By Christopher Pennell

The New York Knicks lost a lot in 2017; Can 2018 be the year things start to come together? Here’s what they need. 

Lets take a look at the Knicks 2017-2018 season shall we….

September 23^rd, the Knicks trade away their “franchise player” in Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a 2^nd round draft pick. SO in other words, the Knicks received basically nothing for the 10 time All Star. Not a good start for the Knicks in 2017.

Lets continue.

Trading away Carmelo, the Knicks were set in stone to build around rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis, in hopes he will recreate his rookie season into year two.  He was on pace for greatness averaging 22.7 ppg and grabbing 6.6 rebounds per game, until an unfortunate turn of events occurred…

February 6^th, Porzingis went up for a dunk against NBA All Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Fortunately, Porzingis made the shot and Madison Square Garden all jumped to their feet. However it wasn’t the dunk that had everyone on their feet.  After the play, Porzingis fell to the floor, grabbing his right knee, a sight that everyone fears to see when watching there favorite player compete.  It turned out that Porzingis, tore his right ACL and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Knicks finished off 29-53 and went on to miss the playoffs for the 5^th consecutive season.

To put icing on the cake, the Knicks organization decided to part ways with Head Coach Jeff Hornisack, who was the fourth coach for the Knicks in that five year span.

2017 was not a season the Knicks want to remember. With the offseason coming up, free agency, and the NBA draft, the Knicks are looking to rebuild their squad from the ground up in hopes to reach the playoffs once again.

But what do they need is the question..

First off, the Knicks need a head coach.  President of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, has been reaching out to various coaches such as Villanova head coach Jay Wright.  Coach Wright has led the Villanova Wildcats to two national championships in the last three year.  Judging by his resume, Wright is an experienced head coach with a lot of upside potential who knows how to win.  However, according to si.com, he has shown no indication in wanting to jump from Villanova to the NBA.

Another head coach option is TNT basketball analyst Kenny Smith.  Now this is a shot in dark because Smith has never had a coaching job. Weather its high school, college, or NBA, Smith has never won games as a coach.  This should be the Knicks last resort because in the state the Knicks are in, they need a coach with experience and knows how to win basketball games.

Once they figure out their head coaching vacancy, they need to start looking at who can help them replace Porzingis, because in reality he is most likely going to miss the 2018 season due to his torn ACL.

The Knicks top guy out of the 2018 NBA draft is freshman superstar Trae Young from University of Oklahoma.  Trae Young has had comparisons to two time MVP Stephen Curry for his range and shooting abilities.  Trae Young will definitely give the Knicks a spark and could potentially help replace Porzingis for the time being if he lives up to the hype.  If the Knicks draft Young, than it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as they can hit the free agency market and get a veteran who can lead with the young talent.

Enter Free Agency.

Free agency is always an exciting time in the NBA.  Players are on the move and fans either get excited or they start burning jerseys. Either or.  A free agent the Knicks should go after is Paul George, All Star small forward from the Oklahoma City Thunder.   George is a versatile two way player who would fill in perfectly with Porzingis’ absence.  Now its up to the Knicks front office to get their money together and offer George a scenario he cant resist.

The New York Knicks have a lot of work to do this off season if they want to get back to being contenders in the Eastern Conference.  If not than they will be where they have been for the past five seasons.  On the couch in May watching the  NBA playoffs instead of competing and trying to take down the Cleveland Cavaliers.