I thought about going back and checking to see how many times I have started an article this year by writing the Knicks had reached a new low. Sadly, I don't have all day, nor do I have a calculator. Last night was the most recent rock bottom moment for the Knicks, and it was a doozy.
First, they got blown out at home against a decent Grizzlies team playing on the second half of a back to back (so were the Knicks). It was another bad loss in a year full of them.
Second, Elfrid Payton took a cheap shot at Jae Crowder for stealing a pass and shooting a quick three when the game was already a blow out and there was less than a minute left. It led to a fracas on the court that will lead to suspensions. Payton had every right to be mad at Crowder for breaking unwritten rules of competition, but he took it too far with the extent of his reaction.
Third, the crowd began some of the loudest "sell the team" chants I've hard at Madison Square Garden for a long time. Given James Dolan's history of ejecting fans for yelling that, it undoubtedly bothered him.
Fourth, the Grizzlies had no hot water or water pressure in their showers after the game. According to reports, the Knicks did fix the issue after hearing about the problems, which indicates it might not have been a purposeful sabotage.
Fifth, Marcus Morris used comments about women to disparage Jae Crowder.
"He plays the game a different way," Morris complained. "A lot of female tendencies on the court, flopping and throwing his head back the entire game. It's a man's game, and you just get tired of it. Obviously, at the end, that was very unprofessional. They're winning the game, that's a good team, and he does stuff like that, man."
"The steal was cool," he continued. "He got the steal. It is what it is. But when you step back and shoot a 3 and try to rub it in that they're winning, it's just unprofessional. That's soft. His game is soft. He's soft. Just how he carrying, man, it's very womanly."
Morris quickly went to twitter after the game to apologize. I would be surprised if the NBA did not make a phone call to the Knicks regarding those quotes. There might even be some punishment in the future for Morris.
Despite the team's poor record, they continue to play veterans, ostensibly to feature them for potential trade targets and win some games. Ironically, that plan has had dual effects. The more guys like Bobby Portis and Dennis Smith Jr. play, the less attractive they are based on their performance.
Continuing to lose with the veteran additions this offseason, now with two different coaches, is actually proving how poorly Mills and Perry built this team over the summer. It could not be clearer to see and there's no way the owner doesn't see it too.
I get the sense Dolan wants the Knicks off his plate. He is tired of taking the heat for the team's incompetence and is willing to hire someone everyone will praise and just pass the team to them. He tried to do it with Phil Jackson, but he wasn't the right person. Is he capable of finding the right person if homeruns like Masai Ujiri, Sam Presti and Daryl Morey don't become available? Everyone should be doubtful.
But the Steve Mills experiment has not worked. The plan he and Scott Perry has verbalized is sound but they have no idea how to execute it. It is easy to tear down a roster to add future assets, but more difficult to build it up. Perry and Mills have shown no indications they know how to do that.
The trade deadline is the final chance for the Knicks to create some positive return on an offseason that so far has been an unmitigated disaster. Even someone like James Dolan, who is not a basketball executive has to see that. His 70 million spent this summer has yielded a 13-36 record.
Marcus Morris is a good player and based on reports the Knicks hope to keep him long term. Maybe his insensitive and offensive words last night change that calculation for Dolan. Perhaps he forces Mills hand? Of course there's also a chance those comments make other teams more leery of acquiring him.
The deadline is still a week away, February 6th, and there are moves to be made that can help the team's long term prospects. If Mills or Scott Perry aren't willing to make them, then Dolan needs to put someone in place temporarily that will. The sooner Dolan realizes that the longer Steve Mills runs the organization, the harder it is to turn things around.
The Knicks are being laughed at. The whole thing is an embarrassment and everyone in that building needs to self-evaluate and be honest with themselves. If they do that, changes will come. The question is whether those changes will ever lead to success for the Knicks.
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