth cheering for. Let's take a look at how they got here.  I make all kinds of NBA videos which include analysis, player stories, countdowns, and mysteries. Make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video!  ► X (Twitter): @AndyHoopsYT ► TikTok: @AndyHoopsYT ► Music:  Music: Bay Breeze by FortyThr33 is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Support by RFM - NCM:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q_nZXa6a2g  Floating Cities by Kevin MacLeod Basic Implosion by Kevin MacLeod  Available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Find all of his songs and download them for free here: http://incompetech.com  ► Sources: Stats and box-scores from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, Statmuse.com, PBPstats.com  #nba #knicks #nyknicks

Transcript

00:01From the 2000s through the 2010s, the Knicks and their fans have suffered for two decades.

00:08Even with moderate levels of success during the Carmelo Anthony era, you never got the

00:13sense the organization was building the team in a meaningful way.

00:17I mean, they had one of the oldest rosters for several years, and plenty of players who

00:21simply did not care about winning.

00:24Still, the fans were okay with that, because as tumultuous as the Melo era was, it was

00:29still miles better than what happened previously.

00:32The Stephon Marbury era, with Isaiah Thomas as the head of operations.

00:38It was, without question, the worst era in franchise history.

00:42Heck, it might even be the worst era of any team's history, just due to the sheer combination

00:47of bad management, selfish players, horrendous chemistry, and a complete lack of effort.

00:53There wasn't any other team that got booed as often on their home court as the Knicks did.

00:58They deserved it.

01:00So, what makes this era of New York basketball different?

01:03This time, it's not necessarily the talent that's carried them thus far, but their camaraderie,

01:09their trust in each other, their relentless drive and motivation to win at any cost, even

01:14through injuries.

01:15Because they play for each other.

01:17This team is the embodiment of New York.

01:20They love the hustle and hard work these players put in.

01:23And that's why Knicks fans have flooded arenas across the country.

01:27But, how exactly were they able to concoct a team filled with similar-minded players like

01:33this, all with intangibles across the board?

01:36How's going folks?

01:37My name's Andy.

01:38And today, let's take a look at everything that led to this era of Knicks basketball.

01:43Every move, every decision was calculated.

01:46And now, they truly stand out as an anomaly on the biggest stage.

01:53We may be getting to a point with the losing, to where Carmelo may consider waving that

01:59no-trade clause.

02:00They feel that my time in New York is just over them.

02:03Knicks fans, very well aware, this could be his final game.

02:06In the 2017 offseason, after four straight years of missing the playoffs, the Knicks decided,

02:12yeah, it was time to move on.

02:14Melo's last few years have been met with some mixed feelings.

02:18On one hand, the Knicks finally had a hometown superstar they can cheer for.

02:22On the other hand, Melo was no longer good enough to build a playoff team around.

02:27He was holding this team back, not just on the court, but his contract.

02:32One of the few players in NBA history with a no-trade clause in his contract.

02:36Which is why the Knicks could not get much in return for him.

02:39Though the 2018 second-round pick did eventually turn into Mitchell Robinson.

02:44Not too long after, they traded away Porzingis, a young player who many thought would carry

02:50the torch for New York into the future.

02:52That never happened, as the injuries and his lack of commitment resulted in the Knicks

02:58pressing the restart button once again.

03:01People point to the signing of Jalen Brunson that launched the Knicks into their best era

03:06since the 1990s.

03:07Or maybe the hiring of Tom Thibodeau, who brought an old-school, tough mentality of coaching that

03:13emphasized discipline and teamwork.

03:15However, the catalyst that truly kicked off this new era is the hiring of Leon Rose as

03:21the president of the New York Knicks.

03:24Previously, Leon Rose was a well-established basketball agent representing the biggest names

03:29in the sport, such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul,

03:35Joel Embiid, the list goes on and on.

03:37But most importantly, he has connections.

03:40In fact, he was the guy behind the scenes who created the Big Three in Miami.

03:45At the time, he was LeBron's agent.

03:47And after a meeting with Pat Riley, they discussed a proposal of forming this superteam

03:52and all the details that made it work.

03:55The rest is history.

03:57So even though Leon had little experience with being an executive, he's been around NBA

04:02circles for a long time.

04:04His son was also an agent and represented Jalen Brunson.

04:08And that's how he got to New York in the first place.

04:10Leon Rose took over a Knicks team that was quite young.

04:14Some players so talented and skilled, but undisciplined.

04:17So his first move?

04:19Hiring Tom Thibodeau.

04:21In years past, Julius Randle had always been a polarizing player.

04:25There were times where he legitimately looked like he had the skills to become a superstar.

04:30Payton trying to stick with him.

04:32Stolen by Randle.

04:33Randle going down the other way.

04:35Goes up and throws it down.

04:37Other times, he let his emotions get the better of him.

04:41In Thibodeau's first year as the Knicks coach, he cited his most memorable moment being his

04:46first ever meeting with Julius Randle.

04:49When I first got hired, I asked him to come in so we could spend some time, just to get

04:54to know each other.

04:55You could see how highly motivated he was, the willingness to work and sacrifice for the

05:00team.

05:00And then he improved in every facet of the game.

05:04Under Tom Thibodeau's new game plan, Randle's hard work paid off.

05:08It resulted in the best season of his entire career with career highs in points and rebounds

05:14and double the assists compared to the previous season.

05:17Randle elevated himself into an all-star for the first time of his career.

05:23Thibs took notice of Randle's playmaking, which saw a remarkable improvement over time

05:28along with his three-point shot.

05:29A career-high 41% was way better than we ever thought Randle could do.

05:34With an intention to build the offense around him, it took advantage of his passing, a previously

05:40overlooked part of his game.

05:42With a new revamped offense and a group of players who were hungry to make the playoffs,

05:47the Knicks excelled in the pandemic-shortened season.

05:50They went 41-31, their first winning record in eight seasons.

05:54They exceeded their projected win total by a gargantuan 20 wins.

06:00And unfortunately, they were kind of turned into a laughingstock in the playoffs.

06:16Randle played through some injuries and struggled, but overall, it was a step in the right direction.

06:22For the Knicks, the plan moving forward was quite simple.

06:26They wanted to build their identity on toughness and grit,

06:29acquiring players who exemplify these qualities in their playstyle.

06:33There used to be a quote around the league that was more prevalent back in the day.

06:37It was, quote,

06:39New York knows basketball.

06:41What is that supposed to mean?

06:43Well, it means that New Yorkers recognize hard work and hustle, and appreciate it.

06:48So, if they're watching a team that simply does not give a crap, like the Knicks for two decades,

06:54they can see it, and they don't like it.

06:57Of course, having the talent certainly helps, but it's not all that matters.

07:01What truly matters is the players going as hard as they can to maximize their potential.

07:06The main ambition of both Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau was to acquire players to meet this criteria,

07:12to bring back this hard-nosed style of basketball that brought them so much success in the past.

07:18Every trade, every acquisition, every free agent signing reflected this criteria.

07:25As the summer of 2022 commenced, the Knicks had their eyes on Jalen Brunson.

07:30Well, they actually had their eyes on Donovan Mitchell first, but they couldn't get him.

07:34However, with Brunson, that's where Leon Rose's connections kicked in.

07:38Weeks before they even made him an official offer,

07:41Leon Rose hired his dad, Rick Brunson, to be an assistant coach.

07:45It definitely swayed him to come to New York.

07:48Though, in terms of tampering, yeah, that is kind of sketchy.

07:53However, most importantly, Brunson's contract of four years, $104 million,

07:57was initially criticized as a bad deal.

08:00Which is crazy when you think about it now,

08:02because it turned out to be arguably the best contract in the entire league.

08:06Just about $25 million a year for a guy who finished top five in the MVP race.

08:11While most players of his caliber are making upwards of $40 or $50 million a year.

08:16We all knew Brunson had the talents.

08:18It was obvious in Dallas.

08:20When Luka got injured, it was Brunson who carried the offense.

08:24People were hesitant if he can do this for an entire season.

08:28Was he truly a number one option?

08:30Well, there's no more questions about that.

08:34Nevertheless, this is always the first step in building a contender.

08:38You gotta get lucky with a bargain contract.

08:40Similar to how the Warriors re-signed Steph Curry to the biggest steal of a contract in history.

08:46Oh, and speaking of great contracts, in this same offseason,

08:50the Knicks made a relatively obscure signing at the time.

08:53Isaiah Hartenstein.

08:55For two years, $16 million.

08:57He was unknown at the time.

08:59He showed some potential back on the Clippers, but nobody knew much of him.

09:03Until he arrived to New York and stamped his mark as an incredibly energetic, high-effort center.

09:09Hartenstein, along with Robinson, became two of the best offensive rebounders the NBA has ever seen.

09:15For so long, the root of their struggles for decades was due to poor contracts and management.

09:21From Eddie Curry's ludicrous deal to Joakim Noah's even more absurd contract.

09:26They also made some putrid trades for, like, Andrea Bargnani.

09:30It's a long list of bad moves.

09:32But this new era in New York is different.

09:36Around this time, the team also started getting rid of players who they deemed as non-impactful

09:41and did not have a future in New York.

09:44Two young players in particular, Cam Reddish and Kevin Knox, were not improving at all.

09:49And despite being lottery picks, the Knicks gave up on them

09:52before re-signing them to a deal they were gonna regret.

09:56With Brunson and Hartenstein as two critical acquisitions,

10:00the team started ramping up faster than we imagined.

10:05The 2022-23 season proved to be a huge turning point for the Knicks franchise.

10:11At the trade deadline, they made one of the most important trades ever for Josh Hart.

10:16The perfect role player and the pure manifestation of New York itself.

10:20Everything about him is exactly what this franchise needed.

10:23They also advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

10:28Stunning a Cavs team that was favored going in.

10:31Their pieces they acquired over the years added a level of physicality

10:35and rugged interior presence the Cavs could not match.

10:39The Knicks still lost in the second round, but it was still a bright sign for things to come.

10:44Jalen Brunson emerged as a legitimate number one option.

10:48Oh, that contract is certainly looking good.

10:51After an optimistic postseason run,

10:54the organization knew what kind of players they needed to build upon this roster.

10:59At the 2024 trade deadline, the team had a decision to make.

11:05RJ Barrett was supposed to be the future of the Knicks franchise.

11:08The Knicks prized possession who spent years trying to develop in New York.

11:12But he just wasn't a good fit anymore.

11:15He was the odd man out.

11:17Barrett's skill set was somewhat redundant with their stars,

11:20and he wasn't nearly as effective off the ball, nor was he the defensive presence they needed.

11:25They were a good defensive team, but their defense on the wings was sorely lacking.

11:30As the roster moved in a different direction and the core players already established,

11:35there was no need to wait anymore.

11:37They packaged him and fan-favorite Emanuel quickly to Toronto in exchange for the more experienced,

11:44more reliable OG Ananobi, a big, strong wing player who became the final piece of the Knicks' starting lineup.

11:51Oh, and I forgot.

11:53In the previous offseason, they reunited the Villanova trio,

11:56acquiring Dante DiVincenzo, who fixed another issue they had,

12:00which was their spacing and three-point shooting.

12:04Through the post-Melo years, the Knicks' mission was to create a team that not only represented what New York

12:09sports should be,

12:10but a team that was built through smart trades and signings.

12:13It's different than most other teams these days,

12:16who try to build through the draft and watch their youngsters develop.

12:19The Knicks, unfortunately, have missed on most of their lottery picks.

12:23They didn't exactly have a great run with their draft selections,

12:27as several players turned out to be busts.

12:29So, unlike most other teams, they approached their rebuild from a different angle

12:33and sought like-minded players who are unselfish and equipped with intangibles that don't show up on the box score.

12:40This is everything Knicks fans have hoped for.

12:43To have a team that people want to root for.

12:46Sadly, for most of the 2023-24 season, they were hit by the injury bug,

12:51so we haven't seen the squad at its full potential.

12:55Perhaps that's why this team is so special.

12:58Like with all Tom Thibodeau teams,

13:00the next man up will play just as hard as the first guy.

13:04Thank you all so much for watching.

13:06I hope you all enjoyed the video.

13:08Let me know in the comments what you think what the future is for the Knicks franchise.

13:12Is a potential championship possibly in reach?

13:16Or is it just a hopeful dream?

13:19Folks, as always, I'll see you next time.

13:22Peace.

13:23Peace.

13:24Peace.

13:26Peace.

13:27Peace.

13:29Peace.

13:30Peace.

13:31Peace.

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